Version 1, 24/10/2022
Invitation to Contribute
We are the UK Higher Education Award Gap Group (UKHEAGG), currently made up on individuals from Manchester Metropolitan University, the University of Salford, Liverpool John Moores University, and the University of Central Lancashire. We are developing an online repository to share resources and actions associated with closing racialised award gaps prevalent in UK Higher Education institutions. This resource aims to provide HE practitioners the opportunity to replicate and develop research, support mechanisms, and interventions in their own institutional contexts, minimising duplication, and progress our commitment to eliminating racialised gaps. The repository is open, and can be viewed by members of the public around the world. This project is funded by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) Collaborative Enhancement Projects.
Contributions will be reviewed on a quarterly basis. The next deadline for review is Sunday 29th October 2023.
Why have I been invited?
We are inviting professionals working in, or with an interest in, racialised awarding gaps in the UK HE sector to share the work being undertaken to investigate and close gaps in differential outcomes for Black, Asian, and other racially minoritised groups; and in turn, learn from each other.
Do I have to take part?
Please note, your contribution is entirely voluntary and will be attributed to you and any additional authors once published on the repository. It is entirely your decision to share any information. You can amend or withdraw your contribution at any stage leading up to and after publication on the repository.
What will I be asked to do?
We are inviting you contribute to this repository through a case study. We recognise that investigating and narrowing award gaps is multifaceted, and therefore welcome contributions covering the following areas:
- Developing an inclusive student experience
- Designing and evaluating support mechanisms or interventions
- Enhancing employability
- Modifying learning and teaching practices
- Building community and student belonging
- The impact of staff representation
- Decolonisation practices
- Other related issues
Your case study can be written or a ‘talking head’ video, and can be submitted via the Contribution Form. This requests you to briefly summarising your project, indicating the context, aims, objectives, and a description of the activities undertaken. We then ask you to indicate the impact, learning outcomes and take-aways, before reflecting upon the significance of your project. You can include references and any additional information which you feel is helpful.
You must write your case study in a way which maintains the anonymity of students and any other participants, staff colleagues (other than those listed as co-authors whom we may approach for consent), or any other individuals or organisations you may have undertaken this work with.
To complete the form, we will ask you to confirm the below:
- I confirm that I have read the contribution information page, version 1, date 24/10/2022 for the above project
- I have had the opportunity to consider the information, ask questions and have had these answered satisfactorily
- I understand that my contribution is voluntary and that I am free to withdraw at any time without giving any reason, without my legal rights being affected
- I agree to participate in the project to the extent of the activities described to me on the above information page
- I understand and agree that data collected during the project will be shared with project team members at Manchester Metropolitan University, the University of Salford, Liverpool John Moores University, and the University of Central Lancashire*
- I understand and agree that my name and educational affiliation will be published with my case study alongside such other members of the team who have also consented their names and affiliation may be published
- I understand and agree that my name and contact email address will be securely stored to manage my contribution prior to and for the duration of publication on the repository
- I give permission for the researchers named on the ‘Full Contribution Information’ page to contact me in the future about my contribution
- I understand and agree that I will be contacted on an annual basis to confirm the case study may continue being hosted on the repository
- I confirm my contribution to the Repository does not compete or conflict with my role at or interests of my current educational affiliation
- Except where I have named additional authors or individuals to be approached for consent, I assert that I have anonymised all individuals referred to in the case study
We will then email you a copy of your responses, inform you of the date you should expect to be notified of the outcome of your submission, and contact any additional authors named to confirm their consent.
We will review your contribution at the next contribution review panel (usually held every 3 months), and notify you by email of any feedback and amendments where appropriate. Before uploading to the repository, we will require you, and any additional authors, to indicate a final sign-off by completing an additional short questionnaire. This should take no longer than five minutes. Once this is completed, we will upload your contribution to the repository.
Are there any risks if I participate?
Your contribution is entirely voluntary and will be attributed to you and any additional authors once published on the repository. It is entirely your decision to share any information. This information, aside from your contact email address, will be publicly displayed on the repository to enable attribution and recognition of the work you are undertaking in this area. The repository is open access, and case studies on the repository will be viewed by members of the public around the world. Your email address will only be utilised for communication regarding your contribution and will be securely stored. This will only be accessible by the project lead and co-investigators. Therefore, there are no arising risks of confidentiality.
