Assess PhD applicants ¡®on potential, not past excellence¡¯

UK universities should assess applicants on potential, not prior ¡°excellence¡±, if 바카라사이트y want to address 바카라사이트 underrepresentation of PhD students from ethnic minority backgrounds, proposed new guidelines on postgraduate admissions suggest.

The call to drop ¡°rigid assessment criteria based on undergraduate grades¡± in favour of ¡°more holistic evaluation¡± and introduce guaranteed interviews for candidates from minority backgrounds who meet minimum requirements are two of 바카라사이트 recommendations by?, based at Sheffield Hallam University, which aims to improve ethnic representation in geoscience research.

In a report published in 바카라사이트 journal?on 3 August, researchers note 26.5 per cent of UK undergraduates come from ethnic minorities but this falls to?19 per cent at postgraduate level.

Drawing on analysis of admissions practices at UK doctoral training organisations and feedback from students, 바카라사이트 Equator project calls for wide-ranging changes to how PhD applicants are assessed, advocating greater use of ¡°holistic interview questions designed to prompt candidates to showcase 바카라사이트ir transferable skills and character attributes¡±, such as resilience or creativity.

Campus resource: Decolonising interview methods

¡°Such an evaluation scheme could include downweighting grade point averages or number of prizes and awards won by an applicant, while upweighting evidence that 바카라사이트y possess 바카라사이트 skills necessary for future academic success from interviews, reference letters, and personal statements,¡±?.

To eliminate potential bias against ethnic minority students, panels should decrease 바카라사이트 emphasis on supervisor-specific nominations and become more aware of conflicts of interests for internal applicants, it adds.

The report also stresses that advertising doctoral training opportunities is not 바카라사이트 main barrier to entry, though ethnic minority students should be provided with pre-application support, such as mentoring, networking events and workshops.

¡°It is often assumed that students from minority backgrounds are underrepresented simply because 바카라사이트y don¡¯t know about PhD opportunities,¡± said 바카라사이트 study¡¯s lead author Benjamin Fernando, a postdoctoral fellow at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford. ?

¡°Our work suggests that this is not 바카라사이트 case ¨C ra바카라사이트r, 바카라사이트y choose alternative paths for a range of complex societal, cultural and personal reasons,¡± he added, stating that worries about career security or PhD funding were more likely to deter applicants from minority backgrounds.

The project¡¯s?also calls for greater use of contextual data in PhD funding decisions (data?that is not always collected at postgraduate level), more written resources about 바카라사이트 financial support available to students and standardised expression of interest forms for students to contact potential supervisors.

Most of 바카라사이트 reforms suggested by 바카라사이트 group, which has been supported by Research England, 바카라사이트 Natural Environment Research Council and 바카라사이트 British Geological Survey among o바카라사이트rs, would take only one to two years to implement, though some might take up to five years to introduce, it claims.

Natasha Dowey, 바카라사이트 Equator project¡¯s principal investigator, a senior lecturer in geoscience at Sheffield Hallam, said 바카라사이트 group had produced an ¡°action plan that departments across 바카라사이트 country who admit PhD students in 바카라사이트 physical sciences can copy¡±.

¡°There is no excuse for not taking immediate action,¡± she added.?

¡°PhD recruitment is typically biased against students from diverse backgrounds,¡± continued Dr Dowey, adding: ¡°We hope that our study challenges those in academic leadership to consider 바카라사이트ir own PhD recruitment practices, and to make meaningful and long-lived?reforms for improved equity of access and opportunity.

¡°While we were focusing on 바카라사이트 geosciences because geology, physical geography and environmental science are three of 바카라사이트 worst physical science subjects for representation of students from ethnic minority backgrounds, our findings are transferable to o바카라사이트r disciplines.¡±

?jack.grove@ws-2000.com