Speakers
Invited Talk
Title: Addressing the degree awarding gap through decolonisation of the curriculum
Description: A degree awarding gap has persisted in Higher Education since it was first documented in 2005. This gap is prevalent even when adjusted for prior attainment. Although awareness has increased within universities, at the current rate, it will take over 65 years to close the gap for Black students. Interestingly, the largest decrease in awarding gap was recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic and is thought to be the combined outcome of changes in both teaching delivery and assessment practices. However, whether this decrease will be retained with a return to face-to-face teaching remains to be seen. At Sheffield Hallam University and in line with other institutions, we have a statistically significant discrepancy in the rate of good degree awarded to Black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups compared to white students (-15% in Biosciences & Sports). At the institutional level, over 74% of our undergraduate home student population identify as being from under-represented groups and experiencing barriers to learning (Office for Student, 2019). To address this, within the Bioscience and Chemistry department, we are currently adopting approaches to decolonise the curriculum to better reflect the student population, to reduce the awarding and enable all students to achieve their full potentials. This talk will take an evidence-based approach in identifying some of the challenges faced and how these can be addressed by decolonising the curriculum. We will also explore how these approaches can be delivered within the curriculum.