Participation and progress: equality and diversity

This year's conference looks at three of University of Wolverhampton's projects which have developed as a result of national discussions within the higher education sector and an assessment of its own institutional situation. The conference also features presentations by Steps drama group.

Presentations

• Professor Caroline Gipps: Introduction from the vice-chancellor
• Berry Dicker: Briefing on forthcoming legislation
• Steps drama: Steps will be presenting three scenarios of incidents with an equality and diversity dimension that might commonly arise not only here but in other universities
• Dr Debra Cureton: staff progression. Debra designed and runs the staff mentoring programme for all staff based on research into what works best here. At present she is researching the progression of BME and disabled staff and how the mentoring scheme can help by being proportionally representative of the main groups of staff.
• Dr Ginny Fisher: women in research. Women are well represented in higher education, here women are about 50% of the total academic staff, but only 28% of those submitting to the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (now the REF). Why aren't women as well represented in research careers? Do their problems have anything in common with other issues of women's progression?
• Dr Glynis Cousin and Dr Meena Dhanda: student attainment. This students attainment project looks at how students experience studying at this university and factors which may contribute to their success or deter them. This piece of work is the final in our trilogy of equality and diversity in the curriculum studies of the university, and focuses on the student voice.