advance he home - advance he - attracting diversity · 2018. 6. 7. · dr meg dunn, university of...
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Attracting Diversity
Festival of Learning
@EqualityinHE @AdvanceHE #AttractingDiversity
Welcome to the Festival of
Learning
Gary LokeAdvance HE
@EqualityinHE @AdvanceHE #AttractingDiversity
Attracting Diversity
Festival of Learning aims
= Showcase learning from Attracting Diversity
projects
= Consider recommendations from Attracting
Diversity for embedding effective institutional
activity and improving student outcomes
= As a sector discuss next steps for how we take
equality in student access work forward
Programme overview10.20 Keynote Dr Matson Lawrence, Scottish Funding Council
10.30 Panel discussion Building sustainable and context specific
initiatives
11.15 Refreshments
11.35 Presentations Positive action
12.15 Panel discussion Men into care
13.00 Lunch
13.40 Exhibition stalls and poster presentations
14.10 Interactive workshops
15.00 Crowdsourcing the future – what’s needed for future progress?
15.30 Achievements, recommendations and hard truths Prof. Liz
Thomas
16.00 Keynote Prof. Peter Mathieson Principal, University of Edinburgh
16.15 Closing remarks Gary Loke
Equality in student access and
recruitment
Matson Lawrence
Scottish Funding Council
Attracting Diversity
Building sustainable and context
specific initiatives
Clare Fraser, West College Scotland (Chair)
Jesse Paul and Cress Maher, Royal Conservatoire
of Scotland
Monica Medina, Forth Valley College
Janet Hackel, University of the Highlands and
Islands
Positive Action
David Bass, Advance HE (Chair)
Prof Katherine Kirk, Dr Patricia Munoz- Escalona,
Dr Meg Dunn, University of the West of Scotland
Lesley Balfour, Abertay University
Jill Davie, West Lothian College
abertay.ac.uk
Lesley Balfour, Director of Recruitment
ECU Attracting Diversity: Reducing barriers in transitions to post-16 education to support gender diversity in Computing, Computer Games, Food and Sport
abertay.ac.uk
Rationale
• Understand why gender influences affect application and enrolment
• Develop an institutional framework to assist in reducing barriers in transitions to post-16 education to improve gender diversity in our courses
• Focus on four subject areas with the largest gender imbalances (Computing, Games, Sport and Food)
Activity
• Programme entry requirements – Minimum Access Thresholds
• Articulation - alternative routes to degree study
• Degree titles – can degree titles improve gender balance?
ECU Attracting Diversity: Reducing barriers in transitions to post-16 education to support gender diversity in Computing, Computer Games, Food and Sport
abertay.ac.uk
Outcome: 2017 entry intake
141 149 180
2015/16 2016/17 2017/18
37% of entrants joined us from college
in 2017/18
ECU Attracting Diversity: Reducing barriers in transitions to post-16 education to support gender diversity in Computing, Computer Games, Food and Sport
abertay.ac.uk
Reflections
• Institutional approach – organisation culture/leadership• Right people – buy-in v commitment
• Leverage links/connections to other work eg Athena Swan, Equality and Diversity, Outcome Agreement, Gender Action Plan
• Develop/embed in institutional frameworks• Understanding how policies/factors influence/impact on individuals
• Intersectionality – contextual admissions
• Scrutinising our assumptions – reframing the ‘offer’
• Focus effort, prioritise evaluation• long-term results for no additional resource
ECU Attracting Diversity: Reducing barriers in transitions to post-16 education to support gender diversity in Computing, Computer Games, Food and Sport
The Attracting Diversity Festival of Learning
Edinburgh, 5th June 2018
“Giving Girls another Chance to Choose Physics and Engineering”
Alternative admissions criteria for Physics and Engineering degrees to remove barrier for applicants who do not have
traditional Physics and Maths Higher qualifications
ECU Scotland “Attracting Diversity” Project
Katherine Kirka, Patricia Muñoz-Escalonab, Meg Dunnc
University of the West of Scotlanda,bSchool of Engineering and Computing, cExternal Engagement
The Attracting Diversity Festival of Learning
Edinburgh, 5th June 2018
Background - the UWS project ….We are investigating if changes to entry requirements to Physics and Engineering degrees can be used to improve gender balance. Physics and Engineering degrees usually require Physics Higher. However girls make up only 20% of pupils taking Physics Higher. This is proving hard to change within schools and therefore presents a barrier to participation at University. Achieving SFC GAP targets is unlikely unless Universities are prepared to try a different approach.
