EILA 2 Dr Simon Sneddon Senior Lecturer in

EILA 2 Dr Simon Sneddon Senior Lecturer in Law Institutional Teaching Fellow University of Northampton What Works Conference University of York 28 th March 2012 Project funded by: University of Northampton Office of Educational Partnerships & Lifelong Learning University of Northampton Department for Enhanced Learning, Teaching, Achievement and Employability

Background – Scoping Study • Two-part project – Quantitative: based on all LL. B results (yrs 1 -3) from 2002 -3 to 2006 -7. Nine types of assessment in total, 25, 000+ assessment included. – Qualitative: based on interviews and focus groups with LL. B students in 2007 -8 cohort. • Students split by: – Age (at time of enrolment) – Ethnicity (White / BME) – Gender – Declared Disability

Age (under 21 versus 21 or over) • Numbers: 76% under 21 24% 21 or over • Biggest Difference: Group Work 2. 30 (C+/B) • Smallest Difference: Presentations 0. 07 (B/B) • Average Difference: 0. 70 (C/C+)

Ethnicity (white versus BME) • Numbers: 61% White 39% BME • Biggest Difference: Time Constrained Test 2. 20 (C+/C-) • Smallest Difference: Seminar Based 0. 02 (D+/D+) • Average Difference: 1. 68 (C+/C-)

Gender (male versus female) • Ratio: 32% Male 68% Female • Biggest Difference: Short Answer Test 2. 52 (D/C-) • Smallest Difference: Long Assignment 0. 10 (C+/C+) • Average Difference: 0. 76 (C-/C)

Declared Disability • Numbers: 9% Declared Disability 91% No Declared Disability • Biggest Difference: Group Work 4. 80 (D/B-) • Smallest Difference: Short Assignment 0. 20 (C/C) • Average Difference: 0. 30 (C/C)

Conclusions from Quantitative Data • Age: – Overall difference is small • Ethnicity: – Biggest gap in 3 rd most common assessment type – Significant overall gap needs investigation – At Level 4, this difference was even greater (D+ v C) • Gender: – Overall difference is small • Declared Disability: – Average is lowest difference of all four groups

Intervention • Year 1 (Level 4) Compulsory LLB modules: – Law of Contract – Criminal Law – Legal System – Introduction to UK and EU Constitutional Law • Common assessment strategy adopted from 2008/9: – Time Constrained Assignment (Problem-Question based) – Time Constrained Assignment (Essay based) – Formal examination (2 hours)

EILA 2 • Small funding just to look at results for these modules in 2008/9, 2009/10 and 2010/11 • 2, 300+ pieces of assessment • Results 1: – 2008/9 No statistically significant difference between white and BME students – 2009/10 Small difference between white and BME students (smaller than pre-intervention) – 2010/11 No statistically significant difference between white and BME students

EILA 2 • Small funding just to look at results for these modules in 2008/9, 2009/10 and 2010/11 • 2, 300+ pieces of assessment • Results 2: – Overall grade for BME students pre-intervention: C- – Overall grade for BME students post-intervention: C – Overall grade for White students pre-intervention: C – Overall grade for White students post-intervention: C

Publications • Crofts, M. , & Sneddon, S. T. , Equality in Legal Assessment: A Scoping Study, [2009] 3 Web JCLI http: //webjcli. ncl. ac. uk/2009/issue 3/crofts 3. html • Crofts, M. , & Sneddon, S. T. , 2009, Equality in Legal Assessment: A Scoping Study, Northampton: University of Northampton Office of Educational Partnerships and Lifelong Learning. Available online at http: //www 2. northampton. ac. uk/portal/page/portal/AEP/Documen t%20 Store/ED/equality-in-legal-assessment-report 1108(pdf 614 kb). pdf