Aspirational targets to reduce racial inequalities in universities and colleges need to be backed up by concrete plans on how to achieve them, according to researchers from Staffordshire Centre of Learning and Pedagogic Practice (SCoLPP).
The research – which included an analysis of plans submitted to the Office for Students and interviews with key stakeholders – was carried out for the Centre for Transforming Access and Student Outcomes in Higher Education (TASO) which launched the report this week.
While the report shows a real commitment to addressing this gap, it reveals that setting unachievable aspirational targets to close the ethnicity degree awarding gap often backfires and leads to inaction. It suggests that realistic targets and programmes should be based on contextual factors – such as institutional student data – to bring about meaningful change.
Dr Sally Andrews, from SCoLPP, said: “The project found that there are often key people who drive change within an institution, and there is an imperative for providers to recognise and support these individuals.
“We additionally recommend that providers invest time and resource to planning and evaluating interventions that are tailored to their specific contexts, with a clear understanding of how change will occur. This then needs to be supported by investment that persists even when new priorities emerge. Evaluations should prioritise continuous monitoring that both identifies the barriers and facilitates those activities that are successfully addressing the Ethnicity Degree Awarding Gap.”
In response to the findings, TASO recommends higher education providers:
- Consider the nuances of different approaches to tackle this gap so they are better placed to develop interventions that are tailored to their organisation. Theories of Change and evaluation plans should be developed while planning interventions to maximise the likelihood of success.
- Reflect on organisational structures and explicitly allocate accountability and responsibility for addressing inequalities so providers can best determine what systemic changes can be implemented to support these challenges.
- Use data to inform action taken to address this gap. By including data analysis as a stage in the organisational Theories of Change, providers can recognise the importance of this and use their findings to inform later stages of the approach.
- Include students in their work to address this gap and develop models for student co-creation, moving away from a model that only consults students on plans to address these inequalities.
- Provide nurturing, ‘safe’ environments where staff can discuss plans and experiences with others without fear of blame or reputational damage. This will enable more effective conversations and more deliberate action to address these inequalities.
Dr Omar Khan, Chief Executive Officer at TASO said: “Racial inequality persists in classrooms and lecture theatres across the country. Students from marginalised or underrepresented ethnic backgrounds, particularly Black students, remain less likely to receive the same grades as their White peers at university, impacting not just their student experience, but also their future job prospects and income.
“While universities have been focusing much recent effort on tackling these gaps, setting unachievable aspirational targets doesn’t appear to be benefiting the ethnic minority students affected. I call on everyone working in this area to reflect on the findings in this new report and develop concrete plans with clear links between your proposed activities and desired outcomes to more effectively close the longstanding and persistent ethnicity degree awarding gap.”
Based on the findings and recommendations from this report, TASO will be collaborating with six higher education providers, providing them with evaluation support to develop a Theory of Change for interventions aimed at addressing this gap.
A total of 249 Access and Participation Plans (APPs) were analysed for this project. Interviews were held with staff from higher education providers to better understand institutional infrastructure, attitudes and approaches. An Expert Reference Group provided critical reflection and discussion when developing and refining the findings and recommendations. This group comprised experts from various fields across higher education providers and charities.
Staffordshire University Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Annabel Kiernan added: "We are very pleased to have worked with TASO on this critical piece of evaluation and support its strong recommendations on evidence-based interventions and a theory of change methodology to support positive outcomes for all learners.”
- The ethnicity degree awarding gap refers to the notable difference in the proportion of students from marginalised ethnicity backgrounds being awarded a first or upper-second class degree when compared to White students. For more information, visit the reousources hub on the TASO website
- TASO was set up in 2019 and is funded by the Office for Students. The Centre for Transforming Access and Student Outcomes in Higher Education (TASO) is a What Works Centre for the higher education sector, part of the Government’s What Works Movement. TASO focuses on eliminating equality gaps in higher education.