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Review of BTEC as an entry qualification at The University of Liverpool Pre-workshop report Stanistreet et al. February 2017

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University of Liverpool

Review of BTEC National

Diploma as an entry

qualification

Task and Finish group

Draft Post-workshop

Report

01 March 2017

Edited by Stanistreet D and Thiele T.

Authors (listed alphabetically)

Aspinall H, Coulby C, Glover G, Godenho G, Hill D, Howes G, Speed M. Spellman-Miller K,

Stanistreet D, Thiele T, Todd C, Williams M (CoLC), Wilkinson M.


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Contents

Tables and figures ......................................................................................................... 3

Executive Summary ...................................................................................................... 4

1. Aim of review....................................................................................................... 11

2. National and local (UoL) trends in admissions to Higher Education in

England ................................................................................................................... 14

3. What is a BTEC National Diploma? .................................................................... 15

Figure 2 BTEC Nationals in Applied Science: Assessment ....................................... 18

4. National trends with respect to BTEC students progressing

onto and through HE ................................................................................................... 18

5. BTEC Students in Higher Education- A critical appraisal of the literature ............ 20

6. Initial findings of a qualitative study of BTEC students in Life Sciences

at UoL ......................................................................................................................... 24

7. Current UoL admissions policy for students with BTEC qualifications by

subject area and Faculty .............................................................................................. 25

8. Progress of BTEC students enrolling for an undergraduate degree for the

academic year 2014 – 2015 at UoL, .......................................................................... 27

9. UoL BTEC requirements and requirements of our competitor institutions ............ 35

10. Focus groups with City of Liverpool College (CoLC) BTEC National

Students ....................................................................................................................... 36

11. Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 39

12. Recommendations from the BTEC workshop held on Monday 20th

February 2017 ............................................................................................................ 41

Appendix 1: BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma as an entry qualification by

Programme and Faculty .............................................................................................. 56

Appendix 2: BTEC admission practices of UoL’s main competitors ........................ 73

Appendix 3: Report for the Life Sciences School Review group; Can we improve

overall student quality by restricting entry routes? ..................................................... 82

Appendix 4 - A School of Life Sciences Case Study .................................................. 84

Appendix 5 – Best practice in improving transition to HE ......................................... 88

Appendix 6 Agenda for BTEC Review Workshop ..................................................... 89


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Tables

Table 1: BTEC Review plan …………………………………………………….………..…13

Table 2: UoL acceptances compared with our main competitors…………...………….…....16

Table 3: Difference between traditional BTEC Extended Diploma and A-levels……….......17

Table 4: Progress of FE students with different entry qualifications through HE….….….....20

Table 5: Number and proportion of student entry registrations by entry qualification……...31

Table 6: Sex, and LPN by Faculty and entry qualification……………………………….….31

Table 7: Average 1st year mean mark by Faculty and by entry criteria at UoL ………….….33

Table 8: Student withdrawal from studies by entry qualification……………………………33

Table 9: Number of GCSEs by entry qualification…………………………………………..34

Table 10: Univariate Logistic regression comparing students who achieve 50% or more at the

end of Year One with students who do not, or who withdraw from studies………………….34

Table 11: Multivariable logistic regression comparing students who achieve 50% or more at

the end of Year One with students who do not, or who withdraw from studies…………...…35

Table 12: Workshop findings: What changes (if any) should UoL make to BTEC entry

qualifications? ………………………………………………………………….…………….43

Table 13: Workshop findings: What can UoL do to support BTEC students in their

transition to university and during their time at university to ensure student success? ……..48

Table 14: BTEC Level 3 National Diploma as an entry qualification by

Programme and Faculty at UoL ……………………………………………………………. 56

Table 15: Admissions criteria for BTEC students at UoL and nine of its competitor

institutions………………………………………………………….……………………..….73

Figures

Figure 1: BTEC Nationals in Applied Science; What’s new?.................................................18

Figure 2: BTEC Nationals in Applied Science; assessment……………………………..…..19

Figure 3: POLAR Group of UG student admissions at UoL 2014/15……………………….30

Figure 4: Mean mark at the end of year one by entry qualification at UoL 2014-2015....…..32


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Executive Summary

The aim of this Task and Finish Group was to review available evidence relating to BTEC

student performance in Higher Education (HE) both nationally and at the University of

Liverpool (UoL); and to make recommendations regarding appropriate admissions criteria, and

support required by BTEC (Business and Technology Education Council) students to enable

them to successfully complete their studies. This report integrates the relevant available

information to enable the Task and Finish group to consider the current evidence base and to

make recommendations for the use of BTEC as an entry qualification at UoL.

Trends in admissions to HE in England and at UoL

The recruitment of well-qualified undergraduate students remains fiercely competitive across

HE Institutions in the United Kingdom (UK). At the same time, UCAS has reported that fewer

students are presenting with A-levels and, with the qualification reforms, it is predicted that

there could be an additional decline in the demand for A-level qualifications in the future.

Accompanying this decline, is the fact that the number of UK 18 year olds is decreasing and

will do so through to 2019 providing a further challenge to student recruitment.

Other issues for UoL include a heavy reliance on the North West for recruitment, with 42% of

our students coming from this region. We are also the largest recruiter of students at BBB in

the sector.

By the 15 of January 2016 deadline, the University had received 35,613 H/EU (Home/EU)

undergraduate applications. Whilst this was 1.97% down compared to the previous year, when

the highly selective areas of Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science were excluded, our

applications were up by 2.51%. This compares favourably with the sector whose applications

were up by 1.66%.

The BTEC qualification

BTECs are viewed as career-based qualifications, and after A-levels, BTEC Nationals are the

qualification most used for entry to HE programmes. Recently the curriculum has been

substantially revised and as from September 2016, students will undertake the new curricula.

The main changes are as follows;

External assessment (most subjects have at least one written examination) – at least 33%

Larger core of mandatory units – at least 50%

Synoptic assessment (covers assessment across units)

One re-sit only for externally assessed units with new task/assignment limited to pass only.

One resubmission only for internally assessed units with no further guidance

More emphasis on research skills

Strengthening and embedding of mathematics and/or English (writing) requirements

These changes should remove the need for some university courses having additional entry

requirements for BTEC students

National trends with respect to BTEC students


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The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS 2015) carried out a review of the

progression of college students into and through HE for the cohort of students in England

entering FE between 2007 and 2011. They found that 44% of BTEC students were from

neighbourhoods with low participation in HE (classified as POLAR 3 quintiles 1 and 2),

compared to only 33% of A-level students, thus BTEC students clearly represent an important

WP cohort. Further, between 2007-2008, and 2011-2012, the number of BTEC students in

England grew by 41% (from 79,600 to 158955). This is double the number of students taking

A-levels at FE colleges. BTEC students therefore also represent a significant group in terms of

HE recruitment. However, in relation to the type of university attended, BTEC students were

much less likely to attend a Russell group University than A-level students.

The BIS report looked at KS4 (GCSE) attainment for the 2009-10 to 2011-12 BTEC cohorts

and found that 39% (228,134) of BTEC students had not achieved five GCSE’s including

English and Maths. In practice, this means that over 62,000 students admitted to university over

a three year period, had not achieved the basic requirement of five GCSE’s including English

and Maths.

Finally, in terms of success, the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 cohorts were tracked to measure the

number of students who enrolled for, and subsequently achieved, a good first degree (First or

2:1). A-level entrants had an achievement rate of 70%, Access to HE entrants 57% and BTEC

entrants 50%. These findings suggest that overall, BTEC students are less likely to perform as

well as other students at university including Access students, by quite a large margin.