A potential risk lies with your contribution referring to potentially identifiable individuals (students, colleagues, staff, teams) who have not provided consent. In turn, this may raise a conflict of interest with your employer and/or educational affiliation. Therefore, we encourage you to write your contribution in a manner to maintain the anonymity of all your students, staff colleagues, and any other individuals within your contribution. Upon submitting your contribution and approving the final version, you will be asked to confirm you have undertaken a process of anonymisation, and that your contribution does not complete or conflict with your role at or interests of your current educational affiliation.
You can amend or withdraw your contribution at any stage leading up to and after publication on the repository. If you ask to withdraw after the repository is published we will take your case study off our website, but we can not guarantee that it might not have been downloaded or copied elsewhere.
Are there any advantages if I participate?
This is an exciting opportunity to get involved with an innovative project, showcasing the research and projects you have undertaken surrounding racialised degree award and progression gaps, and ultimately supporting the sector to take collective action. Your contribution may encourage other higher education practitioners to replicate or develop your work within their own educational contexts, learning from your experiences. In addition, your participation will contribute to an evolving body of knowledge concerning the equitable and inclusive support and experience of students within the UK higher education sector.
Informed consent
If you decide to contribute to the repository, you will be asked a series of questions regarding consent to submit your response via the Contribution Form. These all require a response. Is it anticipated that we have provided the appropriate information here. However, if you have any further questions or concerns, you can contact us via the ‘contact us’ form, or by emailing any of the contacts listed at the end of this page.
After you have completed the contribution questionnaire, you will be emailed a copy of your responses and the information from this page for your records. Here, any additional authors you identify will be copied in, and required to indicate consent. This will also open a further opportunity to ask any questions. If you opted to contribute a talking head video, you will be sent a separate Media Release Form to complete.
Once your contribution has been approved for display upon the repository by the repository team, you will be emailed with a ‘Final Version’ and a small form to indicate your final sign-off approval. Your contribution will be displayed on the repository for as long as the repository is live, or for as long as you permit. Therefore, we will contact you an annual basis to confirm you still wish for your contribution to be displayed on the repository.
What information about me will you collect and why?
To contribute to the repository, you will be required to provide your name, your contact email address, and your educational affiliation. The same applies for any additional authors you identify. These are required for two reasons. Firstly, to enable effective communication regarding the progress and management of your contribution; and secondly, to attribute your work to you and any additional authors. Only your name and educational affiliation will be publicly displayed on the repository. Your email address is for internal use only.
How will my information be stored and how will you look after it?
All information and correspondence will be kept in a secure password-protected folder on Dropbox for Business. This folder will be accessible by the Project Lead and Co-Investigators only. This access is required to effectively manage the incoming communication and review of contributions.
How will you use my information?
The information you provide will be utilised to process, manage, and maintain your contribution. As previously mentioned, your name and educational affiliation will be displayed on the repository alongside your contribution. Your email address will be kept confidential, and only utilised for communication with you regarding your contribution. This will only be accessible by the project lead and co-investigators.
As we enter the contribution review process, other individuals (colleagues, student interns) may potentially be recruited to assist. For this, a process of pseudo-anonymisation will take place upon receipt of your contribution, redacting your name, email, and educational affiliation (and details for any additional authors) ahead of the review process. This will protect your identity throughout the review process, ensuring your contribution is fairly reviewed.
Once your contribution is approved by the project team for publication on the repository, your details will be reinstated on your contribution.
In the final sign-off form, you will be asked to indicate whether you agree for words from your case study to be quotes and attributed to you in research outputs. This includes newsletters regarding the repository, and any potential research journal articles. This is optional. If you do agree, your case study and name may feature in our newsletter which is emailed to anyone who signs-up to receive the newsletter.
Will my data be sent anywhere else, or shared with other people or organisations?
After completing the contribution questionnaire, your data will be shared with the project team. The project team includes members from Manchester Metropolitan University, the University of Salford, Liverpool John Moores University, and the University of Central Lancashire. This will undergo a process of pseudo-anonymisation for the purposes of the review process.
