Widening Participation Strategy
Introduction - Aims
& Objectives - Aim 1: to promote - Aim
2: to disseminate - Aim 3: to develop - Aim
4: student support - Aim 5: to ensure - Aim
6: to maintain - Aim 7: culture
The University of Bath includes a student
community of some 5,500 undergraduates, 2,500 taught postgraduates and
approximately 700 research students. Its mission is "to
advance learning and knowledge by teaching and research, particularly
in science and technology, and in close association with industry and
commerce". The University offers a distinctive form of higher
education where the student experience is characterised by:
- learning within a leading-edge research environment;
- comprehensive student support services, including learning support
provision and enabling technology;
- opportunities for work placements integrated into taught programmes;
- opportunities for engaging in international exchanges;
- a campus-based community of high-achieving students drawn internationally.
The University's programmes are delivered by 18 departments,
organised into 3 Faculties (Science, Engineering and Design, Humanities
and Social Sciences) and a School of Management. In addition, in 1999
the University established the Division of Access and Continuing Studies
to coordinate below degree level provision, particularly in association
with FE Colleges within the Swindon, Wiltshire and Bath locality, and
to develop the University's own part-time higher education.
The University's Corporate Plan (2000-2003) outlines the institution's
aims to promote participation in higher education through developing flexible
provision, new access routes, a supportive learning environment and aspiration-raising
activities, and sets a target of increasing its below degree provision
to 550 by 2002/3. The University's Learning and Teaching Strategy similarly
aims to make the distinctive provision of the University of Bath more
widely accessible and also to recognise and support the multiplicity of
approaches to learning and teaching through:
- ensuring a supportive environment for students with disabilities
and special educational needs;
- enhancing self-directed learning opportunities; and
- working with local FE Colleges to aid the promotion of high quality
HE provision within the FE sector.
The University's Participation Strategy developed in 1999
specified 3 main aims leading to 8 objectives and the mechanisms for achieving
these. Over the past two years, the University has been successful in
fully achieving the majority of these objectives, and meeting others at
least in part. In particular the University has:
- developed its below degree and foundation provision in collaboration
with FE Colleges in Swindon, Wiltshire and Bath;
- introduced staged awards;
- encouraged the establishment of industrial liaison committees at
Faculty and Departmental level;
- built on its existing support for the development of key/transferable
skills;
- further established the Community Courses programme with delivery
in
Swindon as well as Bath;
- established a Widening Participation Advisory Committee, succeeding
the
Senate Working Party on Widening Participation (see below), with
representation drawn from across the University, reporting to both Executive
Committee and Senate;
- established peer support groups through the Student Union;
- participated actively in 4 regional widening participation projects,
acting as lead partner in two of them and working closely with neighbouring
HEIs, schools, colleges and the Connexions service;
- appointed a Widening Participation Projects Officer;
- piloted a summer school, in conjunction with the Sutton Trust/DfES,
for local FE students from low participating backgrounds.
In 1999, the University Senate established a Working Party
to identify potential groups that are currently under-represented within
the student community and to propose actions that the University might
take to encourage their recruitment and retention. A review of the student
composition was undertaken and a comparison made with other regional and
nationally comparable institutions. Whilst Bath was found not to be significantly
adrift from the HEFCE benchmarks for the participation of under-represented
groups and whilst it performed better than many other universities within
the region and when compared to similar universities nationally, it was
clear that Bath has a relatively low proportion of mature students, few
students from social classes IIIM, IV, V, and few from low participation
neighbourhoods. The Working Party also recognised that ethnic minority
groups are under-represented at Bath and that opportunities might exist
to attract and sustain the participation of diverse ethnic groups, particularly
in relation to some specific subject studies where there is a distinctive
demand. The Working Party also identified a number of strategies that
the University might adopt in its admissions policy and procedures, its
access provision, support facilities and in its awareness and expectation
raising activities in the local community, and these have helped to inform
the current revision of the University's Widening Participation Strategy.
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Aims and Objectives
The University of Bath has 7 aims in its Widening Participation
Strategy:
(Click on the link to be taken directly to objectives
for each aim)
- to promote aspirations for study at HE level for
targeted under-represented groups and to develop admissions procedures
that support and enhance outreach initiatives in the local community
and beyond;
- to disseminate information to potential student
groups and their families and advisers to aid informed choices about
university applications and financing undergraduate study;
- to develop programmes and academic structures that
facilitate access to HE and progression within it;
- to enhance student support structures at University,
Faculty and Departmental levels that promote retention, achievement
and progression into employment and further study;
- to ensure that the University's education and other
services are accessible to disabled people and to promote their participation
in all areas of University life;
- to maintain appropriate information concerning student
applications, admissions, progression and achievement to inform decisions
concerning the University's Widening Participation Strategy;
- to promote an institutional culture that recognises
the social and intellectual benefits of a diverse student population,
and the need to make the University's distinctive form of education
more widely accessible.