Evidence of BTEC students in HE from the literature

In relation to the academic value of BTEC qualifications, a study using a data set of over 10,000

degree outcomes conducted in 2012/13 suggests that BTECs are overvalued in terms of UCAS

points (Gill, 2016). In tandem, there is evidence from several studies suggesting that students

entering HE with vocational qualifications are also more likely to drop out or experience

significant issues during the transition to higher education than their A-level counterparts

((Haywood, 2008, Cree, Hounsell, Christie, McCune & Tett, 2009, Willis, 2015, Wilson

Murphy & Pearson, 2016).

Nevertheless, one in four entrants to University has a BTEC qualification (Havergal, 2016) and

the employment prospects for graduating BTEC students are bright. BTEC students are more

likely to be employed after graduation than A-level students for example, (90% vs 88%)

although geographical and sector related variations reflect discrepancies in earnings across the

UK (LSE, 2013).

In terms of structure and delivery of the BTEC award, Hobley (2016) in an ethnographic study

examining how an Applied Science BTEC was taught, found that those teaching the

qualification did not have enough science knowledge themselves to help students understand

how concepts related to one another, leading to fragmented, isolated knowledge among

students. Further, a culture of “getting students through” was found to lead to dubious

assessment processes leaving students under prepared for work or further study.

Students who choose to undertake a BTEC are often from lower socio-economic groups (Round

et al. 2012) and there is evidence that choice of route is less reliant on academic ability than

socio-economic background (Goldthorpe, 1996; Hatcher, 1998). The implication of this is that

many of those BTEC students entering HE are potentially at a double disadvantage in


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comparison to those students admitted to HE with traditional qualifications. However, there is

evidence that with the right transitional support, retention and success can improve (Moore,

Sandars & Higham, 2013).

Rhodes et al. (2002) highlighted concerns over college staff’s understanding of current HE

demands and whether the advice given to students is accurate, a concern echoed by Barnes et

al. (2011). It is recommended that FE and HE providers work more closely together to ensure

accurate advice and guidance is provided to students). Moore, Sandars & Higham, 2013 in the

Higher Education Funding Council Executive (HEFCE) and Office for Fair Access (OFFA

commissioned literature review of research into widening participation (WP) and HE, found

that outreach activity, information and guidance at college, inclusive classroom practices, pre-

entry preparation initiatives, induction and ongoing mentoring and support (both academic,

peer and pastoral) had an impact on the success and retention of students entering University

from widening participation groups.

An example of good practice in this respect is the ‘Top-Up’ programme run by the University

of Glasgow for students from low participation neighbourhoods. This programme has been

perceived by students as easing the transition to HE, and was also demonstrated in the pass/ fail

rates of first year students, with those who had taken the programme, progressing at better rates

than those who had not (Walker, Matthew & Black, 2004). In addition, Thomas (2013)

provides a checklist for effective transition activities that includes explaining the benefits of

academic and social engagement to students and helping them to develop the relevant skills,

ensuring the link between the pre- entry course and their aspirations is explicit, ensuring

activities seek to build social capital and networks (as well as provide information) and

encouraging peer interaction to develop future social support at university.

Qualitative study of BTEC student experience in the School of Life Sciences at UoL

A qualitative research study commenced in the School of Life Sciences in September 2016 to

explore how students with BTEC entry qualifications and potentially disadvantaged socio-

economic backgrounds, experience the transition to HE academically, socially and pastorally.

Data collection and analysis is still ongoing. However, findings to date reflect the findings in

the wider literature. Students expressed the feeling that university was “harder” than they had

expected academically and some felt “overwhelmed” by the demands and the lack of tutor

support and commented that there were gaps in their underpinning knowledge which meant

they had to do more study just to understand the concepts outlined in lectures. Sometimes they

were unable to understand and felt helpless and behind. None of the students had joined any

clubs or societies, citing that there “wasn’t enough time” due to their study commitments.

The study is not yet complete, but findings to date suggest that BTEC students find studying

for a degree in Life Sciences extremely challenging and that their expectations in terms of

academic support are based on their experiences in FE prior to coming into HE. As well as the

academic challenges they are facing, they are also finding the transition from FE into HE, a

difficult one to make.

Current UoL admissions policy

Admissions policy varies across programmes and across Faculties at UoL. In Health and Life

Sciences (HLS) most of the health professional programmes do not accept BTECs. However

Life Sciences and Psychology do. Life Sciences have been aware of a problem with BTEC


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student progression for some time and have put considerable effort into identifying what course

of action might reduce the failure rate. The School of Psychology is not able to assess progress

of BTEC students and therefore are unable to comment on whether their failure rate is higher

than traditional students. The School of Health Sciences has undertaken a review of the new

BTEC curricula, and from September 2018, will accept BTEC students who have undertaken

specific BTEQ qualifications. Medicine and Dentistry do not take BTEC students and

Veterinary Sciences do take BTEC but only if accompanied by AS Chemistry so numbers of

students are very small.

In the Faculty of Science and Engineering the requirements are similar across all programmes.

There are two main concerns for students entering with BTEC: competence in maths, and ability

to cope with formal exam assessment. Students with only BTEC who enter programmes which

have specific A-level subject requirements, (e.g. Engineering, Chemistry) generally struggle.

There is less of a problem with degree programmes that do not have specific A-level subject

requirements.

In the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS), they have broadly agreed on an

acceptance threshold of DDD for BTEC students except Music, and Communication and Media

who negotiated an opt-out. The majority of HSS BTEC students are in the Management School

and the School of Law and Social Justice. The School of History, Languages and Culture has

few BTEC applications and in the School of the Arts, the applications are mainly in

Architecture and Music. Different schools have different practices. The School of Law and

Social Justice operates in line with A-Levels and the Management School, like Architecture

and English, has specific subject requirements and aims to stream candidates into those

programmes on which they are most likely to succeed.

Table 14 presented in Appendix 1 collates entry requirements by School and Faculty, describing

also the rationale for decisions on BTEC entry requirements within the different programmes.

Requirements of competitor Institutions – the example of Business Studies and Life

Sciences

In general, other Russell Group competitor institutions do accept BTEC extended Diploma

(DDD) to study Business Management, but some require GCSE ‘O’ levels in addition and

Manchester requires one A-level. None of the main Russell Group competitor institutions

however accept BTEC extended Diploma alone for admissions into Life Sciences programmes.

Some programmes do accept BTEC but specify that A-level qualifications are required in

addition. However, local competitors (JMU, Edge Hill) have less stringent entry criteria and

accept BTEC National Diploma for both types of programmes at a lower level (DMM). Some

institutions also have a requirement for GCSE English and Maths.

Progress of BTEC students at UoL, by subject area, and by specific characteristics

A quantitative analysis was conducted to assess student attainment in Year One of studies in

the academic year 2014/15 at UoL. BTEC students’ progress in first year at UoL was compared

to A-Level students and those with a BTEC and an A-Level, with respect to average marks,

LPN (Low Participation Neighbourhood), GCSE scores, and sex.

BTEC students were found to be 44% more likely to come from a low participation

neighbourhood, in comparison to A-Level students (22.9%). Additionally, a high proportion of

BTEC students (30%) were found to not have five or more GCSE’s including Maths and

English.


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In terms of student withdrawal 2014/15, 19.8% of BTEC students withdrew from Year One of

studies at UoL, which is significantly higher than students with A-Levels and BTEC + A-Level

(%? ) . BTEC students were also found to achieve lower marks at the end of Year One,

achieving a mean mark of 55.1%, in comparison to 63.8% for A-Level students.

