HE White Paper (England): SPA overview and action on unconscious bias

Slides:



Advertisements
Similar presentations
THE ADMISSIONS POLICY. WHY AN ADMISSIONS POLICY ? To ensure that the University is compliant with the QAA Code of practice: Admissions to Higher Education.
Advertisements

What do enquirers and applicants need to know? PSRB Forum on Public Information 16 December 2011 Leslie Currie, Senior Project Officer.
HE in FE: The Higher Education Academy and its Subject Centres Ian Lindsay Academic Advisor HE in FE.
Implementation of LEADER type Rural Development Measures July'06 Irish LEADER Support Unit An tAonad Tacaíochta LEADER in Éirinn Organising Capacity Building.
The new context of partnership working Deborah Fowler Head of Outreach and UK/EU Recruitment Colin Wylie Schools Liaison Officer.
HE Admissions from the FE Perspective Iain Wolloff Farnborough College of technology.
The Draft SEN Code of Practice November What the Code is Nine chapters Statutory guidance on duties, policies and procedures relating to Part 3.
Teachers’ Appraisal and Pay Pete Gaskin Julie Chow Alison Trehearn Paula Shaw 1 12 July 2013.
The Crown and Suppliers: A New Way of Working Ways of Working14:20 – 15:05 Data Standards Open Source ICT Asset & Service Knowledgebase Agile Q&A Session.
Teachers have a significant role in developing and implementing the most effective teaching and learning strategies in their classroom and striving for.
The new competitive environment: How can the use of contextual data aid fair admissions SPA event 19 June 2012 Janet Graham, Director of SPA.
THE PUBLIC DUTY TO PROMOTE EQUALITY Tess Gill There are currently three public sector equality duties: Race Disability Gender WHAT ARE THE EQUALITY DUTIES?
Security Marking: Public UCAS Teacher Training A single admissions process for postgraduate teacher education and training.
Introduction to the Applicant Experience The Applicant Experience in Wales, 4 June 2014 Peter Chetwynd, Admissions Support and Development Manager.
CI financial services programme Consumers International’s priorities for 2013 International agreements and processes 1.G20 agenda on financial consumer.
SPA Seminar Managing Numbers for 2010 Entry Welcome and context 2 June 2010 Janet Graham, Director of SPA.
Fair access and widening participation – the view from SPA OCNLR Access to HE Conference Thursday 24 March 2011 Annie Doyle, Senior Project Officer, SPA.
Consolidation and Review of Financial Services Legislation (“ CAROL ”) Jane D N Bates Head of Policy and Legal Unit Financial Supervision Commission 21.
Sir Howard Newby Chief Executive Higher Education Funding Council for England SHEEO Conference 13 August 2004 Regulation, Planning and the Market in Pursuing.
Glasgow, 17 May 2012 Mike Coles Developments in the validation of learning in the EU.
Widening participation to HE Linking London conference 2 nd July 2012 Victoria Waite Senior Policy Adviser – London and East
Contextual data in admissions: is it right to use it; is it wrong not to? FACE Conference 2 July 2009 Dan Shaffer, Senior Project Officer.
The Higher Education Academy - enhancing the student experience Teaching, learning and the disability agenda Yvonne Dickinson Adviser: Disability NADO.
Widening Access to Higher Education & the Conservatives : Bright New Dawn? Dr. Graeme Atherton Head, AccessHE.
Managing mistakes in admissions decision-making 2a. UCAS Admissions Conference, 21 March 2016 Jeni Clack, Admissions Support and Development Advisor.
Managing the risk of unconscious bias in admissions 3b UCAS Admissions Conference, 21 March 2016 Dan Shaffer, Head of Professionalism in Admissions Lizzy.
Partnerships between institutions: competition, collaboration and issues to consider for admissions 4b. UCAS Admissions Conference, 22 March 2016 Janet.
Raising standards improving lives The revised Learning and Skills Common Inspection Framework: AELP 2011.
Legal Basis of Equality Impact Assessments (EQIAs)  Requirement in Scotland under Equality Act 2010 to:  Assess the impact of applying a new or revised.
Current Issues in Admissions Policy and Practice: the view from SPA Admissions to HE Conference – 5 November 2009 Janet Graham, Director of SPA.
Managing the risk of unconscious bias in admissions.
Current Developments in Higher Education and at Birmingham City University Professor Fiona Church Pro-Vice-Chancellor Student Learning Experience.
Universities’ support for iag in schools
Criminal convictions and
Students’ Rights: The CMA and beyond
Responsible Procurement:
Professor Les Ebdon CBE Director of Fair Access to Higher Education
SPA Programme outline 26/04/2018
AUA-SPA Applicant Experience Network
Equality and Human Rights Exchange Network
The impact of qualification reform on applying to HE, and the new UCAS Tariff Firstly, some background for those who may be less familiar with my organization.
Changing HE landscape Ben Jordan Senior Policy Executive.
Joining up approaches between your recruitment and admissions 1b
Lynsey Hopkins, Head of Admissions June 2017
New developments in the UK Higher Education
Implementing and reviewing additional admissions assessments
The Teaching Excellence Framework and the wider HE policy landscape
Good practice in entry requirements
The UK HE White Paper & Education Bill 2016
LEARNING REPORT 2016 Disasters and Emergencies Preparedness Programme
Student Engagement: the QAA Experience
Empowering institutions to thrive through equality
Gender Pay Gap Report Snapshot 5th April 2016.
Shape your local food growing strategy
Learning Aim B: Examine the ethical issues when Providing care and support to meet the individual needs. B1 & B2.
9/16/2018 The ACT Government’s commitment to Performance and Accountability – the role of Evaluation Presentation to the Canberra Evaluation Forum Thursday,
Standards for success in city IT and construction projects
INTRODUCTION TO GDPR 19/09/2018.
Learning Analytics 13/11/2018 Making your business case.
The Office for Students
Looking to the Future: completing SRA reforms of regulation
Changing funding arrangements for physiotherapy education in England
Introduction to the training
Evaluation in the GEF and Training Module on Terminal Evaluations
CRM in Student Recruitment
Primary PE and Sport Premium
Access, success and progression in the OfS
FCA Asset Management Market Study Remediation actions – what managers should be doing IN COMPLIANCE Main Title.
Developing a Scottish Toolkit for Fair Access
Alternative Modes of Assessment
Presentation transcript:

