Abstract
Despite increasing access to higher education (HE) over the past two decades,students from disadvantaged backgrounds remain less likely to enter the most selective institutions, and less likely to achieve good outcomes. In England,providers that charge more than £6,000 a year tuition fees must have an Access and Participation Plan (APP) approved by the Office for Students (OfS).Plans aim to improve equality in student access, success, and progression. APPs typically focus on snapshots of equality gaps, inputs over outcomes, and individual institutions over collaborative efforts. These limitations encouragea “whack-a-mole” approach, reducing effectiveness of interventions. A more nuanced approach to evaluation is needed, together with increased and organized sector-wide collaboration, and acknowledgment of the dynamic operating context.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 1493708 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Frontiers in Education |
| Volume | 9 |
| Early online date | 24 Oct 2024 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 24 Oct 2024 |
Bibliographical note
Copyright © 2024 Moores, Crockford, Woodfield and Austen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.Keywords
- access and participation plan
- evaluation
- policy
- what works
- whole institution approach
- widening access and participation