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Scottish Funding Council2016
Gender Action Plan
2030:Gender gap: reduced to 5%
2021:Minority gender increased by 5%
Equality Challenge UnitAttracting Diversity
HEIs
- Scotland - England
- Wales - Northern Ireland
UWS
Removing barriers
The Attracting Diversity Festival of Learning
Edinburgh, 5th June 2018
Proportions of female entrants have remained (at best) static over many years, despite considerable efforts in Engineering and Physics outreach to girls.
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A barrier in reaching gender balance
Diversity of intake to Engineering is in the blue hatched area below (figures shown for English system). Dawn Bonfield, “Disruptive Diversity”, report for ICE, October 2015.
Percentage of Male entrants to STEM Highers. SQA Statistics to 1986 to 2014
The Attracting Diversity Festival of Learning
Edinburgh, 5th June 2018
STEM Highers - %Male updated to 2017
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020
Biology Chemistry Computing Science /StudiesGeography Mathematics Modern StudiesPhysics
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The Attracting Diversity Festival of Learning
Edinburgh, 5th June 2018
STEM Highers - %Female updated to 2017
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020
Biology Chemistry Computing Science /StudiesGeography Mathematics Modern StudiesPhysics 20
The Attracting Diversity Festival of Learning
Edinburgh, 5th June 2018
Higher Physics – entrant numbers trend
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0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020
M F Total
The Attracting Diversity Festival of Learning
Edinburgh, 5th June 2018
8,933
5,186 2,321
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
Male Female
What are girls actually doing, and how many are there?
Higher entries 2017
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The Attracting Diversity Festival of Learning
Edinburgh, 5th June 2018
Choice of topic under “Attracting Diversity”Engineering and Physics degrees traditionally demand Higher Physics – an unpopular choice for girls.
Therefore Higher Physics presents a clear barrier to participation in Engineering and Physics at University.
Female applicants who become interested in Engineering at S5 and S6 are ineligible if they are not doing Physics.
Rather than add to the 30 year campaign to persuade girls to take Higher Physics, we chose an intervention over which the University has control – the entry criteria.
Possible routes were to remove Higher Physics/Maths for all, or to remove Higher Physics/Maths for female applicants under Positive Action.
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The Attracting Diversity Festival of Learning
Edinburgh, 5th June 2018
Plan for the project
1. Starting with the familiar topic of “Women into Engineering” – what can we do?
2. Bring in a revised entry criterion for Physics (Engineering) degrees which removes the barrier of Higher Physics.
3. A decision on the new Standard Offer was made on the basis of academic justification and negotiation across subject areas.
4. Look at the effect on admissions of male and female applicants, and find out if this improves gender balance. Is Positive Action necessary?
5. Build and share knowledge and understanding within the UWS project team, institution and externally.
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The Attracting Diversity Festival of Learning
Edinburgh, 5th June 2018
The story of the UWS project
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Project topic identified to trial alternative entry
requirements
Introduce project within Physics Subject Group, School Management,
Admissions Office.
Internal discussion on possible mechanisms
and start dates.
Dean of School instigates changes to standard offer in Physics and Engineering
2017/18 (M & F)
UWS Institutional visit of Attracting Diversity team
highlights some “interesting” attitudes.
Criteria not widely publicized, 2 students join, Physics, and Engineering,
both male, 2017/18.
Small study for local context - focus groups in
Renfewshire schools
New criteria for Physics and Engineering in
2018/19 Prospectus
Still not much publicity -do eligible 2018/19 candidates know?
UWS revision of Level 7 and 8 Engineering,
alongside validation of new Integrated Masters.
The new entry requirements are National 5 Physics Grade B, Higher Maths retained, and overall tariff of Highers kept the same. Brought in over Engineering and Physics programmes.
The Attracting Diversity Festival of Learning
Edinburgh, 5th June 2018
Summary of focus groups– Renfrewshire schools
• Strong gender stereotypes were perceived towards different careers, engineering being a male dominant degree.
• Parents/siblings had influence on pupils career’s choices.
• Poor awareness by pupils of what engineers do and different types of engineering.
• Strongly-held perception of link between Maths and Physics.
• Participants had a perception of Physics as “hard” compared to other subjects.
• Some pupils noted advice to “choose their best subject” - this potentially steers girls away from Physics [1, 2].
1 “We should stop advising students to choose subjects they’re good at (revisited)”, 4 May 2018, Heather Earnshaw, IOP Improving Gender Balance project, http://www.iopblog.org/do-what-youre-good-at-revisited/2. “Young People in Scotland Survey 2017: STEM and language findings”https://beta.gov.scot/publications/young-people-in-scotland-survey-2017-stem-and-language-findings/
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The Attracting Diversity Festival of Learning
Edinburgh, 5th June 2018
Challenges of the project
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• Senior management buy-in not clearly translated into action across School.
