providing an enhanced tutorial system to support student learning
DESCRIPTION
There is extensive worldwide research into the reasons for poor student retention, and studies have identified a sense of student belonging, the relevance of the learning experience, a confidence in academic ability and analytic skills and a positive first year experience as factors that positively affect student retention (Jamelske, 2009; Small & Deakin Crick, 2008; Willcoxson, 2010). After consultation with both staff and level 6 students, support sessions were delivered to level 4 Computing students in the personal tutorial slot, targeting those students with the potential to succeed but who may be lacking in scholarly attributes. These sessions targeted numeracy, academic writing and referencing, programming and associated skills, problem solving skills, time management, and the confidence to try something new. A variety of delivery methods was employed, and colleagues throughout the university contributed to the sessions. Wherever possible, the content was contextualised to make it relevant to curriculum delivery. The tutorial slots were timetabled and scheduled in a computer lab to encourage attendance and confer the same status as curriculum sessions, and registers were taken. The Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students - ASSIST (Entwistle, 1997), embedded within a curriculum assessment, was used to profile the students’ approach to study. Initial findings show that the students have a primarily strategic approach to learning. There is a clear correlation between attendance and submissions, and a weak correlation between attendance of the tutorial session and submissions. Attendance of tutorial sessions is lower than that of the curriculum classes, and there seems to be a weak correlation between poor tutorial attendance and higher scores for organised studying, time management and achievement motivation, suggesting that tutorials are less valued by the more successful students. Focus group interview confirmed these findings, with the support sessions being particularly valued by the international students, and valued most when perceived to have a direct relevance to the curriculum. Students felt the sessions assisted with the transition to HE, provided transferable skills, supported them towards independent and reflective learning, and supported social cohesion.TRANSCRIPT