In order to control for confounding factors, a bivariate regression analysis, with an outcome of

achieving 50% or more at the end of year one (Yes / No) was carried out. Students with BTECs

were found to be 72% less likely than students with A-Levels to achieve a mark above 50% in

Year One of studies after controlling for other factors in the model Furthermore, students from

a higher participation neighbourhood (Polar Groups 3-5) were 72% more likely to achieve

above 50% in their first year of studies in comparison to Polar Groups 1 and 2, suggesting that

academic and social background are major factors which contribute to student success and

retention in Higher Education.

Focus groups with current BTEC students at City of Liverpool College (CoLC)

Focus groups have been carried out in six different programme areas with BTEC students at

CoLC and the findings broadly support the literature described above and suggest that BTEC

students undertake the qualification because they perform poorly at GCSE, fail AS or A-levels

or actively seek to avoid the exam rigour of A-Level studies. Our findings also suggest that

many of these students, see the BTEC as a means of achieving enough UCAS points to be able

to enter HE. However, they are not knowledgeable about the admissions process or everyday

life for students attending university and find it difficult to make informed decisions about their

options.

Conclusion

Conclusions based on the findings of this report to date will be discussed and finalised during

the BTEC review workshop planned for Monday 20th February. However, there are some

important points from this report that can be highlighted as being particularly pertinent to

discussions as follows;

In summary, there is significant evidence that BTEC students achieve less well than their

traditionally qualified peers at GCSE level (Key Stage 4) but also at university. Many Russell

Group institutions have therefore introduced additional entry criteria for BTEC students. In

general, UoL has not done so to date, except in the Faculty of Science and Engineering. There

is also evidence from a number of studies, indicating that BTEC students are more likely to

come from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. This means that overall, they offer

an important route into UoL for WP students.

There are two possible courses of action for addressing the issues above that could be

considered;

1) To alter entry criteria so that only those BTEC students who are academically more

prepared/able, are offered a place to study at UoL. 2) To provide additional support to BTEC students, particularly during transition into

HE and during Year One.

1) Entry criteria


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We are in a very competitive market nationally and the number of BTEC students compared to A-level students is increasing. Any decision to reduce the number of BTEC

students or to make admissions criteria more selective, will need to be balanced by a

strategy to increase the number of students applying to individual programmes through

other means (e.g. increasing the number of access students or considering the use of

contextual data at the offer stage) if we are to hit admissions targets. Any decisions

regarding entry criteria should also take into account the entry criteria of our main

Russell Group competitors and our local competitor institutions.

All decisions about entry criteria should be based on evidence of student progress. Whilst it is not possible to predict all factors that affect student outcomes, it is important

that programme leads can be confident that the vast majority of students entering a

programme with a BTEC qualification will have the necessary skills and knowledge to

succeed.

The evidence that BTEC students do less well in HE than students who enter with other qualifications is strong, as is the evidence that BTEC students have performed less well

than A-level students in relation to GCSE O-level attainment. The scale of the problem

at UoL, and whether it differs by programme however, is not yet clear. In addition, it is

not yet known whether GCSE attainment might predict whether students successfully

complete year one, at least in some subject areas. This is being investigated for BTEC

students admitted to UoL between 2014-2015 and it is hoped that we will have this

information prior to the workshop.

Blanket decisions regarding BTEC entry criteria are unhelpful. In general terms, BTEC students are likely to perform better in those subjects where specific subject knowledge

is not required at the outset of a programme.

A further option is to consider differential admissions criteria for students who enrol from a collaborating (partner) organization such as CoLC, on the basis that we can

specify module choice and also BTEC Further Education Leads can provide academic

references for those students whom in their opinion, have shown sufficient academic

ability to succeed at a Russell Group Institution.

2) Student support

Programme teams should consider offering transitional support to BTEC students, particularly through our collaboration with CoLC, and where possible work alongside

BTEC FE lecturers to strengthen students’ knowledge base and preparation prior to

commencing HE.

Where it is acknowledged that a BTEC qualification does not provide students with sufficient skills or knowledge in certain areas, programme leads should consider

whether it is reasonable and / or feasible to offer pre-programme academic support and

/ or additional support during the first year of a student’s studies in order to ensure

students succeed. If this raises resource issues for Schools, then the review group should

provide an estimate of what additional resource might be needed in order to offer the

necessary support required.


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Where engagement and continuation of studies is an issue, consideration of the need for pastoral support should also be given. For example, such support could be provided

through peer- mentorship, or strengthened academic pastoral support as appropriate.

Good practice from other institutions needs to be explored in more depth, and where appropriate, Schools should consider implementing good practice as a means of

improving student outcomes.

Programme leads should monitor their own student progression data regularly, particularly in respect of entry criteria and student outcomes. However, current UoL

data systems are beset with issues that do not allow the monitoring of data at school

level. This needs to be resolved urgently.

Finally, any decisions made, will need to be reviewed in light of the new BTEC curriculum commencing in September 2018.

Recommendations from the BTEC Workshop held on Monday 20th February 2017.

This section summarises the outcomes of the BTEC workshop in two tables. Table 12

summarises views on changes (if any) that UoL could make to BTEC entry qualifications; and

Table 13 outlines potential actions that could be taken to support BTEC students in their

transition to university and during their time at university to ensure student success. Both tables

consider resource implications of any potential approaches. The final stage of the review is to

identify which of the outcomes UoL wishes to take forward and to integrate these with the

recommendations developed from the evidence review. In addition, it will be important to

identify what is manageable in relation to short, medium and long-term goals. The development

of recommendations will be overseen by the PVC for Education, Gavin Brown and a small

team who participated in the BTEC review.


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1. Aim of review

The aim of this Task and Finish Group is to review available evidence relating to BTEC student

performance in HE both nationally and at UoL; and to make recommendations regarding

appropriate admissions criteria, and support required by BTEC students to enable them to

successfully complete their studies.

Objectives

1. Describe national and local (UoL) trends in admissions to HE; and predicted challenges in relation to recruitment, as a result of policy and demographic change over the next

five years.

2. Describe the BTEC qualification and outline recent changes to subject content and assessment.

3. Review national trends with respect to BTEC students progressing onto and through HE and briefly summarise the BTEC admissions policy of UoL’s main competitors.

4. Outline current UoL admissions policy for students with BTEC qualifications by subject area and Faculty, and identify any academic concerns with respect to current admissions

criteria.

5. Review the academic literature on BTEC student progression through FE and HE and report on models of good practice.

6. Briefly review progress of BTEC students at UoL, by subject area, and by specific characteristics, and consider findings in the light of current UoL policy and practice on

student support.

7. Explore with BTEC students in FE, decision making in relation to undertaking a BTEC qualification and their views on the option of Higher Education after college.

8. Make recommendations with respect to i) admissions policy for BTEC students and ii) best practice for supporting BTEC students through their studies at UoL.

Participating staff

The following members of staff participated in the review.

Helen Aspinall (HA) Ceri Coulby (CC) Liz Crolley (LC) David Eglese (DE) Gaynor Glover

(GGl) Peter Goddard (PG) Glenn Godenho (GGo) Deonne Hill (DH) Gail Howes (GH) Mike

Speed (MS) Kristyan Spellman-Miller (KSM) Debbi Stanistreet (DS) Tamara Thiele (TT)

Christine Todd (CT) Helen Vaughan (HV) Melanie Williams (MW - CoLC).

Tab;e 1 on the next page outlines the i) overall plan for the review ii) detail on how each

objective has been met, and iii) the members of staff responsible for each objective. The initials

in bold denote the lead member of staff for each objective.


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Table 1: BTEC Review plan

Objective

Team Sources of evidence to be used Specific outcomes

1) Describe national and local

(UoL) trends in admissions to

HE; and predicted challenges in

relation to recruitment, as a

result of policy and demographic

change over the next five years.

CT

The evidence may already be collated in ER and M

reports to RAWPC or could be sourced from HEFCE

annual reports, and UoL annual admissions cycle reports.