• High level communication of changes across School and Admissions was sometimes contradictory –reducing trust.
• Low level of marketing and publicity.
• Buy-in of Programme Teams – getting beyond gut feeling that “students must have Physics Higher”.
• Staff concerns remain that this will bring “worse” students requiring high levels of support.
• Due to low numbers so far, the ability and success of the new cohort is still unproven.
The Attracting Diversity Festival of Learning
Edinburgh, 5th June 2018
Learning and benefits of the project
• Provided an exploration of attitudes to Diversity and Inclusion in Engineering and Physics disciplines.
• Local context - perceptions of Physics and Engineering identified in local schools’ focus groups.
• Increased awareness of gender balance issues in School of Engineering and Computing.
• Increased UWS engagement with SFC Gender Action Plan.
• Highlighted in the School of Engineering and Computing different approaches to gender balance than one-off outreach activities.
• Awareness that traditional viewpoints in Physics and Engineering continue to oppose implementation of change.
• Provided impetus for School of Engineering and Computing to revise 1st year provision to allow more flexible admissions.
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The Attracting Diversity Festival of Learning
Edinburgh, 5th June 2018
Future possibilities
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Current offer requires National 5 Physics, Higher Maths.
1. Revised offer in future – numbers suggest that removing National 5 in Physics and retaining Maths Higher could be effective on gender balance.
2. Dropping requirement for Higher Maths. This would be about “sending a message” on who can participate – numbers do not indicate large direct effect on gender balance.
3. Using Positive Action (variable entry criteria) to try to ensure that new offer or future variants is effective for the target group.
PHYSICS n (F) % (F) n (M) % (M)
National 5 3,969 28 10,195 72
Higher 2,321 26 6,635 74
MATHS n (F) % (F) n (M) % (M)
National 5 22,013 52 20,175 48
Higher 8,933 47 9,928 53
The Attracting Diversity Festival of Learning
Edinburgh, 5th June 2018
Summary and ConclusionsThe UWS project has led to revised entry criteria for Physics and Engineering. Aim was remove the barrier of Physics Higher for applicants with good grades in other subjects –giving applicants “another chance to choose” at S5 and S6 levels. Removing the “Higher Physics barrier” might be the only way to achieve SFC GAP targets. New entry criteria are in place ar UWS but not widely publicised - implementation is slow due to internal cultural barriers.We hope to gain information which can be used to assess the need for Positive Action or further change.
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Men Into Care
Linda McLeod, Scottish Funding Council (Chair)
Graeme Brewster, City of Glasgow College
Patricia Swan, North East College Scotland
Kev Head, Edinburgh Napier University
Workshop 1: University of Dundee – Men do Care
Biosphere Green
Workshop 2: University of Edinburgh and
Edinburgh College – A spotlight on schools
outreach to increase girls’ participation in STEM
Biosphere Blue
Crowdsourcing the future: What’s
needed for future progress?
Kay Steven
Advance HE
What would success look like in
advancing equality in student
access and recruitment?
As a sector what will it take to get
there?
In light of your discussions write
down your….
Recommendations (external)
Commitments (internal)
Achievements,
recommendations and hard
truths
Professor Liz Thomas
Purpose of the programme
To support Colleges and HEIs to develop student recruitment activity to
be more inclusive, with a particular focus on increasing access of
underrepresented protected characteristic groups to specific
disciplines/courses.
To support institutions in complying with the Equality Act 2010.
To align student recruitment with equality work, increasing
efficiency, maximising resources and increasing impact of existing work.
To highlight links between student recruitment, WP, course content
and delivery, student experience and employability.
Attracting Diversity
Intended outcomes
Underrepresented /PC groups are identified.
Action take by Colleges and HEIs to encourage and
support these groups to apply.
Representation of underrepresented PC groups is
increased across HEIs.
Institutions comply with Equality Act 2010, using positive
action as appropriate.
Project Methodology1. Creating a project team, collaborative
working and institutional buy-in
2. Institutional data availability and access
3. Assessing underrepresentation and data
analysis
4. Qualitative research to understand under-
representation
5. Exploring opportunities for initiatives
6. Developing a positive action initiative
7. Implementing initiatives
8. Formative and impact evaluation
9. Applying and sharing learning
Achievements
22 institutions have participated in 3-year programme and have
assessed under-representation, researched the causes of under-
representation and implemented and evaluated interventions.
Learning about: the problem, how to implement change, what works,
what doesn’t work, unintended consequences, and wider benefits.
Synthesising learning across the programme to move our collective
knowledge forward, and provide guidance and examples to inform the
education sectors in Scotland and beyond.
Started to address inequality in many subjects, and developed
individual and institutional capacity.
Some learning across the
programme1. Research: The issues are not the same for equality groups or for
males and females (e.g. discrimination v choice; peer group effect
works differently); can be difficult to find the most suitable people
to involve in the research; some issues are easier to fix than
others; you can’t always find the answers from the intended
beneficiaries but you can develop understanding; lack of evidence
of what works where and when.
2. Process: Cyclical and iterative; people start with small
interventions and build up towards larger or more significant
changes. Risk adverse, especially with regards to positive action.
Importance of internal and external drivers (e.g. focus on gender).
The nature of senior leadership support.
Some learning across the
programme3. Impact: Multi-pronged and on-going rather than one-off
engagement, addressing concerns about relevance (is it for
people like me?); perceived ability (do I feel confident enough?);
and progression pathways (can I see pathways and possibilities
into and beyond studying this subject). It is more effective to
change things that the institution controls than to attempt to
change students, parents, teachers and schools.
Examples: Outreach with schools, collaboration with third sector
organisations and with other HEIs, marketing materials, websites and
images, entry requirements (e.g. subjects rather than grades), course
titles, curriculum contents, single sex courses.
Some learning across the
programme4. What doesn’t work: Lack of focus (as project too broad or becomes
side-tracked); developing resources without a clear/embedded way of
being used; focusing on external change that you have not power or
influence over; not developing a theory of change; not piloting and
evaluating interventions; delegating responsibility to staff without
‘power and influence’.
5. Unintended consequences: Conversations and awareness raising
across the institution and the sector; becoming more informed about
positive action and developing capacity and confidence.
6. Wider benefits: Staff capacity regarding research, cross-institutional
projects and evaluation; models that can be applied to other
protected characteristics; wider reach in Scotland and beyond
through webinars, report, tool kits and case studies.
Recommendations for projectsDon’t stop now!
But don’t do it alone – look for opportunities to work with others in your institution,
and collaborate with other colleges and universities.
Continue to raise awareness about the issues: under-representation, barriers to
access, what you’ve been doing, what works and what doesn’t work.
Celebrate your successes and the success of the programme; look for ways to
disseminate your learning internally and nationally.
Make the business case for equality.
Reflect on what you have achieved and what else needs to be done. Develop an
action and evaluation plan for 2018-19.
Recommendations for institutionsCreate a cross-institutional team, including senior leadership, academics from the
disciplines, and data and qualitative research expertise.
Make this an institutional priority, and work to secure wider staff and student buy-in.
Make the case for wider engagement in equality and strategic alignment by
developing a business case.
Develop understanding of the issues through qualitative research before moving to
intervention to improve effectiveness.
Develop a multi-pronged approach addressing factors that you can control or
influence. Avoid only seeking to change others (e.g. students, parents, teachers),
look internally too.
Don’t be afraid of positive action.
Recommendations for
institutions
Develop a theory of change to articulate how you anticipate the
interventions to be effective and identify intermediate outcome indicators.
Pilot interventions, and use emerging evidence to modify interventions,
and promote wider engagement.
Embed the process and activities into the core business of the institution
to facilitate impact and sustainability.
Develop a whole institution approach (Thomas 2017) to equality – this will
work across the student lifecycle, involve staff from across the institution,
and work towards an explicit institutional commitment and targets.
Structure:
Policies,
processes
and
organisation
of staff and
financial
resources.
Culture:
Values,
attitudes and
practices of
all staff and
students.
Institutional commitment to equality
Underpinned by data, evidence and research
Co-ordinated and consistent approach across the institution
Recommendations for SFCRecognise that the process is time-consuming and have honest conversations
about progress towards longer-term targets.
Encourage the use of the theory of change methodology to create evidence
informed and logical action plans.
Nurture a climate that supports greater risk taking, e.g. learning from failure,
support to introduce positive action interventions.
Seek evidence from institutions about achieving intermediate outcomes, or
learning about what doesn’t work when and for whom – and why.
Provide more transparency about the Gender Action Plan process.
Provide strategic, financial and practical support to implement interventions.
And… the hard truths…Equality is difficult as many of the issues are beyond the scope of colleges and
universities.
But it is not acceptable to ignore the problem or assume that it is only others that
need to change.
Institutions need to be bolder and show greater commitment, undertaking internal
change and using positive action.
The SFC needs to push harder (through transparency and support) to raise
equality up the list of institutional priorities.
But it takes time, and there must be more emphasis on and progress towards
intermediate outcomes.
Institutions need greater staff and financial resource to undertake aspects of this
work.
Keynote
Professor Peter Mathieson
Principal, University of Edinburgh
Closing Remarks
Gary Loke
Advance HE