student success advisor training foundation program conceptualising the role of the student success...
TRANSCRIPT
Student Success Advisor Training Foundation Program
Conceptualising the role of the Student Success Advisor and
Practice Frameworks for Student Success and Retention
Acknowledgment to Country
In the Spirit of ReconciliationFollowing on from Sorry Day
I would like to acknowledge and honour the Traditional Custodians of this land that we
are meeting on today, the Yugambeh People, and pay respect to their Elders past
and present
Our Goal
Working together to make sense of and build ownership and commitment to
the Student Success Advisor (SSA) role.
What is the SSA role?
What is the SSA role?
How shall we start to work together to ‘make sense’ of our SSA role?
Student Success Advisor: What is our core purpose?
Student Success Advisor: Core Purpose
Proactive intervention for enhancing student engagement, success and retention.
Focused on being a ‘game changer’ in students lives.
Strategic Activities
Strategic Goals
Practice Frameworks and PrinciplesInstitutional Strategy
School Strategy
Partnerships
Student Success Advisor
Why are coherent practice frameworks important?‘The Six Rs’...........
• Rationale for what I plan to do• Reflect and re-orient as I am working• Review what I have done or the effect I have had• Replicate what has worked• Re-design what hasn’t worked• Report to others what I have learnt
Why are coherent practice frameworks important?‘The Six Rs’...........
Rationale
Reflect
Review
Replicate
Re-design
Report
We are not ‘lone wolves’......as a network of SSAs we need a shared language!
What are the general practice frameworks that we will use? Our Shared Language
1. Student Transition2. Student lifecycle 3. Levels of systems intervention 4. Facets of academic culture
1. Transition Model for student success: The Five Senses of Success
The Five Senses of Student Success
(Lizzio, 2006)
Sense ofStudentIdentity
Sense of Connectedness
Sense of Capability
Sense of Purpose
Sense of Resourcefulness
How might we as SSAs facilitate student’s successful transition?
How might we as SSAs facilitate our student’s successful transition?
Sense of Identity: Help me understand, validate and appreciate myself as a university student.
Sense of Connection: Help me to belong and feel connected.
Sense of Resourcefulness: Help me to navigate this system and my competing priorities.
Sense of Capability: Help me to feel confident and capable as a student.
Sense of Purpose: Help me to develop a sense of direction and commitment.
2. The Student Lifecycle
The Student Lifecycle
Students’ needs, identities and developmental priorities vary over their degree....
ThereforeWe need to understand and respond with developmentally appropriate services and interventions at key points of the lifecycle.
Understanding the Student Lifecycle Process (Higher Education Academy, 2001)
Early Contact
Pre-Semester (Admission, Enrolment & Orientation)
All of Semester 1, especially the first 7 Weeks
End of semester 1
First 7 Weeks of Semester 2
End of Year One transition into Year 2
Years 2 & 3
Alumni and Postgraduate
How might we as SSAs facilitate our student’s success across the lifecycle?
Pre-SemesterEngaging students from point of offer
Orientation and InductionAssisting planning, enrolment & orientation of students
Early SemesterRunning foundational academic skills development & assessment workshopsWorking with students at early risk of disengagement & departure
Through SemesterConsulting with students to assist academic success or academic recovery
Post SemesterFacilitating recovery or problem-solving with failing & failed students
Levels of Systems InterventionHow do we identify our priorities for
strategic action?
How do we identify our priorities for strategic action?Levels of Intervention Framework
Tertiary PreventionWhat do we do for failing
students?
Secondary PreventionWhat do we do for identified at-
risk students?
Targeted/ Selective Primary PreventionWhat do we do for specific groups of
potentially at-risk students?
General/ Primary PreventionWhat do we do for all students?
How do we identify our priorities for strategic action?Levels of Intervention Framework
Tertiary PreventionWhat do we do for failing
students?
Secondary PreventionWhat do we do for identified at-
risk students?
Targeted/ Selective Primary PreventionWhat do we do for specific groups of
potentially at-risk students?
General/ Primary PreventionWhat do we do for all students?
How might we as SSAs facilitate strategies focused on general primary prevention?
What will we do for all students?
Collaboratively Contribute to a Student-Centred Success CultureMembership of the Student Success & Retention Team
Establish Universal Procedures and MechanismsFacilitate early student planning through Mail-outs, Enrolment Day
Provide Universal Opportunities for DevelopmentImplement academic skills development workshops & assessment workshops
Communicate with the Whole CohortFacilitate peer mentoring systems, use email and social media to assist
planning & engagement
Priorities for Strategic Action to Improve Retention - Levels of Intervention framework
Tertiary PreventionWhat do we do for failing
students?
Secondary PreventionWhat do we do for identified at-
risk students?
Targeted/ Selective Primary PreventionWhat do we do for specific groups of
potentially at-risk students?
