SEER Symposium 2024
Following the success of the inaugural Symposium in 2023, we are delighted to bring members together for our second SEER Symposium.
This year we’ve set a focus on exploring the range of ‘distinctive practices and contributions’ that smaller and specialist providers are, or could, make to access and participation and the broader national agenda for equality of opportunity.
Once again, the Symposium comes at a very significant time as providers are preparing, developing, and drafting new Access and Participation Plans (APPs); or (for a smaller number of us) are anticipating the implementation of their newly approved APP from September 2024.
Structure and Speakers
The Symposium is an invitation-only event for SEER members and invited guests, deliberately keeping a cap on numbers to ensure quality conversation and participation amongst the group.
This year we have structured the agenda into a series of topical panels and workshops, peppered with input from our guests – the Office for Students, TASO, and Professor Liz Thomas. Speakers are highlighted in the delegate list.
We have a keynote address from Professor Sir Les Ebdon CBE DL Advisor, BSc PhD DSc(Hon) ARCS DIC MCIWEM C.WEM FRSA CChem FRSC, former Director for Fair Access, 2012-2018 and Vice Chancellor of the University of Bedfordshire.
The Symposium Features:
Keynote Address from Professor Sir Les Ebdon: Thoughts for the future policy and direction of access and participation, and potential 'distinctive' opportunities in our smaller and specialist context.
With reflections on ‘distinctiveness’ and opportunities from Charlie Layland (OfS) and Joy Elliot-Bowman (Independent Higher Education)
Topical Panel: Supporting students’ mental health and wellbeing
Speakers: SEER Student Advisory Panel (Conor Allen, NCG; Ailsa Hobbins, London School of Contemporary Dance; Rita Renata Veres, DGHE; Jaesuh Lee, Northeastern University; Karl Parrish, Point Blank Music School) Bloomsbury Institute, London (Joan O’Mahony); London School of Contemporary Dance (Anna Helsby).
In recent years, the coronavirus pandemic and rises in the cost of living have had a negative effect on some students’ wellbeingi. Between the 2016/17 and 2022/23, undergraduate students reporting mental health difficulties rose from 6% to 16%, meaning around one in six now report challengesii. For a minority of students, mental health conditions have a negative impact on outcomes.
As well as being a key priority for the Office for Students (OfS), ‘Mental Health’ is a discrete Risk on the OfS Equality of Opportunity Risk Register: “Students may not experience an environment that is conducive to good mental health and wellbeing.” (EORR, Risk 8)iii.
There is lots of good practice across higher education providers to meet these challenges. The University Mental Health Charter (2019)iv, framework sets out good practice principles and advocates a whole-university approach.
In this panel we hear from students about ‘pressure points’ and triggers affecting mental health, including the impact of cost-of-living, Covid-19, and access to appropriate support (EORR Risks 6, 7, 9, 10, 11). The panel considers actions to support mental health and wellbeing and embed it into a range of practice, going beyond the provision of counselling services.
Topical Panel: Addressing Inclusivity in the Curriculum, supporting a Whole Provider Approach to access and participation
Speakers: Institute of Contemporary Music Performance (Nick McDermott); Academy of Contemporary Music (Dr Antony Aleksiev, on behalf of Karolina Chojnacka); Central School of Ballet (Dr Jamie Dryburgh).
Development of ‘inclusive curricula’ has most recently focused on the ethnicity degree awarding gap – the difference in the proportion of degrees classed at a 2:1 and above awarded to ethnic minority students compared to white students. This is an established problem across higher education. However, practices can be determined more broadly than ethnicity to ensure that all students, including those with a range of protected characteristics, have equal opportunity to participate and succeed.
A range of practice is seen across the sector, for example adapting assessment practice, developing curricula, financial support, harnessing student voice, peer mentoring, placement and careers support, skills development, and using learner analytics. Priority areas for action in creating an inclusive environmentvi might include:
Developing knowledge and understanding of gaps in degree outcomes (data, analytics and evaluation).
