NEON would like to invite the submission of research papers and examples of best practice for the NEON Summer Symposium 2019.
The two-day event will be held at the University of Lancaster on 13th and 14th June and will focus on: ‘The third age of widening access’
We are entering a new era for widening access and participation in higher education.
After the focus on access for working class adults gave way in the 2000s and 2010s to one on young people entering higher education (HE), we are now moving to the third age of widening access – where access and outcomes share centre stage. But will this new era look any differently from the past? The conference will look at where we are now in access and participation in HE, where we have been and where we want to go. Can we learn from the experiences of the past 20 years? What does successful outcomes for learners from under-represented backgrounds actually mean? Can we make equitable access more central to the missions of HEIs, schools and employers than it has been in the past?
We are seeking research papers/best practice examples that focus on how practice has changed and developed in all areas of improving outcomes with regards to widening access practice throughout the student lifecycle. These papers will focus on the inequalities of social class, gender, ethnicity, disability, age and other factors that inhibit or affect participation and success in higher education. More general papers or sessions covering any area of access practice are also welcome.
We intend to collate selected papers into the second NEON publication. This will be entitled “The Third Age of Widening Access” and will be published in 2020.
Presenting at the NEON Summer Symposium will have tangible outcomes for presenters i.e.:
• The opportunity to inform the agenda and work of NEON
• Inclusion on the NEON Resource section of the website
• Possible inclusion in the 2020 publication
We would particularly be keen to accept papers/proposals in the following areas:
Strategy:
• How have partnerships (AimHigher, NNCO, NCOP) moved towards a sustainable model?
• What methods have been used to evaluate widening access work across the student lifecycle in relation to social class, gender and BME status?
• Access Agreements: What was achieved through access agreements? Did they support institutions to diversify their student body?
• How important has the use of bursaries and scholarships been in attracting students from lower social classes to enter higher education or have they been simply used as a marketing tool?
Pre-entry and transition:
• Has the move towards improving attainment in schools and colleges over “aspiration raising” activities helped to widen access?
• How do prospective students make informed choices about higher education and what are the implications for those from under-represented groups?
• What has facilitated the progression of under-represented groups to higher education and what steps have been built into the admissions and transition periods to make this more effective?
• How can we promote new routes into HE?
• Is there evidence that degree-level apprenticeships are helping to widen access?
The undergraduate experience:
• How do social class, gender, ethnicity, disability and age impact the undergraduate experience and what interventions have been proven to be successful in improving and negating any issues.
• What have been the successful strategies that have led to better support for learners with alternative qualifications?
• What innovations in learning and teaching can better support students from under-represented groups?
• How can we make better use of data to support innovations in student retention and success?
• What strategies have better supported care leavers throughout their higher education journey?
• What successful inclusive learning and teaching strategies have been proven to work for students with disabilities?
• Has more effective targeting led to greater success for students from under-represented groups?
Student outcomes:
• Improving student outcomes for those from under-represented groups in the digital age.
• Improving student outcomes for learners from BAME backgrounds.
• How have disciplined based approaches to improving outcomes of students from under-represented groups led to greater student success?
• What interventions have improved the employability, and outcomes, for students from under-represented groups?
• How successful have strategies been to widen access to postgraduate studies and what benefits has this bought to institutions?
Presenters will have 25 minutes in a session – papers should be 15 minutes in length allowing time for 10 minutes of questions.
Presenters will be invited to submit full papers by 1st June 2019 to be considered for inclusion in the NEON Resource section of our website. We will also be selecting a number of papers for inclusion in our forthcoming book, “The Third Age of Widening Access”. To be considered, final versions of papers must also be submitted by 1st June 2019.
If you wish to submit a paper or workshop proposal please click the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/NEONSummerSymposium2019
The NEON Summer Symposium – the event for widening access professionals you can’t afford to miss.
We look forward to welcoming you to the University of Lancaster for what promises to be an outstanding two days.