Once your contribution has been approved, all information agreed in the Final Version of your contribution will be publicly shared on the online repository. This will not include your email address.
When will you destroy my information?
Your information will be destroyed once consent has expired. The repository case study contributions will be reviewed on a yearly basis, to consider whether they are still accurate, relevant and required. As such, you will be contacted by email on a yearly basis to confirm you still wish for your case study to be held on the repository. In the event no response is received 28 calendar days, a reminder email will be sent. In the event no response is received to the reminder email within a further 14 calendar days, the case study and all data will be permanently deleted.
If you request for your case study to be removed, your case study will be permanently deleted from the repository and our internal electronic case study management documentation within 48 hours. A record of this action will be held for one calendar year for audit purposes.
Data Protection Law
Data protection legislation requires that we state the ‘legal basis’ for processing information about you. In the case of research, this is ‘a task in the public interest.’ If we use more sensitive information about you, such as information about your health, religion, or ethnicity (called ‘special category’ information), our basis lies in research in the public interest. Manchester Metropolitan is the Controller for this information and is responsible for looking after your data and using it in line with the requirements of the data protection legislation applicable in the UK.
You have the right to make choices about your information under the data protection legislation, such as the right of access and the right to object, although in some circumstances these rights are not absolute. If you have any questions, or would like to exercise these rights, please contact the researcher or the University Data Protection Officer using the details below. You can stop being a part of the study at any time, without giving a reason. You can ask us to delete your data at any time, and we will make sure this is done. If you request to withdraw your case study, your case study will be permanently deleted from the repository and our internal electronic case study management documentation within 48 hours. A record of this action will be held for one calendar year for audit purposes
What will happen to the results of the research study?
The repository is ongoing, and your contribution will be publicly displayed alongside your name and educational affiliation for as long as the repository is live, or for as long as you permit. Therefore, we will contact you an annual basis to confirm you still wish for your contribution to be displayed on the repository.
In addition, quotes from your case study may be utilised within research reports and research journal articles if you agree to this optional element of the consent form.
Who has reviewed this research project?
This study has been approved by the Ethics Committee in accordance with Manchester Metropolitan University’s Research Ethics Approval Procedure. In addition, this project has been reviewed by Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education.
Who do I contact if I have concerns about this study or I wish to complain?
If you have any concerns or complaints about this research project, the following contacts will be available to assist you:
| Name | Role | Contact |
| Freya Ernsting | Lecturer | f.ernsting@mmu.ac.uk |
| Prof. Hannah-Louise Holmes | Dean of Business School | h.holmes@mmu.ac.uk |
| Amrita Narang | QAA Mentor | a.narang@qaa.ac.uk |
| Prof. Kevin Albertson | Faculty Head of Research Ethics and Governance | FOBLEthicsEnqiries@mmu.ac.uk |
| Data Protection Officer | Data Protection Officer | legal@mmu.ac.uk |
Manchester Metropolitan Data Protection Officer dataprotection@mmu.ac.uk
Tel: 0161 247 3331
Legal Services, All Saints Building, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, M15 6BH
UK Information Commissioner’s Office
You have the right to complain directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office if you would like to complain about how we process your personal data: https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/
Full Project Team
| Name | Affiliation | Contact |
| Freya Ernsting (Project Lead) | Manchester Metropolitan University | f.ernsting@mmu.ac.uk |
| Dr. Olatunde Durowoju | Liverpool John Moores University | o.a.durowoju@ljmu.ac.uk |
| Prof. Hannah-Louise Holmes | Manchester Metropolitan University | h.holmes@mmu.ac.uk |
| Dr. Ambarin Khan | University of Salford | a.a.khan6@salford.ac.uk |
| Dr. Shobana Nair Partington | Manchester Metropolitan University | s.n.partington@mmu.ac.uk |
| Pradeep Passi | University of Central Lancashire | ppassi@uclan.ac.uk |
| Sami Safadi | University of Salford | s.safadi1@salford.ac.uk |
| Amrita Narang | QAA Mentor | a.narang@qaa.ac.uk |
Ready to contribute?