These aims lead to a number of specific objectives:
: to
promote aspirations for study at HE level for targeted under-represented
groups and to develop admissions procedures that support and enhance outreach
initiatives in the local community and beyond.
Objective 1.1: to establish a
coherent programme of activities, designed to raise aspirations for study
at HE level, for targeted local students, their families and teachers.
The University is already actively engaged in organising 'taster days'
and events for targeted students from under-represented groups. Occasional
events are also targeted at their teachers and families. However, the
intention is to make the provision of such activities both more systematic
and more explicit outside the University. To this end, the University,
through the SMART (Students as Mentors, AmbassadoRs and Trainers) project
and the involvement of the Widening Participation Projects Officer, has
been collaborating with Bath Spa University College, the University of
Bristol, the University of the West of England, the Bristol Excellence
Challenge team and the careers agency, Connexions West of England, to
produce a coherent programme of HE awareness- and aspiration-raising activities,
for targeted Year 7 to Year 13 students. The aim is to encourage complementarity
and collaboration in delivery and to reach those students who, in the
past, have missed out on any HE input. Contributions to the programme
have come from schools and colleges in the four unitary authority areas
(Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire)
which encompass the former county of Avon.
In addition, the University will support specific departmental and faculty
awareness-raising initiatives targeted at under-represented groups. These
will include subject-specific events and also events aimed at a broad
target group, such as potential mature students, or women in science and
engineering.
The University has played a major role in the provision of Maths Masterclasses
for young school students in the Bath, Bristol and, more recently, Swindon
areas. These will continue, as will the very significant work of Wessex
SATRO, based at the University of Bath, which carries out extensive outreach
work with local schools to promote science, engineering and technology
as attractive areas for further study and employment.
Objective 1.2: to establish regular summer
schools for students from under-represented groups in HE.
Summer schools present an opportunity for potential students unfamiliar
with the nature and demands of higher education to become more fully informed.
In particular they provide an opportunity to sample life as a student,
to obtain advice on application, course selection, and the financing of
University studies. The University's experience with the Sutton Trust
FE2HE summer school has demonstrated the importance of such events particularly
for students with no family history of HE, with parents in non-professional
occupations or coming from institutions with relatively low HE progression
rates. It has also demonstrated how such events can help to build up networks
between current University students and potential students which provide
ongoing peer support. Building on this experience, the University wishes
to repeat the FE2HE summer school, and also to take part, from 2002, in
the HEFCE summer school scheme for Year 11 pupils from inner-city areas.
The summer schools will be coordinated by the University's Widening Participation
Projects Officer with support from the Students' Union, the Widening Participation
Student Recruitment Officer, Student Support Services staff and academic
departments.
Objective 1.3: to establish partnership
agreements with targeted schools and colleges in order to enhance opportunities
for progression to Bath.
It is believed that building up long-term relationships with targeted
schools and colleges can help to raise student aspirations and achievements
and facilitate the delivery of accurate information about higher education.
The Widening Participation Projects Officer and the Widening Participation
Student Recruitment Officer, together with interested academic departments,
will establish a trial scheme during 2001/2 involving partnership agreements
with at least 6 schools/FE colleges, and the evaluation of this will determine
further development
Objective 1.4: to work with other HEIs and regional
agencies in coordinating widening participation initiatives.
Collaboration with other local HEIs and with the Connexions Service will
continue, through the work of the four regional projects in which the
University is involved and through the outreach work of staff in the Student
Money Service and the Recruitment and Admissions Office.
The University is also committed to participation in local forums aimed
at promoting widening participation and lifelong learning: for instance,
the Bath and North East Somerset Lifelong Learning Partnership, the Wiltshire
and Swindon Lifelong Learning Partnership, the Learning and Skills Council
for Wiltshire and Swindon, and the B&NES IAG Network.
The University also seeks to work collaboratively with organisations such
as the Bath Race Equality Council to ensure that both its Widening Participation
and its Human Resources Strategies develop in ways which promote equality
for all.
Objective 1.5: to develop local and long-distance
partnerships through the Excellence Challenge Scheme and to provide, where
resources permit, awareness raising opportunities to students from under-represented
groups in these areas.
Local awareness raising activities are being developed partly through
the University's Excellence Challenge partnership with the Bristol Excellence
in Cities area.
The University is also developing relationships with more distant Excellence
Challenge partners, such as Salford, Trafford and Manchester. The University
will explore effective ways of providing support to schools and colleges
at a distance, as well as encouraging students from these areas to attend
Summer Schools on the Bath campus.
: to
disseminate information to potential student groups and their families
and advisers to aid informed choices about university applications and
financing undergraduate study.
