Using institutional data to throw light on the university experience of students from ethnic minorities

Steve May, Michael Hill, Marion Webb & Lorraine Allibone

Case Study

• Post 92 institution

• Over 50% of its students from non white ethnic groups

• 70% of successful undergraduate applicants live less than 20 miles from the University

• 69% of those are from non-white groups

• Civic mission to address the needs of the local population - provide the appropriate support that will enable all to both enhance their experience in a multicultural environment and reach their potential academically.

Background

• Across the HE sector attainment varies significantly between ethnic groups with equivalent entry qualifications but the “underlying reasons for this remain elusive” (Richardson 2008)

• Large differences in NSS score according to the ethnic group of the student, - Black and Asian groups less satisfied with Teaching & Learning. (Surridge 2007)

• Supportive learning environment• Staff and student perceptions• Action research• Middle out change management

WP Action Plan

• Bringing key staff together: student admissions, marketing, careers and teaching

• Development of a suite of institutional datasets comparing the relative progression and experience of cohorts through key stages of the student lifecycle.

• (application to enrolment, transitions between levels, third year experience, degree attainment and employment)

• To encouraged engagement with the faculty planning process to identify, monitor and evaluate target areas

• Application datasets to analyse student transitions between levels, degree attainment, and third year experience data in terms of ethnic groupings and how they are being used to inform three ongoing developments

Application of Generic datasets to Ethnicity and Degree Attainment - Overview

• Student transition between levels

• Third year experience data

• Degree attainment

• Third year experience and degree attainment

Student transition between levels    Progress/Completed Repeat the year  Non-Continuation Total

Year Ethnicity No % No % No %  

1 Asian 984 63% 257 17% 310 20% 1551

  Black 827 65% 210 17% 231 18% 1268

  Other 358 68% 83 16% 89 17% 530

  White 1904 74% 172 7% 495 19% 2571

 Total 4073 69% 722 12% 1125 19% 5920

2 Asian 738 75% 139 14% 102 10% 979

  Black 601 75% 103 13% 96 12% 800

  Other 222 73% 45 15% 39 13% 306

  White 1674 86% 97 5% 186 10% 1957

Total 3235 80% 384 10% 423 10% 4042

3 Asian 713 91% 58 7% 15 2% 786

  Black 433 91% 25 5% 20 4% 478

  Other 197 91% 12 6% 7 3% 216

  White 1162 94% 30 2% 48 4% 1240

Total  2505 92% 125 5% 90 3% 2720

Grand

Total   9813 77% 1231 10% 1638 13% 12682

• similar overall non continuation rates across ethnic groups

• marked difference in the rate of progression to the next level

• Non-White students being significantly less likely to progress and more likely to repeat the year, suggesting lower attainment by these groups throughout their time at university.

Third year experience data

Satisfaction level below the white ethnic group

NSS 2007 questions Black Asian Other

Total Non-

White

2. Staff have made the subject interesting. 11% 12% 8% 10%

3. Staff are enthusiastic about what they are

teaching.

6% 10% 5% 7%

6. Assessment arrangements and marking have

been fair.

11% 7% 2% 7%

10. I have received sufficient advice and support

with my studies.

11% 6% 12% 10%

11. I have been able to contact staff when I

needed to.

8% 8% 6% 7%

12. Good advice was available when I needed to

make study choices.

4% 4% 9% 6%

Degree attainment for young entrant students

WP Risk Asian Black Other White Total

Low (Highest quals) 44% 44% 64% 71% 63%

Medium 40% 34% 38% 57% 46%

High (Lowest quals) 25% 24% 30% 48% 33%

Proportion of 1sts & 2.1’s

Correlations between overall degree attainment and overall student satisfaction by School

R2 (% Good degrees against %

satisfied)

NSS 2007 questions White Non white

2. Staff have made the subject interesting. 0.31 0.27

3. Staff are enthusiastic about what they are teaching. 0.16 0.19

6. Assessment arrangements and marking have been

fair.

0.01 0.30

10. I have received sufficient advice and support with my

studies.

0.04 0.63

(See figure 1)

11. I have been able to contact staff when I needed to. 0.00 0.00

12. Good advice was available when I needed to make

study choices.

0.00 0.00

Percentage overall “good” degree attainment against student satisfaction – Q10

Ongoing initiatives

• Compact Scheme

• Academic Skills Centres

• Support for postgraduate and international students

• Strategic planning of a range of initiatives to enhance the academic and personal experience of students

Progress rates from 2006/07 to 2007/08 by ethnic group Faculty and ASC

   

Total Progress/

Completed Repeat year Not re-enrolled

Year Ethnicity Fac ASC Fac ASC Fac asc Fac asc

1 Asian 275 35 72% 86% 10% 14% 17% 0%

  Black 291 61 73% 82% 13% 8% 14% 10%

  Other 133 18 72% 67% 14% 22% 14% 11%

  White 877 130 78% 88% 4% 2% 18% 10%

 Total 1576 244 76% 84% 8% 7% 17% 9%

2 Asian 170 18 84% 94% 13% 0% 4% 6%

  Black 148 43 81% 93% 11% 5% 7% 2%

  Other 75 16 83% 94% 9% 6% 8% 0%

  White 662 61 90% 97% 4% 2% 6% 2%

Total 1055 138 87% 95% 7% 3% 6% 2%

3 Asian 166 23 93% 91% 7% 9% 0% 0%

  Black 134 31 97% 97% 2% 0% 1% 3%

  Other 66 7 94% 100% 6% 0% 0% 0%

  White 449 39 96% 100% 2% 0% 2% 0%

Total  815 100 95% 97% 3% 2% 1% 1%

Grand Total 3446 482 84% 90% 6% 5% 10% 5%

Strategic planning to enhance attainment

• Approach to Assessment and Feedback and to its modular structures.

• Engagement in PDP

• Engagement in Peer Assisted Learning

• Requirement for individual faculties to produce action plans, including turnaround times for feedback on coursework

• Informed changes to policy and resultant practice

Further institutional research/evaluation

• Comparative attainment between ethnic groups at module level

• The academic support expectations of students based on their previous experience and school or college.

• Collection of detailed qualitative student experience data from each academic year to compliment and enhance the NSS data.

Conclusions

• In using institutional records with NSS data the HEI has started to identify where support would be best targeted

• The area of advice and support with studies in particular raises the question of why this appears to be so much more of an issue for non white ethnic groups.

• The underlying issues are complex but there are clearly potential benefits of greater student satisfaction and improved overall degree attainment to be gained from a fuller understanding of the issues.