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Sector Trends in Admissions Equitable Admissions and Unconscious Bias, 23 February 2015 Dan Shaffer, Head of Professionalism in Admissions What is SPA? Set up in 2006 following the Schwartz Report Fair Admissions to Higher Education: Recommendations for Good Practice 2004 “ The Group recommends the creation of a central source of expertise and advice on admissions issues. Its purpose would be to act as a resource for institutions who wish to maintain and enhance excellence in admissions. Such a centre could lead the continuing development of fair admissions, evaluating and commissioning research, and spreading best practice.” UK’s independent, fully funded and objective voice on fair HE admissions What is Fair Admissions? 1. be transparent 2. enable institutions to select students who are able to complete the course as judged by their achievements “Equal opportunity for all and their potential individuals, regardless of 3. strive to use assessment methods that are reliable and background, to gain valid to a course suited 4.admission seek to minimise barriers to applicants to their ability and 5. be professional in every respect and underpinned by aspirations.” appropriate institutional structures and processes What is Fair Admissions? QAA B2 Expectation: “Recruitment, selection and admission policies and “Equal opportunity for all individuals, regardless of They are transparent, reliable, valid, inclusive and background, to gain underpinned organisational structures admission tobya appropriate course suited to their abilityThey and support higher education and processes. aspirations.” providers in the selection of students who are able to procedures adhere to the principles of fair admission. complete their programme.” What is Fair Admissions? A commitment to fair admissions, within an effective applicant experience strategy influences your students’ preparation engagement attitudes Which affects not only the quality of their student experience, but whether or not they seek to be your students at all and shapes the ‘psychological contract’ early on for motivating retention and success Most common reasons for early drop-out According to National Audit Office reports 2002 and 2007: attitudes Personal reasons attitudes Lack of integration engagement Dissatisfaction with course/institution preparation Lack of preparedness preparation Wrong choice of course preparation Financial reasons engagement To take up a more attractive opportunity Fair Admissions and the Applicant Experience We recommend adopting a behavioural view of ‘experience’: Interactive participation and engagement, not a passive journey Applicants are not passengers Education providers are more than just destinations Information, advice and guidance are only beneficial if they inform, advise and guide Fair Admissions and the Applicant Experience ? So does this mean the preparation, engagement and attitudes amongst low participation groups are less well matched? ? Should colleges be doing more interactive participation and engagement with disadvantaged groups? ? Are the informers, advisers and guiders relating to, inspiring or even representative of the diverse mix of potential students? Only you, from your own college perspective, can answer these questions … and you’ll need data to do it. Fair Admissions and the Applicant Experience Some comparative trends to get you questioning … Enrolment rates in Scotland’s colleges SFC data, 2015 on college sector Enrolment rates in Scotland’s colleges by gender SFC data, 2015 on college sector Variation across subjects in Scotland’s colleges by gender SFC data, 2015 on college sector statistics Fair Admissions and the Applicant Experience Some comparative trends to get you questioning … ? How does your college compare? ? What about other protected characteristics and wider disadvantage, inc. where numbers may be too small for data analysis to be significant? ? How do you assess the impact of your admissions on equality? ? What positive action can you deliver in your recruitment and marketing to bring equality outcomes? Thank you More information from: [email protected] or 01242 544891 www.spa.ac.uk