Objective 2.1: to develop contacts
with targeted schools in nearby EAZ and EiC areas and in Swindon and Wiltshire,
to generate opportunities for offering pre-entry advice on university
applications and financing HE studies.
The University will develop links with local schools, appointing a Widening
Participation Student Recruitment Officer to coordinate liaison with targeted
schools in nearby EAZ and EiC areas and in Swindon and Wiltshire. The
Student Recruitment Officer will draw upon other support within the University
where appropriate.
Objective 2.2: to establish a University Centre
for Lifelong Learning to provide pre-entry advice and academic counselling
and support for adult students attracted to the Community Courses programme.
Credit-rated community courses, enabling part-time study leading to higher
education qualifications, are being established in the University in 2001/2
at both the Bath and Swindon campuses. These will enable mature students
within the local communities, including the University's own employees,
to take advantage of part-time study. A centre to provide advice on course
selection and higher education study opportunities will be established
in 2002 to support students taking this route.
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: to
develop programmes and academic structures that facilitate access to HE
and progression within it.
Objective 3.1: to develop a series
of credit-rated short courses within the University's existing Community
Courses programme, enabling part-time study in HE.
The University's Community Courses Programme will begin to offer credit-rated
short courses in the 2001/2 session. The target for the first year is
a total of 100 ftes. It is intended to expand this over succeeding years
to a target of 200 ftes by 2003/4.
Objective 3.2: to develop a number of regional
study centres for the Community Courses programme providing opportunities
for study to adults for whom Bath or Swindon are not easily accessible.
One impediment to part-time higher education, particularly for mature
students with work and domestic obligations and for disabled students,
is the ready-availability of courses within easy travelling distance.
The University has currently established a study centre for the community
courses at Norton Radstock College, and a total of six regional study
centres have been targeted for development by 2002/3. Further development
beyond this will be dependent on the evaluation of the effectiveness of
these centres.
Objective 3.3: to work with local FE Colleges
to develop further HE provision and to promote opportunities for progression.
The University currently works with 5 FE Colleges in the provision of
a Foundation Year and sub-degree programmes. It is intended to expand
the numbers on these courses to 550, and also to promote collaboration
between the FE Colleges, the University and other regional HE institutions
to facilitate progression in higher education. This will be coordinated
by the Office of Associated Colleges.
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: to
develop student support structures at University, Faculty and Departmental
levels that promote retention, achievement and progression into employment
and further study.
Objective 4.1: to initiate a biennial
student satisfaction survey to identify areas of University activity that
may be causing difficulties for students.
The University's Learning and Teaching Committee is currently overseeing
the completion of a student satisfaction survey. This aims to evaluate
the quality of the student experience and as a result will help to identify
factors that might affect retention and achievement rates. It is intended
to repeat this exercise at two-yearly intervals.
Objective 4.2: to conduct a series
of exit interviews of students prematurely leaving the University to identify
possible impediments to progression and retention.
HEFCE performance indicators suggest that retention rates at the University
are high amongst all entrants. In 1997/98, 96% of first degree students
stayed on beyond the first year, with only 3% leaving HE completely. Amongst
under-represented groups for the same year, for young full-time first
degree students from low participation neighbourhoods, the figures are
identical, with 96% continuing beyond the first year, 1% transferring
to another HEI and only 3% not remaining in HE. For mature first degree
students, for those with a previous HE qualification, the continuation
rate is 95%, substantially above the benchmark of 85%. For those with
no previous HE qualification, the continuation rate is 86% with a benchmark
of 85%. Although the University is performing well against the benchmarks,
it is proposed to carry out a series of exit interviews to identify factors
influencing student drop-out and evaluate whether the University can develop
improved structures to promote retention and progression.
Objective 4.3: to promote collaboration
with business and industry, providing opportunities for work placements
and opportunities for the University curriculum to reflect the needs of
the future workforce.
The University encourages the use of both Programme and Faculty Advisory
Committees that enable consultation with business and industry over the
nature of the higher education curriculum. The University also encourages
the development of work placement opportunities and their accreditation
through the City and Guilds Licentiateship scheme. From September 2001,
the Student's Union, through the University Jobshop and the Earn &
Learn Widening Participation Project, will participate in the pilot Insight
Plus scheme. This is a partnership of CRAC (Careers Research and Advisory
Centre), NUS (National Union of Students), Pricewaterhouse Coopers and
NEBS (National Examining Board for Supervision), which will establish
a national award for undergraduate key skills development. It will provide
a structured learning programme, with a framework for the accreditation
of different types of part-time voluntary and paid work. The aim is to
develop in students the transferable skills needed for employment and
to make those skills explicit for potential employers.
Objective 4.4: to resource the
Student Union for the provision and development of peer support groups,
including the support of students within the associated FE colleges.
