keeping the right kind of person for that course
DESCRIPTION
Helen Richardson of JISC CETIS and the Centre for Recording Achievement discusses the STAR project and issues around student retention.TRANSCRIPT
http://www.ulster.ac.uk/star
Retaining ‘the right kind of person for that course’
Helen Richardson
JISC CETIS MeetingUniversity of Strathclyde
22nd May 2008
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National Audit Office Report (2007)
Staying the course: The retention of students in higher education
http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/nao_reports/06-07/0607616es.htm
Overall conclusions: • “Compared internationally, HE in England achieves
high levels of student retention”• “The improvements so far are a good
achievement”.
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What’s the problem?
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1st degree Full time Part time
Entry 2004/5: Number of entrants to HE
256,000 229,000
Number no longer in HE in 2005/6
28,000 (10.4%) 87,000 (38%)
Left without qualifying (’02-03 entry) 15%
(’01 –’02 entry) 44%
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Main indicators for continuation to year 2
– High A level scores– Medicine and Dentistry– Pre-’92 HEIs– Full-time– If p-t, HE in FEC
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Factors affecting retention
• National policy
• Institutional policy
• Institutional culture
• Staff attitudes
• Student experience & attitudes
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Strategies for Student Transition and Retention (STAR Project)
• HEFCE & FDTL-4 funded Project (2003 – 2007)– To identify and disseminate effective practice for
managing student transition and retention in HE
• Universities of Ulster (lead institution), Brighton, Liverpool Hope, Manchester, Sunderland
• Much existing literature on student withdrawal, but little on strategies to manage this in UK HE.
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Outline of STAR method
• Established a set of Guidelines from a survey (questionnaire and interviews) and the literature– addressing each phase of the student timeline:
Pre-entry, induction, extended induction
• Searched out practices which might meet the objectives in the STAR guidelines– as basis of case studies of existing effective practice and
mini-projects to extend good practice
• Dissemination - examples of effective practice - drawn from case studies, along the student timeline.
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Guidelines & effective practice: pre-entry
• Provide accurate information to help match learners to suitable courses– Online (etc) – course & campus information– Visit days
• separately tailored information for applicants & ’parents’• interviews : what to expect, curriculum, institutional
expectations• student ambassadors: campus tour and their experience
of courses, campus, student life
• Student mentors– mentor emails replies to students’ pre-registration queries
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Effective practice: Pre-entry Community Outreach
Practices to reach and encourage applications from learners from a wider range of educational and social backgrounds – e.g.
• ‘Step-Up’: University working with schools provides ‘taster sessions’ at university and university-led support for pupils still at school
• ‘Udecide’: University working with partner FECs arranges workshops aiming to help learners with decision-making skills
• Pre-entry community guidance service: University provides guidance ‘clinics’ in off-campus venues (café, Community centre).
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Guidelines: Induction
Aims focus on effective student integration into university life :
• Familiarising with campus and its support services• Highlighting students’ academic obligations • Developing independent study habits suitable for
higher education• Developing social interaction between students
and communities of practice• Promoting good communication between staff and
students
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Effective practice: Early Induction
Well-organised registration week programme - might include:
• On campus activities led by student mentors • Social outing or residential field course• Study skills or practical (lab) classes
– work to hand in – early formative assessment– identify what additional learning support students need
• Home Start – helping students in non-university accommodation to
meet other students socially (builds on pre-registration workshop)
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Effective practice: Extended Induction
• Keeping in touch via mobile phone text messaging– Deadline reminders, changed teaching arrangements
• PDP – including online PDP/portfolio building, with date–
appropriate prompts around assignments to review progress
• Online support– course related e-tutoring for distance learners
• Assessment with feedback/re-assessment
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Effective practice: tailored support for students
with special needs• Impairments –
– Physical; learning difficulties (LDs); mental ill health– SENDA/SENDO –
• make reasonable adjustments
• Register of support providers for students with specific LDs– Database of freelance professionals and PGs, paid for
through Disabled Students’ Allowance
• Credit bearing study skills module for students with dyslexia
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How are JISC projects contributing?
– e-portfolio based (e.g. HELPP, IONW2, HELM)• Including partnerships using Shibboleth
authentication ( ePistle ) • PDAs/mobile learning for teaching assistants on
Foundation degrees ( WoLF )
– e-Admin• including coupling IAG with admissions
processes (PortisHEad, DELIA) or with course related information (MOVE-XCRI)
– Formative e-assessment (e.g. SpaCE-FD )
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So – over to you ...
How else might technology developments be used to effectively support retention processes?
What are the gaps and requirements?
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