Preprint
Improving Equity and Inclusion in Higher Education: An Intersectional Lens on Student Outcomes in an Immersive Block Model
SSRN, Vol.Series Paper No. 39
Southern Cross University Scholarship of Learning and Teaching Research Paper Series, Elsevier
06/11/2025
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Abstract
Higher education (HE) providers worldwide continue to search for more equitable practices that deliver greater parity in academic outcomes across student cohorts. This study explores whether an institution-wide shift from traditional semesters, lectures and exams to an alternative calendar and HE pedagogy, immersive block learning, can improve the academic outcomes of students who have been historically and persistently underrecognised. We analysed undergraduate student enrolment records (N = 132,334) over five years at an Australian regional university, using chi square tests and generalized estimating equations (GEE) to compare success (pass) rates in traditional semester and immersive block learning. We examined results for students identifying with at least one underrecognised group, as well as six individual groups (First Nations, low socioeconomic status, regional/remote, English as an additional language (EAL), registered with a disability, and first-in-family). Adopting an intersectional lens, we also explored results for students who identified with 0, 1, 2, or 3-5 underrecognised groups. Findings suggest that broadly, a more focused, active and guided approach to academic delivery in HE has a significant positive association with higher success among students from underrecognised groups. A key implication is that such gains can be realised at scale across institutions with high proportions of students from underrecognised backgrounds. However, effects varied across groups, underscoring the need for more targeted and culturally responsive interventions informed by the student voice.
Details
- Title
- Improving Equity and Inclusion in Higher Education: An Intersectional Lens on Student Outcomes in an Immersive Block Model
- Creators
- Elizabeth Goode - Southern Cross UniversityThomas Roche - Southern Cross UniversityErica Wilson - Southern Cross University
- Publication Details
- SSRN, Vol.Series Paper No. 39
- Series
- Southern Cross University Scholarship of Learning and Teaching Research Paper Series
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Identifiers
- 991013337290802368
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Business, Law and Arts; Office of the PVC (Academic Quality)
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Preprint
- Local Fields
- Original Research - SoLT