Dr. Ebrahim Adia

With more young people pursuing Higher Education (HE) than ever, it’s crucial that universities are able to support every student that comes to study effectively. This is especially true in the aftermath of the pandemic, with many students beginning their degrees with less traditional qualifications.

As Pro Vice-Chancellor (PVC) for Academic Leadership at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), Dr, Ebrahim Adia helps make sure that every student has the chance to achieve their potential at his institution. GoodCourse Community Engagement Lead Kira Matthews asks Dr. Ebrahim about how his strategy has changed throughout the course of the pandemic, and some of his biggest successes to date.

Ebrahim's Journey

Kira: What do you cover in your current role, and how did you come to work in HE?

I’m currently PVC for Education at UCLan, where I oversee academic leadership in all the Faculties. My love for learning brought me to HE: I enjoyed my undergraduate degree so much that I decided to pursue a PhD and, in the process, came across some inspirational academics who showed me how amazing a career in the sector could be.

After finishing my PhD I took on a lecturing position at UCLan — that was in August 1997, and I came back to the university five years ago as Provost for our Burnley campus. I’m passionate about widening participation in HE and making sure every student thrives once they reach university.

Kira: Across the sector, university leaders are trying their best to make sure that every student has the chance to excel in their studies. What are you doing at UCLan to ensure equality of opportunity?

There are three things we consider when it comes to making sure that we’re helping every student meet their potential: progression, attainment and post-university prospects.

When it comes to retaining students and improving attainment, we need to make sure that our staff, pedagogy and student support are flexible to meet the needs of our students.  Our student body is becoming more diverse and we’re proud to support the widest possible access into the university.

We have a full range of courses, from Foundation Entry and Degree Apprenticeships to traditional undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications in subjects like Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Sciences.  Our students come from a range of backgrounds, educational profiles, cognitive profiles and learning styles.  At UCLan, we are working to personalise the student experience across the full student life cycle, organising our curriculum, learning, teaching, assessment and student support to flex around the individual student.

Kira: UCLan invests very heavily in student well-being. Why do you think it’s so important to a quality student experience?

We’re currently implementing an early intervention model, which I introduced at the University of Bolton in 2015.  I have spent a long time in the health and social care sector, where systems are designed to identify risk early.  I decided a similar model would work in HE. This involves using a range of metrics to provide disengaged students with tailored support.

At UCLan, we are working to personalise the student experience across the full student life cycle, organising our curriculum, learning, teaching, assessment and student support to flex around the individual student.

We also use a triaging system to decide on the balance of support between academic and professional services staff. Then, we can track engagement with those interventions to see if performance improves.

Kira: What advice would you give to anyone coming into the HE sector now?

The work we do as HE professionals is incredibly rewarding — the impact we can have on young people and society through our teaching, research and knowledge exchange is truly unmatched. At the same time, there are significant financial challenges and regulatory demands and this inevitably means a much sharper focus on outcomes.