HE White Paper (England): SPA overview and action on unconscious bias ARC-APG, 10 June 2016 Dan Shaffer, Head of Professionalism in Admissions

What is SPA? Set up in 2006 following the Schwartz Report Fair Admissions to Higher Education: Recommendations for Good Practice 2004 ‘The Group recommends the creation of a central source of expertise and advice on admissions issues. Its purpose would be to act as a resource for institutions who wish to maintain and enhance excellence in admissions. Such a centre could lead the continuing development of fair admissions, evaluating and commissioning research, and spreading best practice.’ [background information about SPA for presenters wishing to explain a little more about the source of this presentation] SPA was formed in 2006 following a government-commissioned review of fair admissions to higher education. One key recommendation from that review sums up SPA’s aims to: ‘Be a central source of expertise and advise on admissions issues’ – SPA is staffed by practitioners with experience of the HE sector, who offer evidence-based advice ‘act as a resource for institutions’ – first and foremost, SPA is there to support HE providers in their efforts to improve professionalism and ensure admissions is fair ‘lead the continuing development of fair admissions’ – SPA works with the HE sector to identify new and upcoming issues, and then researches them so that informed advice is available to HE providers to help them maintain fair admissions ‘spreading best practice’ – there are many examples of good practice already out there, so SPA creates an environment to facilitate the sharing of practice and to save admissions staff having to reinvent the wheel. If you want to know more about SPA, or look at their other resources, it’s all freely available on their website at www.spa.ac.uk.

Prison and Courts Reform Bill (England and Wales) Connected to Ministry of Justice report published in May, Unlocking Potential: A review of education in prison PM’s call to ‘ban the box’ UCAS and HE providers called on to review their criminal conviction assessment processes Recommendation to adopt SPA guidance “The current voluntary guidelines on fair, proportionate and transparent practice in assessing the suitability of those with criminal records to access further and higher education courses (published in February 2014 by Supporting Professionalism in Admissions) should be rigorously and universally implemented.”

HE White paper (England) Success as a Knowledge Economy: Teaching Excellence, Social Mobility and Student Choice BIS, May 2016 Impact on HE admissions?

HE White paper (England) ARCHITECTURE WA and WP formally brought together under Office for Students, absorbing HEFCE and OFFA Consistent regulatory framework for all providers Explicitly pro student choice and transparency Promote social mobility … but no targets Admissions remit? Applicant remit?

HE White paper (England) COMPETITION Easier, quicker, single route to becoming a HE provider More ‘challenger’ institutions? Less admissions experience? (or just less historic baggage?) Increased pressure on incumbents’ practice? Risk-based QA Any admissions benchmarks / behaviours? Consumer protection as a baseline? Market exit Student protection plan – to cover applicants? Need to inform OfS of discontinued courses?

HE White paper (England) CHOICE Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) Potential to increase fees – is it already in your fee info? Will all UK HE providers participate? Flexibility to switch courses (credit transfer) Need to explain in admissions? Additional call for evidence open until 19 July Alternative student finance Need to update fees and loans sections?

HE White paper (England) (more) CHOICE Duty on HE providers to publish application, offer, acceptance and progression rates, broken down by gender, ethnicity and disadvantage Steps already made, but more needed? Legislation to require UCAS (and others) share relevant data with Government and researchers Expectation of sector measures on name-blind applications “UCAS will make recommendations to the sector in support of this policy objective”

Unconscious bias Unconscious bias refers to a bias that we are unaware of, and which happens outside of our control. It is a bias that happens automatically and is triggered by our brain making quick judgments and assessments of people and situations, influenced by our background, cultural environment and personal experiences. But… in student recruitment unconscious bias can lead to unfairly discriminating against individuals. SPA has applied a definition of unconscious bias used by the Equality Challenge Unit. This states <click> Unconscious bias refers to a bias that we are unaware of, and which happens outside of our control. It is a bias that happens automatically and is triggered by our brain making quick judgments and assessments of people and situations, influenced by our background, cultural environment and personal experiences. As we’ve seen, these automatic responses are often helpful. But, in student recruitment, unconscious bias can lead to unfairly discriminating against individuals. Obviously, we don’t want to do that, so the question is ‘how much are we influenced by our unconscious without even realizing it?

Unconscious bias Basically, our pre-conceived notions are built up over time by a complex network of instinctual, cultural and social influences. The more likeable, trustworthy, influential or familiar a source, the more likely we are to accept it without further scrutiny. We have a shared understanding … or expectation … without the need for lengthy description. In today’s fast-paced, bite-sized communications, such preconceptions may be more influential than ever. They can influence decisions made by all involved in HE admissions, including applicants. How do you think you’d cope without reference to any unconscious bias triggers?

Unconscious bias SPA already has Summary information sheet Recommendations Bias risks table Template action plan Template workshop presentation Introduction video SPA is planning Toolkit module Case studies Two staff development events Advisory group? Admissions briefing for non- admissions trainers? Certification?