1. Challenging wicked problems and folk pedagogies to address the BME attainment gap in higher education
Liz Austen and Stella Jones-Devitt
Student Engagement, Evaluation and Research

2. Workshop Overview
Uses game based learning to explore folk pedagogies and wicked problems
Outlines the struggle of one UK HEI as it attempted to contextualise, research and evaluate interventions to improve confidence and belonging of BME students
Teams will navigate folk pedagogies and provide solutions to the wicked problem of BME attainment in order to win the game!

3. Our experience
To examine whether co-design and peer learning approaches make any positive differences to the confidence-levels of BME students and - by inference - enhance longer-term belonging?

4. The reality of implementation
A deficit explanation for the attainment gap
Resistance to curriculum changes
A lack of strategic traction within the institution
Jones-Devitt, S., Austen, L., et.al. (2017) Creation and Confidence: BME students as academic partners….but where were the staff? The Journal of Educational Innovation, Partnership and Change 3 (2)
Austen, L, Heaton, C, Jones-Devitt, S. Pickering, N. ( 2017) Why is the BME attainment gap such a wicked problem? The Journal of Educational Innovation, Partnership and Change 3 (2)

5. Folk Pedagogies as explanations
The lay theories and assumptions that are often used to explain how learning occurs (Bruner 1996)
Formal, explicated and verified vs implicit, subconscious and hidden (Ilic & Bojovic 2016).

6. Wicked problems as explanations
Wicked problems have distinct characteristics of uncertainty and vary in degree of 'wickedness'
Wicked problems lack predictability and control
Solutions are inherently social, reframing outcomes of 'problem solving' into 'a shared understanding of possible solutions'

7. Vignettes
Evidence informed quotes for discussion will form the basis of our game playing activity

8. I haven't felt as supported as I could have and sometimes I really thought 'actually, I cannot do this.' But it wasn't the work itself I couldn't do, it was attendance and sort of feeling really obvious all the time. I didn't want to show up late to anything because I didn't want people to look at me. It's always like you're in a lecture with 100 people and less than 10 are black. You're noticeable.
Often BME students group together and don't really engage with the rest of the class. This gets noticed by other students and feels uncomfortable. The really engaged students stay around afterwards asking questions but the BME students don't seem that interested.
Student Lecturer

9. In first and second year, I felt quite excluded but I didn't actually know or understand why... when I actually attended the lessons, people spoke to me, I had a group of people I sat next to and stuff. But often there would be things going on outside of Uni that, quite frequently, I wasn't invited to.
I wish I knew how to help. BME students don’t appear to take part in the extra-curricular social stuff organised by other students on the course. They come in buzzing with what they did the night before but the BME students don’t tend to go along to such things. That's how good relations are built by students and some groups really miss out. It also helps to build camaraderie between lecturer and students as you can jokily probe them about what went on. It all helps to sustain relationships. I don't feel I have that rapport with many of the BME students.
Student Lecturer

10. I just think it's a bit annoying that
I just think it's a bit annoying that...you don't see ethnically diverse lecturers. I think that kind of brings forth the question 'why not?' In the content as well, I think especially because we're doing literature and there is so much literature out there from diverse writers that we could explore but we don't explore.
Making sure that the curriculum is more inclusive is very challenging. Most students want to hear about the movers and shakers in their subject area. If I start including some of the more obscure sources and people - just for the sake of it - then the learning skews too far and this often disengages other students who want to get on with finding out more about key experts in the field. Students can always volunteer sources and evidence if they like rather than moaning about what's not included in the course reading list or module guide
Student Lecturer

11. Game playing Snakes and Ladders: A morality game?
The meaning of the numbers?
How to play?
What are your snakes and ladders?
Breaking the rules?

12. Feedback Should folk pedagogies remain unchallenged?
Discussion of vignettes
Reflections on the game and tasks
So what now?

13. Lessons learned Gauging institutional readiness is crucial
The role of Critical Whiteness needs attention
Recognising that research immersion can raise your awareness before others
Blog:

14. References
Alexander, C. E., & Arday, J. (Eds.). (2015). Aiming higher: Race, inequality and diversity in the academy. Bruner, J. S. (1996). The culture of education. Harvard University Press. Connor, H., Tyers, C., Modood, T. and Hillage, J. (2004) Why the difference? A closer look at higher education minority ethnic students and graduates. Research Report No London: DfES. Cotton, D., George, R., & Joyner, M. (2013). The gender and ethnicity attainment gap research project. Ilic, M., & Bojovic, Z. (2016). Teachers' folk pedagogies. Journal of Arts and Humanities, 5(9), 41. NUS (2011) Race for equality: A report on the experiences of Black students in further and higher education. London: National Union of Students. Miller, P. (2016). ‘White sanction’, institutional, group and individual interaction in the promotion and progression of black and minority ethnic academics and teachers in England. Power and Education, Rollock, N. and Gillborn, D. (2011).Critical Race Theory (CRT) British Educational Research Association online resource. Available at

15. References
Singh, G. (2011) Black and minority ethnic (BME) students’ participation and success in higher education: improving retention and success. A synthesis of research evidence. York: Higher Education Academy. Singh, G., & Kwhali, J. (2015). How Can We Make Not Break Black and Minority Ethnic Leaders in Higher Education?. Stuart, M., Lido, C., Morgan, J., & May, S. (2008). What do students do outside the HE classroom? Extra curricular activities and different student groups.