DRIVER Project (HEFCE Catalyst Fund) Information Sheet

In a nutshell, what is this project about?

DRIVER is a partnership project between 4 colleges and 4 universities to address barriers to student success. Our focus is on the transition between colleges and universities where students from disadvantaged backgrounds (e.g. BME, commuter, mature and those from low socio-economic backgrounds) are highly represented yet less likely to achieve a good degree. The colleges and universities will collectively create actions that will benefit all students and, in particular, address the intersectionality of factors affecting student success. Importantly DRIVER will address the student as an individual, rather than someone who possesses certain demographic characteristics. Literature on the subject of differential degree outcomes highlights a critical tension i.e. institutions typically categorise students into groups rather than seeing them as individuals with a complex and often inter-related, set of underlying factors which influence their engagement and attainment. Through this project, we wish to refocus the unit of analysis from ‘demographic groups’ to the ‘individual’, which, we believe, will address the cause of the differential observed rather than the symptoms.

Anticipating a multi-layered process of micro-adjustments within each institution, DRIVER will utilise learner analytics and learning gain to inform learning conversations between staff and students in order to encourage students to engage in support activities. Crucially, the issues raised during these conversations will be noted and analysed to support institutional learning such that good practice and interventions are appropriately identified, resourced and then shared as good practice with other institutions nationally.

Which institutions are involved?

In total, 8 institutions are involved whereby 4 universities will work with a partner college as follows:

 Staffordshire University and Stoke on Trent College  Coventry University and Coventry University College,  Birmingham City University and The 6th Form College, Solihull  University of Wolverhampton and Halesowen College

Although this may initially lead to localised solutions, it is the ambition to share these across the group so that there is a movement towards greater consistency in transition arrangements for students transferring from colleges to universities. When does the project start, how long is it likely to last and what are the key phases?

This project will start in March 2017 and is due for completion by December 2018. It will progress through the following key phases:

Target Key milestone Anticipated completion date

Project set-up Appointment of Steering Group members April 2017

Knowledge Knowledge exchange workshop (whole institution May 2017 exchange change model

Student/staff consultation events and ‘learning conversations’ October 2017

Consolidation Inclusivity review of courses, curriculum, academic October 2017 support and personal tutoring systems

Implementation Validation of learner analytics framework to identify May 2018 of the students likely to disengage intervention

Alliance Collation of best practice and evaluation for toolkit, Feb 2019 including institutional learning and personalised student journeys

Agreed outcomes

Through this project, it is intended that the following outcomes will be met:

1. Shared and adaptable model for implementation in partner institutions 2. Toolkit development and dissemination 3. Better understanding of effective processes for supporting student success 4. Strengthening the collaborative regional partnership 5. Build a student-centric model for partnership between colleges and universities that places the student at the core of the relationship, not the institutions 6. Inform organisational learning for efficiencies and effectiveness of student support systems 7. Adjustments of interventions and relaunch 8. Identification of new areas of activity 9. Recommendations for regional interventions across all partners 10. Development of case studies 11. Production of toolkit and associated evidence