General/ Primary PreventionWhat do we do for all students?
How might we as SSAs facilitate strategies focused on targeted primary prevention?
What will we do for specific groups of students?
Pre-semester Front-loaded Outreach Interventions Initiate from point of offer negotiated engagement consultations with
“late engagers” (students identified at risk of early discontinuation based on distal indicators (viz., low OP x low preference x LOTE x low SES)
Mid-Semester Front-loaded Outreach InterventionsWorking with other staff to retain students who may ‘migrate’ or
‘transfer’ to other universities (e..g, high OP low preference)Active Ongoing Profiling and Monitoring of StudentsBuilding and maintaining a CRM ‘practice database’ on the engagement
and performance of identified sub-groups of students (e.g., international)
Griffith students at risk of early discontinuation 1/2012 on Distal risk markers
(Low OPs (11+) x Low degree preference (3rd+) x LOTE x Low SES)
HealthFoundationProgram(5 Schools)
Bachelor of Nursing
Bachelor of Business
School of Humanities
BachelorUrban & Env’mental Planning
CohortSize
856 703 550 468 127
High risk studentnumbers
3% (28/856)
6% (40/703)
12% (68/550)
19%(91/468)
24% (31/127)
Does early intervention work?We have achieved good success rates with “High Risk” Students in targeted Schools/Programs 1/2012
Late Engagers = (low OP x low preference x ESL x LSES)B. Business – 68 ‘late engagers’ in Sem. 1 (12% of the FY
intake) 82% passed at least 1 course 6 3 % passed all 4 core courses Only 7% failed all 4 core courses Those who passed all 4 courses evidenced high levels
of attendance at PASS, SASA academic skills workshops & SASA consults
Priorities for Strategic Action to Improve Retention Levels of Intervention framework
Tertiary PreventionWhat do we do for failing
students?
Secondary PreventionWhat do we do for identified
at-risk students?Targeted/ Selective Primary Prevention
What do we do for specific groups of potentially at-risk students?
General/ Primary PreventionWhat do we do for all students?
How might we as SSAs facilitate strategies focused on secondary prevention?
What will we do for students identified as ‘at-risk’ of discontinuation?
During semester Working with academic staff to implement the 6
Risk Markers in a key or threshold course and following-up students who are failing early assessment tasks
Secondary Prevention:Proximal Success or Risk Markers across first semester
W 1
•Readiness: Attendance at orientation or completion of online orientation
W2-3
•Early engagement: Online engagement (WK 2) & Class attendance (WK 3)
W 2-4
•Early performance: Submission of first or early assessment
W5-6
•Early outcomes: Passing of first or early assessment
S/B
•Cumulative outcomes: Passing of first-semester first year courses
Operation Student Success Trial: Markers 1-3: Patterns for 1/2012
RiskMarker
School of Nursing – Bachelor of Nursing
HealthFoundationProgram
School of Humanities
BachelorUrban & Env’mental Planning
Bachelor of Business
CohortSize
703 856 468 127 550
1 O-Day 160 (23%) 130 (15%) 114 (24%) 22 (17%) 85 (15%)
2 On-line
51 (7%) 200 (22%) 65 (14%) 17 (13%) 62 (11%)
3 ClassAttend
148 (21%) 36 (4%) 110 (24%) 19 (15%) 67 (12%)
How might we as SSAs facilitate strategies focused on secondary prevention?
What will we do for students identified as ‘at-risk’?
Mid semester • Contact students from the Starting@Griffith
survey who self-identify an early intention to leave Griffith
Priorities for Strategic Action to Improve Retention - Levels of Intervention framework
Tertiary PreventionWhat do we do for failing students?
Secondary PreventionWhat do we do for identified at-
risk students?
Targeted/ Selective Primary PreventionWhat do we do for specific groups of
potentially at-risk students?
General/ Primary PreventionWhat do we do for all students?
How might we as SSAs facilitate strategies focused on tertiary prevention?
What will we do for failing students?
Post semester • Facilitating the academic recovery of students
who have failed 2 or more courses in any semester through advising, support and/or referral
4. Facets of Academic Culture
What’s culture?The governing values, beliefs and ideas of an organisation
The way we do things around here!
Why is culture important? ‘Culture’ beats ‘strategy’ hands down every time!
Engaging our commencing students: What culture does our mindset create?
Social DarwinistCulture
High ChallengeLow Support
Engaging our commencing students: What culture does our mindset create?
Social DarwinistCulture
High ChallengeLow Support
Academic WelfareCulture
Low ChallengeHigh Support
Engaging our commencing students: What culture does our mindset create?
Social DarwinistCulture
High ChallengeLow Support
Academic WelfareCulture
Low ChallengeHigh Support
Aspirational CultureHigh Challenge
High Support
Engaging our commencing students: What culture does our mindset create?
