What can be learned from a business case approach

1
What can be learned from a business case approach?

• Kath Bridger
• Jenny Shaw

2
What we learned about

• widening participation and student diversity
• the business case approach
• benefits and costs of WP/student diversity
• higher education in the UK

3
Widening participation

• A portmanteau term (Watson, 2006)
• It may be
• A desired outcome
• A process, activity or set of activities
• A type of student
• WP as an outcome - student diversity

4
Approaches to WP

• Sands (1998) Attitudes
  cultural restorationists modernisers liberals
• Layer (2002) Models join the club different
  provision take it to the people ..
• Jones and Thomas (2005) Discourses academic
  utilitarian transformative

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Different approaches to WP
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Why engage with a WP agenda?

• Because we have to? (Legal arguments)
• Because we want to? (Ethical arguments)
• Because it is in our interests? (Business case
  arguments)

7
The business case approach

• Diversity paradigm
• Difference asset
• Internal arguments
• Model for change

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Benefits of student diversity

• Increased student numbers
• Tapping the pool of talent
• Improving teaching and learning
• Access to funding
• New roles and markets
• Complying with legislation
• Reputation

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Costs and risks

• Additional cost of supporting the learning
  experience
• Costs of low retention (links to funding model)
• New course development (for new student markets)
• Academic standards
• Diverting funding from core business

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Barriers

• Internal barriers context specific, e.g.
• Other activities such as research being more
  highly valued
• Institutional history and perceptions held by
  prospective students (and some staff!)
• Fear of adverse effect on existing student
  cohorts (students also flagged this)
• External barriers, e.g. funding system

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Critical success factors

• Senior staff commitment
• Mission commitment - this is what we are
• Existing student body

12
Summary learning points

• Business case approach is helpful diversity
  paradigm clarity of investment and return
• There are benefits of student diversity -
  requires further investigation
• Stratification of HE correlates with different
  approaches to diversity - possibly different
  lived experiences for students