Understanding student underrepresentation in higher education

David Bass, Equality Challenge UnitProf Thilo Kroll, Universities of Dundee and St Andrews

Attracting diversity: purpose of the programme

= To support HEIs develop their student recruitment activity to be more inclusive of key target groups= with a particular focus on increasing access of

underrepresented PC groups.= To further align student recruitment, WP and equality

work, increasing efficiency, maximising resources and increasing impact of existing work.

= Support institutions in complying with Eq Act 2010.

Expected outputs and outcomes

Outputs: = Institutional action plans and reports= shared learning on approaches, what works,

common barriers, etc. Outcomes:

= Underrepresented /PC groups are identified and action take by HEIs to encourage and support them to apply.

= Representation of underrepresented PC groups is increased across HEIs.

= WP and E&D staff involving each other in developing local strategy and activity at an early stage to identify opportunities for collaborative work.

= Collecting and analysing equality data, e.g. on WP student’s protected characteristics or PC group conversion rates for applicants.

= Collaborative approach, with other institutions, ECU and Prof Liz Thomas, to developing and delivering work.

What’s worked(in this project and in general)

Equality Act 2010

= Replaces previous anti-discrimination law, consolidating it into a single act.

= Extension to ‘protected characteristics’:

Age Pregnancy and maternityDisability RaceGender (sex) Religion and beliefGender reassignment Sexual orientationMarriage and civil partnership

Public sector equality duty (PSED)

HEIs must:Eliminate discriminationAdvance equality of opportunityFoster good relations

In regards to advancing equality of opportunity, this means: reducing disadvantage, meeting (unmet) needs, and encouraging participation where it is low

EHRC technical guidance: equality of opportunity = “substantive equality”

Quantitative analysis

= Examine institutional data for evidence of differential outcomes.

= Benchmark against institutional, sector and population data.

= Identify areas of possible underrepresentation for further analysis.

Activity: data analysis

Hypothetical institutional example for education : 20% male, 3% BME, 6.5% w/ a disability

Assessing underrepresentation

Making subjective judgements - going back to the PSED:

In regards to advancing equality of opportunity, HEIs must have ‘due regard’ to: = Minimising disadvantage= Meet needs= Encourage participation

Where does the data leave us?

University of Dundee: Attracting Diversity – Understanding the student experience

Qualitative Approach

Access Enrolment Retainment

Student performance/Outcomes and differences

Graduation data/experiences

Job readiness/career prospects

Questions: What are the Barriers and facilitators of access? For whom?

Who enrols? What facilitates enrolment?What hinders it? (People, processes…)

Who stays, who drops out? And why?

Methods: QUAL Key stakeholderPerspectives

Setting: Community (outside university); Schools

Methods: QUAL Admissions and programme staff; student experiences

QUAN: Admissions dataset (patterning of enrolment characteristics)

Setting: University

Methods: QUAL Students, Tutors (reasons for drop out)

QUAN: Patterning of characteristics of retainment and dropout Setting: University

Setting:Community

General approach

• quantitative analysis of specific characteristics of the current student intake, namely gender, ethnicity, age and disability (initial focus on gender differences)

• qualitative analysis of the experience of applicants

• devising a plan of action to remove barriers.

Quantitative component

• Questions• What is our current profile for each protected

characteristic, as an institution and by academic School?• How has this profile changed over time and can this

change be explained?• How does this profile compare with that of other

Scottish institutions?• Can evidence of potential barriers to applicants with

specific protected characteristics be identified in the data?

Qualitative component

• Aim: To undertake qualitative analysis of the experience of a sample of applicants, by means of focus groups conducted through the Dundee Students Union (DUSA)

Approach

• the focus of this pilot study is to obtain general perceptions in relation to female/male students in defined discipline areas where gender under-representation has been identified as an area of concern

• Four schools have been identified, based on an analysis of the quantitative data which revealed stark gender differences in terms of numbers of applications in Computing (male > female), Nursing (female > male), Engineering (male > female), Education and Community Learning (female > male)

• UREC approval for the chosen approach sought• Student volunteers are to be selected by School Office staff. An

email invitation, via DUSA

Dear (School Secretary name) I have been involved in a project led by Admissions and Student Recruitment which looks how the University is able to attract students who might perceive barriers linked to equality and diversity regarding certain courses. The next stage of our project is to organise focus groups with students to find out why they came here. In order to narrow the research, we decided to focus on gender as a specific characteristic and chose your School. Could you please select and invite first year Scottish domicile (male/female) students in the (School/course name) to attend the focus group, which is going to be on Wednesday the 27th May from 1 pm in Dalhousie Building? We need exactly five students from your (School/course name) in order to run the research, which is informal and which is obtaining ethical approval. Every participant will receive free lunch and a £10 Amazon voucher. Please send me the names and emails of the volunteers and if you have any questions about the project, I am happy to answer them. Best wishes,…Deputy President

Approach (continued)• Invitation letter for 5 student volunteers from each participating

school by the school secretary, outlining the nature of the project.• • Availability of the DUSA Deputy President to answer any student

queries.• • Outlining of the project at the start of the focus group and

distribution of participant information sheets to be read and responded to as required.

• • Collection of signed consent forms and concluding remarks at the

focus group to explain the project’s next steps.

Focus Group Topic Guide

Why did you choose Dundee for your studies? What helped you make this decision? What is your view of:Prompts • the University in general?• your chosen field of study discipline/topic area specifically? In your view, how diverse is the student population:Prompts • in the University? • in your field of study/discipline/topic area? What, do you think, are some barriers to attract or retain:Prompts • female/male students• mature students• students with disabilities• in your field of study/discipline/topic area?What can the University do, in your view, to attract an even more diverse student population?

Results

• To be expected around 1 June or slightly thereafter

Discussion

= Reactions and thoughts

= Is there similar activity happening that you’re aware of?

= Feasibility at your institution?