Dr Bernadette SandersonDr Graeme Thomson

FOCUS West

Innovation in Transitions through Widening Access Routes to Higher Education

FOCUS West: Summary of programme

Continuum of activity - learning styles & study skills/preparation for transition post school

• School Partnership Officers affiliated to each school – support Parent Evenings, UCAS Applications, etc.

• Careers Support section on FOCUS West website: www.focuswest.org.uk

Activities (in-school and on-campus):

S3 College & University Campus Days (SU)S4 FOCUS on 4 (SU)S5/6 Routes for All (GCU & UWS)S5/6 Top-Up Programme (GU)S5/6 Portfolio Development Programme (GSA)S5/6 Entry to the Creative Industries (RCS)ALL YEARS FOCUS Point (www.focuspoint.org.uk)

Approaches to widening access and transitions to higher education

3 themes to consider:

1. Partnership working in widening access – the good, the bad and the ugly

2. Using adjusted offers in conjunction with academic or vocational preparation programmes – incentivising success?

3. Using digital technology to widen access – can it be done? If so, how?

1. Partnership

Partnership Working to Widen Access to Higher Education (1)

Partnership Working to Widen Access to Higher Education (2)

Partnership in Widening Access: Some Game Theory?*

• w≥max [(A-B)/(B-D),(A-B)/(A-C)]

where: w = chance for future interaction,

A = high pay-off,

B = medium pay-off,

C = low pay-off,

D = zero pay-off

Can ‘win-win’ be achieved for all partners, if the partnership is well set up?

*McQuaid, R. 2000, The theory of partnership: why have partnerships? In (Ed.) Osborne, S. Public-Private Partnerships: Theory and Practice in International Perspective , London: Routledge, 9-35 (p. 34)

Some questions to discuss …

a) Provide examples of partnership working from your own work (if possible, considering both effective and less effective partnerships).

b) How can partnership working be improved a) for the benefit of delivering institutions, and b) for the benefit of the students themselves?

c) Are there some universal or basic protocols that should be observed with all partnership working?

2. Adjusted Offers

• FOCUS West’s Top-Up Programme – operational since 1999

• Consists of an academic preparation programme undertaken by applicants to university (involving three assessed elements)

• Research at the University of Glasgow indicates a positive impact on student progression and retention

(Neil Croll, Alison Browitt and K. Hedge-Holmes, ‘Pre-Entry Widening Participation Programmes at the University of Glasgow’, 2012)

Engaging with WP students in schools

• Engage with schools by HE progression rate

• =<22% - Top-Up Programme; Summer School, APE; REACH Scotland

• =<27% - Summer School; APE; REACH Scotland

• =<32% - APE; REACH Scotland

• Admissions: use Student Profiles as contextual data• UoG use of contextual data for WP admissions

highlighted as model for sector (SFC)

Students in 0-40% SIMD postcodes

 

Top-Up Programme students 2004-09

Summer School students 2004-09

Scottish-domiciled UoG students 2009(SFC Learning for All*)

Scottish-domiciled students in HE 2009 (SFC Learning for All*)

0-20% SIMD 30.3% 26.8% 11.0% 11.7%

0-40% SIMD 52.5% 44.3% 25.3% 27.8%

>40% SIMD 47.5% 55.7% 74.7% 72.2%

*Scottish Funding Council, Learning for All: Fifth update report on measure of success March 2011Available at: http://www.sfc.ac.uk/web/FILES/Our_Priorities_Access/Learning_for_All_2011.pdf

Top-Up students progressing to UoG

Students completing the Top-Up Programme and entering UoG

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

Impact of WP programmes - 1

• Retention and progression of first year undergraduates who completed the Top-Up programme - compared to students from the same schools who didn’t do Top-Up, and students from non-GOALS comparator schools.