The University has a well-established and well-integrated student support
system which is complemented by the work of the Student Union, in particular
through its AWARE office (Academic and Welfare Advice and REpresentation
service). The University will resource the further development by AWARE
staff of peer support groups for students from low-participating backgrounds,
and in particular for mature students and student parents. Funding will
also support the development of appropriate pre-entry guidance materials
for such students.
: to
ensure that the University's education and other services are accessible
to disabled people and to promote their participation in all areas of
university life.
Objective 5.1: to review and develop
University policy in accord with the duties set out in the SEN and Disability
Act 2001 and the guidance of the post-16 Code of Practice.
The University will review its admissions procedures and student support
services to ensure that they do not place a disabled person at a substantial
disadvantage in comparison with a person who is not disabled.
The University already has a well developed system of support for students
with learning disabilities and will review the support required by students
with other disabilities to ensure that disabled students are not placed
at a significant disadvantage.
Objective 5.2: to make adjustments
to physical features of the University's premises to increase accessibility
to disabled students.
The University Estates Department is currently undertaking a campus-wide
access audit for disabled students, which will include developing a long
term strategy for future building works.
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: to
maintain appropriate information concerning student applications, admissions,
progression and achievement to inform decisions concerning the University's
Widening Participation Strategy.
Objective 6.1: to enhance the
University's capacity to set and monitor targets for students from under-represented
groups.
The University is currently introducing a new student information system
which will be operational during 2001/2. This will facilitate the regular
reporting of information on recruitment, progression and completion of
under-represented groups. The Widening Participation Advisory Committee
will regularly monitor these statistics and bring them to the attention
of the appropriate individuals and committees involved in determining
recruitment strategies and student support services.
Objective 6.2: to develop admissions procedures
that will contextualise and enhance the information available to admissions
tutors on applicants from under-represented groups.
The University is developing new procedures and information systems to
enable admissions tutors to make more holistic and rounded admissions
decisions. Across the three-year period covered by this strategy, the
University will work on systems to supplement the candidate information
provided through the standard UCAS application. The University's Equal
Opportunities Policy for Students states that:
"Previous and predicted pre-entry examination results
will be regarded as only one type of evidence. In assessing a student's
potential, weight will always be given to identifiable factors which may
have led the student to 'underperform'."
The University will continue to work on innovative ways
of ensuring that this policy is implemented so that the admissions process
itself does not operate as a barrier to participation for under-represented
groups.
Objective 6.3: to increase the University's recruitment
of students from low participation backgrounds by 30 in 2002, 50 in 2003
and 60 in 2004.
The HEFCE performance indicators for the University indicate that there
is a low intake of students from social classes IIIM, IV and V and from
low participation neighbourhoods. It is expected that the above targets
will bring the University's performance indicators into line with HEFCE
benchmarks.
Objective 6.4: to monitor the implementation of
the University's Widening Participation Strategy.
The progress of widening participation activities and the achievement
of targets will be regularly monitored by the Widening Participation Advisory
Committee, which will nominate individuals to be responsible for particular
areas of activity and receive regular reports. The Widening Participation
Strategy will itself be kept under regular review and modifications suggested
as necessary in the Committee's annual report to Senate. The Widening
Participation Advisory Committee itself reports on a regular basis to
the University's Executive Committee and on an annual basis to Senate.
: to
promote an institutional culture that recognises the social and intellectual
benefits of a diverse student population, and the need to make the University's
distinctive form of education more widely accessible.
Objective 7.1: to make staff development
on widening participation available to all academic and administrative
staff in the University.
The University appreciates that increasing the diversity of its student
population can place additional demands upon staff, in terms of approaches
to teaching, and in personal and academic support. The Staff Development
Unit therefore has a significant role to play, not only in helping to
disseminate the strategy, but also in helping to identify staff development
needs concerning its implementation, and in developing an appropriate
staff development programme tailored towards those needs. Departments,
Faculties and the University Administration also have a key role in ensuring
that appropriate support facilities are identified and developed to enable
staff to address the demands of widening participation.
Objective 7.2: to consider widening participation
aspects within the construction of other relevant University strategies
and policies.
Widening participation issues are regularly raised in different University
committees. The development of the University's Widening Participation
Strategy has itself involved wide consultation within the University and
has received contributions from Departments, Executive Committee and Senate.
The Widening Participation Strategy will be extensively disseminated within
the University and will be available on the University Intranet. It will
also be considered in the review of the University's Learning and Teaching
Strategy, Recruitment and Admissions Strategy, and Human Resources Strategy.
Objective 7.3: to establish a liaison person within
each academic department to facilitate the dissemination of information
and good practice relating to widening participation.
The University recognises the need for departments to be well informed
about widening participation opportunities and practices, to have an opportunity
to raise issues or concerns and to disseminate its good practice within
the University. It is therefore proposed that during 2001/2, each academic
department nominates a liaison person who can act as a channel for communication
regarding widening participation matters.
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