Measuring the Measures: Monitoring Access and Success

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Measuring the Measures Monitoring Access and
Success

• Trevor Sinclair (Access Partnership Lead Officer)
• Trevor.sinclair_at_beds.ac.uk
• Gabriella Gabriel (Access Partnership Support
  Officer)
• Gabi.babriel_at_beds.ac.uk
• University of Bedfordshire, England

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Some context

• Education system in England
• Education compulsory from ages 5-16
• Participation age now being raised to 18
• Different school structures in different counties
• Schools moving out of local authority control
  (academies, free schools, University Tech
  Colleges)
• Post-compulsory education in schools, colleges
  and universities vocational qualifications
  (incl. advanced / higher apprenticeships),
  Foundation Degrees, Bachelors Degrees and beyond
  to postgraduate, research degrees etc.

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The National PictureAge Participation (England)
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The National PictureWidening Participation
(England)
Indicator 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08
Percentage of young entrants to full-time first degree courses from low-participation neighbourhoods n/a n/a n/a 9.2 9.6 9.9
Percentage of young entrants to full-time first degree courses from state schools 86.4 86.1 85.9 86.9 87.2 87.4
Percentage of young entrants to full-time first degree courses from NS-SEC groups 4 to 7 27.9 28.2 27.9 29.1 29.8 29.4
Percentage of full-time first degree students in receipt of Disabled Students' Allowance 2.6 3.1 3.7 4.1 4.4 4.6
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Progression to Higher Education

• lt1 in 5 from the most disadvantaged areas (WP) in
  England compared with
• 1 in 2 in the most advantaged areas
• 87 of private school students and 71 in state
  school sixth forms progress to HE
• Disadvantaged young people are up to 15 times
  less likely to attend the most selective
  universities (no significant change since
  mid-1990s)
• Dr. Anna Mountford-Zimdars, Kings College London

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The National Picture Trends in Young
Participation

• Source HEFCE (2013), Trends in young
  participation in Higher Education

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Young Participation Rates Trends by
parliamentary constituency
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Change in Government

• Introduction of tuition fee charges (in excess of
  6,000 p.a.) HEIs required to submit Access
  Agreements to the Office for Fair Access (OFFA)
• Emphasis on HEIs to developing strategies to
  widen access and participation of non-traditional
  entrants
• Closure of the national Aimhigher initiative
  (July 2011)

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Access Agreements and OFFA

• Core Aims
• Support and encourage the number and/or
  proportions of students in higher education from
  low income families and other under-represented
  groups
• Reduce barriers to higher education for students
  from these groups (invest in outreach and
  financial support)
• Support and encourage equality of opportunity
  through Information Advice Guidance (IAG) on
  financial information to students, parents/carers
  and advisers
• http//www.offa.org.uk

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Data Collection for WP cohort

• In its response to OFFA the University of
  Bedfordshire (UoB) Access Agreement outlines a
  significant investment into the development of an
  Access Partnership Programme (focus on the
  delivery of outreach activities in WP
  schools/colleges NS-SEC 4-7, POLAR3)
• The Access Agreement sets out key targets for the
  UoB (see next slide)
• Data is collected using the Higher Education
  Access Tracker (HEAT) e.g. postcode, institution,
  participants name, gender, date of birth,
  ethnicity and disability.
• HEAT provides a progressive tracking system
  mapping the student life cycle from compulsory
  education to graduation and beyond (see APP
  diagram)
• Note Ongoing issues exist around data sharing
  and data protection

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The local picture our Access Agreement

• Note There is also an ambition to improve the
  percentage of first-class and/or upper
  second-class degrees irrespective of background

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Sustained partnership approach acrossages,
stages, sectors and institutions
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A partial experience

• Bill Rammell (Vice Chancellor - University of
  Bedfordshire) conveyed the message that students
  would be better off not participating in HE
  rather than having a partial experience, warning
  of the potential damage caused to students
  dropping out of their university education (HEA,
  2012)
•  

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What Works?

• (Thomas, 2012)

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Difficulties, Challenges and Solutions

• Difficulties
• Full engagement and buy-in across the university
  (silo mentality)
• Data systems can be fragmented and disconnected
  from one another
• Cooperation from schools/colleges and the
  University in terms of data collection and
  sharing of data
•  
• Challenges
• Creating a coherent and unified approach to
  access across the University and HE sector as a
  whole
• Getting WP students to take up opportunities e.g.
  EMUS
• Solutions
• Vice-Chancellors commitment to widening access
  (investment and resource)
• Creation of posts to develop access work across
  the University e.g. Graduate Access Fellows,
  Associates and Faculty Internships
• Appointment of an Evaluation Monitoring Officer
  (Access Partnership)
• Membership - Forum of Access and Continuing
  Education / National Education Opportunities
  Network (pivotal in galvanizing widening access
  practitioner)
•  

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Access Partnership Structure
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Access at the University of Bedfordshire

• Equality Diversity Forum (Staff Students)
• Access Forum (Mature Learners)
• Widening Participation Action Group
• Peer Assisted Learning
• Professional and Academic Development
• Looked After Children - LAC (Buttle UK Quality
  Mark)
• Black Minority Ethnic - BME (National Mentoring
  Consortium)
• Increased work with disabled students

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Access and BME students Ethnic Minority
Undergraduate Scheme

• Research and experience show that compared with
  their peers, Black and Asian undergraduates are
  more likely to be highly qualified (NMC, 2013). 
  However they
• are twice as likely to be unemployed
• are half as likely to be offered employment in
  their final year
• perform less well completing application forms
  and at interviews
• have to make more applications before obtaining
  interviews
• The proportions of UG Home BME students at the
  UoB are as follows
• 47 - Of all UG Home Students
• 40 - Of all (PG and UG) Home students
• 32 - Of all (UG, PG and Home Overseas) students
• Note Does not include students studying abroad
  and only include those registered for (2013/14).

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References

• Higher Education Academy (2012). Setting this
  context within a wider context,
  http//www.heacademy.ac.uk/events/detail/2012/semi
  nars/themes/TW059_plymouth_uni
• National Mentoring Consortium (2013)
• http//www.uel.ac.uk/nmc/
• Thomas, L. (2012) Building student engagement and
  belonging in higher education at a time of
  change a summary of findings and recommendations
  from the What Works? Student Retention Success
  programme. York Higher Education Academy
  Online. Available at http//www.heacademy.ac.uk/
  assets/documents/what-works-student-retention/What
  _works_summary_report.pdf