Using data-driven approaches to address systematic awarding gaps

Hubbard, Katharine

Abstract

It is well known that universities award fewer “high class” degrees to students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds. This issue has been recognised for years, but progress on closing these awarding gaps has been slow. As universities are increasingly driven by quantitative metrics and league tables, in this chapter Hubbard argues that institutional awarding gaps should become a key performance metric in their own right. She discusses the merits of making live awarding gap data available at the disciplinary level, and the statistical limitations of such data, particularly when considering intersections of disadvantage. Hubbard also call on the sector to adopt awarding gap metrics in national league tables and quality assurance exercises, so that institutions can be transparently judged on their efforts to reduce educational inequality.

Citation

Hubbard, K. (2021). Using data-driven approaches to address systematic awarding gaps. In D. S. Thomas, & J. Arday (Eds.), Doing Equity and Diversity for Success in Higher Education : Redressing Structural Inequalities in the Academy (215-226). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65668-3_16

• Online Publication Date: Jun 19, 2021
• Publication Date: 2021
• Deposit Date: Mar 22, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 20, 2023
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Pages: 215-226
• Series Title: Palgrave Studies in Race, Inequality and Social Justice in Education
• Series ISSN: 2524-633X
• Book Title: Doing Equity and Diversity for Success in Higher Education : Redressing Structural Inequalities in the Academy
• Chapter Number: 16
• ISBN: 978-3-030-65667-6
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65668-3_16
• Keywords: Data; QuantCrit; Degree awarding gap; BME
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/3743806
• Publisher URL: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-65668-3_16
• Contract Date: Mar 21, 2021