what works? student retention and success dr helen may professor liz thomas
TRANSCRIPT
What works? Student Retention and Success
Dr Helen May Professor Liz Thomas
Presentation Overview
Overview of projects and key findings Emerging theoretical model Common outcomes and emerging core
principles of effective practice Conclusions Next Steps
Projects Overview
Pathways to success: The value of peer mentoring in enhancing student transition to university
Universities of Aston, Bangor, Liverpool Hope, London Metropolitan, Oxford Brookes, Sheffield, York University Canada and Oslo University College, Norway.
Focus/hypothesis: Peer mentoring improves social and academic belonging (for mentors and mentees), which improves retention, progression and achievement.
Findings: Mentoring creates positive impacts (greater for mentors) particularly in relation to learning experience and inter-personal relations.
Evaluation of different forms of peer mentoring.
HERE – Higher Education Retention and EngagementUniversities of Nottingham Trent, Bournemouth and Bradford Focus: Student doubters who stay in HE and programmes with
excellent rates of retention. Findings: Students consider leaving for course related reasons.
Students stay for more mixed reasons: support from friends and family, future goals or employment aspirations, personal determination or other characteristics, adapting to course/university and lack of other options. What makes people doubt is not the same what makes them want to stay.
Evaluation of transition, social support and developing opportunities to feel confident early in the course.
A comparative evaluation of the roles of student advisor and personal tutorAnglia Ruskin University and two FE partners Focus: Where students prefer to seek help from for different
issues. Findings: Study concerns - personal tutors (60%) and other
university services; feeling low - family and friends (81%); thinking about leaving HE - friends and family (46%), personal tutor (43%) and student advisors (40%).
Evaluation of the relationships with and roles of personal tutors and student advisors. Are friends and families equipped to adequately support students?
An examination of the effects of student integration on non-completionUniversities of Sunderland, Hull and Newcastle Focus: The effects of student integration on non-
completion, particularly in relation to mature and/or part-time learners, engineering students and local, stay at home students.
Findings: Local students have achievement but not affiliation orientation. Focus on academic studies but look elsewhere for social and pastoral support. Need to promote integration via the academic experience.
Evaluation of integrated orientation, structured and engaging personal tutoring and small groups.
Comparing and evaluating the impact of study advice and personal development on student retentionUniversities of Reading and Oxford Brookes Focus: to compare and evaluate the impact of academic and pastoral
support systems based centrally (optional) or within the discipline (interventionist).
Findings: Monitoring of student engagement (attendance and marks) has an impact upon retention rates. Prior qualifications (in science) has been a successful indicator for identifying students ‘at risk’. Importance of proactive role of personal tutors and other staff to signpost support.
Evaluation of role of study skills support/advice and personal tutor and of interventionist /optional services.
Dispositions to Stay: the support and evaluation of retention strategies using the Effective Lifelong Learning Inventory Universities of Northumbria, Bedfordshire, Manchester with
Bristol and Glyndwr. Focus: Using ELLI as a diagnostic tool, to identify whether
particular learning dispositions place students at risk of withdrawing.
Findings: Positive correlations found between 1st year student marks and dispositions of ‘strategic awareness’, ‘critical curiosity’ and ‘changing and learning’. Few significant differences found between social groups, although some gender, subject, social class, international differences.
Evaluation of the relationship between learning dispositions and success and of the ELLI tool.
Belonging and intimacy factors in the retention of studentsUniversity of Leicester Focus: evaluating the importance of a students’ sense of
integration. Findings: have found combination of social, academic
and environmental (facilities, accommodation) factors contribute to sense of belonging. Importance of personal and academic relationships and facilities/events.
Evaluation of the factors that contribute to students’ integration and belonging.
Building a theoretical model
Academic system
Social system
Organisational system
Professional services system
Student relations,
Key principles underpin everyday practices and interventions
dispositions & capacities
Student engagement & belonging
“What students do during college counts more for what they learn and whether they will persist in college than who they are or even where they go to college.” (Kuh et al 2005, p. 8)
Common outcomes and principles of effective practice
Common outcomes to improve student retention and success
Emerging core principles of effective practice
Conclusions Engage students across the lifecycle Work across different institutional systems Ensure everyday practices and retention
interventions are informed by core principles Recognise the importance of peer /staff
relationships Co-ordinate the student learning experience Promote a shared responsibility for retention Be proactive to engage all students.
Next steps Ongoing analysis of project findings Develop practical outputs for the sector Dissemination
Seminar series Briefing papers Conferences Community of interest Final conference planned in 2012.
For further information, please contact:
Dr Helen May [email protected]
Professor Liz [email protected]