Social DarwinistCulture
High ChallengeLow Support
Academic WelfareCulture
Low ChallengeHigh Support
Disengaged CultureLow ChallengeLow support
Aspirational CultureHigh Challenge
High Support
Engaging our commencing students: What culture does our mindset create?
Social DarwinistCulture
High ChallengeLow Support
Academic WelfareCulture
Low ChallengeHigh Support
Disengaged CultureLow ChallengeLow support
Aspirational CultureHigh Challenge
High SupportSupported
IndependenceCulture
Scaffolding, Dialogue and
Data-driven Engagement
Cultural transformationSupported Independence
Valued Longer-Term Outcome
Necessary Scaffolding Process
What is the SSA role?
Activating sustainable student energy!
How do we work to optimise these outcomes?
If we are to be ‘game changers’ and ‘transformers’ for our students then we need to consciously examine our notions of ‘student
support’...
Student Support in Higher Education: Traditional Conception: The language of ‘deficits’
What do you associate with the term ‘student support’? ‘Barriers to success’ are conceptualised as being located
within individual students. Positions the student as ‘having a problem’ with which they
‘need help’. Systems basic-assumptions (e.g., starting academic capital)
are generally unquestioned in the face of diversity• Diversity is confounded with deficit with the consequence
that non-traditional students are more likely to feel marginalised
Student Support in Higher Education: Transformational Conception: The language of ‘strengths’
What do you associate with the term ‘facilitating student success’?
‘Barriers to success’ are conceptualised as being located in student, society and university.
Systems basic-assumptions (e.g., culture) are open to questioning and re-design in the face of diversity
Diversity is conceptualised as inclusive of a range of strengths and identities with the consequence that non-traditional students are more likely to feel respected and valued.
If we are to be ‘game changers’ and ‘transformers’ for our students then we need to consciously examine our approach to ‘student diversity’ ........
Evolutionary States of Diversity1. Denial: I treat everyone the same
2. Frustrated awareness: I know people are different but there is not much I can do about it
3. Tolerance: I put up with difference and make some minor adjustments
4. Remediation: I fix students’ problems so they can cope better with my expectations
5. Active engagement: I work with my students to understand their strengths, preferences and needs
If we are to be ‘game changers’ and ‘transformers’ for our students then we need to consciously examine our notions of ‘student risk’...
Systems understanding ofStudent Risk
We need to honestly acknowledging that there are multiple sources of student risk:
1. Students can mis-judge or assume expectations and requirements
2. Staff can mis-judge or assume students’ entry level capabilities
3. Students can experience personal or system’s blocks to help-seeking or receiving
If we are to be ‘game changers’ and ‘transformers’ for our students then we need to consciously examine our notions of ‘how to help people to be successful’......
Our Goal: Co-Creating a Student Success Culture
Focusing on a proactive, outreach approach to facilitating students’ understanding of:
What unique ‘eye’ and ‘voice’ do they each bring How might their personal capacities and experiences be useful? How they achieve What is successful learning at University?What they need to do to be successful What are the predictors of academic success at Uni?What personal and institutional resources they require to achieve
that success What external resources are available at the Course/School/Uni level?What inner resources do students need to develop?
Our Strategy: Negotiated Student Engagement
While recognising & acknowledging the competing pressures influencing student priorities, we also need to establish the non-negotiables required for academic success:
Orientation to academic study and the level of application (time & commitment) required for successful performance
For NT first-in-family students this also involves building academic capital & deconstructing the “Hidden Curriculum”The role of the SSA is key to negotiated engagement
Negotiated Student Engagement
• The normalisation of student diversity in HE also involves a parallel process of the normalisation of the diversity of student support needs for success
• The reality is that while ALL students need some type of support
• Different students need different types & amounts of support
• And at different points across their first year, & the student degree lifecycle
Transformational Language
• Facilitating Student Success through contributing to cultures of supported independence in Schools/Programs is inclusive of all students
• Negotiated Engagement sits at the heart of facilitating a Student Success Culture of supported independence
• We need to think in terms of student success culture rather than student support
If we are to be ‘game changers’ and ‘transformers’ for our students then we need to consciously examine ourselves........
• Our thinking about risk and diversity• Our language in describing our work to
ourselves and others• Our behaviour towards people from
backgrounds different to our own• Our capacity to facilitate the conditions for
success
Student Success Advisor: Revisiting our Core Purpose
Proactive intervention for enhancing student engagement, success and retention.
Focused on being a ‘game changer’ in students lives.
A few personal comments...
How are you feeling about the SSA role at the moment?
I would be surprised if some level of confusion wasn’t part of the deal...
It is normal to feel overwhelmed at this stage of the process
There will be a multitude of thoughts, feelings and arguments surfacing.....
Self-doubt and self-questioning is something we all share...
So....let’s keep talking and sharing with each other...we are just
beginning the process of creating our own success culture and community