Social Equity, Participation and the Student Experience Christine Barber, University of Dundee This case study describes the author's work in exploring the positive as well as negative factors experienced by students in relation to notions of 'wider participation' in Higher Education. The aim is to achieve a more critical understanding of social equity and its utility in understanding the student experience of accessing Higher Education. Activity This approach was linked to the author's current research in exploring social equity policy and practice. Her work involved discussion, questionnaire distribution, semi-structured interviews and groups with twenty four undergraduate students in years three and four of the BA (Hons) in Community Learning and Development. As a group they explored the nature of the author's research and how this could enable a critical understanding of social equity and the potential barriers to 'widening participation'. The agenda for critical debate included the following: What do we mean by an equal society? Do we have an equal society? How can we achieve an • equal society? What is the role of education and more specifically, higher education in achieving a more equal • society? What are the government and institutional policies that drive forward the equality agenda - • widening participation - in the higher education sector? How effective is the higher education sector in meeting the widening participation agenda? How • can we achieve more? In what way does the community education programme support the university to meet the • equality agenda, widening participation? What were the factors that encouraged or inhibited: their pre-university learning journey; their • journey into university; and their journey through university?
Social Equity, Participation and the Student Experience Christine Barber, University of Dundee This case study describes the author's work in exploring the positive as well as negative factors experienced by students in relation to notions of 'wider participation' in Higher Education. The aim is to achieve a more critical understanding of social equity and its utility in understanding the student experience of accessing Higher Education. Activity This approach was linked to the author's current research in exploring social equity policy and practice. Her work involved discussion, questionnaire distribution, semi-structured interviews and groups with twenty four undergraduate students in years three and four of the BA (Hons) in Community Learning and Development. As a group they explored the nature of the author's research and how this could enable a critical understanding of social equity and the potential barriers to 'widening participation'. The agenda for critical debate included the following: • What do we mean by an equal society? Do we have an equal society? How can we achieve an equal society? • What is the role of education and more specifically, higher education in achieving a more equal society? • What are the government and institutional policies that drive forward the equality agenda - widening participation - in the higher education sector? • How effective is the higher education sector in meeting the widening participation agenda? How can we achieve more? • In what way does the community education programme support the university to meet the equality agenda, widening participation? • What were the factors that encouraged or inhibited: their pre-university learning journey; their journey into university; and their journey through university?