In reviewing the successes, challenges and opportunities for further development the following information has amalgamated the review in response to meeting the TW programme aims:
Advance further good relationships between UAL and alumni and creatives of colour. Good relations have been developed at varying levels.
The complexities of race relations are prevalent within this programme. The TW academics recognise the university’s ambitions which are on the whole positive, however, the negative behaviours of individuals towards people of colour continue to be problematic. Practices such as ‘white fragility’ (DiAngelo, 2011) and ‘white privilege’ (Rodriguez & Villaverde, 2000) seem to affect all participants in some form. There seem to be better relations generally towards the latter part of the programme delivery for all parties. This may suggest that in the following years’ stakeholders will be able to build on this and it is hoped that the cultural institutional change will continue to develop. Each year of the programme relationships are evolving and this has contributed to significant cross institutional shifts in attitudes and behaviours, which is displayed in the programmes data
Increase the amount of academics of colour within UAL.
The TW programme began in 2016 and has impacted UAL data with an increase of 96 Academics of Colour in total over the TW1-6 period. As all TW academics are issued this HPL contract on entering the programme some of the increases can directly be correlated to the programme.
Impact the recruitment, retention and progression of academics of colour within this institution and across the sector.
Of TW1-4 61 Academics have gone onto roles within UAL. It is important to note that this varies from additional hours on an hourly paid basis to fractional teaching posts that are part of the ADF scheme. We must also note that staff progression beyond HPL and Fractional Lecturing roles for Academics of Colour is significantly lower than that of their White counterparts.
Develop further clarity on the experience of academics of colour within UAL.
The experiences of the TW cohorts mirror all research in this area to date (Universities UK, 2020). This includes the research that suggests academics of colour are replicated within the experience of students of colour in higher education. However, through logging particular instances there seems to be an opportunity to develop more research in this area, with the possibility of applying threshold concepts (Meyer & Land, 2005) to further understand and develop transformational strategies as this programme has, in order for sector wide changes.
Build steps to remove barriers to entry, minimise practices that may be prejudicial to progression and further develop an environment that retains these academics.
The barriers to entry to accademia are still prevalent and the experiences of the majority of TW academics that applied for jobs at UAL and their experiences of the interview process were not favourable. However, there seem to be opportunities for further development between policy and practices, as well as further training that may impact significant change in these areas.
Consider the relationship between student experience and academic diversity.
It is important to understand the key correlation between how academic diversity is impacting student experience. The TW Programme has enabled increases in the National Student Survey as well as retention of students of colour across a variety of course levels and disciplines at UAL. We are now in our 3rd year of running the Safe Space Crits and this intervention has contributed significantly not only students of colour but all students at UAL. As of 2020 we have decided that all TW academics also have to attend the Safe Space Crits. Within this uncertain time. We continue to evolve, challenge and develop how we train and scaffold our TW academics to engage with students through relevant, interdisciplinary and intersectional approaches.
Review the impact of diverse staff involvement during staff development activities.
As part of the TW programme we have designed and implemented a robust infrastructure which has gone to support TW academics who have gone on to participate in a variety of activities including engaging in the Teaching and Learning Conference at UAL across 2017 to 2021. Engagement in ADF activities and various recruitment panels for roles at UAL and other institutions such as University of East London and Crafts Council. As of 2021 we have evolved our processes to now embed into our TW Reports the review as to the impact and highlight the wins as well as the findings and challenges of the TW programme.
Continue to advance social justice within UAL.
We have successfully recruited our sixth cohort of the programme and aim to continue to challenge and increase the academic diversity within UAL. Currently over 120 academics have taken part within the programme and more than 90% have completed successfully. We are aware that social justice and anti racism is not solved and this requires an ongoing commitment and ongoing work from communities of thoughtful citizens, of which TW is one.
The TW academics can be defined as a change-making community. This can be said of their contributions both to UAL and wider communities. The following are examples of broader contributions this community has made to date:
Academic communities: The TW community are beyond the programme contributing to academia both at this institution and others. As trained educators with creative industry experience, they are a sought after community
GEMS communities: The GEMS community continues to grow, bring together people, develop activities and evolve support structures of which TW continue to contribute to beyond the programme.
