Academic involvement in Outreach: Best practice case studies from health and languages

Abstract

This paper will examine the role academic colleagues can play in the Widening Participation process (predominately outreach), by providing examples of innovative practice from the University of East Anglia. At the University of East Anglia a unique academic post is held in each Faculty to ensure that Widening Participation students are supported throughout their time at university and that subject-specific outreach sessions can utilise world-leading research to raise aspirations. This paper will highlight examples from Modern Foreign Languages and Health Sciences to demonstrate how academics can help raise aspirations and support long-term intervention projects. Norfolk is both a rural and costal county and faces difficult challenges in raising aspirations as some areas of the county have a progression rate to HE as low as 8%. Thus, by creating a dynamic range of activities in collaboration with academic colleagues, a breadth of targeted activities can be delivered, activities that also benefit current UG students, academics, and support the reputation of the university itself.