1. Practical Recipes for Student Success – closing the student attainment gap at the University of Derby
Jean Mutton, Student Experience Project Manager,
HERAG Think Tank, 23rd June 2014

2. Black, minority ethnic students
Overview
This presentation will cover:
BME attainment gap - background
Research/horizon scanning
Derby approach
PReSS
Results
What next for Derby?
Q/A
Black, minority ethnic students
= BME students

3. Derby University
Derby is a modern (post 1992) university with a diverse student body of 23,000 +
1 in 5 define themselves as ‘Black Minority Ethnic’ (inc International, EU and Home students)
Widening Participation agenda across HE
Nationally, the ‘good honours’ (1st or 2i) attainment gap of UK-domiciled BME students in 2010/11 was 18.4% we asked - what is the picture at Derby?
(Ref: ECU ‘Equality in HE: statistical report 2012’)

4. Diverse Body of Students

5. BME Attainment Gap
The educational attainment gap in schools has a significant impact on who actually goes to university.
There is already a significant gap by the age of 5.
Children from poor backgrounds are only half as likely to go to university as their more affluent counterparts
In higher education the ‘social’ and ‘gender’ gaps persist and can be subject specific
The biggest attainment gap within higher education exists between white indigenous students and BME students
Source: Abrahams, D. (2012)

6. Post Racial and Super Diversity…
”it is crucial that we don’t restrict our notion of diversity to issues of ethnicity, faith and immigration status – as though it were in a separate silo from other kinds of diversity – disability, gender, age and sexual orientation – which is what people in the equality field also mean when they talk about equality of opportunity and inclusion” Dr. Sarah Spencer (Senior Fellow) Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS)
Remove labels and move away from the “deficit model” to a model that makes positive use of ‘social’ and ‘cultural capital’
Move from ‘integration’ to ‘inclusion’. Much current practice is the former……

7. Horizon Scanning for Solutions
We looked across the sector, internationally, nationally and here at Derby for best practice and research into what works.
We joined the Higher Education Race Action group HERAG which is an HE group looking into race in HE, staff and students
We made contact with staff in other universities who were researching into BME attainment through networks such as RAISE‘
Disparity in Student Attainment Project (DISA)
A joint venture between Coventry and Wolverhampton
All Parliamentary Party Group Inquiry response.

8. Psychological Processes Cultural and Social Capital
One Way Vs
Two Way
Student Pedagogies
Quality of Relationships
Fit to Submit
Assignment Types
Assignment Brief
Interlocutors
Empathic Pedagogies
Relationship with the University
Blind Marking
Support Signposting
Dissertation Marking
Autonomy in Learning
Feedback
Submission Type Flexibility
Spiky Degree Profiles
Individualisation
Internal vs
external
Folk pedagogies
Locus of Control
Being and becoming
Trust
Understanding Classification
Aspiration Raising
Encouraging Responsibility and Accountability
Support
Role Models
University Culture at Home
Students: Vox Pops
Pygmalion Effect
Information for Parents
Relationships
Academic Processes
Psychological Processes
Cultural and Social Capital

9. BME Attainment Gap at Derby
Targets ‘Good Hons’
2011/12
2012/13
2013/14
2014/15
2015/16
2016/17
BME
31%
33%
35%
40%
45%
50%
OTHER
61%
62%
63%
64%
65%
Attainment Gap
30%
28%
27%
23%
19%
15%

10. BME Attainment Gap at Derby
BME attainment gap for 2011/12 by individual module grade

11. What Works? No Magic Bullet Post-racial, inclusive approach required
A suite of different strategies required
Confidence and aspiration raising
Development of inclusive teaching practices and promotion of a partnership approach - (anticipatory and proactive)
Continual enhancement of assessment methods and approaches including the promotion of assessment choice
Development of inclusive feedback approaches
Promotion of discipline specific academic writing skills
Be reflective – review strategies regularly and ensure the needs of ALL learners are being met

12. Easy for staff to access and use
PReSS
Easy for staff to access and use
Packs are downloadable as word documents for easy customisation
Blog format allows users to post feedback and suggestions

13. The Derby Approach PReSS! But also…
…Preparing to Start University (VO)
…Students as partners
…Students as mentors
…Transition Pedagogies
…And more!

14. Results 31% 33% 41% 35% 40% 45% 50% 61% 64% 62% 63% 65% 30% 28% 23%
Targets ‘Good Hons’
2011/12
2012/13
2013/14
2014/15
2015/16
2016/17
BME
31%
33%
41%
35%
40%
45%
50%
OTHER
61%
64%
62%
63%
65%
Attainment Gap
30%
28%
23%
27%
19%
15%
Targets ‘Good Hons’
2011/12
2012/13
2013/14
2014/15
2015/16
2016/17
BME
31%
33%
35%
40%
45%
50%
OTHER
61%
62%
63%
64%
65%
Attainment Gap
30%
28%
27%
23%
19%
15%

15. PReSS Going forwards Challenges: More than action research
How else can we assess impact?
Is the project ‘out of control’?
Need more suggestions for packs
Feedback on usefulness of existing packs

16. Questions and Answers

17. References
Abrahams, D. (2012) Educational attainment in BME communities [accessed 6th May 2013]
QAA (2007) Subject benchmark statement Education Studies (2nd edition) [accessed 6th May 2013]
QAA (2013) UK quality code for higher education chapter B4: enabling student development and achievement. [accessed 6th May 2013]
Singh, G. (2013) Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) attainment: interventions and next steps [accessed 6th May 2013]
Spencer, S. (2012) Super diversity and the city [accessed 6th May 2013]