The DiCE Project 

We will co-design a student-development journey framework of curricular and co-curricular interventions (for students and staff) that will deliver transformative change, break down unintended barriers and create an inclusive academic community of diversity-confident students who are proactive and adept at working in diverse teams throughout their student journey and as they move into their engineering profession.

The proposal focuses on inclusivity in the student journey, group work and creating a flagship Engineering-for-good charter in order to produce diversity-confident graduates with a high sense of belonging. This will achieve an improved sense of belonging and reduce barriers to progress for three minoritised groups in particular, although the approach should have beneficial impact on other student groups including international students:

• BAME: We have fewer BAME students (19%) than Russell Group (RG) average (34%).

• Neurodivergent: We have proportionally more neurodivergent students than University average. ~8% UGH are disabled with “Specific Learning Difficulty”.

• Women: Athena Swan interventions have increased female students above RG average (23% vs 17%) but is still below our target.

Students from minoritised groups will have an improved sense of belonging to their academic community and the engineering community of practice which will enhance their contribution to group work and consequently, improve outcomes. Additionally, this sense of belonging and positive experience will encourage minoritised students to transition to professional engineering roles.

All students (in majority and minoritised groups) will benefit from an improved appreciation of diversity, becoming diversity-confident in seeking and supporting diversity and inclusion. They will feel a sense of pride and ownership of their degree and commitment to Engineering for the public good.

The proposal includes numerous interventions, all of which have been informed by our current, rich programme of student engagement activities such as EDI research projects and Student Voice Cafés. The interventions are grouped within three work packages as follows:

1. Develop an inclusive student development journey for diversity confidence and inclusion - transition to graduate Engineer and a fulfilling professional career - led by Genevieve Langdon and Joan Cordiner:

   1. Development of PLA Framework for student development journey

   2. Development of Charter for Engineering-for-Good

   3. Promotion of career opportunities in Engineering

2. Develop an inclusive, diversity-confident academic community - led by Heidi Christensen:

   1. Staff training & resources for diversity confidence

   2. Facilitated tutorial discussions for diversity confident students

   3. Early interventions and group activities for use in intro week to support transition

   4. Support and expectations for student societies including CCAs

3. Effective, inclusive group work - led by Rachel Horn:

   1. Staff training & resources for facilitating group work

   2. Student training in team working

   3. Building better groups

   4. Better assessment of group work.

The overall aim is equal education, and fulfilling career outcomes for all students, regardless of diversity characteristics, and graduates who contribute to shaping a more equal industry. This will be achieved through:

• Improved awareness of professional responsibilities to society - and commitment to Engineering for the public good

• Minoritised groups supported to apply for and confident to follow career in Engineering

• Raised awareness of diversity and importance of diversity and improved confidence in use of language

• Break down barriers: More student interactions – fewer cliques

• Minoritised groups improved sense of belonging to academic community and engineering community of practice and improved confidence in contributing

• Majority groups proactive in seeking diversity and confident at supporting inclusion

• Staff with knowledge of effective group project design & facilitation skills

• Better approach to group work.

How the project connects to our department/institution's EDI strategy with reference to our access and participation plan (APP) and our  institutions strategic plan: 

• Development of the Faculty’s 2021-26 EDI Strategy was led by Christensen. It focuses on inclusivity and creating a sense of belonging. This, in turn, aligns with the University’s new vision where, in addition to Research, Innovation and Education pillars, the One University pillar concentrates on our values around EDI, Sustainability, and Wellbeing.

• In addition, our Access and Participation Plan (APP) for 2020/21 - 2024/25 outlines our whole student lifecycle approach to widening participation and our aim to address the challenges that students from all disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds face in Higher Education with a specific focus on the gaps for Black and Asian students.

• The proposal aligns with these various Faculty and University strategies and action plans, as follows:

-It aligns with targets 3, 4, 5 and 6 in our APP concerned with narrowing non-continuation gaps and improving degree outcomes for BAME students. Our internal monitoring and data analysis shows a persistent BAME awarding gap even if this is not clearly shown in the HESA measures (due to differences in attainment within good honours). In addition, in some years, data is sparse and noisy.

-It aligns with the Faculty of Engineering’s EDI strategy objectives 1 and 3 in and with multiple 2021/’22 actions (EDI3, EDI15, EDI18, EDI24, EDI25, EDI30) in the Faculty’s EDI action plan that concern specific actions around creating a sense of belonging, training for staff and students to increase diversity-confidence and fostering an ambitious, inclusive, collaborative community.