Ensuring there is an inclusive learning environment where all students have a sense of ‘belonging’ (curriculum, teaching, learning and assessment reform; career and skills development; communities and social).
Taking a student-centred approach to enable all students to flourish and celebrate their achievements (voice, mentoring, tailored support).
In this panel we will hear from SEER members about practice examples that address inclusion through curriculum, teaching, learning and assessment design and review. Examples cover intervention that is taking place to positively impact culture (inclusive environments) as well as implementation (inclusive practices), across the three priority areas.
Topical panel: Distinctive, Effective and Efficient Outreach Programme Design
Speakers: London School of Architecture (Roy Coupland); Leeds Conservatoire (James Rew); Northeastern University London (Alice Riley).
HE providers work with schools, local authorities and third sector organisations to support people who might not have traditionally entered higher education to do so. Through ‘outreach’ work, providers can help to raise awareness and expectations, removing barriers and creating pathwaysvii. There is a diversity of widening access and participation and outreach programmes and activities across the sector. They are run by a variety of organisations (providers, third sector, local or national partnerships); cover different ‘themes’ (subject specific, general CEIAG, specific groups); across the learner journey (primary to mature learners). Outreach programmes can respond to the OfS national Equality of Opportunity Risk Register (EORR), particularly Risks 1-4.
But what makes for distinctive, effective, and efficient programme design?
In response to the recent OfS Review of Collaborative Outreach, key attributes of effective programmes have been highlighted, including, the need to tailor for context and leverage regional understanding; collaboration across the sector; and consistent, robust evaluation at partnership level.
Picking up on these themes, this panel explores good practice amongst SEER members, and considers how members might also make a ‘distinctive contribution’ through collaboration.
SEER Research and Evaluation
Speakers: SEER (Emma Thomas); Office for Students (Charlie Leyland); TASO, Rain Sherlock.
The Evaluation and Research Challenge: Requirements, SEER and sector approaches, and application in the smaller and specialist context. How are we approaching evaluation requirements and what do we need from the Office for Students?
This plenary session shines a spotlight on evaluation and research, exploring the tensions and solutions between regulation, standards/types, and operationalisation. SEER staff discuss the approaches taken by SEER and our members to meet the evaluation challenge, and we’ll hear reflections on SEER approaches, regulatory expectations, and good practice from the OfS and TASO.
Workshops: Highlighting Distinctive Contribution
Workshops Round 1
A - EORR in the small and specialist context – Distinctive considerations against the national Risks. Run by Andrew Avery and Emily Warwick-Canning.
B - The Whole Provider Approach and application to the small and specialist context. Run by Professor Liz Thomas and Dr Sam Child.
C - Practices for effective student involvement: how to engage, what captures student interest, and common challenges / barriers. Run by SEER Student Advisory Panel (SSAP) and Dr Antony Aleksiev.
D - Towards a national small and specialist outreach campaign? Where are the opportunities, what might be possible, and what are the benefits? Run by Emma Thomas and Professor Sir Les Ebdon.
Workshops Round 2
A - We’re rewriting the regulation… What would a smaller, specialist John Blake do? Run by Professor Sir Les Ebon, Emma Thomas and an SSAP representative.
B - Exploring distinctive practices in curriculum, teaching, learning and assessment in small and specialist providers. Run by Dr Antony Aleksiev and an SSAP representative.
C - Exploring distinctive practices in student support and mental health and wellbeing in small and specialist providers. Run by Dr Sam Child and an SSAP representative.
D - Exploring distinctive practices in professional development, careers support and access to industry in small and specialist providers. Run by Emily Warwick-Canning, Andrew Avery and an SSAP representative.
With thanks to all our speakers and SEER member contributions to make this SEER Symposium a success
AND
With special thanks to The Place / London Contemporary Dance School for hosting