A study in an online university found that Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students need to spend 6–12% more time engaging with the virtual learning environment (VLE) than White students, in order to get the same grade (Nguyen et al., 2020). Furthermore, while 79% of White students obtained a first or a second upper class degree in 2021/22, only 60% of Black students and 70% of Asian students did so (Higher Education Statistics Agency [HESA], 2023).

This awarding gap remains even when prior qualifications are accounted for (see, for example, Richardson et al., 2015). So it’s not because Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students are not sufficiently qualified when they start their degree. Which begs the question: What is happening at university that contributes to Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students getting lower grades?

To try and get an answer to this question, I sought, in a research project, to understand the experience of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students on an undergraduate dissertation module. Students who do well on this module typically are skilled in working independently, planning ahead, identifying relevant research, writing academically, and asking for help when needed. Thus a range of skills are needed for a module which also has substantial weighting on the degree classification. The module was taught fully online, though students were provided with books and online materials to engage with.

Two research assistants from an ethnic minority background conducted semi-structured interviews with 11 students. The interviews asked about four main areas:

a) How competent students felt in their studies

b) How well they felt they could work independently

c) Their relationships with peers and tutors

d) How they experienced their ethnicity on the module.

There were ten female participants and one male, and they described their ethnic backgrounds as Black British Caribbean, British African, Black British, Indian, British Bangladeshi, and Asian British with Pakistani.

A thematic analysis of the data identified five main themes. Students generally spoke about the module content in a positive way. But they highlighted that they felt that ethnic minorities were not included in the materials, or, when they were, it was their challenges (e.g. lower socioeconomic class) that was the focus, hence perpetuating stereotypes. Students expressed stress that the assignment guidance was at times unclear, which meant they didn’t do as well as they were hoping for, and had to spend time trying to gain more clarity.

Many of the findings could probably apply to White students as well. For example, the fact that some tutors were better than others at nudging students to do better, and replying promptly and comprehensively. Also feeling isolated, anxious or overwhelmed when they experienced limited support, and the disappointment that the support for data analysis involved less hand-holding than they would have hoped. In addition, while the use of social media (e.g. WhatsApp) to communicate with peers was a relaxed environment where to seek help and developed a sense of belonging, some students at times felt overwhelmed by the many messages.

Specifically in relation to ethnicity, participants mainly said that it did not impact their experience, but digging deeper suggested otherwise. The following experiences were reported.

• Students holding back from expressing themselves, worried that they might be seen as aggressive.
• Students not putting up their profile picture, so they wouldn’t draw attention to their ethnicity or religion.
• Students wondering whether the fact they had a ‘non-English’ name meant they got lower grades.
• Feeling disappointed when wanting to study issues around ethnicity, and finding that their tutor did not understand these issues sufficiently well to guide them.
• A lack of confidence in understanding academic material and writing academically. This was expressed by students whose first language was English, and who felt their background made academic understanding and writing harder.
• Feeling that they should be ‘grateful’ for what they receive, and finding it hard to question the feedback of White tutors.
• Because of the student-group profile, finding it hard to recruit participants from specific ethnicities.

So what should universities be doing?

• Ensure that module materials celebrate the achievements of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people, for instance by including expertise from the Global South.
• Continue working on recruiting staff that the whole cohort of students, including Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students, can identify with.
• Include material across modules that support students to further develop important academic skills.