Brief description of recent HE admissions

trends nationally and at UoL, including the

impact of recent national policy changes,

outlining the main recruitment and

admissions challenges for UoL over the

next five years.

2) Describe the BTEC

qualification and outline recent

changes to subject content and

assessment.

GGo

DS Identify contact at Pearson’s for brief interview

Review information on Pearson’s website

Review any information that compares and contrasts A-level and BTEC content in particular subject areas

(possibly Life sciences and Business).

Clear description of qualification by subject

area. Outline the justification for recent

changes to BTEC content and delivery and

the predicted impact of any changes on

student outcomes.

3) Review national trends with

respect to BTEC students

progressing onto and through

HE and briefly summarise

BTEC admissions practices of

UoL’s main competitors.

DS

DH https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/

attachment_data/file/460394/BIS-15-531-progression-of-

college-students-in-england-to-higher-education.pdf

Competitors’ websites (including JMU, University of Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester, and Birmingham).

Numbers and proportions of BTEC students

progressing into and through HE by

characteristic – sex, subject area, type of

university, LPN; trends over previous five

years.

4) Describe current admissions

policy at UoL for students with

BTEC qualifications by subject

area and Faculty, and outline any

academic concerns with respect

to current admissions criteria.

KSM GG

MS and

DS

(HLS)

LC, PG

and GH

(HSS)

HA

(SE)

UoL Prospectus

Review of subject areas that accept BTEC and those that do not, including specific additional qualifications

required where appropriate.

Information (collated by Faculty leads) with respect to rationale for current BTEC admissions policy and

effectiveness of admissions criteria in different subject

areas in terms of ensuring student preparedness.

Description of BTEC admissions criteria by

subject area, with justification for the

criteria used.

Summary of any concerns arising from

implementation of current admissions

criteria and effectiveness of BTEC

qualifications in terms of student

preparedness.


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5) Briefly review the academic

literature on BTEC student

progression through FE and HE

and report on models of good

practice.

CC

Peer reviewed literature

Relevant published and unpublished reports

See summary literature review with accompanying bibliography, which has already been completed for the

BTEC HLS project.

Literature review to accompany final

report, including identification of

recognised models of good practice in

relation to student support for BTEC

students across the sector.

6) Briefly review progress of

BTEC students at UoL, by

subject area, and by specific

characteristics, and consider

findings in light of current UoL

policy on student support.

DS

DE

TT

BOXI and Spider data by subject area, analysed by sex, GCSE attainment, POLAR score, A level attainment and

age.

Outcome variables – progression (yes / no) and degree classification preferably by subject area.

Brief quantitative analysis of student data

by subject area if feasible within time

frame. Report findings in the light of

current policy on student support and

include recommendations for future

analysis of BTEC students’, progress and

success at UoL.

7) Explore with BTEC students

in FE, decision making in

relation to undertaking a BTEC

qualification and their views on

the option of Higher Education

after college.

DS

MW

(CoLC)

Carry out six focus groups with a number of different students in different subject areas at City of Liverpool

College using a rapid appraisal approach.

Explore reasons for undertaking a BTEC qualification, views on HE and the main factors influencing choices in

relation to HE as perceived by current BTEC students.

Focus group results to be presented in

workshop report.

8) Make recommendations with

respect to i) admissions policy

for BTEC students and ii) best

practice for supporting BTEC

students through their studies at

UoL.

All Complete objectives 1 – 6

Hold workshop during February 2017 to agree main findings and develop recommendations from the review.

Feed findings from workshop into final report, to be made available by 3rd March 2017.

Clear actionable recommendations based on

the evidence produced from objectives 1 to

5, outlining short and medium term actions

that could be taken by UoL to ensure that

admissions criteria are as sensitive and

specific as possible and to improve BTEC

student progression across the student

lifecycle.


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2. National and local (UoL) trends in admissions to Higher

Education in England Author: C Todd

The recruitment of well-qualified UK undergraduate students remains fiercely

competitive in a sector still subject to demographic change, financial constraints and

volatility in policy.

For entry 2016, the maintenance grant was removed and replaced with higher value loans; we are yet to see the impact this is having, particularly on debt

averse students.

At the same time, UCAS has reported that fewer students are presenting with A-levels and, with the qualification reforms, it is predicted that there could be a

further decline in the demand for A-level qualifications.

Demand for vocational awards has grown, and the introduction of apprenticeships is providing an increasingly attractive alternative to prospective

students.

The latest demographic information shows a decreasing number of UK 18 year olds through to 2019.

Following the removal of student number controls, we now have the opportunity to increase our intake of students as we are not constrained by

government targets.

A significant number of universities have again made unconditional offers this year to students who have yet to receive their exam results. However, having

again reviewed Liverpool’s position on this policy we have agreed that we

would not adopt this approach and have clearly communicated this to a number

of stakeholders, including our target schools and colleges.

Other challenges for UoL include our heavy reliance on the North West for recruitment,

with 42% of our students coming from this region. When students ‘go firm’ at another

University, we have two main competitors – Leeds and Manchester. If either were to

have significant growth in their student numbers strategy then this could affect our

recruitment. We are also the largest recruiter of students at BBB in the sector. For entry

2017 specifically, we have a challenge with recruitment to Health Sciences, following

the removal of the funding.

At the 15 January 2016 deadline, the University had received 35,613 H/EU

Undergraduate applications. Whilst this was 1.97% down compared to the previous

year, when the highly selective areas of Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science are

excluded, our applications were +2.51%. (The introduction of the UK Clinical Aptitude

Test (UKCAT) used in the selection process by a consortium of UK University Medical

and Dental Schools had, we understood, depressed applications across the UK)

This compares favourably with the sector who were up by an average of 1.66% and our

competitors who were marginally up by 0.2%. Our competitors are defined by UCAS

and are our overall competitors across all subject groups. Previously, these have been

other Russell Group Universities, however this year Birmingham has been replaced

with MMU:

University of Leeds

The University of Manchester


15

The Manchester Metropolitan University

Newcastle University

The University of Nottingham

The University of Sheffield

Home/EU undergraduate registrations were 5,259 for 2016 entry (December snapshot),

which was 64 over a planned intake target of 5,195. There is modest projected growth

for Home/EU undergraduate students over the next two years. The intake target has

increased to 5,246 for 2017/18, a 1% increase on this year and there is then a further

1% planned increase to a target of 5,297 for 2018/19.

In clearing during August 2016, we recruited 467 students. Clearing, has previously

largely been used by universities with low entry requirements until ministers lifted a

cap on student numbers. However, recent figures obtained by The Times through

freedom of information requests showed that six Russell Group universities recruited

more than 10 per cent of their new British undergraduates through the system during

2016.

The statistics suggest that prestigious universities have come to rely on clearing and

will raise concerns that some are lowering entry grades. Students recruited through

clearing are more likely to drop out — although some universities claim that it helps to

recruit better qualified students. Last year, Sheffield admitted 4,950 British students, of

whom 881 came via clearing (17.7 per cent). Of 5,715 students placed at Cardiff 923,

or 16.1 per cent, were recruited through clearing. Other Russell Group universities with

high proportions of clearing students were Manchester with 688 (11.4 per cent),

Newcastle with 554 (10.4 per cent), and Leeds with 644 (10.2 per cent). King’s College

London took 326 students via clearing (8.5 per cent) and Liverpool 467 students (8.7

per cent).

Table 2 - UoL acceptances compared with our main competitors

3. What is a BTEC National Diploma?

Authors: G Godenho and D Stanistreet

BTECs are viewed as career-based qualifications, and after A levels, BTEC Nationals

are the qualification most used for entry to HE programmes. As mentioned previously,

the number of students including BTECs in their applications to HE is continuing to

grow. Table 3 summarises the main differences between traditional BTECS and A

level qualifications.

