Levelling Up STEM - Online tutorials for 6th form students of physics, chemistry and mathematics as a way of addressing diversity in STEM in higher education and improving the knowledge and skills of undergraduate students

Description

Levelling Up STEM is a long-term outreach project run by several universities in the UK that supports 6th form student students from less represented and less advantaged backgrounds to access higher education programmes in physics, chemistry and mathematics. Recognising the effectiveness of repeated and sustained STEM outreach interventions (Prieto-Rodriguez, Sincock and Blackmore, 2020), it does this by training current undergraduate and post-graduate students to run weekly online academic tutoring and mentoring with small groups of selected 6th form students who apply to participate in Levelling Up. Tutorials are based around A level curriculum areas with a focus on problem solving and developing the curiosity of participants for their subject area as this is linked to motivation to succeed (Levrini et al, 2017). An independently evaluated pilot programme for Levelling Up in 2020-21 (Cramman, Gray and Chavana, 2022) indicated that Levelling Up STEM was effective in meeting its aims of increasing the aspirations of participants to study STEM related degree programmes and achieve higher grades in corresponding A level subjects which facilitate this. Feedback from participants also suggested that Levelling Up was able to provide missing knowledge around the process of university application for participants from less advantaged backgrounds.
As well as presenting initial feedback from participants about Levelling Up, we discuss the process of establishing and embedding Levelling Up in a university department as a strategic intervention to effectively address issues of diversity in the STEM pipeline (Doerschuk, Bahrim, Daniel, J. et al, 2016). We also consider evidence from interviews with undergraduate and post-graduate student tutors and mentors about the extent to which involvement in Levelling Up has developed their own academic subject knowledge and communication skills and provided a means of positive engagement with issues of concern around representation and diversity in STEM.

Period	24 Aug 2023
Event title	Variety in Chemistry Education / Physics Higher Education Conference
Event type	Conference
Location	Durham, United KingdomShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International