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Colleges told to favour minority students

From: The Independent, Tuesday 14th September 2004 (abbreviated)

Universities were encouraged yesterday to give preference to students from minority backgrounds in a scheme that could see working class and ethnic minority applicants win places ahead of equally qualified, non-minority students.

Review of admissions

A new government-backed review of university admissions concluded that diversity in college had major educational benefits and called to universities to do more to widen their student intake. Although the task-force on higher education admissions recommended that no student should automatically be treated favourably because of their background, it also encouraged universities to consider "the education benefits of diversity" when offering places.

Professor Steven Schwartz, the vice-chancellor of Brunel University, who headed the task force, said: "If you have two students with similar marks it is okay for universities to choose to enable the university to become a more diverse place. That has educational benefits".

Generally, admissions staff are not legally permitted to consider an applicant´s race, sex, sexual orientation or religion in determining whether or not an application is to be accepted. "However, they may consider an individual applicant´s experiences, skills and perspectives and how these could contribute to the learning environment of the course or to the wider community".

Increase the diversity

Tutors should consider whether applicants would increase the diversity of the student community by race, class or gender. Universities should consider applicants´potential as well as their A-level grades. There should be one national university admission´s test to judge students potential. Ucas application forms should be overhauled to give children from poor state schools, or who felt they had a tough upbringing, an opportunity to explain this.

Professor Schwartz said that race, class and gender were areas where universities should not be afraid to increase diversity. "Students don´t just learn from their professors, they learn from each other. They learn communication and teamwork across cultures and learn to empathise". Universities UK, which represents vice-chancellors, backed the report´s recommendations.

First Year Student Retention

Some short-term measures at Staffordshire University: The Institute for Access Studies has been researching student retention and success. Key points from the research:

• Relationships are important, e.g. with staff and with other students
• Withdrawal is often multi-faceted
• Non-traditional students often experience greater multiple disadvantage 

Short-term actions to improve  first year retention are listed in the document.

"A traditional ´institutional habitus´ assumes that the values and practices of the dominant group (i.e. white, male, middle class etc.) are not only ´correct´, but treats all students as if they possessed them, and this is reflected in teaching, learning and assessment strategies. Thus, in a number of different ways ´non-traditional´students are effectively discriminated against" (Appendix 1).

"Addressing retention is long-term work and it requires institutions and their staff to make fundamental changes to their thinking and their processes. Any cycle of research, action and evaluation will take a minimum of three years, more like four to five years".   

Kilde:

First Year Student Retention at Staffordshire University

Widening participation

I Storbritannia utgav regjeringen en såkalt hvitbok om "The Future of Higher Education" i 2003, som stadfestet en klar forpliktelse til å utvide deltakelsen i høyere utdanning fra utradisjonelle grupper. Deretter utkom et eget dokument kalt "Widening participation in higher education", hvor metoder og tiltak ble diskutert på et overordnet plan.

Fire områder framheves som utfordringer

• attainment - gaining qualifications
• aspiration - having the desire to enter higher education
• application - knowing enough about the alternatives
• admission - having achievement, potential and personal qualities recognised ? and beginning a course which the student is capable of completing

Kilde:

• Department for Education and Skills, UK. Widening participation in higher education (pdf-fil)

The Open University in Scotland

Extracts from the Introduction to The OUP´s strategy for widening participation in Scotland 2001-2005.

No formal qualifications for entry

The Open University is the largest provider of distance learning higher education to adults in Scotland and has for thirty years made enormous contribution to broadening access to higher education throughout the country. Its open access policy requires no formal qualifications for entry to the undergraduate programme and enables those without traditional qualifications to study at university level.

Effective advice and guidanc

Open entry is reinforced by effective advice and guidance mechanisms at the pre-registration stage, combined with designated "supported entry" courses and unique system of supported open learning.

Sensitive support systems

The University´s widening participation strategy for Scotland will aim to build on its traditional strengths, primarily high quality materials and support systems, to make undergraduate study accessible to all Scottish students. To this end we commit extra institutional funds every year to support students in financial need and we have pioneered the development of systematic and sensitive support services for students with additional needs and those in other vulnerable groups.

Kilde:

• Strategies for widening participation in Scotland 

Mer om UK i MaiA nr. 1/2004.

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