Name of Institution E2014 Acceptances E2015 Acceptances E2016 Accpetances 3 year trend E2015 - E2016 difference E2015 - E2016 % difference

University of Liverpool 4,895 5,616 5,955 339 6%

University of Birmingham 6,325 6,440 6,400 -40 -1%

University of Leeds 6,985 7,150 7,390 240 3%

University of Manchester 9,040 9,330 8,705 -625 -7%

Newcastle University 5,200 5,650 6,175 525 9%

University of Nottingham 6,755 7,600 7,540 -60 -1%

University of Sheffield 5,560 5,790 5,985 195 3%

Liverpool John Moores University 6,260 6,165 6,265 100 2%

Manchester Metropolitan University 8,825 9,535 8,780 -755 -8%


16

Table 3: Differences between traditional BTEC Extended Diploma and A-levels

Traditional BTEC

Extended Diploma

A-Level

Learning Specialist work-related

qualifications (so

Vocational/Practical,

combining practical learning

with subject theory and

content)

Academic Skills

Types/Levels 1. BTEC Level 1 2. BTEC First 3. BTEC Nationals 4. BTEC Higher

Nationals

5. BTEC Apprenticeship

N/A

= GCSE

= A-Level

N/A

N/A

Assessment Chiefly continual

assessment

(coursework/practical

projects prioritised over

written exams and

traditional essays)

Written exams and essays

chief mode of assessment

Grading Pass, Merit, Distinction A*-E

University Entrance Generally less

desirable/limited

optionality/streaming

Preferred/more

optionality/flexibility

Learning and Assessment

Learning and assessment is unit-based. Core units provide a broad foundation and

understanding about the subjects and optional units enable students to focus on

particular interests and next steps into further study, apprenticeships or employment.

There are a series of assignments, which can be written or activity-based, individual or

part of a team, or even work experience.

Recent changes to The BTEC National Curriculum

The Pearson’s BTEC National has recently been reviewed and revised significantly and

the new BTEC qualification commenced in September 2016. The development has

been informed by:

1. Pearson’s research undertaken over the past four years

2. Department for Education (DfE) criteria for inclusion of vocational qualifications

in

16-19 Performance Tables

3. External Stakeholder Advisory Groups with membership from HE, employers and

professional bodies


17

4. Pearson’s World Class Qualifications principles

The main changes are as follows;

External assessment (most subjects have at least one written examination) – at least 33%

Larger core of mandatory units – at least 50%

Synoptic assessment

One re-sit only for externally assessed units with new task/assignment limited to pass only.

One resubmission only for internally assessed units with no further guidance

More emphasis on research skills

Strengthening and embedding of mathematics and/or English (writing) requirements

These changes should remove the need for some university courses having additional entry requirements for BTEC students

The following two excerpts from the BTEC handy guide, outline the main changes that

have taken place with respect to assessment from September 2016.

Figure 1 BTEC Nationals in Applied Science What’s new?


18

Figure 2 BTEC Nationals in Applied Science: Assessment

More information on individual programme specifications can be found at :

http://qualations.pearson.com/en/qualifications/btec-nationals/btec-nationals-

2016.html

4. National trends with respect to BTEC students progressing

onto and through HE

Author: D Stanistreet

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills carried out a review of the

progression of college students into and through Higher Education for the national

cohort of students in England entering FE between 2007 and 2011 (BIS 2015). The

review did not include pupils studying at 6th forms in schools, only FE colleges. A total

of 1,855,050 students were tracked over five years. Findings were analysed by

programme of study (A-level, BTEC, NVQ’s and other vocational level 3

programmes), and a number of the findings of the report are pertinent to this review.

Educational disadvantage varied depending on the qualification undertaken; 44% of

BTEC students were classified as being from neighbourhoods with low participation to

HE (POLAR 3 quintiles 1 and 2), compared to only 33% of A-level students, so BTEC

students do represent an important WP cohort. BTEC students are also made up of a

majority of males (53% males vs 47% females for the 2011-2012 cohort) and males are

a group who are under-represented in HE.

http://qualations.pearson.com/en/qualifications/btec-nationals/btec-nationals-2016.htmlhttp://qualations.pearson.com/en/qualifications/btec-nationals/btec-nationals-2016.html


19

Between 2007-2008, and 2011-2012, the number of BTEC students in England grew

by 41% (from 79,600 to 158,955). This is double the number of students taking A-

levels at FE colleges. BTEC students therefore represent an important group in terms

of potential HE recruitment. Progression trends onto HE do however differ by group

and subject area; education and training, health, public services and care, showing a

rise in level 3 cohorts entering a first degree over the last few years, but other areas

showing a fall. Similarly, progression rates onto HE for young FE students dropped

considerably over this period (from 49% to 37%), but progression rates for older

students (aged 21 and above) shows a rise.

In terms of the type of university attended, BTEC students were much less likely to

secure a place at a Russell Group university compared to A-level students.

Table 4: Progression of FE students with different entry qualifications into HE

Number of

students

Russell

Group

Old

University

New

University

HE in FE

BTEC 30,585 1% 3% 28% 7%

A level 106,740 12% 13% 40% 2%

Access 57,505 3% 9% 50% 6% From; Progression of college students in England to Higher Education (2015) Department for

Business Innovation and Skills pp. 44 and 71.

BTEC students and achievement at Key Stage 4 (KS4)

The BIS report looked at KS4 (GCSE) attainment for the 2009-10 to 2011-12 BTEC

cohorts. Data were linked for 584,960 pupils (approximately 15% of pupil data were

missing) and 39% (228,134) of those pupils did not achieve five GCSE’s including

English and Maths. Of those who did not, 38% went on to HE (n = 86,690), 72% of

those to a university as opposed to HE in FE. Thus over 62,000 students admitted to

university over a three year period, had not achieved five GCSE’s including English

and Maths.

The report states that “Prior Key stage 4 attainment is a significant indicator of

subsequent academic achievement. Pupils who did not achieve 5 GCSE’s Grades A* to

C (a full level 2) were much less likely to go to university. 64% of pupils who achieved

a full level 2 went on to HE, compared to only 38% who did not.”

As Chowdry (2013) reports, prior attainment at KS4 is the most important predictor of

successful progression to HE and under-achievement in secondary school is

acknowledged to be a key barrier in progression to HE. This is therefore an important

factor to explore in relation to BTEC student progression at UoL.

BTEC students and Success in HE

The 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 cohorts were tracked to measure the number of students

who enrolled for, and subsequently achieved, a good first degree (First or 2:1). A-level

entrants had an achievement rate of 70%, Access to HE 57% and BTEC entrants 50%.


20

Thus, overall, BTEC students are less likely to perform as well as other entrants to

university including Access students by quite a large margin.

5. BTEC Students in Higher Education- A critical appraisal of the

literature

Author: C Coulby

This section summarises the findings of a systematic literature review of the evidence

available on BTEC students and their progress in Higher Education.

Methods

A literature search was conducted using the keyword “BTEC”. Academic Journals,

Magazines, Trade Publications and books were included in the search utilising the

following databases: Science Citation Index, Science Direct, Scopus, MEDLINE and

Teacher Reference Centre. The search generated 247 papers, which was reduced to 104

after duplicates were removed.

Following the literature search, a further search was carried out regarding widening

participation and student transitions to HE. The search terms ‘widening participation’,

‘student transition’ and ‘higher education’ were combined. Academic journals,

dissertations, books, magazines and reports were included from 2000- 2017. Databases

searched included ERIC, Social Sciences Citation Index, Teacher Reference Center,

British Library EThOS and Scopus. 247 papers were found, reduced to 110 after

duplicates were removed.

