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Building student engagement
and belonging in Higher
Education at a time of change:final report from the
What Works? Student Retention & Success programme
Final Report
By Professor Liz Thomas
July 2012
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WhatWorks?StudentRetention&Success
Acknowledgements
Iamgratefulfortheinputofalargenumberofpeopletothisprogrammeof
work.FirsttothePaulHamlynFoundationforinitiating,developingand
implementingworkinthisarea,andforthecollaborationwiththeHigher
EducationFundingCouncilforEngland(HEFCE)(asco-funders)andtheHigherEducationAcademyandActiononAccess(astheSupportand
Co-ordinationteam).IamespeciallygratefultoDrHelenMayforherwork
supportingprojectsandco-ordinatinganalysisanddisseminationduringthe
firsttwoyearsoftheprogramme.Withoutthesevenprojectteamswhohave
workedtogetherandindependentlyforoverthreeyearstherewouldnotbea
finalreporttopublish.TheAdvisoryGroup,chairedbyProfessorPatricia
Broadfoot,hasbeenveryhelpfulinguidingtheprogrammeandsupporting
thedisseminationofthefindings.Therearemanyindividualswhohave
contributedtothisstudyinawiderangeofways,andIamgratefultoallof
them.Thankyou.
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1Contents
ContentsIntroduction 4 Thechanginghighereducationlandscape 4
StudentretentionandsuccessinEnglandandtheUK 5
The What Works? Student Retention & Successprogramme 8
Methods 8
Outputsfromtheprogramme 10
Building engagement and belonging 12
Belonging 12
Engagement 13
Nurturingbelonging 14
The What Works? model: building student
belonging, engagement, retention and success 16 Earlyengagement 17
Engagementintheacademicsphere 17
Developingthecapacityofstudentsandstafftoengage 18
Institutionalmanagementandco-ordination 19
Practical implications: lessons learned,case studies and recommendations 20
Engagingpractice:Characteristicsofeffectiveinterventions
andapproaches 20
Pre-entry 21
Pre-entrycasestudiesofeffectivepractice 23
MatureStudentsWelcomeLunch,UniversityofHull
StudySkillsSummerSchool,UniversityofHull
Induction 25
Inductioncasestudiesofeffectivepractice 27
Thet-shirtinductionactivity,SchoolofChemicalEngineering
andAdvancedMaterials,NewcastleUniversity
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2WhatWorks?StudentRetention&Success
WelcomeWeek,NottinghamTrentUniversity
PeerGuides:studentssupportingstudentsthroughtransition
andbeyond,BangorUniversity
Learningandteaching 31
Staff/studentrelationships
Curriculumcontentsandpedagogy
Assessmentandfeedback
Learningandteachingcasestudiesofeffectivepractice 39
Engineeringteams,SchoolofMechanicalandSystemsEngineering
(MSE),NewcastleUniversity
Problem-basedlearningingroups,DepartmentofPsychology,
UniversityofSunderland
Fieldtripduringinductionweek,DepartmentofTourism,Hospitality
andEvents,UniversityofSunderland
Academicdevelopmentandsupport 42
Personaltutoring
Academicdevelopmentandsupportcasestudiesofeffectivepractice 45
PASS:PersonalandAcademicSupportSystem:proactivesupport
forstudents,DepartmentofBiologicalandMedicalSciences,
OxfordBrookesUniversity
Writingmentors,AstonUniversity,LiverpoolHopeUniversityand
LondonMetropolitanUniversity
Friendshipandpeersupport 48
School,departmentorprogrammeintegration
Accommodation
Clubs,societiesandsocialevents
PeermentoringFriendshipandpeersupportcasestudiesofeffectivepractice 56
Studentssupportingstudents,UniversityofSheffield
TheSandboxStudio:acourse-specificsocialspace,Department
ofPsychology,UniversityofSunderland
Curriculum-relatedfundraisingactivities,BA(Hons)Childhood
Studies,FacultyofEducationandSociety,UniversityofSunderland
Professionalservices 60
Professionalservicescasestudiesofeffectivepractice 62
Studentadvisers,AngliaRuskinUniversity
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3Contents
PASSIntervention:Mentoringpoorlyperformingfirst-yearstudents,
DepartmentofBiologicalandMedicalSciences,OxfordBrookes
University
Studentcapacityforparticipationandbelonging 64
Staffcapacityforinvolvingstudentsandnurturingacultureofbelonging 65
Recognition
Supportanddevelopment
Reward
Usingdata 66
Modules,programmesanddepartments
Monitoringstudentengagement
Strategic implications and recommendations 69
Institutionalreflectivechecklist 70
Conclusions 72
Whattodonow 73
Appendix 1: The What Works? projects 74 Project1:Acomparativeevaluationoftherolesofstudentadviser
andpersonaltutorinrelationtoundergraduatestudentretention 74
Project2:Pathwaystosuccessthroughpeermentoring 76
Project3:Belongingandintimacyfactorsintheretentionofstudents 80
Project4:Dispositionstostay:thesupportandevaluationofretention
strategiesusingtheEffectiveLifelongLearningInventory(ELLI) 82
Project5:HERE!Highereducationretentionandengagement 84
Project6:Comparingandevaluatingtheimpactsonstudentretentionof differentapproachestosupportingstudentsthroughstudyadviceand
personaldevelopment 88
Project7:Goodpracticeinstudentretention:anexaminationofthe
effectsofstudentintegrationonnon-completion 91
References 93
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4WhatWorks?StudentRetention&Success
IntroductionThisreportisasynthesisofthekeymessages,findings,implicationsand
recommendationsemanatingfromtheprojectsfundedthroughtheWhatWorks?StudentRetention&Successprogramme2008-2011,and
includescasestudiesofwhatworks.Followingthisintroductorysection,the
reportprovides:
asummaryofkeymessagesbasedonasynthesisoftheevidencefrom
thesevenprojects;
presentationoftheWhatWorks?modelforimprovingstudent
engagement,belonging,retentionandsuccess;
afulldiscussionaboutthepracticalimplicationsoftheresearch
programme,includingillustrativeexamplesofspecificwaysinwhichhigher
educationinstitutionshaveimprovedstudentengagement,belonging,
retentionandsuccess;
considerationofthestrategicimplicationsofadoptingtheWhatWorks?
approachtoimprovingstudentretentionandsuccess,includingan
institutionalreflectivechecklist;
conclusionsfromtheresearchprogrammeandsomesuggestionsofhow
institutionscanusethelearningfromtheWhatWorks?programmeto
enhancestudentengagement,belonging,retentionandsuccess.
The changing higher education landscapeThisreportislaunchedatatimeofimmensechangeinthehigher
educationsector.
ThereviewofhighereducationfundingpublishedbyLordBrowne(2010)
maderecommendationsforchangestothefundingarrangementsforHEin
England,aswellasthearrangementsforstudentfinance.Thesubsequent
WhitePaperStudents at the Heart of the System (DepartmentforBusiness,
Innovation&Skills,2011)aimstousestudentchoice(informedinbypriceand
qualityofthestudentexperience)asamajordriverinshapingHEprovision,
andputsthequalityofthestudentexperiencecentrestage.Inordertodo
this,studentswillhavegreaterinformationaboutuniversities,includingdataonretention,completionandemploymentoutcomes(seeSuttonTrust,2010).
Thepolicychangesshiftresponsibilityforfundinghighereducationawayfrom
thetaxpayertowardsstudentsdirectly:studentfeesareduetoincreasetoa
maximumof9,000peryearfrom2012-13(Cable,2010)andtheHEFCE
recurrentgrantforteachingandresearchinfinancialyear2012-13willbe
reducedby12.8%fromthepreviousyear(BISannualgrantlettertoHEFCE,
20111).Therewasalsoacutintherecurrentteachinggrantinthefinancial
year2011/12by6.1%incomparisontothefinancialyear2010-11(BIS
annualgrantlettertoHEFCE,20102).
1 AnnualgrantlettersfromtheSecretaryofStatetoHEFCEareavailablefrom:http://www.hefce.ac.uk/whatwedo/invest/institns/annallocns/governmentgrantletter/.
2 Recurrentgrantforteachingexcludes132millionone-offfundingprovidedfor2010-11throughtheUniversityModernisationFund.Thisisbecausethefundingwasallocatedasasinglesumin2010-11coveringthefulldurationoftheadditionalcourses.
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5Introduction
Theseandrelatedchangeshavethepotentialtoaffecthowstudentsengage
withtheprogrammeinwhichtheyareenrolledandwiththewiderinstitution.It
hasbeenspeculatedthatwhenfeesrisein2012-13,studentswilldevelopa
strongerconsumermindsetandexpectationswillincrease,changingthe
focusoftheirattentiontowhatdemonstratesvalueformoneyincludingthe
numberofcontacthourswithtutors(Docherty,2011).Indeed,theNUS/HSBC
survey(NUSConnect,2010)foundthat65%(n=2,511)ofstudentssurveyed
saidtheywouldhaveevenhigherexpectationsoftheirexperienceat
universityasaresultofariseinfees.Furtherpossibleconsequencesof
increasedstudentfeesmayincludemorestudentschoosingtocontinueto
liveinthefamilyhomeratherthanwiththeirstudentpeers;morestudents
combiningpart-timestudywithemployment;andstudentspostponing
enteringHEandthusstudyingasmaturestudents.Astheevidencefromthe
WhatWorks?projectsshowsallofthesefactorsmakeitmoredifficultfor
studenttofullyparticipate,integrateandfeelliketheybelonginHE,whichcan
impactontheirretentionandsuccess.
Student retention and success in England and the UK
IntheUKtwomeasuresofstudentretentionarecommonlyusedinrespectof
full-timeundergraduates:
The first is the completion rate the proportion of starters in a
year who continue their studies until they obtain their qualification,
with no more than one consecutive year out of higher education. Ashigher education courses take years to complete, an expected
completion rate is calculated by the Higher Education Statistics
Agency A more immediate measure of retention is the proportionof an institutions intake which is enrolled in higher education in theyear following their first entry to higher education. This is the
continuation rate.
(NAO, 2007, p. 5)
DataarecollectedfromhighereducationinstitutionsintheUKannuallybythe
HigherEducationStatisticsAgency(HESA)onbehalfofthefourUKhigher
educationfundingbodies.Thisinformationhasenabledthetwomeasures
describedabovetobepublishedforeachinstitutiononanannualbasisinthe
UKhighereducationperformanceindicatorssince1999.Additionally,the
performanceindicatorshaveincludedretentioninformationrelatingtopart-timefirstdegreestudentssince20103.
3Furtherinformationontheretentionmeasureforpart-timestudentsisavailablefrom:http://www.hesa.ac.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2064&Itemid=141.
