Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Measuring the social good through a widening access
approach:
An analysis of BeWEHL
Suzannah EvansBeWEHL Initiative at
The University of Wales, Newport
An analysis of BeWEHLBettering Wellbeing, Education, Health and Lifestyle
• Widening Access
• Overview of BeWEHL Initiative
• BeWEHLs approach and curriculum
• Progression pathways
• Increased wellbeing
• Ripple effect on children
The University’s mission is to:
“Inspire and enable individuals, organisations, and communities to succeed through innovation in high quality learning, research and enterprise”
University of Wales, Newport
Widening Access Aims
1. To provide accessible and appropriate engagement and progression
opportunities in communities, workplaces and on campus, prioritising
Community First areas, under-represented groups and those with protected
characteristics
2. To provide flexible responsive curriculum offers grounded in identified need
3. To achieve clear progression pathways to and within Higher Education,
ensuring that our offer is accessible and focused on meeting Welsh
Government and Institutional Equality and Diversity objectives
BeWEHL
• Overview
▫ Developed from social action research in 2000
▫ Students are co-researchers
▫ Empowering goal of enhancing self-esteem
and confidence
▫ To take active roles within own communities
“It’s like this whole massive world has opened up that I didn’t evenknow existed – someone let me out of my box”
BeWEHL• Approach and support
▫ Informal feel to sessions, particularly within the community
▫ Support and guidance relating to, for example, finances, housing,
depression, disability, childcare, Social Services and information on
careers and courses
▫ Students receive personal tutorial support tailored to meet their
needs
▫ Range of support needs, for example. Dyslexia, lack of IT
experience, study skills, lack of confidence
“It’s like this whole massive world has opened up that I didn’t evenknow existed – someone let me out of my box”
BeWEHL - Curriculum
• Group Research Skills Developed to provide ‘non-traditional’
students with preparatory research, group
and communication skills that are essential
for successfully conducting small scale
group research projects
Research an issue of importance to them
Learners control the pace and direction
Research gathered is presented to relevant
authority so action can be taken
“It’s like this whole massive world has opened up that I didn’t evenknow existed – someone let me out of my box”
BeWEHL - Curriculum▫ Research Skills
The Research skills model encourages students to discuss what they
feel is important to their own research by being encouraged to:
identify an area of interest and aims of the work
to apply appropriate research methods
plan and carry out a small scale research project
evaluate and reflect on the research approach
analyse the data collected
disseminate their findings as appropriate
▫ Examples of topic areas:
Post natal depression, gender equality, domestic violence, Communities First
“It’s like this whole massive world has opened up that I didn’t evenknow existed – someone let me out of my box”
BeWEHL - Curriculum ▫ Community Development
Familiarise with policy, principles and practice of community development
Identify an area if community interest
Organise and conduct a community event
Evaluate and reflect on practice
Present results of the effectiveness of their community engagements
▫ Examples of topic areas:
Healthy eating, debt advice, awareness of substance misuse, young peoples sexual health, improving
education achievement
▫ Some of the subject areas undertaken:
“It’s like this whole massive world has opened up that I didn’t evenknow existed – someone let me out of my box”
BeWEHL
•Progression:▫ HE study
Community Work, English and Creative Writing, Early
Years, Psychology and Counselling, Criminal Justice,
Philosophy and Religious Studies, Sports Studies,
Medicine, Nursing
▫ FE study
CACHE Childcare, Midwifery
▫ Several students are now studying at Masters level
“The project gives you a better perspective on life; it gives you the opportunity to reflect andencourages you to do what you want to do”
BeWEHL
•Progression:▫ Voluntary roles and community engagement
Setting up of support groups
Active role at Local Partnership Boards and community
organisations
▫ Employment
▫ Development officers and workers, community support
workers, parent advisor at local county voluntary council,
working within schools, researchers, voluntary support
“[I have gained] motivation, friends. I wouldn’t go back to being at home now if the project finished.I have been ‘empowered’, and now have enough motivation to continue”
BeWEHL• Wellbeing:
▫ Reducing isolation▫ Empowerment through collective action▫ Improving confidence and self-esteem▫ Increased sense of wellbeing▫ Raising aspirations▫ Engaging in education and training▫ Volunteering and community involvement▫ Career development
• Children:▫ Ripple effect▫ Breaking down perceptions of HE▫ Viewing HE as an option and the ‘norm’
“BeWEHL made me realise how important the community is where we are……and getting involved. There’s more I want to do for it now”
BeWEHL• Students and educators are part of a learning journey that
contributes significantly to an intergenerational concept of the
social good
• We undertake personal statements at the start, during and end
of their journey with BeWEHL
• Annual focus groups
• Quantitative research is on-going but provisional results show
that participation has broken down the perceptions and barriers
to HE with children having aspirations to study at degree level
• In fact, of the students, who was with the initiative from the
start, is now studying Medicine at University
“The project gave me the opportunities to see myself in a different light,to see that I could do other things”
Outcomes• BeWEHL learners have without doubt benefited from the academic skills training as
well as work experience built in to much of its delivery
• On leaving the project many take up work for the first time
• 92% of Research Skills Training participants achieve 20 credits at level four
• More than half of the students continue to further education at either HE or FE
• Former BeWEHL researchers have obtained BA degrees
• 20% of BeWEHL learners remain active in their local community 5 years after
participation with the project
• Each learner will conduct a community based research project on a subject within
their community. Many of these have provided data for bidding proposals and
community development
“The BeWEHL project increases your self-awareness about whatyou want for yourself as an individual”
BeWEHL
• Ongoing support once have moved on, such as:
▫ Professional development support
▫ Welfare advice
• Social Events:
▫ Annual family summer trips
▫ Christmas and Summer social evenings
▫ Attending International Women Day dinners
“Support, encouragement, friendship, understanding…they’re all things the project has given me, definitely”
BeWEHL
• How are these experiences useful in terms of
informing other strategies towards a widening
access agenda?▫ It is about the whole experience and not just the qualifications
▫ Gaining self confidence to undertake the study
▫ Bite size learning supports progression towards HE and employability
How does your institution support widening access?
Within an output driven environment how can we support the softer outcomes?
Suzannah EvansBeWEHL Initiative
The University of Wales, [email protected]
