Abstract:

Ulster University has a high proportion of widening access and participation (WAP) students, equating in 2023/24 to 37.9% of undergraduate students. Regionally Ulster has the largest number of WAP students across three main campuses in Belfast, Coleraine and Derry~Londonderry.

The WAP strategy for Northern Ireland (NI) is under review and Ulster staff have been working with the Department for Economy (DfE) and other Higher Education Institutions (HEI’s) to make recommendations for revisions. Ulster staff have chaired and contributed to a number of task and finish groups as part of the DfE led NI Forum for WAP.

Ulster delivers WAP approaches/interventions for WAP students annually. These are supported via its statutory Widening Access and Participation Plan. During 2023/24 a range of WAP workstreams were delivered and new plans are under development for 2024/25 including:

Financial Support:
During 2023/24, Access, Care Leavers’ and new Travel Bursaries, Fee Waivers, a new Emergency Carer's Crisis fund and Accommodation Vouchers were distributed to eligible students. Further bursaries will be available for 2024/25.

Technology Fund:
The Technology Fund initiated during Covid-19 supports students who are unable to purchase the necessary IT equipment to study online. During 2023-24 all students who met WAP criteria were offered an opportunity to apply for a laptop via the fund. All eligible applicants were donated a laptop.

Scholarships:
During 2023-24, 26 Community Scholarships annually were awarded to eligible WAP students to help them access HE. Previously 78 had been awarded. A further 28 Community Scholarships worth £3,000 per year (up to a maximum of £9,000) are being offered for 2024/25. The first cohort of scholarships are graduating in Summer 2024 and the impact of these for the recipients will be shared.

Educational Partnerships and Community Engagement Projects:
During 2023-24 the Educational Partnerships and Community Engagement teams offered a portfolio of aspiration and attainment raising programmes designed for young people and communities across Northern Ireland. Key deliverables from these and future plans for 2024-25 will be disseminated.

Retention and Success Faculty Led Learning Enhancement Projects:
During 2023/24 the University offered Studiosity Services and Quickly to support retention and success. Faculty led projects were also delivered and key outputs from these will be communicated. A range of new systems/projects are under development for 2024-25.

Peer Mentoring:
Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) are offered annually. Timely help can reinforce student learning, raise confidence and aid retention. During 2023-24 peer mentoring opportunities allowed 65 of our talented student mentors to gain academic credit, skills and give something back to those starting their learning journey.

Research and Impact projects:
During 2023/24 a research project called ‘Taking Boys Seriously’ has been disseminating widely. Another project area has been developing a range of new agile interactive data dashboards for WAP benchmarking, targeting, planning, reviewing and evaluation purposes.

During this session key findings of WAP approaches and interventions delivered during 2023-24 and future plans for 2024/25 will be shared. Presenters will impart evidence about impact, what worked well, what was effective and what was challenging. Opportunities to compare and share practice will also be built in.

Keywords:

WAP Policy and Practice, business intelligence, continuous improvement, data analytics, interactive data dashboards.