Awarding gaps between Black and minority ethnic students and their white peers remain a persistent challenge across higher education. While the causes are complex, evidence emerging since 2020 – including scholarship from across The Open University – highlights a number of clear, practical steps that educators and institutions can take to reduce these disparities.

This article summarises the most actionable recommendations from recent research. Rather than describing the gap itself, it focuses on what actually works: the teaching practices, support approaches and assessment adjustments that help students to feel confident, included and able to succeed.

The guidance below draws on post-COVID research into the Black awarding gap, as well as OU Scholarship Exchange work involving minority ethnic students more broadly. Terminology reflects each study’s focus (e.g. ‘Black students’, ‘minority ethnic students’, ‘Muslim students’) to ensure clarity about who the recommendations apply to.

Why this matters

For many students – particularly those who are Black, minority ethnic, first in their family to attend university, or from communities where higher education feels unfamiliar – the unwritten rules of university life can be harder to decode. These hidden expectations can influence how confident students feel in assessments, how likely they are to approach tutors for help, and how supported they feel when challenges arise.

The good news is that small, intentional changes made by tutors, module teams (and departmental and faculty management teams) can make a huge difference.

Practical actions from recent research

Below is an accessible, thematic summary of recommendations from selected studies. Each theme contains the core steps research shows can help close awarding gaps.

1. Make expectations clear – especially for unfamiliar tasks

Many students who feel less socially ‘at home’ in higher education worry about the hidden curriculum: the fear of not knowing what tutors expect. Research shows this can be particularly significant for Black and minority ethnic students.

Practical actions include:

• Provide exceptionally clear instructions for assessment types students may not have encountered before (e.g. essay plans, reflective writing, learning diaries).
• Provide exemplars, marking guidance, or previously graded assessments to help students understand what good work looks like.
• Explicitly show how strong assignments map onto the marking criteria (e.g. what counts as ‘analysis’?, what does ‘relevance’ look like?).
• Signpost when students should begin preparing for assessments, particularly at Levels 1 and 2.
• Offer detailed guidance on how long different tasks should typically take.
• Where relevant, explain how assessments connect to real-world practice to boost engagement.

2. Offer proactive, warm and timely tutor support

Studies repeatedly show that proactive contact from tutors – not waiting for students to ask first – is especially valuable for Black and minority ethnic students.

Key actions include:

• Initiate one-to-one contact early in the module.
• Communicate warmth, encouragement, empathy, and gentle encouragement for students to stretch themselves.
• Invite students to mention anything affecting their studies, without pressure.
• Check students understand how to access disability support if needed.
• Respond to queries promptly – this is remembered positively, sometimes years later.
• Be mindful that some students may describe mental health difficulties in indirect language (‘feeling tired’, ‘having a bad day’).
• Recognise that Black and minority ethnic students typically desire more contact with tutors and may feel anxious about assessments.
• Offer example assessments and clear explanations of marking decisions to increase transparency and reduce stress.
• Take extra care to pronounce students’ names correctly and create respectful spaces in tutorials and forums.
• Be aware that silence on forums (e.g. when a post receives no replies) can feel especially exclusionary for Black students.
• When discussing sensitive topics such as race, be open and supportive so students feel confident pursuing topics meaningful to them.

3. Strengthen assessment transparency and feedback clarity

Students from minority ethnic backgrounds can report uncertainty about how marks are awarded or how to interpret written feedback.

Actions supported by research:

• Check in with students after the first assessment to clarify feedback and reduce anxiety.
• Distinguish clearly between structural issues (e.g. argument, evidence) and stylistic ones (e.g. tone, phrasing).
• Offer explicit conversations about how marking criteria are applied.
• Provide examples of work at different grade levels, with explanations of why they scored as they did.
• Support students who request extensions early, as data shows this correlates with risk of dropping out.

4. Build belonging and confidence

A sense of belonging plays a powerful role in academic success. Students who feel ‘out of place’ may hesitate to engage, ask questions or share personal perspectives.

Practical approaches include:

• Encourage respectful discussion of different perspectives in tutorials.
• Avoid using terms such as ‘BAME’ in learning spaces.
• Acknowledge that some students may feel judged or misunderstood when discussing experiences related to race, religion or identity.
• Create opportunities for students to draw on their lived experiences without fear of discrimination or misunderstanding.

5. Design fair, authentic, real-world assessments

Students are more motivated – and feel more capable – when assessments clearly resemble tasks they might face in work or community settings.

Research suggests:

• Develop assessments with real-world relevance.
• Explain explicitly how activities map onto jobs or life experiences.
• Acknowledge when group work is unrealistic (e.g. working with strangers) and clarify how it applies to real-world collaboration.

Conclusion

Closing awarding gaps is not about placing extra burden on individual students – it’s about designing environments where all students can understand expectations, access support and feel that their experiences matter.

The actions recommended across recent research are practical, concrete and often simple to implement. Taken together, they offer powerful tools for helping Black and minority ethnic students succeed and thrive at the OU and beyond.