Addressing awarding gaps

Recent research from AdvanceHE tells us that across the Higher Education sector, 24.3% of UK-domiciled students identify as Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (AdvanceHE, 2020).

Furthermore, despite some progress across the HE sector, 68% Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students are awarded a first/2:1 compared to 81.4% of white students.

This 13% awarding gap has remained unchanged since 2017/18 across the sector.

The Office for Students has a Key Performance Measure (KM7) that tracks degree attainment by ethnicity. They have previously set the target to eliminate this gap in degree outcomes (1sts or 2:1s) between white students and black students by 2024-25, and to eliminate the absolute gap by 2030-31.

What do we mean by ethnicity? 

In discussing these issues, choosing the right language to use can be difficult, being forgiving and supportive of each other is the best way we can make progress together.

Like Bhopal and Pitkin (2020) we use the term Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic ‘to refer to individuals from Black British, Black African, British Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi, Chinese and those from other non-White backgrounds, official terms used in the Census (2011). We are aware of the limitations of the term, particularly that these individuals are not a homogenous group, but it remains a useful designation in a field such as higher education in which White identities remain dominant’ (544).

However, to avoid further unhelpful homogenising of these diverse groups, we do not use an acronym for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic.

References

Kalwant Bhopal and Clare Pitkin (2020) ‘Same old story, just a different policy’: race and policy making in higher education in the UK, Race Ethnicity and Education, 23(4).

To access the three resources below, you will need to register as a member to QAA following this link.

The Awarding Map - A resource designed to provide a holistic view of awarding gaps, making the origins and emergence of gaps more visible and accessible.

The Awarding Map resources for colleges - A resource designed to provide a holistic view of awarding gaps - gaps in student achievement across a range of student characteristics.

Beyond the Baseline: QAA Resource Map- This resource offers an overview of QAA resources that have been carefully curated to support the tertiary and higher education sector in going beyond the baseline regulatory requirements as presented in the Office for Students’ (OfS) regulatory framework for HE in England.

Addressing the Awarding Gap requires a whole institution approach (Nona McDuff). As such Manchester Met is currently working towards a Race Equality Charter (REC), and has in place an Access and Participation Plan (2020-2025) (staff only) and the First Generation scheme (staff only) at an institutional level.

Plus, the Inclusive Learning Communities project’s intranet page (staff only) provides an overview of the project’s objectives and activities. The page is regularly updated with information about our BAME Ambassador’s work and links to current activities taking place across the University which aim to eliminate the degree-awarding gap and increase Black, Asian and Minority ethnic students’ sense of belonging to the University. All staff with a passion for improving students’ experience are invited to share ideas and best practices at the project’s regular Community of Practice meetings.

There is also STRIVE100, led by Iwi Ugiagbe-Green, a Reader in the Faculty of Business and Law. STRIVE100 is underpinned by the African philosophy of #Ubuntu (‘I am because we are’) and celebrates difference and diversity. We focus on strengths and capabilities, surfacing STRIVERS’ values and potential. We want all STRIVERS to know that they matter and feel a sense of belonging within a learning community in which well-being is front and centre of everything that we do. STRIVERS will engage in a range of interesting and value-adding hybrid events covering personal and professional skills development, career planning and academic and study skills development.

STRIVERS will have the opportunity to do at least one virtual internship with a large graduate recruiter. Our talk about race forums offers a ‘safe’ space for STRIVERS (and others) to discuss racialised experiences. Our Tellin’ Stories feature introduces our STRIVERS to some amazing relatable role models. The life coaching and mentoring provided enable STRIVERS to set clear goals and receive expert support to achieve them! STRIVERS will also benefit from Peer-to-Peer (PAL) support, as well as 1:1 feedback on draft submissions/study plans and ongoing learner development support through our ACE workshops. Underpinning everything on the programme is well being, with spaces created in partnership with a charity called Hope, the multi-faith Chaplaincy and our well-being Ambassadors.

Research tells us that race equality gaps in degree-awarding are longstanding and persistent across higher education (TASO, 2021). Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic learners are less likely to achieve good honours which can impact student experience and harm graduate outcomes.

TASO has identified some key facts concerning this:

• The degree-awarding gap for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students varies between different ethnicities and within these broad ethnic groups. It also varies depending on whether a student studies full-time or part-time.
• The gap between black and white students is so significant that the Office for Students has developed a key performance measure to address this inequality.
• Some of the factors contributing to degree-awarding gaps are structural such as entry qualification, subject of study or age of students. However, once such factors are taken into account, data shows that there remain significant unexplained differences.

Reference: TASO, 2021.