-It aligns with recent strategies for Disability Inclusion and a Race Equality; both of these demonstrate a commitment to creating a fully inclusive environment where everyone can flourish. This also aligns with several of our departments’ strategies with specific actions motivated by the needs of neurodivergent students and experiences of BAME students.

• The Faculty of Engineering strategic vision and plans are to deliver world leading engineering education at scale with student development grounded in strong understanding of how engineering activity influences and impacts society. An important part of this is for students to appreciate the importance of seeking and involving diverse voices - backgrounds, culture, age, gender, identities, abilities etc - for good decision-making. In order to achieve this strength of decision making within our graduates, and to ensure our educational activities do not contribute to exclusion or inequity, we need to further develop our inclusive academic community that prepares diversity-confident graduates who have the confidence to contribute, question norms and take a proactive approach to inclusion. This requires effort across the formal curriculum as well as the informal curriculum around transition, personal tutoring and group work.

How we have ensured that diverse perspectives, including those from the beneficiary group, have influenced the development of this project and will be involved in its delivery.

This project follows a sustained effort in working with minoritised groups and staff around inclusive curriculum (IC) and EDI

(led by Horn and Christensen). Evidence of engagement includes:

• Prior to project initiation:

-Sustained, long-term impact from engagement with Athena SWAN: majority departments holding Silver and a commitment to Gold applications. Themes: pipeline numbers for women; isolation; lack of role models.

-Increased awareness and EDI+IC activities in departments around barriers faced by neurodivergent students. Themes: training-need of majority groups; group-work; transitioning into- and out of University-life.

-Student-led inclusivity projects funded by the Faculty. 27 students researched and co-created resources around improvements to EDI+IC practice. Showcase events helped disseminate findings. Themes included: group-work, BAME-isolation, belonging.

-2021 survey of all Faculty staff to inform Inclusive Curriculum work: clear need for training of staff to improve confidence and provide hands-on tools when working with minoritised groups.

    -Regular, themed “Student Voice Cafés” identified group work, difficulties settling in if minoritised (women, BAME); staff uncertainty about “right  words’“ in conversations.

• During the project:

-Of RAEng-funded activities, 44% is directly allocated for student engagement across the three work packages (see project-

plan).

-Student Voice Café continuation for “sound-boarding” and broad student-input.

-Widespread buy-in from departmental leads in EDI+IC with existing, successful channels for joint staff-student engagement.

-Industry, local community groups and expert facilitators will be involved in project delivery.

• Post-project (longer-term):

-Matched-funding from Faculty to create flagship-status with buy-in from staff and senior leadership.

-Each student-cohort will be guided to co-create their Engineering-for-Good charter.

• Our outside partners involved in delivering the project and their role:

We have confirmed interest in being involved from the following collaborators:

-IBM: Ian Gardner (Client Technology Leader) and Deborah Richardson (EDI expert). This builds on existing collaborations with the faculty’s computer science department.

-ISRAAC Somali Community Association: Ismail Yussuf (Finance and Operations Manager). Builds on existing research collaboration with Christensen.

-International EDI+IC expertise: Prof Brandon Collier-Reed at the University of Cape Town (Engineering education research). Builds on existing collaboration with Prof Genevieve Langdon (WP1 lead; previously based at University of Cape Town)

-Engineering Council and Royal Academy of Engineering - to learn from a community of practice, and to seek co-creation of the proposed student charter

-Dr Megan Freeth, Department of Psychology and lead of Sheffield Autism Research Lab (current collaborator with Dept of Computer Science)

-Dr Tim Dolmansley, University Teacher, Department of Mechanical Engineering, established and leads forum for students with specific learning disabilities for support and advocacy.

Additionally, we will be contacting others, including:

-S.A.D.A.C.C.A - The Sheffield and District African-Caribbean Community Association.

-Industry collaborators such as AESSEAL (already sponsoring EDI work in the Faculty), Siemens and Rolls Royce - in order to inform the proposed student charter and to develop case studies of effective group work in industry

-Post-1992 universities such as Sheffield Hallam University - in order to learn from their approach to curriculum and non curriculum approaches to group work

-Experts such as from the centre of research ethics at the University of Leeds, and Constructing Equality Limited (currently delivering Faculty EDI training).