Creating a dynamic of engagement: taking an outreach approach inside the institution

1. Creating a dynamic of engagement: taking an outreach approach inside the institution What contribution can higher education make to social mobility in the UK? 26-27 March 2013, Manchester Julie Wintrup, Kirsten Wythe, Kelly Wakefield

2. Contents • Outreach • Education research • Creating a dynamic of engagement • What next?

3. A conversation at a workshop organised by our Transition Project Team led to today’s presentation. We asked ourselves, after so much hard work attracting students through outreach, what happens to and for them – and do we even know?

4. Learn with US Schools and Colleges Outreach Programme

5. Community Outreach Particular focus on the following under represented groups: • Care leavers • Black and minority ethnic students • Mature students • Disabled students

6. Findings from longitudinal research with Fd students • Interviews: social / friendship groups key to persistence; professional qualification and improved career opportunities a key motivator; many barriers described • Progression data: high drop out (19%) in keeping with Fds generally, particularly men • All other ‘groups’ persisted in proportion with numbers of entrants; all ‘groups’ (30% of Fd graduates) went on to subsequent professional qualification in proportion with numbers of entrants (within 2 years)

7. Comparison of outreach values and research findings: • Valuing of experience, diversity, local connections, the commitment and ‘hard route’ taken to HE • Focus on welcome, positively nurturing a sense of belonging, seeing people ‘like themselves’ around campus and at Freshers’ events (or not) • Opportunities to learn with and from each other – about different life/work experiences and opportunities, using social media in place of face-to-face, to build supportive networks, at odd hours

8. So how might these shared values and concerns be taken forward in our educational practice and institutional processes?

9. Creating a dynamic of engagement • Track record of literature, research, work from UoS • Foskett (2005) • Fuller and Paton (2006) • Fuller et al (2008) • Johnston et al (2011) • Wintrup et al (2012) • Informal conversations with 9 members of staff at UoS • Discussions centre on how cross-institutional initiatives can inform one another

10. Use of data to create a dynamic of engagement? • Themes from discussions: • Data (prior to university) • Data (during university) • Barriers and enablers • We have the data…. • Ethics, practicalities and potential misuses

11. Whatnext? Somequestions: • Are we a ‘learning organisation’? • Students’ and colleagues’ agree on the benefits of better planning around needs and expectations – how can we improve? • Are we using terms – ‘widening access’ and ‘widening participation’ – similarly, meaningfully? • Is better feedback needed on how well we welcome and engage students? (ie what ought we ask / measure?) • Is it possible to create new forms of engagement – across departments / functions, with students, with each other?

12. References: • Wintrup, J., James. E. & Humphris, D. (2012/13) Beyond Inequality? A case study of progression, achievements and experiences of health and care workers in higher education, 2005- 2011, Journal of Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning, 14: 3, pp 172 – 189. • Submitted: Wakefield, K., Masoud, M., Onovughakpo, S. O., Wintrup, J. and Wythe, K. Creating a dynamic of engagement: taking an outreach approach inside the institution. Journal of Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning.