Speaker
Description
When considering diversity and underrepresentation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), socioeconomic status is often overlooked. Within the UK, targeted recruitment strategies, contextualised admissions schemes, and outreach programmes attempt to improve equality of opportunity and access to higher education (HE) in underrepresented students. To an extent they are a success. However, once students arrive at university, they can find that their institution is in many ways ill-equipped to support them. This lack of support, especially during transition from school to university, can lead to lower retention, progression, and attainment of first-generation students and those from low-income households, which ultimately impacts diversity across the wider STEM sector.
Designing a social programme to support student’s sense of belonging and develop their academic identity, Jackie shares her understanding of the challenges facing ‘widening participation’ students – both from her personal experience as a first-gen student and as the principal investigator of a Royal Academy of Engineering funded programme to support student retention and progression in Engineering at Imperial College London.
