Project background
The Teaching and Learning fund
The Inclusive Learning team are leading the way in generating change in teaching practices across the University of York. In addition to leading on the University's decolonising and diversifying the curriculum efforts, they also have several funds available for researchers to explore and develop innovative ways of deeply engaging students in the learning process. One of these funds include the Teaching and Learning fund. It provides small grants (up to 10k) to explore areas such as:
Programme and module planning, design and/or review
Review and enhancement of pedagogical approaches and/or assessment practices
Developing inclusive learning environments and communities
Supporting learning enhancement and student engagement in departments
They believe effective change only happens when students are seen as co-creators and partners in the change process, and so invited applications which involved students as active partners in the research process.
It is this fund that enabled the project to be performed. Thank you!
Project outline
This project contended that the Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) attainment gap (HEFCE, 2014), and reduced BAME engagement in postgraduate study (Williams et al., 2019; Arday, Branchu and Bolivier, 2021) are related to feelings of being 'othered' within the education system, based on the largely white curriculum which limits these students' aspirations (BBC, 2020). It thus sought to run a small research project to explore the experiences of students from diverse backgrounds whilst at the University of York, with a specific focus on evaluating the impact of the level of diversity present in their degrees on their feelings of 'belonging' within their departments, and their confidence in their academic potential. Research questions focused on a broad understanding of diversity including the degree of diversity in the undergraduate curriculum, and the diversity students perceive to be present at postgraduate level.
We recognised that there are different ways that the curriculum could be diversified (e.g. disability, LGBTQ+), and so our comparative sample consisted of both BAME and white students across different departments (specifically Psychology and Economics), thus adopting an interdisciplinary approach to provide interesting insights and perspectives into the impact of the existing levels of diversity. We aimed to uncover potential tangible areas for improvement (such as in the existing curricula) which can support current and potential students who may feel like they do not belong or are not represented in their University of York degrees. The proposed changes will furthermore be particularly beneficial for current and future BAME students in relation to confidently exploring academic careers, as it may lead for instance to the development of more tailored departmental BAME-focused support systems. Lastly, the resulting recommendations for good practice may prompt other institutions to create initiatives to further welcome these students.
Department of Psychology | University of York