 

GOALS Top-Up

% not progressing

GOALS no Top-Up

% not progressing

non-GOALS comparator

% not progressing

2001 1 19.4% 25.8% 26.3%

2002 2 17.4% 19.4% 16.8%

2003 2 13.6% 26.7% 18.7%

2004 11.1% 32.9% 18.1%

2005 26.4% 18.9% 19.3%

2006 22.4% 26.7% 17.5%

2007 27.6% 21.7% 13.8%

2008 13.8% 22.6% 16.1%

2009 14.4% 17.3% 15.3%

2001 - 2009 18.1% 23.8% 18.4%

1 Walker, L, Matthew, B and Black, F, 2004. 'Widening access and student non-completion: an inevitable link? Evaluating the effects of the Top-Up Programme on student completion', International Journal of Lifelong Education, 23: 1, 43 — 592 Croll, N. & Copsey, D., presented at Forum for Access & Continuing Education conference, 2005, University College Cork, Ireland

Impact of WP programmes - 2

• Retention and Progression of first year undergraduates who attended Summer School – continuation of studies at the University after Year 1 compared to students from GOALS schools who didn’t do Top-Up, and students from non-GOALS comparator schools

 

Summer School

% not continuing

GOALS no Top-Up %

not continuing

non-GOALS

comparator % not

continuing

2004 16.7% 24.4% 15.0%

2005 18.9% 8.9% 13.8%

2006 17.6% 16.7% 13.2%

2007 11.5% 18.1% 13.4%

2008 11.3% 17.9% 10.4%

2009 13.5% 14.7% 12.9%

2004-2009 13.9% 16.7% 13.2%

Impact of WP programmes - 3

• Retention and Progression of first year UGs who completed Top-Up or Summer School by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation

These preparation programmes appear even more effective when taking into account that the students in the comparator groups are generally less disadvantaged:

0-40% SIMD Top-Up = 52.5%0-40% SIMD Summer School = 44.3%0-40% SIMD GOALS no Top-Up = 42.0%0-40% SIMD non-GOALS = 32.7%

Continuation after Year 1 2004-2009

70%

75%

80%

85%

90%

0-20%SIMD

0-40%SIMD

>40% SIMD all

SIMD

% c

on

tin

uin

g Top-Up

no Top-Up

non-GOALS

Sum Sch

Progression from Year 1 2004-2009

50%55%60%65%70%75%80%85%90%

0-20%SIMD

0-40%SIMD

>40%SIMD

all

SIMD

% s

tud

ents

wit

h c

red

it/g

pa

to p

rog

ress

Top-Up

no Top-Up

non-GOALS

Sum Sch

Graduate Attributes

Pupils• independent learning & critical thinking skills• essential study / revision / exam skills• confidence to get involved in extra-curricular and social

aspects of student life: clubs, societies - important for developing broad graduate attributes

Tutors• employability skills: teaching / lecturing experience• progress to employment in education / WP fields• benefits to other GTA work• develop graduate attributes such as effective

communication; experienced collaborators; adaptable; resourceful and responsible; reflective teachers

Some questions to discuss …

a) Are ‘adjusted offers’ a sustainable model to widen access to HE? Do they incentivise success?

b) Are universities doing enough to support retention of students from non-traditional backgrounds? What can be improved?

c) Is there inherent fairness in a system of HE admissions associated with postcode metrics?

3. Using Technology

www.focuspoint.org.uk

Teen internet use

BBC Survey of 15-18 yr olds (Oct ‘14)

Use social media regularly 99%

‘Addicted’ to social media 25%

Use Facebook 89%

Use Twitter 62%

Use Snapchat 58%

*Based on survey of 1015 teenagers: http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/29457870/1-in-3-teenagers-meet-social-media-friends-in-real-life

Some questions to discuss …

a) Can technology support widening access and aid transitions to HE? If so, how?

b) Provide example(s) of the use of digital technology / e-learning in your own work. Successes and difficulties?

c) How can higher education institutions and WP programmes make effective use of social media to engage with young people?

Contact:

Bernadette Sanderson bernadette.sanderson@glasgow.ac.uk

Graeme Thomson graeme.thomson@glasgow.ac.uk