External examiners: HEA Professional Development for External Examiner course, in January 2018, Five TW participants (along with other UAL staff, including four GEMS members) attended a one-day training course, facilitated by the Higher Education Academy to 'enable aspirant, new or experienced external examiners to understand the role of external examiner (as set out in the UK Quality Code for HE); develop a deeper understanding of the nature of academic standards and professional judgement and use evidence-informed approaches to contribute to impartial, transparent judgements on academic standards and the enhancement of student learning'. All participants received certification following the course, which will be of benefit in applying for external examiner work in the future. This has not taken place due to the Covid pandemic there has not been a subsequent day for this and we hope to reconvene.
UAL Learning & Teaching conferences: Many TW academics both attended and have consistently contributed to Teaching and Learning conferences between 2017 and 2021. This participation offers not only a visible change in its attendees in past years but offers opportunities to develop more widely critical discourse around intersectional social justice practices and ideologies.
Publications & research: As previously mentioned, the TW community have contributed to research and publications that will no doubt inform the sector and move inclusive pedagogies on. This is a significant legacy of the programme and for this institution as work within and beyond the programme continues to evolve and be disseminated nationally and internationally.
Staff development: Many TW academics have in addition to the external examiner course, participated in staff development including attending committee meetings and delivering staff development themselves. This further demonstrates a full-cycle approach to social justice practices within an organisational structure.
Through the Teaching Within programme’s approach to review and report have evolved, the following questions are posed to the institution for the next steps for both delivery of the future programme and the wider aims to build a social justice environment with social purpose;
People
Why does the University want to diversify the workforce and what are the implications?
How does the University propose to create a sustained and accountable culture amongst staff and students towards racial justice?
What are the universities strategies for retention and progression of existing staff of colour across all grades, job families and roles?
Who in the University is responsible for transforming cultures and environments for the benefit of marginal communities and how are successes measured and recognised?
Policy
Why does the University have continued inequality with existing policies and what are the implications (such as dignity at work)?
How do the University policy makers seek to identify and respond to these sustained and historical inequalities?
What are the evolved strategies that policy makers are undertaking in order to move beyond existing sector-wide practices that continue to be inadequate?
Who in the University is responsible for reviewing, designing and implementing impactful and quantifiable policies and who are they accountable to?
Practice
Why does the University believe practises need to change for the benefit of marginal communities and what evidence informs these changes?
How does the University define reparation and how does this factor into the strategies of racial equality?
What changes to recruitment practises do the university plan to employ in order to consider the redistribution of equity across all grades, job families and roles?
Who may need to step aside within the University in order to develop sustained practice based social justice towards reclamation and what are the implications?
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. (Margaret Mead in Lutkehaus, 2008, p. 261)
Through this programme, it is clear that there is still a lot of work to be done. The term ‘institutional racism’ and ‘institutionalised racism’, as defined by Macpherson (1999) and Stokley Carmichael (1966), has been used to describe the experiences of some staff of colour in higher education (Leathwood et al. 2009, p. 31). From the current data across the sector, it appears that this continues to be the case (Finnigan & Richards, 2016). The Teaching Within programme is about building relationships and evolving practices, as such throughout the journey, participants are challenged, developed and supported. The main aim of which was to increase representation and build cultural competencies that will impact the University of the Arts, London creative community of academics, the broader environment as well as build on the work of the many activists and acts of activism which has got us to this point.
TW programme has significantly changed the face of creative academia and transformed the university environment, while simultaneously empowering individuals of colour with the opportunity to engage in direct action as influential contributors towards social justice. This act along with the institution’s commitment to facing complex and uncomfortable situations makes for a collective and powerful community of change-makers.
As part of this programme, we recognise all those who have paved the way for Teaching Within to be possible and salute them and all of our graduates and current academics working towards international social justice.
‘It is with humility, the pride that I feel when I walk along the corridors of UALs 13 sites and see the faces of graduates of the Shades of Noir Teaching Within programme that I designed and direct. At this stage about 54% of academics of colour are our graduates at UAL, this makes for a very special legacy that will not be forgotten as the ripples of change continues to grow’.
Aisha Richards Director Shades of Noir, Center for Race & Practice Based Social Justice, UAL