Moving widening participation outreach online: challenge or opportunity?

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic creates an immediate need to deliver existing pre-entry widening participation outreach work remotely. In doing so this means rethinking existing programmes and adapting existing working practices. This paper proposes a three-dimensional framework involving pedagogical, technological and the humanistic elements. It argues that any technological solutions need to consider the inequalities of access to technology and the barriers faced by both practitioners and students. Understanding the changing nature of this work alongside the potential time and investment needed to realise its potential is vital for all staff with strategic and operational responsibility related to access and participation. Whilst some existing pre-entry work may not translate to this new mode, online outreach has the potential to open up new ways to engage and inspire target learners over sustained periods through combined creation and curation of content.

Equalizing and Widening Access to Higher Education During a Pandemic: Lessons Learned from a Multi-University Perspective

“…Since this program usually prioritizes face-to-face engagement, the unexpected changes caused by COVID-19, along with programmatic attendance requirements, necessitated a rapid re-design of all program activities. Vital to this redesign was the aspirational objective to ensure that online students were active participants and not passive consumers (Rainford, 2020).…”

“…Teachers' workload has evolved and increased, shifting entire programs and curricula online and mitigating often-waning student engagement, which naturally and understandably impacts their ability to engage with WPO. This circles back to the core humanistic element of the shift online, illuminated by Vagelos (2020) and Rainford (2020), and the importance of practitioner and researcher awareness and empathy.…”

“…Traditionally, this humanistic element is fundamental to the theory and method of WPO, but it is more acutely important in the time of a pandemic and great change. This is applicable not only to the diverse cohorts of participants, but also to the multiplicity of practitioners, their teams, and stakeholders involved (see Rainford, 2020). For example, current university students are often employed to act as ambassadors or mentors within WPO programs.…”

“…The impact of a global pandemic thus places practitioners and researchers in a precarious situationone characterized by rapid programmatic evolution, the juggling of distinct and dynamic stakeholder experiences, and the inability to refer to or rely upon a precise evidentiary base of prior experience and knowledge. Though they vary by context, the challenges encountered so far by teams re-designing and delivering online WPO programs seem to be relatively similar, even on an international scale (e.g., for the UK, see Rainford, 2020). COVID-19 has accentuated the ubiquitous digital divide, with stark differences in digital access playing an important role in media commentary on educational inequity and tertiary opportunity throughout the pandemic.…”

Collaboration: Exploring the PGR Superpower for Addressing Inequalities within Academia

“…Moments of crisis are key in determining who can, and who can't move forward in a career path. The uncertainty that COVID-19 brings means that many who want to do a PhD will now find it much harder to do so (Rainford 2020). Summer internship schemes have been scrapped, and many students have increased caring responsibilities or mental health difficulties that hinder their ability to access career defining opportunities (Isherwood 2020).…”