Advance HE will be working with Staffordshire University and six higher education providers on a project which aims to tackle the ethnicity degree awarding gap, in partnership with the Centre for Transforming Access and Students Outcomes in Higher Education (TASO).
The degree awarding gap refers to the significant difference in the proportions of students from marginalised ethnic backgrounds being awarded a first or upper-second class undergraduate degree when compared to white students. A TASO report published in June 2023 revealed that interventions to address the achievement gap tended to be inadequately detailed and it was unclear how they reduce the gap. The report also recommended that providers develop robust Theories of Change which clearly links activities to targets and objectives.
Following an open call in the summer, six higher education (HE) providers have been selected by TASO to work on a new phase of the project that will develop Theories of Change and evaluation plans designed to tackle the ethnicity degree awarding gap.