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6WhatWorks?StudentRetention&Success
Theperformanceindicatorscanbeusedtoprovideanoverviewofretention
amongfull-timefirstdegree4studentsinEngland5:
theaveragenon-continuationratewas8.4%forentrantstoEnglishhigher
educationinstitutionsin2009-10;
non-continuationratesvariedbetweenEnglishinstitutionsbetween1.2%
and21.4%in2009-10;
theaveragecompletionrateforstudentsenteringinstitutionsinEnglandin
2009-10wasprojectedtobe78.4%;
completionrateswereprojectedtovarybetweeninstitutionsbetween
53.8%and97.2%in2009-10.
Additionally:
theaveragenon-continuationratewas15.2%forfull-timeother
undergraduateentrantstoEnglishhighereducationinstitutionsin2009-10;
non-continuationratesforthesestudentsvariedbetweenEnglish
institutionsbetween1.7%and32.6%in2009-10.
Itisrecognisedthattheprofileofstudentsstudyingvariessignificantly
betweenHEIs,andthattheprofileofaninstitutionsstudentswillbeshaped
byarangeoffactorsincludingitsmission,history,programmesoffered,
geographicallocation,reputationanddemandandpotentiallyinthefuture
thefeescharged.Thecontinuationandcompletionratesincludedwithinthe
performanceindicatorspublishedbyHESAareaccompaniedbybenchmarks,
whichaidinterpretation.Thebenchmarkstakeaccountofthestudentsentry
qualifications,ageandsubjectareaofstudy,andgiveinformationaboutthesortofvaluesthatmightbeexpectedifnofactorsotherthanthoseallowed
forwereimportant6.
TheUKisoftencitedashavinghighratesofstudentretention,progression
andcompletioncomparedtointernationalcomparators.Itis,however,very
difficulttomakesuchcomparisonslargelyduetothenon-standarddefinitions
oftheseterms,anddifferingdatacollectionpractices(vanStolket al.,2007).
Duty(2012)discussesthefactthatwhenthecomparativelylate(December)
datacensuspointistakenintoaccount,andgiventhatmorewithdrawal
happensearlyoninastudentsHEcareer,theUKratesofretentionarenot
significantlybetterthanretentionratesintheUSfour-yearinstitutions.Weko
(2004),however,indicatesthatthedegreeofflexibilityavailabletostudentsintheUSseemstoresultinratesofretentionandcompletionthatare
substantiallylowerthanthoseintheUK.
4 ThedefinitionofafirstdegreeincludesHonoursdegrees,ordinarydegreesandintegratedMastersdegrees,butitdoesnotincludefoundationdegrees.Notethatthetermfirstinthiscontextdoesnotnecessarilyimplythatitisanindividuallearnersfirstinstanceofstudyona
degreeprogramme.ThedefinitionofanotherundergraduatequalificationincludesHNCs,HNDsandothercertificates,foundationdegrees,diplomasandcredit-bearingcoursesatundergraduatelevel.
5 Datarefertoallfull-timeentrants.ExtractedfromperformanceindicatorstableseriesT3andT5,publishedbyHESAandavailablefrom:http://www.hesa.ac.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2064&Itemid=141.
6 Thecorollaryofthisisthatwheredifferencesdoexist,thismaybeduetotheinstitutionsperformance,oritmaybeduetosomeotherfactorthatisnotincludedinthebenchmark.
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7Introduction
ThereisconcernintheUKcollectivelyandEnglandinparticulartoensurethat
studentretention,progressionandcompletiondoesnotworsenasstudent
numbersanddiversityincrease,andtomakeeffortstoimprovetheserates
asthereareoftennegativeconsequencesforstudentsandtheirfamilies,
institutionsandsocietywhenstudentsleavebeforecompletingtheirtarget
award.Indeed,therearearangeofeconomicandethicalargumentsasto
whyinstitutionsshouldbeconcernedaboutstudentretentionandsuccess.
Inrelationtoeconomics,whenastudentleavesaninstitutionbefore
completionoftheirtargetawardinEnglandthisrepresentslostincomeforthe
institution,whichcannoteasilybereplaced.From2012-13afull-time,non
residentialstudentwhowithdrawsinthefirstsemesterfromaninstitution
charging7,500feeswouldbeequivalenttoatleast24,300oflostincome
totheinstitutionoverthedurationofathree-yearcourse.Aresidentialstudent
wouldrepresentlostincomeintheregionof33,300overthesameperiod(if
institutionalaccommodationfeesare3,000perannum.Therearealso
economicconsequencesforthestudentandforsocietyinrelationtodebt,lowerlifetimeearningsandcontributionstohumancapital.Inaddition,
graduatesbringwiderbenefitstosociety,suchasincreasedcommunity
participationandbeinghealthier,whicharelostwhenstudentswithdraw
prematurelyfromtheiruniversitycareer.
Regardingethicsandsocialresponsibilityitseemsreasonabletoarguethatif
aninstitutionadmitsstudentstoHEithasanobligationtotakereasonable
stepstoenablethemtobesuccessful.InEurope,theBolognaProcess
designedtocreateaEuropeanHigherEducationAreaassertsthat:Access
intohighereducationshouldbewidenedbyfosteringthepotentialofstudents
fromunderrepresentedgroupsandbyprovidingadequateconditionsforthe
completionoftheirstudies(ConferenceofEuropeanMinistersresponsibleforhighereducation,2009).BamberandTett(2001)arguethat:Higher
educationmustacceptthattheimplicationsofofferingaccesstonon
traditionalstudentsdonotend,butratherbegin,atthepointofentry(p.15).
Furthermore,inthewordsofVincentTinto(2008),accesswithoutsupportis
notopportunity.Thus,institutionsrecruitingstudentsmustputinplacea
strategytosupportthemtobesuccessful.
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8WhatWorks?StudentRetention&Success
The What Works? Student Retention& Success programme
In2007theNationalAuditOfficeundertookareviewofretentioninhigher
educationinstitutions(HEIs)inEngland,andsubsequentlythetopicwas
reviewedbythePublicAccountsCommittee(PAC)intheHouseofCommons
(HouseofCommonsCommitteeofthePublicAccounts,2008).TheNAO
reportrecognisedEnglandsgoodstandinginternationally,buturgedtheHE
sectortofindwaysoffurtherimprovingstudentretentionandcompletion.The
PACfeltthatasignificantbarriertofurtherprogresswasthelackofevidence
aboutwhatactuallyworkstoimprovestudentretentionandcompletion.
Thereisawealthofresearchaboutstudentretentionandsuccess(see,for
example,Jones,2008;Troxel,2010;Krause,forthcoming).Itis,however,
difficulttotranslatethisknowledgeintoactivitiesthatimpactonstudentpersistenceandsuccess,andinstitutionaloutcomes:
Most institutions have not yet been able to translate what we knowabout student retention into forms of action that have led to
substantial gains in student persistence and graduation.
(Tinto, 2006b)
ThePaulHamlynFoundation(PHF),anindependentcharitableorganisation
respondedtothesechallengesbyinitiatingandsupportingthisprogrammeof
work.Theprogrammewassubsequentlyco-fundedbyPHFandtheHigher
EducationCouncilforEngland(HEFCE),providinginexcessof1milliontofundtheWhatWorks?StudentRetention&Successprogrammeandthe
SupportandCo-ordinationteam.Theprimarypurposeoftheprogrammewas
togenerateevidence-basedanalysisandevaluationaboutthemosteffective
practicestoensurehighcontinuationandcompletionratesthroughseven
projectsinvolving22highereducationinstitutions.Detailsandsummary
findingsfromtheprojectscanbefoundinAppendix1.
Methods
Eachoftheprojectshasundertakenextensiveresearchusingarangeof
methodstoaddresstheirtopicsofinvestigation.Moststudiescombinestudentsurveydata,qualitativeresearchwithstudentsandanalysisof
institutionaldata,aswellasliteraturereviewsandadditionalmethodsto
triangulatethedata.Someoftheinstitutionalsurveyshadlargenumbersof
respondentsand/orhighresponserates(seeTable1).Forfurtherdetailsof
themethodsandnumberofsurveyrespondentsandotherresearch
participantspleaseseetheindividualresearchreports.
Wherestatisticsfromtheprojectreportsarecitedwithinthisreport,both
percentagesandnumbersaregivenwherepossible.Wherenumbersare
given,Nrepresentsthetotalnumberofresponsesreceivedforthatsurvey
orquestion,whilenrepresentsthenumericalequivalentofthepreceding
percentage.
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9TheWhatWorks?StudentRetention&Successprogramme
Table 1: Survey responses across the projects
Project Survey tool or similar Number ofstudents
responding
Responserate
Project1 SurveyacrossHEIandtwopartnercolleges:thoughtsaboutleavingandsourcesofsupport
721
559fullycompleted
10%
Project2 Surveyacrossthreeinstitutions:valueofmentoringfromtheperspectivesofthestudentpeermentorsandmentees
1,950responses 19%
Project3 SurveyofundergraduatestudentsinEnglish,Biological
Sciencesandmedicine:universitylifequestionnaire
Earlyleaverssurvey
496students
113
Notreported
Notreported
Project4 Examinationofstudentlearningprofilesinrelationtodifferentissues
In-classvotingbyundergraduateBusinessStudiesstudentsonexpectationsofrelationshipswithacademicstaff
2,737studentprofiles
135
N/A
Notreported
Project5 Doubterspilotsurvey 1,059 16%
Surveyoffirst-yearstudentsin 873 From3%tothreeinstitutions:studenttransitionsurvey2009
9%
Trackingstudentsfromthe2009 433 Between48%transitionsurvey and58%
Onlinesurveyoffirst-year 1,063 From5.5%tostudentsinthreeinstitutions:studenttransitionsurvey2011
13.6%
Project6 Threesurveysofthefirst-year
studentsatoneinstitution
Threesurveysoffirst-yearstudentsatsecondinstitution
171
240
95
Notreported
6%
8%
4%
Notreported
Project7 Institutionalsurveysoftheprojectssamplegroups
142 Notreported
Twoonlinesurveyswith 103 82%Engineeringstudentsinreceiptofinterventions
36 35%
In-classvotinginEngineering
aboutexperienceofinterventions
59 57%
Postalsurveyof2009-10leaversinoneinstitution
32 13%
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10WhatWorks?StudentRetention&Success
Weareconfidentthattherangeofissuesexaminedusingmixedmethods
providespowerfulevidenceoftheimportanceofstudentengagementand
belongingtoimprovestudentretentionandsuccess.Thereareofcourse
challengesassociatedwithidentifyingcauseandeffect,buttheprojects
utilisedarangeofdatasources,includinginstitutionalandlocalretentiondata
inanattempttoconnectimprovementsinthestudentexperienceto
enhancedretention.ThesecondphaseoftheWhatWorks?programmewill
buildinrobuststatisticalevaluationwithinandbetweeninstitutionstofurther
examineimpacttoaddressthequestionofwhatworksinrelationtostudent
engagement,belonging,retentionandsuccess.