An overview of BTEC

Following review of the 104 articles it is clear that the transition, attainment and success

of BTEC students in higher education is not a widely researched area. Findings specific

to BTEC focus on the perceived value of BTEC qualifications and success of BTEC

students in terms of retention, attainment and employment after graduation (LSE, 2013,

Fisher, 2003, Gill, 2016) with a small body of work on how BTECs are structured and

taught (Hobley, 2016, Carter & Bathmaker, 2016, Rintoul, 2014). The findings from

these studies have implications for BTEC student preparation in relation to the

transition to University.

In terms of the academic value of BTEC qualifications a study using a dataset of over

10 thousand degree outcomes conducted in 2012/13 suggests that BTECs are

overvalued in terms of UCAS points (Gill, 2016). A UCAS score of 360 from a BTEC

is actually considered equivalent to an A level tariff of 200. A student entering

University with 360 UCAS points has a 5.1% probability of getting a first compared

with 19.9% of A level entrants with the same tariff (Gill, 2016). Evidence from several

studies suggests that students entering HE with vocational qualifications are also more

likely to drop out or experience significant issues during the transition to HE than their

A level counterparts (Haywood, 2008, Cree, Hounsell, Christie, McCune & Tett, 2009,

Willis, 2015, Wilson Murphy & Pearson, 2016). Attainment of students with vocational

qualifications at university is also lower in terms of Grade Point Average and degree


21

classifications (Chansarkar & Michaeloudis, 2001, Hatt & Baxter, 2003, Bowden,

Abhayawansa & Bahtsevanoglou, 2015, Reading, 2016).Despite this, one in four

entrants to University has a BTEC qualification (Havergal, 2016). Whilst these studies

raise concerns regarding the suitability of BTEC qualifications as an entry route to

higher education the employment prospects for graduating BTEC students are bright.

BTEC students are more likely to be employed after graduation that A level students

(90% vs 88%) although geographical and sector related variations reflect discrepancies

in earnings across the UK (LSE, 2013).

BTEC structure and delivery

Some issues have been identified in relation to the structure and delivery of BTEC

programmes. Although not widely critiqued Fisher (2003) in a review of BTEC

education, has identified some issues that impact on student “readiness” for HE. Of

particular interest is that post 1993, BTEC and GNVQ qualifications became much

more specific in terms of tasks and assessment, leading to a tick box approach to

learning. Avis (1996) found that BTEC students in Business and Finance were pushed

by tutors toward employment post BTEC rather than further education and Riseborough

(1992) noted the intensive workload and high demands on BTEC students in Catering

and Hotel Management. Hobley (2016) in an ethnographic study examining how an

Applied Science BTEC was taught found that those teaching the qualification did not

have enough science knowledge themselves to help students understand how concepts

related to one another, leading to fragmented, isolated knowledge among students.

Similar issues were identified in a comparison study of how art history was taught

across five institutions delivering a BTEC in Art and Design (Rintoul, 2014) with

variations in approach to teaching, and students and tutors feeling the topic was

fragmented and poorly integrated. Lastly, issues were raised by Carter & Bathmaker

(2016) in their study of assessment practices in an engineering BTEC programme at a

Further Education college. A culture of “getting students through” led to dubious

assessment processes leaving students under prepared for work or further study.

BTECs and disadvantaged socio- economic status

Students who chose to undertake a BTEC are often from lower socio-economic groups

(Round Brownless, & Rout, 2012) and there is evidence that choice of route is less

reliant on academic ability than socioeconomic class (Goldthorpe, 1996; Hatcher,

1998). This is congruent with findings from other studies that identify more students

from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds undertaking vocational

qualifications than A levels due to perceived instrumentality of vocational

qualifications and lack of cultural and social capital (Metcalf, 1997; Payne, 2001;

Forsyth and Furlong, 2000; Bowers Brown, 2006, Eden, 2013).

The implication then is that BTEC students entering University are potentially at a

double disadvantage. If the BTEC qualification itself is potentially overvalued, the

structure and delivery is incompatible with the approach to learning and teaching at

University, the quality of teaching and assessment questionable and the student lacks

social and cultural capital due to disadvantaged socio-economic status, they are

significantly less likely to make a successful transition to higher education.

Widening participation students and non- traditional qualifications


22

Widening participation students (students classified as mature, BME, disabled,

disadvantaged socioeconomic status, non-traditional qualifications or a combination of

these) are recognised to be more “at risk” of dropping out at the start of their

programmes or having more difficult transition experiences than “traditional” students

(Haywood, 2008, Cree et al, 2009, Edirisingha, 2009, Thomas, 2013). The suggested

reasons for this are a mismatch between student expectations and the reality of

University (Plockyn, 2015, Cree et al., 2009, Edirisingha, 2009, Rhodes, Bill, Biscomb,

Nevill & Bruneau, 2002, Barnes, Buckley, Hopkins & Tate, 2011, Laing, Chao &

Robinson, 2005). In the case of students entering with vocational qualifications their

knowledge base and study skills may not align with HE expectations (Reading, 2016,

Plockyn, 2015, Cree et al., 2009, Laing et al., 2005). Feelings of social isolation from

peers and tutors (Hixenbaugh, Dewart & Towell, 2012, Ryan & Hopkins, 2013,

Thomas, 2013, Alsford & Rose, 2014, Wilson et al., 2016), psychologically developing

new and potentially contrary identities to their families and friends (Holdsworth, 2009,

Watson, 2010, Burnell, 2013, Hope, 2014) and among many balancing the competing

demands of paid work, family commitments and study (Cree et al. 2009, Wilson et al.,

2016, Haywood, 2008) are all potential issues that may arise.

In the HEFCE and OFFA commissioned literature review of research into widening

participation (WP) to HE (Moore, Sandars & Higham, 2013) it was found that outreach

activity, information and guidance at college, inclusive classroom practices, pre-entry

preparation initiatives, induction and ongoing mentoring and support (both academic,

peer and pastoral) all had an impact on the success and retention of students entering

University from WP groups.

Students studying for vocational qualifications such as BTEC mainly rely on tutors at

college for information and guidance regarding higher education rather than social

networks or completing their own research (Shaw, 2012). Rhodes et al., (2002)

highlight concerns over college staff’s understanding of current higher education

demands and whether the advice given to students is accurate, a concern echoed by

Barnes et al. (2011). It is recommended that FE and HE providers work more closely

together to ensure accurate advice and guidance is provided to students (Moore et al.,

2013, Shaw, 2012, Rhodes, 2002, Barnes et al., 2011).

A number of studies have made specific recommendations regarding good practice in

these areas. Bennett (2004) highlights the importance of outreach activity that seeks to

develop widening participation students’ self-esteem and academic self-concept as

these factors are associated with application and progression to higher education.

Pre entry programmes run by Universities such as summer schools or preparation

programmes delivered at FE colleges have proved successful in preparing students for

the transition to HE and mitigating some of the “transitional shock” (Weadon & Baker,

2014) that many experience. A preparation for HE programme for students with low

socioeconomic status in Australia using social media as a teaching and learning tool

succeeded in 80% of participants moving into higher education( Ryan & Hopkins,

2013). A pre-entry e-mentoring programme at Kingston University (UK) aimed at

Access students (and particularly first generation University students) run by staff and

students at the University supported the programme participants to transition more

easily to HE by helping them to learn about university life, supporting application to


23

university and building confidence through learning about effective learning strategies

(Edirisingha, 2009). The Top-Up programme run by the University of Glasgow for

students from low participation neighbourhoods was perceived by attendees to ease the

transition to HE, which was also demonstrated in the pass/ fail rates of first year

students, with those who had taken the programme progressing at better rates than

those who had not (Walker, Matthew & Black, 2004). Thomas (2013) provides a

checklist for effective transition activities that include explaining the benefits of

academic and social engagement to students and helping them to develop the relevant

skills to do so, ensuring the link between the pre- entry course and their aspirations is

explicit, ensuring activities seek to build social capital and networks ( as well as provide

information), encouraging peer interaction to develop future social support at

University, and building on and relating to students own diverse interests and

experiences.

