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Students researching the student experience of ethnic minority students. Suneela Ahmed, PhD student, Urban Design Neil Currant, OCSLD Dianne Regisford , PhD student, Social Sculpture. Outline. Background to why we are doing the project. The role of student researchers in the project .
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Students researching the student experience of ethnic minority students Suneela Ahmed, PhD student, Urban Design Neil Currant, OCSLD Dianne Regisford, PhD student, Social Sculpture
Outline • Background to why we are doing the project. • The role of student researchers in the project. • Why get involved? • Personal benefits? • Benefits to the project. • Discussion
Background • The university is more than 3% below OFFA (Office for Fair Access) target for completion rates for BME students. • BME students are less likely to get a 1st or 2.1 (at Brookes we calculated around 45% less likely, trying to take account of other factors) • By 2016 we risk being more than 3% below our OFFA target for BME ‘Good’ completion.
Table 1: Proportion of BME and White students entering Brookes and gaining good degrees based on entry tariffs and where they last studied (combined data for 2009-11)
Project • To investigate the BME student experience • Combining APTT (Academic Performance Tracking Tool) data with qualitative interviews. • What sort of place is Brookes for BME students?
Approach to qualitative data collection • Employ student assistants to recruit and interview participants - generic student assistant job description (pioneered by Berry O'Donovan) • Why? – To reduce the power distance to get honest, open stories. Built into the research design.
A word on ethics • The ethics committee had some concerns about using students as researchers and doing the interviews for institutional research.
Benefits to the project • Challenge staff perceptions / thinking • Generate ideas • Different Contacts • Different Skills http://neilslearning.wordpress.com
Why I am involved - Suneela “I hope to gain practical experience of doing qualitative interviews which will benefit in my research degree studies.” • Research literacy • Academic literacy “As a teacher every year I have felt that literature and theories on architecture of the third world is very limited- thus the course contents have a western tilt- both in terms of content and theory. The question about overcoming this problem has been a burning issue for me personally for the last eight years.”
Why I am involved - Suneela • Personal interest “being an international student in the UK currently, and having done my Masters from Australia where again I was an international student and being a socialist at heart it is but natural that I sympathize and can relate to issues BME students face.”
Discussion points • The value of / engagement of student researchers • ‘Paying’ for engagement? • The institutional position on student researchers (ethics?) www.doiop.com/racismatuni