Thefinalreportsweresubjecttothreepeerreviews,andsignificantrevisions
weremadetothereportstoensurerelevance,clarityandevidence-informed
recommendations.Weadvisereadingtheindividualreportsforfurther
informationaboutmethodologyandspecificfindings;wehave,however,
shownallpercentagefiguresinthisreportasactualnumbersofrespondents
toowhereverpossible,toallowthereadertoassessthestrengthoffindings.TheSupportandCo-ordinationteamhaveundertakenacarefulreadingofthe
reportstoextract,combineandsynthesisethefindings.Thishasbeen
supplementedbyotherlearningfromtheUKsectorandbeyondthathas
takenplaceduringthisprogramme.Forexample,twodiscussionshavetaken
placewithgroupsofpro-vice-chancellorsandotherseniormanagersinHEIs
toexplorethestrategicimplicationsofthefindings.Keymessages,findings
andimplicationshavebeentestedthrougharangeofinformaldissemination
anddiscussionopportunities.ThefindingsfromtheWhatWorks?programme
arealsolinkedtothewiderresearchliteraturetosomeextent,bothtoindicate
howtheWhatWorks?findingscontributetothewiderbodyofknowledgein
thisfield,ortoindicatehowwiderliteraturecanextendunderstandingbeyondtheevidencegeneratedbytheWhatWorks?projects.
Outputs from the programme
Thisstudyhasconsideredbothstudentretentionandsuccess.Duringthe
courseofthisprogrammewehavesharpenedourunderstandingofsuccess.
Ithasbecomeincreasinglyclearthatsuccessmeanshelpingallstudentsto
becomemoreengagedandmoreeffectivelearnersinhighereducation,thus
improvingtheiracademicoutcomesandtheirprogressionopportunitiesafter
graduation(orwhentheyexithighereducation).Inlinewiththisunderstanding
ofsuccessandunderpinnedbytheWhatWorks?findingsthestudyadvocatesamainstreamapproachtoimprovingtheretentionandsuccessof
allstudents.Itcanbedifficulttoknowwhichstudentsaremostlikelyto
withdrawonthebasisofstudententrycharacteristicsalone;mainstream
approachesreachallstudents,particularlythosewhoareconsidering
withdrawing,andenableeachstudenttomaximisetheirsuccess.Thiscanbe
supplementedbypayingattentiontothewaysinwhichstudentsintegrate,
behaveandperformoncetheyareinhighereducationthrougharangeof
engagementindicators,andtheninterveningifnecessary.
Thefindingsofthisprogrammepresentacompellingcasethatinhigher
education,belongingiscriticaltostudentretentionandsuccess.Although
otherstudieshavepointedtothisandmanystaffinuniversitieswouldreadilyacceptthiscontention,wearguethattheimplicationsareveryoftennot
addressedininstitutionalpriorities,policies,processesandpractices.Where
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11TheWhatWorks?StudentRetention&Successprogramme
strategiesareemployedtobooststudentengagement,theyareoftenfocused
onnarrowgroupsofstudents,andsituatedoutsideoftheacademicdomain,
thusfailingtomeettheneedsofthemuchlargernumberofstudentsthatthe
WhatWorks?programmeindicatesmaybeatriskofwithdrawalor
underachievement.
Thisreportdrawstogetherandsynthesisesthesefindings,identifyingkey
principlesandapproachestoimprovingstudentretentionandsuccess,and
providingillustrativeexamplesofeffectivepractice.Workcontinuestoassist
institutionstousetheevidenceavailabletoimproveretentionandsuccess
withintheirowncontexts.Thisreport,andthesummaryreport,are
complementedbythesevenprojectreportsandassociatedtools,the
Compendium of effective practice: Proven ways to improve student retention
and success (Andrewset al.,2012)(firsteditionpublishedMarch2012,
secondeditionAutumn2012),atwo-dayconferenceinMarch2012anda
rangeofotherworkshops,seminarsandbriefings.Inaddition,aChange
Programmewillcommencein2012tosupportinstitutionalteamstoimplementthefindingsfromtheWhatWorks?programmeintotheirown
institutionalcontext.
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12WhatWorks?StudentRetention&Success
Building engagement and belonging
AlthoughintheUKonly1in12students,orjustover8%,intheUKleaveHE
duringtheirfirstyearofstudy,surveysundertakenbyWhatWorks?projectteamsfoundthatbetween37%(1/3)(Project5,n=873)and42%(2/5)
(Project1,n=237)ofstudentsthinkaboutwithdrawingfromHE(seealso
Project7inwhichthreesmallinstitutionalsurveysreportedbetween33%and
39%hadconsideredwithdrawing,N=142).Thismeansthatbasedon
evidencefromacrosssevenhighereducationinstitutionsofalltypesa
significantminorityofstudentsconsiderwithdrawing,andthusimproving
studentbelongingshouldbeapriorityforallprogrammes,departmentsand
institutions.Project5findsthatstudentswhothinkaboutleavingaremore
likelytodosothanthosewhohavenotconsideredwithdrawing.
StudentsidentifyarangeofreasonswhytheyhavethoughtaboutleavingHE
(Projects1,5and7)andmoststudentscitemorethanonereason;indeed,Project5foundanaverageof2.1reasonsperstudent.Surveydata(Projects
1,5and7)andqualitativeresearch(Project4)identifyacademicissues,
feelingsofisolationand/ornotfittinginandconcernaboutachievingfuture
aspirationsastheprimaryreasonswhystudentsthinkaboutleaving.Project5
findsthatstudentswhothinkaboutleavingarelesssatisfiedwiththeir
universityexperienceandappeartobelessengagedwiththeirpeersand
theirinstitution;studentswhodidnotthinkaboutleavingappearedtohavea
betterunderstandingoftheuniversityprocessesandweremorelikelyto
reportapositiverelationshipwithstaffandstudents.Studentsareparticularly
likelytoconsiderleaving(a)afterChristmasand(b)duringthefirstsemester
(Project5),whichsupportsthewiderevidencethatthemajorityofstudentswholeavedosoduringthefirstyear.Studentswhowithdrewhadthelowest
ratesofsatisfactionwiththeirhighereducationexperienceingeneral,and
theiracademicexperienceinparticular(Project5).
Theprojectsexaminedalternativeapproachestoimprovingstudentretention
andsuccessusingarangeofmethods.Theevidencefromacrosstheseven
WhatWorks?projectsfirmlypointstotheimportanceofstudentshavinga
strongsense of belonging inHE,whichistheresultofengagement,and
thatthisismosteffectivelynurturedthroughmainstreamactivitieswithan
overtacademicpurposethatallstudentsparticipatein.
Belonging
Belonginghasemergedasakeyideainthisresearchprogramme,andis
closelyalignedwiththeconceptsofacademicandsocialengagement.We
drawonbothpsychologicalandsociologicaltraditionstoinformour
understandingoftheseissues:thepsychologicalliteratureisusedtodefine
belongingattheindividuallevel,whilethesociologicalliteratureisusedto
explainhowthepotentialmismatchbetweenastudentsbackgroundandthat
oftheinstitutionmayresultinstudentsnotfeelingliketheybelong,and
leavingearly.
Attheindividuallevelbelongingrecognisesstudentssubjectivefeelingsof
relatednessorconnectednesstotheinstitution.Thisinvolvesfeeling
connected(orfeelingthatonebelongsinasocialmilieu)(Vallerand,1997,p.
300).Itmayrelatetheextenttowhichstudentsfeelpersonallyaccepted,
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13Buildingengagementandbelonging
respected,included,andsupportedbyothersinthe[school]social
environment(Goodenow,1993a,p.80).Belongingmaybecharacterisedby
regularcontactandtheperceptionthatinterpersonalrelationshipshave
stability,affectiveconcern,andareongoing(BaumeisterandLeary,1995).
Thusinterpersonalrelationsareessentialforsatisfyingtheneedtobelong.
Goodenow(1993b)describedsenseofbelongingineducationalenvironments
asthefollowing:
Students sense of being accepted, valued, included, andencouraged by others (teacher and peers) in the academic
classroom setting and of feeling oneself to be an important part ofthe life and activity of the class. More than simple perceived liking
or warmth, it also involves support and respect for personalautonomy and for the student as an individual.
(Goodenow, 1993b, p. 25)
Thisapproachtobelongingcanbeseentotakeanindividualisticviewof
studentretentionandsuccess,thusitisusefulheretodrawontheworkof
sociologists,suchasPierreBourdieutoexplorehowthisworksinrelationto
studentbackgroundsandinstitutionalcultures.BourdieuandPasserons
(1977)theoriesofculturalcapitalandhabitusviewtheproblemstructurally,as
beingembeddedinthewaythathighereducationinstitutionsfunction.
Culturalcapitalincorporateswaysofspeaking,behavingandinteracting,
whicharelearnedthroughinteractionswithfamilyandsocialinstitutionssuch
ashomeandschools(McLaren,1989;Meadmore,1999)andis,therefore,
class-related.Habitusisthedispositiontoactincertainwaysdeterminedby
culturalcapitalandistheembodimentofculturalcapital.Educational
institutionshaveanidentifiablehabitus(Reay,DavidandBall,2001),whichincorporatespracticesthatmutuallyshapeandreshapetheinstitutionswith
theirstudents,theircommunitiesandthewidersocio-economicculturesof
theircatchmentareas(Reay,DavidandBall,2001,para1.3).Studentswhose
habitusisatoddswiththatoftheirhighereducationinstitutionmayfeelthat
theydonotfitin,thattheirsocialandculturalpracticesareinappropriateand
thattheirtacitknowledgeisundervalued,andtheymaybemoreinclinedto
withdrawearly(Thomas,2002).
Engagement
Engagementdevelopsrelationshipswithothersandpromotesconnectedness,butasKelly(2001)pointsout,somepeoplewithalower
needtobelongmaybesatisfiedbyfewcontacts,whileotherswithgreater
needtobelongmayneedmanysuchcontacts.Kuh(2009,p.683)has
definedstudentengagementasthetimeandeffortstudentsdevoteto
activitiesthatareempiricallylinkedtodesiredoutcomesofcollegeand what
institutionsdotoinducestudentstoparticipateintheseactivities.Trowler
(2010)providesamorein-depthanalysisoftheterm,drawingon
internationalliterature.
Basedonanextensivereviewoftheliterature,Osterman(2000)indicatesthat
satisfactionoftheneedforbelongingineducationalenvironmentsis
significantlyassociatedwithstudentsacademicengagement.ThisissupportedbymuchliteraturefromtheUSandAustralia(TrowlerandTrowler,
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14WhatWorks?StudentRetention&Success
2010).ChickeringandGamson(1987)summarisedtheevidenceintoseven
effectivepracticesinundergraduateteachingandlearning:
student-staffcontact;
activelearning;
promptfeedback;
timeontask;
highexpectations;
respectfordiverselearningstyles;
co-operationamongstudents.
Krause(2011)extendsthenotionofengagementintheacademicsphereby
arguingthatlearningoccursinarangeofsettings,bothwithinandbeyond
theformalcurriculum.Itinvolvesdevelopingconnectionswithintheuniversityaswellasbuildingonpriorlearning,alongwithlearningthattakesplaceinthe
workplaceandcommunitysettings.Academicengagementisrelatedto
effectivelearning,andmaybesynonymouswith,ornecessaryfordeep(as
opposedtosurface)learning(Ramsden,2003,p.97).
Socialengagementcanbeseentocreateasenseofbelongingandoffer
informalsupportthroughinteractionwithfriendsandpeers.Social
engagementtakesplaceinthesocialsphereoftheinstitution,includingsocial
spaces,clubsandsocieties,thestudentsunion,instudentaccommodation
andthroughsharedlivingarrangements.Engagementintheprofessional
servicesphereincludesparticipationinacademic,pastoralandprofessional
developmentservices.Theseservicesoftencontributetodeveloping
studentscapacitiestoengageandbelonginhighereducationandbeyond.
Aswellasbeingengagedindifferentspheresoftheinstitution(academic,
socialandprofessionalservice),studentscanbeengagedatdifferentlevels,
fromengagementintheirownlearningtoengagementininstitutionaland
nationalpolicymaking7.
Nurturing belonging
TheWhatWorks?projectshaveevaluatedtheimpactofarangeof
interventionstoimprovestudentretentionandsuccess.Somespecificinterventionshavebeenshowntoimproveretentionratesbyuptoten
percentagepoints(seethecasestudiesofeffectivepracticeinthisreport).
Whilewedontrecommendoneinterventionoveranotherasdifferingcontexts
meanthatoutcomesmaynotbetransferable,ouranalysisofeffective
approachestoimprovingretentionandsuccessdemonstratesthatstudent
belongingisachievedthrough:
supportivepeer relations;
meaningfulinteraction between staff and students;
7 SeeHEAworkonDimensionsofStudentEngagement:http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/studentengagement/Dimensions_student_engagement
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/studentengagement/Dimensions_studenthttp://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/studentengagement/Dimensions_student -
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15Buildingengagementandbelonging
developingknowledge, confidence and identity assuccessfulHE
learners;
anHEexperiencethatisrelevant to interests and future goals.
TheWhatWorks?projectshavefoundthateffectiveinterventionsaresituatedintheacademic sphere.Project7foundthattheimportanceofthe
academicexperienceinmakingstudentsfeelpartoftheuniversitycommunity
averaged73%(n=103),whiletheimportanceofthesocialexperience
averaged54%(n=76).Effectiveinterventionsstartpre-entry,andhavean
emphasisonengagementandanovertacademicpurpose.Theydevelop
peernetworksandfriendships,createlinkswithacademicmembersofstaff,
providekeyinformation,shaperealisticexpectations,improveacademicskills,
developstudentsconfidence,demonstratefuturerelevanceandnurture
belonging.
ThiscomplementsTintos(1993)studentintegrationmodel,whichidentifies
academicandsocialintegrationandinstitutionalandgoalcommitmentaskeyvariablescontributingtostudentsdecisionsaboutwithdrawing.Similarly,
Astinstheoryofstudentinvolvement(1984)foundthatstudentpersistence
isoftenrelatedtolevelsofstudentactivityandcontactwiththeinstitution
andpeers.
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16WhatWorks?StudentRetention&Success
The What Works? model: improvingstudent engagement, belonging,
retention and successTheWhatWorks?modelputsstudentengagementandbelongingatthe
heartofimprovingstudentretentionandsuccess.
Figure 1: What Works? model of student retention and success
Institutionalmanagement
andcoordination
Early engagement extends into HE and beyond
Staffcapacity
building
Studentcapacity
building
Academic
Social Service
Themodel(Figure1above)embodiesthefollowingfindings:
Early engagement: engagementtopromotebelongingmustbeginearly
andcontinueacrossthestudentlifecycle.(Thisisrepresentedbythe
arrowunderneaththediagram.)
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17TheWhatWorks?model:improvingstudentengagement,belonging,retentionandsuccess
Engagement in the academic sphere: engagementandbelongingcan
benurturedthroughouttheinstitution(academic,socialandprofessional
services),buttheacademicsphereisofprimaryimportancetoensureall
studentsbenefit.(Thisisrepresentedbytheoverlappingcolouredcircles,
theacademicspherebeingthelargest.)
Developing the capacity of staff and students to engage: the
capacityofstudentstoengageandstafftoofferanengagingexperience
mustbedeveloped,thusapartnershipapproachinwhicheveryoneis
responsibleforimprovingstudentbelonging,retentionandsuccessis
required.(Thecapacityofstudentsandstaffarerepresentedbythetwo
bluerings,labelledrespectively.)
Institutional management and co-ordination: attheseniorlevelthe
institutionmusttakeresponsibilityfornurturingacultureofbelongingand
creatingthenecessaryinfrastructuretopromotestudentengagement,
retentionandsuccess.Thisincludestheuseofdatatounderpinstudent
retentionandsuccess.(Thisisrepresentedbythelargestbluering,labelledinstitutionalmanagementandco-ordination.)
Early engagement
Theprocessofengagingstudentsshouldbeginearlyandextendthroughout
thestudentlifecycle.Itisessentialthatengagementbeginsearlywith
institutionaloutreachinterventionsandthatitextendsthroughouttheprocess
ofpreparingforandenteringHE.Pre-entryandinductionactivitiesshould
havearangeoffunctions,butinparticulartheyshouldfacilitatestudentsto
buildsocialrelationshipswithcurrentandnewstudentsandmembersofstaff,
andengagestudentswithinformationthatwillenablethemtoassesswhether
thecourseisrelevanttotheircurrentinterestsandfutureaspirations.Afuller
discussionaboutearlyengagementthroughpre-entryinterventionsand
inductionisavailableinthePracticalimplicationssectionofthisreport.
Engagement,however,mustcontinuethroughoutthestudentlifecycleto
avoidincreasedratesofwithdrawalanddiminishedsuccessatsubsequent
phasesofthestudentjourney.
Engagement in the academic sphere
TheevidencefromtheWhatWorks?programmeidentifiestheimportanceof
engagementinactivitieswithanovertacademicpurpose,throughhighquality
student-centredlearningandteachingstrategies.Suchapproachesfacilitate
staffandstudentinteraction,whichenablesstudentstodevelopacademically
andstafftodevelopabetterunderstandingoftheirstudents.Theselearning
approachesalsopromotepeerinteractionandthedevelopmentoflong-
lastingfriendships.Afullerdiscussionaboutnurturingbelonginginthe
academicspherethroughlearningandteachingispresentedinthePractical
implicationssectionofthisreport.
Engagement,however,cantakeplacebeyondtheacademicdomain,inother
spheresoftheinstitution,namelythesocialandprofessionalservices,and
canhaveapositiveimpactonstudentsretentionandsuccesstoo.VincentTintosinfluentialworkpointstotheimportancenotjustofacademic
interaction,butalsoofsocialengagement(Tinto,1993).Thisisstrongly
supportedbythefindingsfromtheWhatWorks?projects,andfromother
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18WhatWorks?StudentRetention&Success
institutionalresearchintheUK(Thomas,2002;Wilcoxet al.,2005).TheWhat
Works?evidencereinforcesthevitalroleoffriendshiptomanystudents,
especiallywhentheyfacedifficulties.Itisclear,however,thattheacademic
spherecanplayacentralroleinfacilitatingstudentstodevelopthese
friendships,especiallyforthosewhospendlesstimeoncampusbecause
theyliveathomeand/orhaveworkandfamilycommitments.Inaddition
technologyhasbeensuccessfullyusedtofacilitatesocialnetworkingbetween
students,especiallythosewhoarenotbasedoncampusbothpre-and
post-entry.Theroleoftheschool,departmentandprogrammeinpromoting
socialintegrationisdiscussedunderFriendshipandpeersupport,inthe
Practicalimplicationssection.
UKuniversitiesprovidearangeofprofessionalservices.Thesearedesigned
toattractandrecruitstudentstotheinstitution,providepastoralsupportand
developacademic,personalandprofessionalcapacities.Theevidencefrom
theWhatWorks?programmesuggeststhatprofessionalservicesmakean
importantcontributiontothedevelopmentofsomestudentsknowledge,confidenceandidentityassuccessfulHElearners,bothpre-andpost-entry.
Thisincludes,forexample,enablingstudentstomakeinformedchoicesabout
institutions,subjectsandcourses,andtohaverealisticexpectationsofHE
study.Manystudents,however,arenotawareoftheservicesand/ordonot
usethem.Professionalservicescanbeparticularlyeffectivewhentheyare
deliveredviatheacademicsphere,ratherthanrelyingonstudentsaccessing
theseservicesautonomously,duetoconstraintsoftimeoncampus.Thisis
exemplifiedinrelationtoemployability:increasinglyinstitutionsareembedding
activitiesdesignedtoincreasegraduateemployabilityintothecorecurriculum
inpartnershipwithcareersprofessionals,ratherthandeliveringservices
separatelythroughacentralcareerscentre(seeThomaset al.,2010).Inthe
pre-entryarena,weknowthataspirationraisingandtheprovisionofinformation,adviceandguidanceaboutHEismosteffectivewhenitisaligned
tostudentsschool/collegelearning(ActiononAccess,2008).The
contributionsofacademicdevelopmentandsupportandprofessional
servicesarediscussedinthePracticalimplicationssectionofthisreport.
Developing the capacity of students and staff to engage
TheWhatWorks?evidencedemonstratesthatstudentsdonotalways
recognisethevalueofengagement,orhavetheabilitytoengage.This
suggeststhatinstitutionsshouldworkwithstudentstodeveloptheircapacity
toengageeffectivelyintheirHEexperience.Thisincludesdevelopingstudentsknowledgeandunderstandingaboutthebenefitsofengaging
acrossthedifferentinstitutionalspheres,andexpandingtheirskillstodoso.
WhatWorks?projectresearchwithpart-time,matureandlocalstudents
foundahighlyinstrumentalapproachtoHE,whichcorrespondswitha
devaluingofsocialaspectsofanHEexperience,reflectedincommentsabout
notneedingmorefriends(Project7).Thisimpliesthatstudentsneedtobe
educatedaboutthevalueofwidespreadengagementintheirHEexperience,
andencouragedandfacilitatedtoengageinappropriateopportunities,and
giventhenecessaryskills.Thismay,forexample,includetheprovisionof
capacity-buildingmodulesinthecoreacademiccurriculum,orviathe
inductionprocess.Itshouldofcourseberecognisedthatindividualsneeddifferentlevelsofengagement,andprefertoengageindifferentwaysandin
differentspherestoachievesuccessontheirownterms.Thisrequires
institutionstoprovidearangeofopportunitiesforengagementacrossthe
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19TheWhatWorks?model:improvingstudentengagement,belonging,retentionandsuccess
institution.Thisincludesrecognisingthattherearedifferingdegreesof
engagementstudentsfeelcomfortablewith,differentlevelswithinthe
institutionwherestudentsmayprefertoengage(e.g.module,course,
department,faculty,institution)andarangeofsitesofengagement,as
discussedabove.Auniformapproachtoencouragingengagementmay
createpressureforconformityandresultinalienationanddisengagement
(Mann,2005).
Developingengagementopportunitiesthroughouttheinstitutionandacross
thestudentlifecyclerequiresallstafftobeinvolveditisnotataskthatcan
belefttoafewcommittedindividuals.Thenotionofengagementshouldbe
embeddedintotheinstitutionalvisionandreflectedinkeypolicydocuments,
andthismustbeactivelyendorsedbyseniormanagers.Thus,theinstitution
mustconsiderhowpoliciesandprocedurescanensurestaffresponsibility,
throughrecognition,supportanddevelopmentandreward,toenableallstaff
toengageandbeengaging.Thismayincludereviewingstaffrecruitment(e.g.
toensurethatresponsibilityforprovidingopportunitiesforengagementareembeddedintojobdescriptionsandselectionprocesses);updatinginduction
andtrainingfornewstaffandcontinuingprofessionaldevelopment;providing
resources,guidanceandothersupport;ensuringthatinstitutionalprocedures
requirestafftoengagewithstudents(e.g.throughvalidationprocesses)and
thatstaffperformanceandimpactaremonitoredandreviewed(e.g.through
theannualreviewprocess);andprovidingmechanismstorecogniseand
rewardstaffwhoexcelatengagingstudentsandofferthemappropriate
progressionopportunities.Intheempiricalresearch,somestaffreportthat
colleaguesundertakingresearchresultinginpublicationreceivemuchgreater
recognitionandrewardwithintheinstitutionthatthosewhomakeeffortsto
improvethestudentexperience.
Developingstudentcapacitytoengageandstaffcapacitytobeengagingis
discussedinrelationtoevidencefromtheWhatWorks?projectsandthe
widerliteratureinthePracticalimplicationssection.Thesearetwokeyareas
wherefurtherresearchandevidenceisneededaboutwhatworks.
Institutional management and co-ordination
Attheseniorleveltheinstitutionmusttakeresponsibilityformanagingand
promotingstudentengagementtoenhanceengagement,belonging,retention
andsuccess.Thisincludes:
buildingstudentengagement,belonging,retentionandsuccessintothe
corporatemission,visionandplanandaligninginstitutionalpolicies
towardsthispriority;
providingleadershipthatexplicitlyvaluesstudentengagementand
belongingthroughoutthewholeinstitutionandacrossthestudentlifecycle
andpromoteswholestaffresponsibilityforengagementandnurturinga
cultureofbelonging;
thedevelopmentofaco-ordinated,evidence-informedstrategy,
underpinnedbythemonitoringofprogrammesandofstudentbehaviour
andwithexplicitindicatorsandmeasuresofsuccess.
TheuseofdataisconsideredattheendofthePracticalimplicationssection.
Managementandstrategicdevelopmentoftheinstitutionisaddressedmore
fullyintheStrategicimplicationsandrecommendationssectionofthisreport.
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20WhatWorks?StudentRetention&Success
Practical implications: lessons learned,case studies and recommendations
Thefollowingsectionsconsiderpracticalimplicationsforbuildingengagement
andbelongingbydrawingmoreextensivelyontheresearchevidencefromthe
WhatWorks?projects.Itprovidescasestudiesofeffectivepracticedrawn
fromtheWhatWorks?projectsthatbothillustratethekeypointsandprovide
realexamplesofhowtomakeadifference.
Engaging practice: characteristics of effectiveinterventions and approaches
TheWhatWorks?projectsexaminedalternativeinterventionsandapproaches
toimprovingstudentretentionandsuccessusingarangeofmethods.Ouranalysisfindsthattheexacttypeofinterventionorapproachislessimportant
thanthewayitisdeliveredanditsintendedoutcomes.Allinterventionsor
activitiesshouldaimtonurtureacultureofbelongingthroughsupportivepeer
relations,meaningfulinteractionbetweenstaffandstudents,developing
studentsknowledge,confidenceandidentityassuccessfulHElearnersand
anHEexperiencethatisrelevanttointerestsandfuturegoals.Specific
interventionsandapproachesshouldbeplannedandinformedbythe
followingprinciples:
i. Mainstream: interventionsandapproachestoimprovestudentretention
andsuccessshouldasfaraspossiblebeembeddedintomainstream
provisiontoensureallstudentsparticipateandbenefitfromthem8.Thiswill
improvetheretentionofsomestudentsandcontributetomaximisingthe
successofallstudents.Anopt-outratherthanopt-inapproachshouldbe
thenorm,andparticularattentionshouldbepaidtostudentswhooptout,
withadditionalsupportprovidedifnecessary.
ii. Proactive: activitiesshouldproactivelyseektoengagestudents,rather
thanwaitingforacrisistooccur,orthemoremotivatedstudentstotake
upopportunities.Studentswhomostneedsupportaretheleastlikelyto
comeforwardvoluntarily(BaumgartandJohnstone,1977;Bentleyand
Allen,2006;ChickeringandHannah,1969;EatonandBean,1995).If
studentshavetooptinitisimportanttomakingittransparenthowstudentscanandshouldengage,andwhy.
iii. Relevant: activitiesneedtobeinformative,usefulandrelevanttostudents
currentinterestsandfutureaspirations;thepotentialbenefitsofengaging
shouldbeexplicittostudents.
iv. Well-timed and appropriate media: earlyengagementisessential,other
informationmaybebetterdeliveredatalaterdateorviaanalternative
mediaasstudentsneedswilldifferfromeachotherandovertime.Some
activitiesbenefitfromtakingplaceovertime,ratherthanone-off
opportunities.
v. Collaborative: activitiesshouldencouragecollaborationandengagementwithfellowstudentsandmembersofstaff.
8TatumandRasool(1996)arguethatretentionpracticeshouldbebuiltintothenormaloperationsoftheinstitution.
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21Practicalimplications:lessonslearned,casestudiesandrecommendations
vi.Monitored: theextentandqualityofstudentsengagementshouldbe
monitored,andwherethereisevidenceoflowlevelsofengagement
follow-upactionshouldbetaken.
Pre-entryEffectivepre-entryinterventionsincludesocialinteractionwithpeersand
currentstudentsandengagementwithstafffromacademicdepartmentsand
professionalservices.Theyprovideinformation,developrealisticexpectations
andhoneacademicskills.
Pre-entryinterventionscontributetoimprovingretentionandsuccessinHEin
thefollowingways(Thomas,2011):
a) providinginformation,knowledgeandskillstoimprovepre-entrydecision
makingandretention;
b) developingexpectationsandacademicpreparationpre-entrytoenhance
transition,retentionandsuccess;
c) fosteringearlyengagementtopromoteintegrationandsocialcapital.
Poorinstitutionalandcoursechoicecanimpactontheextenttowhicha
studentdevelopsasenseofbelongingtotheirprogrammeandinstitution.For
example,Project5foundthatthemostcommonreasonforthinkingabout
leavingwascourse-relatedissues(43%intwoinstitutionalsurveysand24%
inthethird,N=365reasonscitedby320studentsthinkingaboutleaving).UK
andAustralianresearchindicatesthatstudentshaveinsufficientinformationto
informpre-entrydecisionsandthisimpactsnegativelyonretentionand
success(McInniset al.,2000;Yorke,2000;Krauseet al.,2005;HarveyandDrew,2006).Studentshaveinsufficientinformationabout:HEingeneral;
differentinstitutions;disciplinesandspecificcourses.Pre-entryinformation
andpreparationforhighereducationincludestheprovisionofinformationto
informchoiceandshapeexpectationsabouthighereducation,theinstitution
andthecoursetoimproveretention(YorkeandThomas,2003;Dodgsonand
Bolam,2002).
Manystudentsfeelunderpreparedforhighereducation,andfindthattheir
academicexperienceisnotastheyexpectedittobe,andthismayleadto
earlywithdrawal(Richardson,2003;Forresteret al.,2004;LongandTricker,
2004;Quinnet al.,2005).Atoneinstitution(Project7)between65%(n=92)
and74%(n=105)ofstudentsreportedfeelingonlypartiallyornotatall
prepared,andthiscontributedtofeelingsofdislocationonarrival.Atanother
institution(Project3)34%(n=113)ofsurveyrespondentswhohadwithdrawn
reportedbeingdisappointedbytheamountofteachingandcontacthours
withstaffprovidedonmycourse,andthiswasatleastofsomeinfluencein
theirdecisiontoleave,andamajorinfluencefor12%(n=40).
Projectteams(Projects1,4,5and7)foundthatstudentsoftenhave
unrealisticexpectations,anditisimportantforstafftomakeexpectations
explicit(Projects4and6).Unrealisticexpectationstendtorelatetothe
academicexperience,assumingitwillbethesameasschoolorcollegeand
beingunderpreparedtobeautonomouslearnerswithresponsibilityfororganisingandstructuringstudy.Challengesalsorelatetolectureformat,size
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22WhatWorks?StudentRetention&Success
ofclassesandtheimpersonalnatureofHEstudy,andnotknowingwhatis
expectedinassessments,especiallyastheyreceivelesssupportand
feedbackwithassessmentsthantheywereusedto.
Studentsvaluedmeetingstaffandstudentsfrominstitutionstoprovidethem
withinformationabouttheinstitutionandthelearningexperiencepriortoentry.Studentsatoneuniversity(Project3)talkedaboutthebenefitsof
studentambassadors(existingHEstudents)astheywereperceivedto
providemoregenuineinsightsintotheHEexperience,havingrecentlybeen
newstudentsthemselves(seeAustinandHatt,2005).
I found it helpful having one of the ambassadors take us round; she
was very helpful and said to me if I wanted to go and chat to herabout doing English here then I was more than welcome to. So it
was really helpful that she was friendly and approachable. I thinkthat was the main thing, that people do seem friendly.
(Interview with first-year student, Project 3)
Itisinstructivetonote,however,thatProject1foundthat43.8%(n=245)of
surveyrespondentshadnotattendedanopendayorotherpre-studyevent.
AnalysisoftheWhatWorks?evidencesuggeststhatthemosteffectivepre-
entryinterventionscombinethefollowingroles:
a) providinginformation;
b) informingexpectations;
c) developingacademicskills;
d) buildingsocialcapital(linkswithpeers,currentstudentsandstaff);
e) nurturingasenseofbelonging.
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23Practicalimplications:lessonslearned,casestudiesandrecommendations
Pre-entry case studies of effective practice
Mature Students Welcome Lunch, University of Hull
The interventionThispre-entryeventhastakenplacesince2005onboththeHulland
Scarboroughcampusesintheweekpriortoregistration.Manymature
studentsexpressthatattendingpurelysocialeventsisdifficulttojustifysothe
lunchisamethodtoengagestudentssociallythroughintegratingthesocial
withacademicstructures.
Full-timematurestudentsareinvitedandthelunchoffersanopportunityto
learnmoreabouttheUniversityandachancetomeetothernew,aswellas
existing,students(UniversityofHullbookingleaflet,2010).Studentsare
allocatedplacesaroundcirculartablesaccordingtotheprogrammeonwhich
theywillbestudying.Interactionisencouragedthroughaquizaboutthe
Universityforwhichprizesareawarded.Thelunchprovidesasocialspacewithinwhichacademicand/orinformativecontentisbolsteredbyrelationship-
buildingexercisesandopportunitiestomixwithotherstudentsbeginning
relatedcourses.Asoneparticipantneatlydescribedit,itisasocialevent,but
withapurpose.
The impact on retention and progression
TheevaluationfoundthatstudentsvaluedtheWelcomeLunchasthe
beginningofintegratingandmeetingotherpeople:
... [it] was basically what has made it easier for me to integratebecause people I met there based on the one table I was sataround, are now the people Im now socialising with ... plus the
people that they then knew, so kind of increased the people I knowas well.
(Project 7, student)
Qualitativefeedbackfrommaturestudentsindicatedthat:
attendanceatpre-entryeventsincreasedstudentsconfidencewhen
attendinguniversityforthefirsttimeafterregistration;
pre-entryeventswereseentosuccessfullyintegratetheprovisionofpracticalandacademicinformationwithopportunitiestosocialise;
initialsocialcontactmadeattheWelcomeLunchoftendevelopedinto
deeperandlonger-termfriendships.
WelcomeLunchattendeeswhosubsequentlyregisteredandbegana
programmeofstudyweremorelikelytocontinuethanthegeneralmature
studentpopulace,witharound93%continuingbeyondtheirfirstyear.
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24WhatWorks?StudentRetention&Success
Study Skills Summer School, University of Hull
The intervention
TheStudySkillsSummerSchoolisafree,two-day,non-residentialcourse
heldonthemainHullcampus.Itisopentobothnewandcontinuingpart-timeandmaturefull-timestudentsanditfocusesonacademicandtransferable
studyskillsintandemwithsocialelements.Thetargetingofparticulargroups
facilitatesasenseofcamaraderieasstudentsformnetworkswithpeerson
theircourse.Manymatureandpart-timestudentsexpressthatattending
purelysocialeventsisdifficulttojustifyso,aswiththeMatureStudents
WelcomeLunch,theSummerSchoolisamethodtoengagestudentssocially
throughintegratingthesocialwithacademicstructures.
TheSummerSchoolincludesacombinationoflectures,seminarsand
practicaltasks,andaimstodeliveranauthenticuniversityexperiencewitha
focusonthedevelopmentofacademicstudyskills.Theseincludesessions
focusedoncriticalandanalyticalthinking,notetakingandessaywriting,aswellasreferencingandplagiarism.Asharedlunchpunctuateseachdayand
aimstoprovideanenvironmentinwhichinteractionbetweenstudentpeers,
andwithacademicandsupportstaff,cantakeplace.
The impact on retention and success
TheevaluationindicatedthattheStudySkillsSummerSchoolhelped
studentstofeelpartoftheircohortandtorealisethattheywerenotalonein
theexperienceofstartingtheircourse:
I felt much more able when I realised we all were learning this and
I wasnt the only one, and I now had people to share this with andkeep me going ... and they did when I needed it.
(Project 7, mature student)
Qualitativefeedbackfrommatureandpart-timestudentsindicatedthat:
attendanceatpre-entryeventsincreasedstudentsconfidencewhen
attendinguniversityforthefirsttimeafterregistration;
pre-entryeventswereseentosuccessfullyintegratetheprovisionof
practicalandacademicinformationwithopportunitiestosocialise;
initialsocialcontactmadeatpre-entryoftendevelopedintodeeperandlonger-termfriendships.
RetentionratesforthosewhoattendedtheSummerSchoolwerebetterthan
retentionratesforthosewhodidnot.Overthepastthreeyears(2007-08to
2009-10),between4%and6%ofnewSummerSchoolattendeeswho
subsequentlyregisteredandbeganaprogrammeofstudyhavesince
withdrawnfromtheUniversity.
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25Practicalimplications:lessonslearned,casestudiesandrecommendations
Induction
Aneffectiveinductionactivelyengagesstudentsratherthanbeingapassive
processofprovidinginformation,anditextendsoveralongertimeperiod
thanafewdays.Theactivitiesshouldallowstudentstomakefriends,getto
knowtheacademicstaff,understandtheexpectationsoftheinstitution,departmentandprogrammeanddevelopacademicskills.
Inductionactivitieshaveanimpactonretentionandsuccessthrough:
a) socialisationandformationoffriendshipgroups,whichprovideasupport
networkandpromotesocialintegration;
b) informingexpectationsofHEandhelpingstudentstobeeffectivelearners
bydevelopingtheirconfidenceandtheiracademicskills;
c) developingrelationshipswithmembersofstaff,allowingstudentsto
approachthemsubsequentlywhentheyneedto.
Accordingtothreeinstitutionalsurveys(Project2),themajorityofstudents
(70%,n=262)feltconfidentthattheyhadtheabilitytosucceedintheirchosen
areaofstudy,butmost(75%,n=281)wereworriedaboutmakingfriends
whentheystartedatuniversity.Thisissupportedbythequalitativeevidence
too,forexample:
Anyone that says theyre not scared is lying because there is thatfear. Everyone has those giant fears of am I going to be liked, am I
going to make friends, how am I going to feel living away fromhome you know youre afraid of everything, but youve got to
grow up some time.(Project 2, first-year UK student, male, mentee)
Formanystudentstheacademicshiftfromstudyingatschoolorcollege
leveltostudyingatahigherlevelcanbeverychallenging,indeedmany
experienceatypeofacademiccultureshock(Quinnet al.,2005).Students
whodidnotfeelthattheyunderstoodthedifferencesbetweenlearningat
school/collegeandhighereducationwerefarmorelikelytothinkaboutleaving
(62%)thanthosewhofelttheydidunderstand(35%)(Project5).StaffinHEIs
agreethatmanystudentsdonotknowwhatisexpectedofthemwhenthey
arriveatuniversity,andthattheycanplayanimportantroletohelpstudents
understandcourseandinstitutionalexpectations(Project4):
My job is to make it very clear to the students right on day one,
week one week zero orientation to say this is what we areexpecting of you, and this is how I can help you; this is how
everybody else can help you. So, my presentations are on studyskills, on group learning, on how to succeed in Medical School.
(Project 4, staff member)
Peermentoringwasalsofoundtobebeneficialinhelpingfellowstudents
learnhowtolearnatahigherlevel,andmakeexpectationsmoreexplicit
(Project2):
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26WhatWorks?StudentRetention&Success
The first thing she helped me about was when I had to start writing
essays for my coursework during the first time in the first term. Ihad no clue how to search for the electronic journals or books in
the library She showed me everything like how to do itelectronically, how to look for different types of topics in the library
where the sections are and everything, and it was so usefulbecause after her advice I was able to actually do it myself and start
preparing because otherwise I wouldnt have done anything.
(Project 2, first-year EU student, female, mentee)
AccordingtoHarveyandDrew(2006)inductionisregardedasasignificant
partofthepackagetopromotegoodstudentretention.TheWhatWorks?
projectsfoundthateffectiveinductionprogrammeshavethefollowing
elements:
a) takeplaceintheacademicspherewithotherstudentsfromthesame
programme;
b) takeplaceoveranextendedtimeperiod;
c) useicebreakerstohelpstudentsgettoknoweachother;
d) involvesmallgroupwork;
e) providestudentswithinformalopportunitiestogettoknowtheirteaching
staffortutors;
f) provideinformationonlineandreadilyaccessibletostudents;
g) engagestudentsintheprocessofunderstandingtheacademic
expectationsandprocedures.
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27Practicalimplications:lessonslearned,casestudiesandrecommendations
Induction case studies of effective practice
The t-shirt induction activity, School of Chemical Engineering
and Advanced Materials, Newcastle University
The intervention
TheSchoolofChemicalEngineeringandAdvancedMaterials(CEAM)at
Newcastlehastraditionallyheldawelcomereceptionforallnewstudentsin
thefirstweekofthefirstsemester.In2009-10,asaresponsetoincreasing
numbersofstudents(inexcessof100),thefocusofthiseventwaschanged
toonethatdeliberatelystimulatedstudentinteractionwithpeersand
academicstaff,withtheaimofformingstudentteamsthatwould
subsequentlyworktogetheronagroupassignment.Eachstudentis
presentedwithat-shirt,amarkerpenandmostimportantlyaclearsetof
instructions.Eachpersonisrequiredtodrawrepresentationsoftheirinterests
ontotheirshirtandtothenfindotherswithsimilarinterestsandformgroups.Participantsweregivenexplicitdirectionsregardingtheintendedmixof
genderandethnicityforeachgroup(herestaffcouldintervenetosteer
studentsawayfromtheircomfortzonesandtowardswiderinteraction).The
resultantactivitywasnothingifnotconvivial,aswasevincedbythelaughter
andgeneralairofenjoymentinthevenue.Theunderlyingnotionisthat
becausegroupsarelargelyself-selectingtheywillenjoyworkingtogetherin
thecomingmonthswhentacklingagroupdesignproject.
The impact on retention and progression
Theevaluationfoundthatstudentshadformedclosesocialbondswithpeers.
Thiscontributedtotheirsenseofbelonginginthedepartmentinparticular,andtheUniversitymoregenerally:
First year is bad because you dont know anyone here basically ... if
you dont set up the design group you have got to make friends,
where are you going to make friends kind of thing ... well youwouldnt usually ... and if it was all individual work. You have to stick
around to do the work and obviously if it is group work you areforced to meet people.
