BME Success Project;Reducing the BME attainment gap

Dr Helen Barefooth.barefoot@herts.ac.uk @helenbarefoot

UK and UH demographics

UK- domicile students by country and ethnicity (Blandford et al., 2011)

National picture regarding BME student performance and UH context

UK-domiciled first degree undergraduate qualifiers obtaining a good degree by academic year and ethnicity (Blandford et al., 2011)

Overall White Mixed Asian Black Chinese0

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Percentage of good degrees awarded according to ethnicity (Data includes both Home/EU and Overseas students) (UH 2009-2010)

Employment

Building understanding of the BME attainment gap to inform the Equality Objectives

Student Challenges

Equality Objectives• Objective 1 – Further improve equality guidance for, and the support and

treatment of, staff and students

• Objective 2 – Further enhance engagement and communication with staff and students on equality

• Objective 3 – Reduce the differential in academic attainment between White and Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) students by 10 percentage points by 2014/15

• Objective 4 – To identify and remove barriers hindering the recruitment and progression of staff of protected characteristics

• Objective 5 - Extend the collection and improve the use of equality monitoring data to meet the Equality Duty

Top Tips to support BME student success

• Learn student names• Invite participation from all

students• Manage student groups to move

students beyond friendship groups• Assess your own racial or cultural

biases• Consider opportunities for

students to be inspired by BME role models (e.g. guest lecturers, video clips or interviews)

• Whenever possible, use anonymous marking

Toolkit Development

http://tinyurl.com/7gmmmnu

Tutor’s desk

Inclusive group work

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•Set first task in pairs e.g. checking understanding of previous seminars•Set next task in 3s and give people roles in the group

Developing the Graduate Attributes

Respect for others

Social responsibility

Useful resources

• University of Hertfordshire Curriculum Design Toolkit Inclusive Culture project work

• Guidance on teaching in racially diverse classrooms on Harvard’s website (The Derek Bok Centre for Teaching and Learning): TEACHING IN RACIALLY DIVERSE COLLEGE CLASSROOMS

• Guidance on many aspects associated with inclusive teaching from Sheffield University's Centre for Excellence in Inclusive Teaching (including case studies plus hints and tips) http://www.shef.ac.uk/lets/projects/inclusivelandt

• The Open University's guidance on Inclusive teaching http://www.open.ac.uk/inclusiveteaching/index.php

• The Higher Education Academy's weblinks to Inclusive Teaching http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/subjects/psychology/Teaching_practice_issues_Accessibility_and_Inclusive_Practice

• National Union of Students’ Race for Equality report http://www.nus.org.uk/en/campaigns/blackstudents/race-for-equality/