Once at University the transition to HE for WP students can be eased by initial study

skills modules and introductory formative assessments (Plockyn, 2015)and through

clear communication regarding the academic standards expected in early assessment

tasks (Wilson et al., 2016). Induction programmes need to be student centred rather

than information heavy and existing HE students can help to develop appropriate

induction programmes for new students (Alsford & Rose, 2014). Social activities at

programme level are an important part of the induction process for WP students to

encourage inclusion (Alsford & Rose, 2014) and opportunities for students to meet and

build relationships with Faculty members is considered important (Cashmore et al.,

2011). Much of the literature on WP students experiences of HE note the influence of

a feeling of belonging to retention and success (Moore et al., 2013) so early integration

is important. Ng et al., (2015) strike a cautionary note by advising that induction is only

the start of the student journey, and that WP students require ongoing support materials

as well as comprehensive induction. This is reflected in the prevalence and demand for

personal tutoring and peer mentoring for widening participation students (Thomas,

2012, Moore et al., 2013, Sandars & Higham, 2012).

The culture and “habitus” (Bourdieu, 2005) of University can be very different to the

background and experiences of WP students and this clash of cultures can be

psychologically difficult for students as they struggle to understand the “hidden

curricula” of University life (Gibney, Moore, Murphy & O’Sullivan, 2011) and cope

with their changing identities (Holdsworth, 2009, Watson, 2010, Burnell, 2013, Hope,

2014). Inclusive pedagogy and classroom practices can help students to feel more

comfortable and valued within the higher education environment. Active learning

(Weadon & Baker, 2014), more discussion, less reliance on written texts (Lillis & Scott,

2008) and sensitivity to diversity among lecturers can support widening participation

students to engage more readily in classroom activities. Hidden exclusion exists in the

classroom and curricula design (Bowl, 2001), and academic staff require professional

development to recognise and accommodate diverse student needs, as well as resisting

the temptation to view these students as a “problem” (Bowl, 2001, Lillis & Scott, 2008).

Conclusion

In conclusion, students entering University with BTEC qualifications are likely to need

increased academic support in terms of subject knowledge and study skills and may

experience difficulties in transitioning from the approach to learning and teaching at


24

college to that required at University (Cree et al., 2009, Moore et al., 2013, Stoten,

2015). They may have inaccurate expectations of University education and life as a

result of limited information and guidance. To complicate matters, many students

undertaking BTEC students are also from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds

and may find the different culture of University difficult to adapt to, leading to feelings

of isolation or feeling “out of place”. All of these issues can be mitigated by appropriate

actions such as short preparatory programmes (e.g. summer schools), study skills

support, induction and support programmes for students; however academic staff also

need to be understanding of non-traditional student needs and prepared to be flexible

in their approach to teaching. Educational development programmes for staff centred

on raising awareness and different pedagogic approaches are required to support staff

to achieve this.

6. Initial findings of a qualitative study of BTEC students in

Life Sciences at UoL Led by Ceri Coulby

Introduction

At the start of the academic year 2016/17, a qualitative research study commenced in

the School of Life Sciences exploring how students with BTEC entry qualifications and

potentially disadvantaged socio-economic status, experience the transition to higher

education from an academic, social and pastoral perspective.

The study sought to answer the following research questions:

• How do students with BTEC qualifications experience the transition to higher

education academically, socially and pastorally?

• What factors affect their transition experience?

• Can any interventions be identified from the students’ perspective to improve

their transition experiences?

Methodology

This study is rooted in an interpretive phenomenological perspective (Moses &

Knutsen, 2012). This involves exploration of a phenomenon experienced by a group of

people. The participant’s subjective experiences are drawn on and through data

analysis, the essence of the phenomenon is captured through identification of the

common experience (Creswell, 2013). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with

six students at the start of their undergraduate programme in September and October

2016. This will be followed up with a second interview during the second semester.

Demographic data were also collected. Questions were asked to ascertain: 1) Students’

previous experience of education and why they had chosen a BTEC 2) Why students

had chosen to commence study in higher education 3) How prepared students felt

academically for the programme and if they had any personal concerns about degree

level study, 4) If they intended to join any student societies or sports clubs and if they

had any particular concerns about integrating with their peers and 5) What their

expectations were in terms of student support and whether they had specific concerns

in that area?


25

After the first set of interviews, data were analysed using phenomenological data

analysis techniques. This involves identifying significant statements or quotes that

developing clusters of meaning from these statements into themes (Moustakas, 1994).

Initial findings

Data analysis is ongoing, however some initial observations can be shared. Of the six

students who were interviewed, four were the first in their family to go to University.

Four students were female and two male. Two were BME. Four were living either at

the parental home or with a partner. Two had children and were mature students. Only

one of the students had chosen to complete a BTEC initially. The other five had taken

the BTEC either after poor AS results or as a route back into education. Four of the

students expressed a view that up to, and including GCSE, school had been “ok

academically” but that they started to struggle at AS level. Five of the students spoke

of their desire to come to University to “get a better job in future” and three confided

they had previously aspired to go to medical school. All six students mentioned the

University of Liverpool’s Russell Group status as their reason for choosing Liverpool,

and how very few high status Universities will accept BTEC students. On interviewing

them I believe all felt grateful to have been accepted.

Five of the six students expressed the feeling that University was “harder” than they

had expected academically and three felt” overwhelmed” by the demands and the

relative lack of tutor support. All commented that the teaching was very different than

they were used to at college. They felt that there was less opportunity to ask questions

of tutors or to clarify concepts. Four of them spoke of reading over their notes and

looking up things they didn’t understand for several hours each night. The same four

commented that there were gaps in their underpinning knowledge which meant they

had to do more study just to understand the concepts outlined in the lectures that day.

Sometimes they were unable to understand these and felt helpless and behind. One

student started studying as soon as they got home after college until 11pm each night.

From the narratives of these students it was clear that their work ethic was strong, but

their underpinning knowledge and study strategies were not sufficient or effective.

Three spoke to me of their difficulties in applying the knowledge they were studying.

Four commented on the difficulties of navigating academic terms and jargon, of

understanding what had to be done and when, of navigating the VLE and having to

manage their own learning. None had joined any clubs or societies, citing that there

“wasn’t enough time” with study commitments.

Five of the six students had personal issues related to family or health concerns. None

were aware of the student support services on offer when asked and I referred two

myself (with their permission). One student mentioned their peer mentor, who had been

initially contacted and said that no follow up had occurred after they had replied. Of

the students who had seen their academic advisors, both were uncertain of the purpose

and remit of these meetings. Despite this all students interviewed had high expectations

and aspirations of post-graduate study.

7. Current UoL admissions policy for students with BTEC qualifications by subject area and Faculty


26

Authors: H Aspinall, G Howes, D Stanistreet

Admissions policy varies across programmes and across faculties. In HLS most of the

health professional programmes do not accept BTEC. However Life Sciences and

Psychology do. Life Sciences have been aware of problems with BTEC student

progress for some time and have put considerable effort into identifying what course of

action might reduce the failure rate of BTEC students. The School of Psychology is not

able to assess progress of BTEC students against students who enter HE with other

qualifications due to the way data are collated and therefore are unable to comment on

whether the failure rate is higher in BTEC students compared to other groups. The

School of Health Sciences have undertaken a detailed review of the new BTEC

curricula, and from September 2018, will be willing to accept BTEC students who have

undertaken specific BTEQ qualifications, as they are confident that the curricula and

rigorous nature of assessment has changed sufficiently to ensure that BTEC students

are appropriately prepared to undertake studies successfully. Veterinary Sciences do

accept BTEC for entry on to the programme but are not clear about how ell BTEC

students progress. Medicine and Dentistry do not.