(Project 7, student)
Itcannotbeprovedthatthet-shirtexercisehadadirectcausalimpactonincreasedratesofprogression,asratescouldalsohavebeenaffectedby
cohortdiversityorotherchangesthatmayhavetakenplace.However,
evidencesuggestsgroupsareanimportantcontributoryfactor.Insummary:
81%ofstudents(n=29)saidtheyalwaysormostlyfelttheybelongedin
theSchool;
allstudentseitheragreedorstronglyagreedthattheyhadformedclose
bondswiththeirpeers;
almostallstudentssaidtheirfriendshipgroupshadbeenaninfluenceon
theirsenseofbelonging;
oneyearon28%(n=10)ofrespondentswerestillsocialisingwithallanda
further58%(n=21)withmostofthemembersoftheirteams;
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28WhatWorks?StudentRetention&Success
32%(n=12)ofstudentsreportthattheyspendtimewithfriends(notteam
mates)workingtogetheronacademicprojectsandafurther44%(n=16)
saythatfriendshavebeenasourceofhelpandsupportwhentheydidnot
understandacademicwork;
followingtheintroductionofthet-shirtactivityprogressionfromStage1toStage2increasedfrombelow90%(85%,n=79,in2005-06and75%,
n=63,in2007-08)toinexcessof90%(94%,n=100),in2009-10;
retentionandprogressionhasimprovedsignificantlydespiteanincreasein
cohortsize.
Welcome Week, Nottingham Trent University
The intervention
Intheacademicyear2005-06,NottinghamTrentUniversityintroduced
WelcomeWeektoreplacethetraditionalFreshersWeek.WelcomeWeekisjointlydeliveredbyNottinghamTrentUniversityandtheStudentsUnionandis
specificallydesignedtohelpstudentsfeelthattheybelongtothewider
universitycommunityandtostartbuildingfriendshipsandpersonalsupport
networks,aswellastoaidstudentstransitionintotheacademic
environment.
WelcomeWeekinvolvestworelatedelements.Thefirstelementisa
programmeofover350academic,social,sportingandculturalactivities,
rangingfromsmaller-scaleeventssuchasreadinggroupsandbadminton
games,totheatretripsandnightclubevents,toanItsaKnockout-type
competition.UnliketraditionalFreshersWeekactivities,mostoftheseevents
donotinvolvetheconsumptionofalcohol.Inaddition,particularemphasisis
placeduponcreatingopportunitiesforstudentsnotlivinginhallsofresidence
andontheneedsofmature,internationalandlocalstudents.
ThesecondelementofWelcomeWeekisanimprovedprogrammeinduction
basedontheevaluationofstudentfeedback.Asaresultofthisfeedback,
mostinductionprogrammesandtimetableshavenowbeenplacedonline,
togetherwithinformationaboutenrolmentandorientation.Programmeshave
alsobeenencouragedtoreducetheproportionoflecturesandoffermore
activitiesinsmallgroups.Programmeteamshavebeenprovidedwithice
breakerresourcesandothersampleactivitiestoencouragehigherlevelsof
interactionatthisearlystage,andhavealsobeenencouragedtooffertheirstudentspre-inductionactivities.
The impact on retention and progression
I love the whole attitude in Welcome Week as it was just so easy to
make friends at a time when you feel most vulnerable as you areaway from all the people you know and trust.
(Andrews et al., 2012, p. 30)
WelcomeWeekappearstohavemadeapositiveimpactuponretentioninthe
firsttermatNTU.In2004,theyearbeforeWelcomeWeekwasdeveloped,
132first-yearstudentshadwithdrawnbytheendofthefirstterm(week10).
In2005,afterthefirstWelcomeWeek,first-yearwithdrawalsweredownto85
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29Practicalimplications:lessonslearned,casestudiesandrecommendations
bythesamepoint.In2006,earlywithdrawals(measuredtotheendofweek
9)haddroppedto59.
Anonlinesurveyoffirst-yearstudentsimmediatelyafterWelcomeWeekeach
yearshowsincreasinglyhighlevelsofsatisfactionwiththeiruniversityexperience.
In2005,80%ofstudentsreportedbeingsatisfiedorverysatisfiedwiththeirexperiencesofar;in2011,93%ofstudentsfeltthesameway.
Thesamesurveyasksstudentswheretheyhadmadefriendsduringtheirfirst
fewweeksatuniversity.Priorstudiestendtosuggestthatthemostimportant
locationformakingfriendsatuniversityisaccommodation.However,atNTU,the
mostfrequentlycitedlocationformakingfriendsistheacademicprogramme.In
2010,87%(n=863)ofrespondentsstatedthattheyhadmadefriendsthere.
Programmeinductiontimetablesforfull-timeundergraduateprogrammes
havebecomelonger,arelesslecture-basedandincludemorevariedactivities.
In2005,theaverageinductionprogrammelastedfor11hoursandstudents
spent62%ofthistimesittinginlectures.In2009,theaverageinductionprogrammelastedfor13hoursandonly39%ofalltimewasspentinlectures.
Therewasafarricherrangeofactivitiessuchasicebreakers,problem-based
learning,off-campusvisitsandsmallgroupwork.
Peer Guides: students supporting students through transitionand beyond, Bangor University
The intervention
BangorUniversityhasawell-establisheduniversity-widePeerGuiding
Programme,inwhichsecond-andthird-yearundergraduatesoffersupportto
incomingfreshersinallacademicschools.Theschemehasabroadcoverage
acrosstheinstitution:allnewundergraduatesareallocatedaPeerGuide
unlesstheystateotherwise.
Duringandfollowingthetransitionperiod,PeerGuidesmaintainclosecontact
withtheirgroupviasmallgrouporindividualmeetings.Theyarealsoexpected
tomaintainalessdemandinglevelofsupportforaslongasneeded.Peer
Guidestypically:aidsocialintegration;organise/attendarangeofsocial
activities;encourageparticipationinStudentsUnionactivities;accompanyto
and/orhelpwithinductionsessionsincludingBlackboardsessions,Health&
Safetytalks,libraryvisits;helpwithinformationsessions,moduleselections
andregistration;leadorientationtoursacrosstheUniversityandinBangoritself.Incaseswherenewstudentsneedadditionalsupport,PeerGuidesoffer
reassuranceandfacilitateswiftaccesstoprofessionalsupportservices.
TherecruitmentandtrainingofPeerGuidesisundertakenbyacentralco
ordinatorbasedinStudentSupportServicesandthepracticalimplementation
ofthePeerGuidingProgrammeisundertakenwithintheacademicschools.
Thisensuresitissufficientlyflexibletomeetacademicneedsandalsocreates
asenseofcommunitywithoutwhichitwouldbedifficulttorecruitthe
numbersrequired.Academicschoolco-ordinatorsallocateaboutfivenew
studentstoeachPeerGuide;wherepossible,studentsarealsomatchedwith
regardtodemographiccharacteristics,e.g.maturestudents,Welshspeakers
orinternationalstudents.
Inadditiontoprovidingamentoringservicetonewstudents,PeerGuides
alsohelpwithopendaysconductingtours,answeringquestionsandgiving
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30WhatWorks?StudentRetention&Success
astudentsperspectiveofBangor.Forsomethatcontactisthestartofthe
PeerGuidecycleasthevisitorsrememberthosefriendlyfacesandlookout
forthemwhentheyarriveasstudents.
The impact on retention and progression
Duringtheevaluation,studentsmadearangeofpositivecommentsabout
theirPeerGuidesandtheirimpact:
My Peer Guide made sure I was comfortable from the moment myparents left.
(Project 2, student)
He made us felt as if we fitted in with the students of the secondand third years.
(Project 2, student)
BothanecdotalevidenceandformalevaluationsindicatethatthePeer
GuidingProgrammeishighlyeffectiveandvaluedbystaffandstudentsalike.
Keystatisticsfromfirstyearrespondentstotheelectronicevaluationsurveyin
2011showed:
85%hadreceivedgeneralPeerGuidesupportwithsocialintegration,
orientationandgeneralinductionactivities;
79%ratedthatgeneralhelpasgoodorverygood;
71%hadreceivedsupportviasmallgrouporindividualmeetings;
62%hadratedtheirindividualPeerGuideasgoodorverygood;
31%hadbeenencouragedtoseekhelpfromstaff;
45%hadmetPeerGuidesatopendayvisits;
19%saidtheschemehadbeenimportantintheirdecisionto
chooseBangor.
Inaddition,95%ofPeerGuidesthoughttheschemewasapositive
experience.Whiletheywerelargelymotivatedtovolunteerforaltruistic
reasonstheydidrecognisethebenefitstothemselvesinskillsdevelopment:
78%citedincreasedcommunicationandinterpersonalskillsand75%increasedleadershipskills.
Oftheopencommentsreceivedonthesurveys71%werewhollypositivewith
ahighlevelofpraiseforthecommitmentofmanyindividuals.
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g) asenseofbelongingtoaparticularplacewithintheuniversity,mostusually
adepartmentalbuildingorasmallcampus(Project3).
Thesekeyelementsofbelongingarediscussedbelow.Thissectionconsiders
staff/studentrelationships,curriculumcontentsandpedagogy,and
assessmentandfeedback.TheAcademicdevelopmentandsupportsectionspecificallyconsiderstheroleofpersonaltutoring,andtheFriendshipand
peersupportsectionexaminespeerrelationsandhowtheyaredeveloped,
includingthroughacademicallyorientedactivitiesandtheroleofadedicated
socialspace.
ThefindingsfromtheWhatWorks?programmeabouthowlearningand
teachingenhancesretentionandsuccessreinforcesandextendsGraham
Gibbswork,Dimensions of quality (2010).Hisresearchconfirmsthe
importanceofteachingandstudentengagementasthekeyvalidpredictors
ofeducationalgains.Itisnotresourcesbutpractice,whoisteachingand
how,andthemanner/depthinwhichstudentsapproachtheirwork,thatbest
determinesachievementsinlearning.TheWhatWorks?programmeexplicitlylinksthistostudentretentionandwidersuccess.
Staff/student relationships
Manystudentsfinditdifficulttoapproachacademicmembersofstaff,but
theyvaluebeingabletoaskstaffforclarification,guidanceandfeedback.
Studentswhofeelthattheyhavealessgoodrelationshipwithacademic
membersofstaffaremorelikelytothinkaboutleaving.Goodrelationshipsare
basedoninformalrelationshipsthatrecognisestudentsasindividualsand
valuetheircontributions.
