The Division of Computing, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences are excited to announce that they will host activist, researcher, writer, and educator Professor Gurnam Singh at an upcoming online presentation on Wednesday 2nd March from 14:00 to15:00. In this Student Success event, Dr Gurnam Singh will seek to:
- Develop a precise definition/understanding of the issue of awarding gaps and why this needs addressing
- Map the precise nature of the problem, including the scale and complexity of the issues involved
- Identify a range of evidence-based interventions that can help to reduce awarding gaps
The expansion of Higher Education has led to many positive changes. For example, in relation to the presence of people from Black, Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, we now have a much more socially diverse student body, and to a lesser extent, faculty. Moreover, during the past 2 years, specifically following the brutal racist murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter Movement, we are also seeing positive moves towards diversifying the curriculum.
However, whilst the barrier to entry for ‘non-traditional’ students may have diminished, new barriers to success, associated with disparities in degree outcomes, have been revealed. The reasons for the gaps are complex with many factors at play, such as pre-entry performance, social background, and parental income/education. However, when these factors are controlled for, persistence gaps based on ethnicity/race remain. For the past decade, the sector has sought to understand and address the gaps with limited success across subject disciplines and institutions.
Dr Gurnam Singh’s work is dedicated to highlighting and disrupting systems and mechanisms of power which lead to human suffering and inequity. Presently, he has a fractional post as Associate Professor of Education Attainment at Coventry University. He also holds several visiting posts: Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Warwick; Professor of Social Work, University of Chester; and Fellow in Race and Education, University of Arts, London.
Gurnam grew up in an inner-city poor working-class multi-ethnic community and his struggles against poverty, exclusion, racism, and state violence have shaped his approach to life and learning. In 2005 he was awarded a PhD in Anti-racism and Social Work from the University of Warwick, and for his work on Critical Pedagogy and racism in higher education, in 2009 was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship (NTF). Dr Singh has published 4 books and 40 book chapters and peer-review journal articles, and numerous monographs, research reports, conference papers, blogs, and newspaper articles on a wide range of issues related to social justice, anti-racism. He has also worked with many universities, as well as higher education bodies such as, the HEA, OfS, Advance HE, NEON, HERAG, UCU and UUK, in a consultancy capacity on a range of projects.
Sign-ups to this event are welcomed via Eventbrite.