STEMinar Series: eSTEeM Scholarship Showcase January 2024

Dates: 

Thursday, January 25, 2024 - 14:00 to 15:00

Location

Via MS Teams

Contact

eSTEeM

New for 2024, the eSTEeM, Learning and Teaching, and Equality, Diversity, Inclusivity and Accessibility (EDIA) Teams are bringing together their webinar series under the STEMinar Series banner. STEMinars will be held fortnightly, alternating between Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on ethnic minority students’ study experience and awarding gap (A case study of Level 1 C&C Open University Modules)

Dhouha Kbaier, Soraya Kouadri Mostéfaoui and Annemarie Kane

This project explored the broader impact of COVID-19 on the learning experiences and academic performance of ethnic minority students, using Level 1 Computing modules as a case study. Utilising a comprehensive mixed-methods approach, blending quantitative data analysis and qualitative focus group discussions, our study provides valuable insights into the structural and institutional factors that shape the educational journeys of Black, Asian, and minority ethnic students.

The research findings reveal the manifold challenges and disadvantages faced by ethnic minority students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Key factors include economic disparities, the digital divide, housing issues, employment concerns, racism, discrimination, and mental health struggles. While tutors may not always have direct knowledge of students' ethnicity, they unanimously acknowledge the pivotal role these structural factors play in shaping students' learning experiences, both during the pandemic and beyond. Furthermore, significant institutional factors that influence the educational journeys of ethnic minority students have been highlighted. These include systemic racism, unconscious bias, the lack of diversity in staff, and inconsistencies in support mechanisms. These factors underscore the need for proactive interventions to promote equitable support and foster an inclusive learning environment.

CLOSING THE AWARDING GAP: Listening to our Black Students

Louise MacBrayne, Jennie Bellamy and Angela Richards

The awarding gap for Black students vs White students has been widely reported across UK Higher Education. The existence of awarding gaps within the Open University for Black vs White students for pass rate and good module pass rate has implications for OfS funding due to unfulfilled Access and Participation Plan targets. Data examined in 2019 for the interdisciplinary science module S112 Science Concepts and Practice appeared to indicate that pass rates for Black students were much lower in comparison to White students and students of other ethnicities, despite completion rates closer to the rest of the cohort. Awarding gaps were wider than both Faculty and Institutional values.

This presentation will report the findings, conclusions and subsequent recommendations of an eSTEeM funded project, that adopted a mixed method approach to investigate Black student experience on S112 via online focus groups and semi structured Black student interviews undertaken by a culturally appropriate facilitator, together with a concurrent intersectionality study to investigate any possible double disadvantage for S112 Black students.

Registration

The STEMinar Series is open to all OU STEM colleagues. Please visit the registration page to sign-up. Any queries please contact esteem@open.ac.uk.

Related resources: 

Attachment	Size
Kbaier-Kouadri-Kane-STEMinar-25-Jan-24.pptx	7.12 MB

Project presentation.

Attachment	Size
MacBrayne-Bellamy-Richards-McPherson-STEMinar-25-Jan-24.pptx	6.44 MB

Project presentation.