In the Faculty of Science and Engineering the picture is fairly similar across all their

programmes. There are two main concerns for students entering with BTEC:

Competence in Maths: the Maths content of most BTEC courses is not an adequate preparation for our degree programmes that require competence in

Maths

Ability to cope with formal exam assessment: the majority (if not all) of BTEC is assessed through coursework that is internally marked

Students with only BTEC (no A-levels) who enter programmes which have specific A-

level subject requirements, (e.g. Engineering, Chemistry) generally struggle. There is

much less of a problem with degree programmes that do not have specific A-level

subject requirements (e.g. Planning).

In the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, last year, in line with a policy to

equalise admissions thresholds across the Faculty as part of Honours Select, Faculty

RAWPC broadly agreed on a Faculty-wide acceptance threshold of DDD for BTEC

triple award students (equivalent to 360 tariff points). Music and Communication and

Media negotiated an opt-out (but only for Major (100%), applicants on the basis that

all BTEC applicants would be vetted for their suitability and made offers at DDM (320

points) where appropriate. This can be a little time-consuming, but it means that

students can be admitted at DDM with some confidence in applicants’ abilities.

Following discussions, it was agreed that maintaining a blanket DDD approach at

Faculty level may be self-defeating. It is likely to:

Discourage applications from a growing pool of BTEC students, and leave UoL,

and Russell Group competitors fishing in the dwindling pond of A-Level

applicants.

Undermine WP efforts: WP applicants are more likely to have BTECs, so the agreed

Faculty policy on BTEC triple-award applicants runs counter to the many WP

initiatives that Faculty supports.


27

Without access to the data to date, it has been difficult to say confidently in which areas

HSS have students who have entered with a BTEC qualification (either solely or with

an additional qualification). From information gathered from School Recruitment leads

the majority of BTEC students in the Faculty are studying in the Management School

and the School of Law and Social Justice.

The School of History, Languages and Culture has relatively few BTEC applications

and in the School of the Arts, the applications are mainly in Architecture and Music

with some in Communication and Media. So as not to disadvantage students, HLC and

Arts treat applications individually, referring them to admissions tutors who assess their

suitability for a particular academic pathway based on BTEC, and their UCAS

application and may request further evidence to look at (an essay, for example). The

exceptions to this rule are Architecture and English, which both require a clear

demonstration of subject-specific academic ability.

The school of Law and Social Justice operates in line with A-Levels and is unwilling

to adopt the above approach until further data become available. The Management

School, like Architecture and English, have specific subject requirements and aim to

stream candidates into programmes on which they are most likely to succeed.

Table 14 in Appendix 1 collates entry requirements by School and Faculty and also

provide the rationale for decisions on BTEC entry requirements within the different

programmes to inform the review panel with regards to BTEC practices across the

University.

8. Progress of BTEC students enrolling for an undergraduate

degree for the academic year 2014 – 2015 at UoL

Authors D Stanistreet and T Thiele

1) Introduction

The integration of a dataset to allow comparison of entry criteria with progress at the

end of the first year of studies across the University of Liverpool (UoL) involved

significant time and data manipulation. Dave Eglese, Head of Data Science at UoL

developed the dataset on which the following analysis is based. It includes all UG

students who registered to commence their studies at UoL during 2014/15, their entry

qualifications, and their results at the end of Year One of their studies along with a

number of demographic characteristics.

The following should also be noted:

Where double GCSEs were taken, it was counted as one GCSE in the 5GCSEs or more variable.

A-Level, BTEC, GCSE and IB qualifications were extracted, but no other qualifications were taken in order to create a manageable dataset. If students

had other entry qualifications they would be excluded from this analysis.

Some postcodes did not match against the POLAR score.

Medical and Dental students do not have an average mark at the end of first as


28

the mark is only calculated as pass or fail.

The following analysis is preliminary. There is some discussion to be had regarding the

most appropriate outcome measure against which to measure student progress and also

it would be useful to extend the analysis to include additional years of data and also

other non-traditional qualifications such as Access Diplomas. However the main

findings are unlikely to change significantly from those presented in this report.

All data analysis was undertaken using SPSS 24.

1) Overview of sample

After data cleaning and removal of EU and International students and students with

missing data, the final dataset comprised of 3,844 first year home students who were

registered at UoL during the 2014/15 academic year. Of these students, 278 (7.2%) had

BTEC qualifications alone, 683 (17.8%) had at least one BTEC plus A-level (s) and

2,657 (69.1%) had A- level qualifications.

2) Students from Low Participation Neighbourhoods

The Participation of Local Areas (POLAR 3) neighborhood measure of disadvantage

is a HEFCE measure, which classifies local areas or ‘wards’ into five quintiles, based

on the proportion of 18-19 year olds who enter HE in those areas. These groups range

from quintile 1 areas, with the lowest young participation (most disadvantaged), up to

quintile 5 areas with the highest rates (most advantaged). For further information, see

http://www.hefce.ac.uk/analysis/yp/POLAR/.

For the purposes of the Access Agreement and the Teaching Excellence Framework,

POLAR Groups 1 and 2 are classified as Low Participation Neighbourhoods (LPN).

As would be expected, the percentage of enrolled students increases across the groups

from 1 through to 5, so for example 12.9% of UG students admitted to UoL during

2014/15 were from POLAR quintile 1 (LPN) but 30.2% of students admitted were from

POLAR quintile 5, the highest participation neighbourhood.

This is presented in Figure 1 below, which shows the proportion of students across UoL

by POLAR Group.


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Figure 3: POLAR Group of UG student admissions at UoL 2014/15

* Data missing for 75 students

3) Sex of UG students admitted to UoL during 2014/15

There were 2,396 female (57.5% of all students) registered in Year One during 2014/15

and 1,774 males (42.5%). This is broadly consistent with national data on

undergraduate recruitment.

4) Number and proportion of student entry registrations by LPN and entry

qualification

Table 5 shows the entry qualification of admitted students in 14/15 by POLAR group.

There is a significant difference in the proportion of LPN students by entry qualification

(Chi square= 89.44, p=


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Table 5: Number and proportion of student entry registrations by entry

qualification

BTEC BTEC plus A A-level

POLAR Low (1 and 2) 119 (44%) 279 (40.1%) 664 (22.9%)

POLAR High (3 to 5) 150 (55.8%) 417 (59.9%) 2238 (77.1%)

5) Sex, and LPN by Faculty and entry qualification

The proportion of female students in each Faculty varies considerably with HLS and

HSS having a majority of females (73.2% and 57.7% respectively), and S and E having

a majority of males (66.5%). The proportion of students by LPN however, does not

vary greatly by Faculty. It can be noted that the proportion of BTEC students is higher

in HSS (9.6%) compared to S and E (6.9%) and HLS (2.7%). This may be because the

majority of clinical programmes in HLS do not accept BTEC and also within S and E,

there are additional entry requirements for BTEC students including a Maths entrance

examination.

The proportion of students with BTEC plus A-level is higher than anticipated. This

may be because students who failed to gain sufficient UCAS points with A-levels,

subsequently undertake a BTEC qualification to ensure sufficient UCAS points for

entry to HE. This was common among the BTEC students who participated in focus

groups at the City of Liverpool College (reported in section 10 of the main BTEC

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