Transforming academic support for incarcerated students: flipping the approach for a “Back to the Future” experience, Kyffin, E., & Andersen, A.

Presented at LILAC 2025.

1. Transforming Academic Support for Incarcerated Students Flipping the Approach for a 'Back to the Future' Experience

2. Structure of session Introduction Background Student Experience and Barriers Library Involvement Group Exercise Discussion Impact References/Further Reading

3. Introduction Academic Librarians and Learning Developers: Eleri, Emma, Ka-Ming, Aimee, Laura, Joe Presenters: Eleri and Aimee Prison Project - University of Westminster Quentin Hogg

4. Background

5. Initial Outreach and Pilot Project Funding for Essential Books Provided books to every student studying the module Morwenna's Outreach Efforts Reading list material Meeting with various ideas Visiting prisoners in prison Quentin Hogg Project Involvement Offering involvement in the initial project Partnership with DWRM Partners in place for the project Pilot Module for University Level Study Initial module for students aiming for university level

6. University of Westminster Involvement

7. Second Round of Funding Objective of 2nd Round of Funding Upscale the work and offer two level 3 modules per semester Modules include Politics and Criminology Training for Criminology Students Provide a mediated search Consultation and Adaptation Consulted but led by the project Adapt according to needs

8. Barriers

9. Does one size fit all? Digital Barriers Variable support levels Time restrictions S tudy spaces Permissions W orking hours (library access) Resource access and where: are newspapers, radio, television available within their cells? Access to t utors. Literacy support in prisons DRWM. (40 students at 26 institutions)  

10. Variable Support Levels in Prisons Variable levels of support and interest Different levels of support available in each prison Interest varies across prisons Support teams for students Not all prisons have teams to support students Some prisons lack HE-level support Focus on functional literacies Many prisons prioritize functional literacy programs

11. Digital Barriers No Internet Access Limited or no access to online resources Educational Challenges Students may have struggled or dropped out due to undiagnosed learning difficulties Coracle Systems in Prisons Laptops pre-loaded with course materials Need to prepare and send materials in advance

12. Challenges with Prison Transfers Frequent Transfers Between Prisons Students moved with little notice Study materials often left behind Arrival at New Prison Treated as new prisoners Cannot immediately resume studies Impact on Students High dropout rates Students get lost in the system DWRM Efforts Tracking students as best as they can

13. Student Experience

14. Replicating Student Experience Classroom Session Recordings Students received recordings of classroom sessions Reading Pack for Module Provided reading materials for the module Regular Time with Academics Scheduled regular interactions with academic staff

15. Student Connection Opportunities Connecting with People Opportunity to meet individuals from the University Chance to build new relationships Becoming a Student Creating and trying a new persona Embracing the student lifestyle Laura's Characteristics Described as a superbright person

16. Library Involvement

17. Learning from Challenges During the Pandemic Pre-Pandemic Student Support Law, criminology, and business students on day release from prison Criminology students studying while in prison Recognized need for additional adjustments or support Impact of the Pandemic Day release students could no longer attend on-campus classes Shift to online teaching and asynchronous recordings Creation of support materials for remote learning

18. Phone Support and Training Regular phone slot for student support Initially 2 people Increased to 5 currently Mix of librarians and learning developers Secure call diversion via DWRM No numbers disclosed Team training Handling phone calls Managing difficult or inappropriate calls

19. Information Sharing via Google Drive Google Drive for Information Storage and Sharing Phone log of calls and requests Module handbooks and reading lists Supporting academic skills materials Support for Students in Prison Check what students had been given Identify missing materials

20. Approaches to Support Asynchronous, mediated approach Communication and collaboration methods Key academic on maternity leave Impact on project progress Google Drive storage issues Full storage, no administrative access IT unable to provide extra file space SharePoint site with external partner Access renewal required every fortnight Ongoing management of access

21. Phone Slot Adjustments Phone Slot Changes Calls for DWRM Occasional regular callers Assessment Requirements Issue Problem identified through research Call Volume and Nature Varying times but low volume Calls often turn into chats

22. How would you deliver support?

23. Group discussion Given the barriers students face in prison, and how we would support foundational students, what approaches would you develop? See the scenario your group has been given and discuss.

24. Delivering Support Live Mediated Search Service Addresses 'Digital isolation' as per Pike Encourages critical thinking for search strategy Developed a Research Template Old school template for mediated research conversation Training for Administrator in DWRM Searching for open access resources via library catalogue Support from open access library guide Guide can be printed or downloaded for students

25. Discussion & Impact

26. Providing a student experience as close as possible to student prisoners Recognising barriers to resources and literacy support A way for students to connect to something outside of their current experiences of incarceration Teamwork for creative solutions to how we deliver research and literacy support, and to respond to student needs.

27. Conclusion Team Characteristics Interested and creative Flexible and responsive to students' needs Creative solutions Support for Students in Prison Team's willingness to support Need for DWRM Support Utilize Teams chat for knowledge sharing