Studentscanfinditdifficulttoapproachmembersofstaffforinformation,clarificationandacademicsupport:
In my experience youre in a lecture with like 400 students whothey teach twice a week. Theyve not even seen your face before,
let alone know anything about you. So theres no sort of personalelement to it your lecturer you feel like it has to be quite a
significant question for it to be worthy of going to ask him.
(Project 2, first-year UK student, male, mentee)
I think if you ask help for lecturers, you need to see them in office
hours and you can only probably ask your lecturers about questionsabout your coursework or probably about the academic problems.
They dont know you. They have so many students.
(Project 2, first-year international student, female, mentee)
WhatWorks?surveyevidencefoundthatstudentswhoarethinkingabout
leavingfeelmoredistantfromtheirteachingstaffthanthosewhohavenot
consideredwithdrawal(Project5).Projects4and1respectivelyfound
exampleswherehighproportionsofstudents(75%inProject4,n=101)
reportedpoor,verypoorornorelationshipwithacademicstaffandwhere
nearlyafifthofsurveyrespondentswereunawarethattheyhadapersonal
tutorassignedtothem(Project1).Theevidencesuggeststhatagoodrelationshipwithstaffmotivatesstudentsandencouragesthemtowork
harderandachievemore,andviceversa:
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It lessens your motivation for the subject, because you dont feel
like youve got a full knowledge of it and you feel less motivated tolearn the full extent of the module if you feel you wont get help
from academic staff.
(Project 4, student)
Studentsvaluerelationshipsthathavethefollowingcharacteristics:
a) staffknowstudents,includingtheirnames,andviewthemasindividuals
(Projects4and5):
I remember when I was going to India, two of my tutors asked tosend them an email when I reached India to know that I arrived
safe. This is something that I will cherish all my life.
(Project 4, student);
b) staffappearinterestedinstudentsandtheirprogress,notjusttheirproblems(Projects4and6):
So I think its important that they are not only friendly and
approachable but interested in your progress. I did ask my oldpersonal tutor for help once and she was a bit dismissive so I just
didnt want to approach her again, I just went to someone else whogave me the help that I needed.
(Project 4, student);
c) staffareavailableandrespondtostudentscontactinanappropriateand
timelyway(Project4):
For some people it just doesnt seem legitimate. You know, like I
say, they think youre a bit stupid for asking the question.
(Project 4, student);
I e-mailed a member of staff saying I dont really understand thisand he sent a really nasty horrible email saying you should
understand it I thought it was a bit out of order.
(Project 4, student);
So I think being able to ask them about your subject and being able
to talk to them if youre confused about something rather than justwanting to crack on and power through their lecture.
(Project 4, student);
d) staffvaluetheinputofstudentsandrespectthem,irrespectiveofdiversity
anddifference(Projects4and5);
e) studentsareabletoapproachstaffforsupport(Projects3,4and5):
They dont look like lecturers; they dont have that sort ofappearance, if that makes sense. They are quite approachable,
friendly people.
(Project 4, student);
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Studentsrecognisethattherelationshiptheyhavewithstaffisdifferenttoa
friendship(Project4),buttheyareputoffbystaffwhoareunenthusiastic,
orwhoonlywanttoseethemiftheyhaveaproblem(Project6):
I dont think its a good thing if you see them too much as yourmate. But just understanding them as people thats where the
gem is.
(Project 4, student);
f) studentswantrelationshipswithstaffthatarelessformal,likeamentor
(65%,n=87)ratherthanformallikeateacher(14%,n=18)(Project4).
Project4reportedthatstudentsfoundithardertohaverelationshipswith
staffwho:
a) donottreatstudentswithrespect;
b) donotrespondtoemails,oronlyveryslowly;
c) arrivelateatlectures;
d) donotacceptcriticismwell:
Youd have to be quite careful not to be attacking the way an
academic teaches; youd have to be quite careful they can feelquite vulnerable at times as if youre criticising them.
(Project 4, student);
e) arenotinterestedinteaching;f) arenoteasilyavailableoralwaysseemtobeinahurry.
Student-centredlearningandteachingandpersonaltutoringarekeywaysin
whichstudentsinteractwithstaff,discussedinthesubsequentsections.
Curriculum-relatedactivities,suchasstudytrips,orsocialeventsorganised
andattendedbystaffwerepopular,andprovidedausefuladditionalwayfor
studentstogettoknowstaff.
Curriculum contents and pedagogy
Thecurriculumcontentsandpedagogycanmotivatestudentstoengageand
besuccessfulinhighereducation.Thisshouldbebasedonactiveandcollaborativelearning,withenthusiasticlecturers,andofferingarangeof
learningexperiences.
ThequalitativeevidencefromtheWhatWorks?projectsshowsthatengaging
studentsthroughthecurricularcontentsanddeliverymethodsareeffective
waysofmotivatingstudentsandimprovingretentionandsuccess.For
example,somestudentsmaybelessintrinsicallyinterestedinthesubject,but
engaginglearningandteachingstrategiescanigniteinterestandimprove
engagement(Project5).
I think the best things have been the programme, the contents of
the programme and the approach to teaching, [this] is veryengaging [for] students.
(Project 5, student who had thought about withdrawing)
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Strategiestomakelearningandteachingmoreengaginginclude:
a) activelearning:engagingstudentsinproblem-orpractice-basedlearning
drawingontherealworld(Projects4,5and7):
Every year we have lots of our students being involved working with
the National Trust, working with the RSPB doing practicalconservation work thats related to research work that were doing
here so I think they can see how it all joins up and I think thatsreally important its about preparing them for their life and that
they can take control of how they build that degree and thesurrounding experience to make it possible for them to live the
career and the life they want to lead.
(Project 5, staff member);
b) collaborativelearningandsmallgroupteaching,allowingstudentstoshare
theirownexperiences,bothintheclassroomandbeyond(Projects3,4,5and7):
Its not teaching in a great big lecture hall for a long time but getting
them into groups. Its getting them to discuss their own experiences,to value their experiences and what they bring to the learning so
listening to that and getting them to bounce ideas off one another.
(Project 5, staff member);
I like that you can work together and somebody can bring a piece
of information that youve never heard of, and you can bringsomething that somebody else has never heard of, and then youcan swap them and find out how they found it and whats in the
research. I like that.
(Project 7, student);
In our block of flats we got some really good friends ... then moved
in together in the second year ... It was a really supportive house ...we all had essays due in at the same time we would make each
other cups of tea, wed have discussions ... on a Wednesday wedbuy the Guardian wed sit over cups of tea all afternoon discussing
the things in it that were really important for the courses that wewere studying.
(Project 4, student);
c) enthusiasticandknowledgeablelecturers(Projects4and5):
I think I had two particularly fantastic professors one in Historyand one in Social Policy and I think what was good about them
was that they really knew their stuff so they were quite respectedwithin their field but they actually took time as well.
(Project 4, student);
YorkeandLongden(2008,p.48)saythatthoseteachingfirst-year
studentsshouldhaveastrongcommitmenttoteachingandlearning;
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d) offeringarangeoflearningexperiences(Projects4and5);
Lecturers are very inspiring, they try to make every lecture asmemorable and interesting as they can. They use different activities
and show various topic-related videos which help to understand thematerial better and maintain the interest in the subject.
(Project 5, student);
e) havingworkplacementsandfieldtrips(Projects3,4and7).Forexample,
TourismstudentsinProject7participatedincompulsorylocalfieldtrips:
I met people during the day yeah. We did a little run around the city,
getting into different things. I thought it was a bit tedious, but nowwhen I actually look back it was just getting people to familiarise
themselves with the city which was quite clever.
(Project 7, student);
I feel more part of the group than before, which makes my courseeasier because I can ask anyone in my course if Ive got any
difficulties.
(Project 7, student).
Muchofthegoodpracticewehaveidentifiedinrelationtolearningand
teachingreflectsChickeringandGamsons(1987)seveneffectiveeducational
practicesthatimpactonstudentlearningandeducationalexperiences.This
canbeunderstoodasalearner-centredparadigm(HubaandFreed,2000),
whichallowsstudentstoconstructknowledgethroughamoreactiveandauthenticlearningprocessfacilitatedbytheacademicmemberofstaff,rather
thanrelyingonthetransmissionofknowledgefromteachertostudent.Such
anapproachutilisesmoreactivelearningstrategies,suchasgrouplearning,
engagingactivities,feedbackandformativeassessment(seebelow).
Hockings(2010)definesthisapproachasinclusivelearningandteaching:
Inclusive learning and teaching in higher education refers to theways in which pedagogy, curricula and assessment are designed
and delivered to engage students in learning that is meaningful,relevant and accessible to all. It embraces a view of the individual
and individual difference as the source of diversity that can enrichthe lives and learning of others.
(Hockings, 2010, p. 1, core definition)
Assessment and feedback
Studentswhohaveaclearunderstandingabouttheassessmentprocessand
expectationshavehigherconfidencelevelsandarelesslikelytothinkabout
leavingearly.WhatWorks?evidencesuggeststhatanunderstandingof
assessmentshouldbedevelopedearly,andstudentsneedtohavepositive
relationshipswithstaffsothattheycanaskforclarification.Feedbackon
assessmentneedstobehelpfultostudents,andtheyneedtobeguidedhow
touseittoinformfutureassessmenttasks.
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Studentsexpectationsandunderstandingofassessmentseemtocorrelate
withstudentsconfidenceaslearnersandthoughtsaboutleavingHE:
I hadnt failed them [assignments] but it wasnt as good as I
thought. So I was sort of going from school where I did A levels andgot quite good marks and then I was like sort of confused as to
why, why that had happened and I sort of expected a higher scoreand that knocked my confidence a bit.
(Project 4, student)
Project5foundthat64.5%ofstudentswhohadnotthoughtaboutleaving
reportedthatassessmentwasastheyexpectedittobe;only34.4%of
studentswhohadthoughtaboutleavingfeltthesameway(basedonfigures
fromtheUniversityofBradford,N=128).Project1foundthat35%(n=196)of
surveyrespondentshadconsideredwithdrawingpriortoorfollowing
assessment,orfollowingafailure.
AnswerstoaProject1surveyquestionWhydidyouthinkaboutleaving?
offerinsightintotheimpactassessmentandfailurehasonthinking
aboutleaving:
Too many assessments due in too close together. I just dont have
time to do them and I expect next year will be worse.
because I was trying my best but it seemed it was not goodenough I wasnt getting the grade to pass.
Lack of support with assignments not being explained properly
and not much help if you do need it.
Because I was finding my homework hard and not getting anysupport from my tutors.
Studentswhohavelowerconfidenceandareunsureaboutassessment
expectationsandpracticesbenefitfromfeedbackontheirassessedwork
(Projects1and5):
At the beginning of the course I was a bit overwhelmed by theamount of people who were clearly very smart and I found myself
questioning my own academic abilities. After completing my firstfew a