A key area of consideration for staff is the experiences of learning and teaching as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic. Whilst there have been significant advances, including the development of new skills and a greater variety of pedagogical practices. Some students may have found that this period has further exacerbated feelings of exclusion. This project from the Quality Assurance Agency gathered evidence from a number of institutions including Manchester Metropolitan undergraduate students of their perceptions of the quality of learning and teaching in the current context of the Covid-19 pandemic, with a focus on how these perceptions differ by ethnicity.

Further Resources

How ‘white fragility’ reinforces racism – video explainer, Robin DiAngelo

This short video defines the concept ‘white fragilty’, explains how it reinforces racism and offers practical guidance on how white people can challenge it by starting with themselves.

Leeds Anti-Racism Toolkit

An excellent set of anti-racism resources from the University of Leeds.

AdvanceHE. 2020. Equality in Higher Education: Statistical Report 2020. Available at: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/equality-higher-education-statistical-report-2020

An Advance HE report offering a snapshot of the main equality challenges for staff and students as a step towards addressing them.

Quality Assurance Agency. 2021. Differing Perceptions of Quality of Learning. Available at: https://sites.google.com/port.ac.uk/qaa-bame-enhancementproject/home

This project collated undergraduate perceptions of learning and teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Transforming Access and Student Outcomes in Higher Education. 2021. New research partnership: Impact of HE curriculum reforms on race equality gaps. Available at: https://taso.org.uk/news-item/new-research-partnership-impact-of-he-curriculum-reform-on-race-equality-gaps/

This TASO research partnership will evaluate the impact of changes to curricula on the BAME degree awarding gap.

Bhopal, K. and Maylor, U. eds (2014) Educational inequalities : difference and diversity in schools and higher education. New York, N.Y.: Routledge.

This edited book brings together authors from a range of international contexts to consider ideas of difference and diversity, specifically in relation to ‘race’, gender and class.

Bhopal, K. & Preston, J. (2011) Intersectionality and race in education. London: Routledge.

An edited collection exploring the experience of individuals oppressed by multiple inequalities throughout their education.

Delgado, R., Stefancic, J. and Harris, A. (2017) Critical race theory: an introduction. Third edn. New York: New York University Press.

An introduction to this key movement of activists and scholars, many with their roots in law and the US legal system.

(Re)imagining a Dialogic Curriculum: Humanizing and Epistemically Liberating Pedagogies

Carmichael-Murphy, P. and Gabi, J. (2021) ‘(Re)imagining a Dialogic Curriculum: Humanizing and Epistemically Liberating Pedagogies.’ Race and Pedagogy Journal: Teaching and Learning for Justice, 5(2) pp 1-18. [Online] [Accessed 23^rd August 2022] https://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/rpj/vol5/iss2/4

Informed by Black feminist thought, this article is a call to action to university leaders to work in partnership with racialized and racially minoritized students to create the conditions for socially just change. The article demonstrates that authentic dialogue will expose the marginalization and systemic discrimination racially minoritized students experience and that it is these same students who are leading to a more equitable curriculum.

The wicked problem of B(A)ME degree award gaps and systemic racism in our universities

Ugiagbe-Green, I. and Ernsting, F. (2022) The wicked problem of B(A)ME degree award gaps and systemic racism in our universities. Front. Sociol. 7:971923. 

In this article, our colleagues from Accounting, Finance and Banking in the Faculty of Business and Law, Iwi Ugiagbe-Green and Freya Ernsting evaluate the limitations of current quantitative approaches to such gaps by contextualising B(A)ME degree award gaps as a wicked problem. They then suggest the frameworks and narratives of Critical Race Theory as an alternative and end with a powerful call to action to all those involved in higher education provision! 

STRIVE 100 is a programme of exciting, interesting & thought-provoking workshops and activities. The sessions cover personal & professional development such as – academic coaching excellence (ACE), employment and employability, and health, wellbeing and life coaching.

The STRIVE 100 programme has been designed with students in mind: taking into account your unique needs and experiences. It will support students to level up and develop the confidence to pursue whatever you seek to.

Peer-to-peer support aims to encourage students to work together and support each other throughout the university journey. They offer a number of peer support opportunities where students use their own experience to offer help and guidance in both an academic and social environment. 

Peer Assisted Learning/PAL: PAL is an internationally recognised academic support service for students. PAL sessions are led by trained students from a higher year group who will facilitate small, collaborative working groups that promote discussion, critique, analysis and clarification.

Peer Guides: The Peer Guides are current students, here to provide support, advice and guidance. They are on hand to listen, answer questions and share their knowledge and experience with other students.

Mentor Me matches students with a professional mentor to give them insights into the world of work. The programme runs throughout the year. Students can meet their mentor face-to-face, online, by telephone by email or a mix — whatever works best for them.

At Study Skills, specialist tutors offer support with academic writing, numeracy, specific learning difficulties, study skills and assistive technologies. Students can access support through one-to-one appointments, live webinars or online resources.