An introduction to Inclusive Advising for Student engagement and Success

The role of personal tutoring in higher education is critical to enhancing student academic performance. Research consistently shows that students who actively engage with personal tutors achieve improved academic outcomes (Casuso-Holgado et al., 2013; Stuart, Willocks, & Browning, 2019; Holland et al., 2020). However, challenges such as infrequent tutor–student interactions can negatively affect both satisfaction and success (Calabrese et al., 2022).

Personal academic tutors (PATs) also face barriers to ongoing professional development, particularly in areas of cultural and racial sensitivity. This gap in training can limit their ability to effectively meet the needs of diverse student populations (Alberts, 2022; Barton, 2023).

Racial disparities in higher education remain striking. Students from racially minoritised backgrounds experience disproportionately higher dropout rates and lower academic attainment, even when entering with equivalent qualifications as their peers.

Session Focus

This session will explore the lived experiences of racially minoritised students and equip practitioners with tools to identify and address race-related barriers to success in higher education.

Participants will learn to:

• Understand ethnicity-related degree award disparities and their contributing factors.
• Explore how the advising relationship can help students navigate and overcome psychosocial barriers.
• Gain an introduction to Motivational Interviewing as an evidence-based approach to enable inclusive advising.

The session is being delivered by an external speaker Nathan Gann

About Nathan:

Nathan is a champion for equity and inclusion in higher education. As a doctoral researcher, he investigates the psychosocial factors influencing learning engagement among students with intersecting protected characteristics. He is currently Programmes Director at the Educate Group, a social enterprise dedicated to addressing educational disparities and increasing completion rates for underrepresented groups.

Previously, Nathan served as Student Success Lead at the University of Hertfordshire, where he co-led initiatives that reduced the degree-awarding gap from 27% to 11% and achieved a value-added score of 0.99. He was the founding Chair of the UH Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic Staff Network and a member of the Race Equality Charter self-assessment team, driving strategic change to advance equity for both staff and students.

With over a decade of sector experience, Nathan also works as an Associate Consultant with Advance HE, co-facilitating Inclusive Learning and Teaching and Assessment as well as the Diversifying Leadership programme. He is the creator of the Belong in HE podcast on Spotify, exploring inclusion from multiple perspectives, and a contributing author to Doing Equity and Diversity for Success in Higher Education, with his chapter “Turning Big Data into Informed Action.”

As a speaker, Nathan delivers informed, passionate, and compelling thought leadership, working to accelerate equity and inclusion across the higher education sector.