Download pptx - CRICOS No. 000213J a university for the World © real A holistic approach to the support and engagement of first year students: a retention strategy. Karen

CRICOS No. 000213Ja university for the World©real

University of Groningen, The Netherlands 13 - 15 May 2009

A holistic approach to the support and engagement of first year students: a retention strategy.

Karen Nelson, John Clarke & Sally KiftQueensland University of Technology

Brisbane, Australia

European First Year Experience Conference

CRICOS No. 000213Ja university for the World©real Nelson, Clarke & Kift May 2009


This session …

• QUT’s institutional context and approach to the FYHE• Transition pedagogy • Key FYHE strategies at QUT• Student success initiative

– Grounded in research & experience– Project overview & key partners– Activities and outcomes

• Discussion and questions



QUT’s Institutional Context• 40,000 students and 7 faculties over 3 campuses • Close to 10,000 commencing students each year• History of attention to transition / FYHE issues• FYE Program driven by three guiding principles

– Students must encounter curriculum that acknowledges their realities, engages them in their learning, and mediates access to life and learning support

– The institution will provide timely access to support, and – will facilitate a sense of belonging to the university, their

discipline and to the professions.



Our approach to the FYHE• All our students have qualified for a place and we must ensure

that they have equitable opportunities to make the most of their HE experience.

• Transition and retention are social justice issues.

Emeritus Professor Denise BradleyAustralian Review of Higher Education

http://deewr.gov.au/HigherEducation/Review/Pages/default.asp

“If we are to maintain our high standard of living, underpinned by a

robust democracy and a civil and just society we need an outstanding,

internationally competitive HE system”

http://deewr.gov.au/HigherEducation/Review/Pages/default.asp



Transition Pedagogy

• Conceptual model for the FYHE• Enacted through the FYE Curriculum Design

Principles• Institutional plan and activities intentionally

transcend boundaries partnerships• One of these key partnerships enables curriculum–

mediated life and learning support – this strategyKift, S., & Nelson, K. (2005) Beyond curriculum reform: embedding the transition experience. Paper presented at HERDSA 2005: Higher Education in a Changing World, University of Sydney, Australia. July 3-6, 2005



Focus of QUT’s FYE Strategies

Curriculum

Support

People

FY Curriculum Principles (Kift ALTC Senior Fellowship)

FY Practitioners’ Network

Student Success Project

New Student

“A three part symphony”




Proactive & tailored to

identify, and support students

at risk of not engaging

The Student Success Project

“ a bridge to success”



Grounding• Bridges’ (2003) conceptualization of a sequence of transitions

into HE• Critical nature of the first of these processes

– (for e.g. see: Tinto 1987, Pascarella & Terenzini 1991, McInnis et al 2000, Tinto 2001, Krause et al 2005, Upcraft et al 2005, Reason et al 2005) .

• Multiple & complex reasons explain why students leave before completion including: academic & social adjustment, varied and unmet expectations, extra-curricular commitments & constraints, financial issues, isolation, inadequate orientation, poor attendance, adverse teaching & learning… – for e.g. see: Tinto 1993, Trotter & Roberts 2006, Kift & Nelson 2005



Grounding

• Responsibility for engagement lies with students and with institutions and their teaching staff (Coates, 2005, Tinto 2008)

• Notion of institutionally-initiated engagement activities (Reason et al 2005)

• Lawrence’s 2005 notion of multiple discourses – http://sleid.cqu.edu.au 2(3), pp. 16–33. 2005

• Successful programs enable students “to adjust … and be successful both academically and socially” (Schrader & Brown 2008, p.317) or adapt themselves to suit student context

http://sleid.cqu.edu.au/



Positions QUT to respond to National HE imperatives

• Key recommendations endorsed by Federal Govt– By 2025 - 40% 25-34 year Australians will have a u/g qual– By 2020 - 20% participation of low SES students

“the reach, quality and performance of a nation’s HE system will be key determinants

of its economic and social progress”Emeritus Professor Denise Bradley



Student Success Project Overview

1. Identify target subjects and relevant at-risk indicators2. Collect descriptive and academic performance data3. Create call / contact lists of at-risk students4. Contact students on list by phone (email back-up)5. Email all students attempted to contact with plan6. Follow up after 2 weeks7. Evaluate outcomes: student persistence & success



Key Partners: Academic Staff

• Process tailored for cohort / subject / faculty• Large first year subjects – that have been designed in

alignment with the FY curriculum principles• Motivated subject coordinators who understand the

difficulties faced by their students• Negotiated specific at-risk indicators and data available• As much ‘automated’ data collection as possible to reduce

overhead for academic staff



Key Partners: Professional Staff

• IT – custom built – version 3 contact management system “OUTREACH” that stores at-risk indicators, supports SSP operations, enables tracking and evaluation of interventions.

• Counselling Services– Training and support of Advisors– Warm “hand-off’s” for students in possible distress– Management of referrals to specialist services



Types of At-risk Indicators

Descriptive• Member of a known at-risk

cohort• Failure or ‘at-risk’ in

previous semester• Did not attend faculty

orientation event• Low entry score

Academic Performance• Non-participation in subject

(tutorials)• Not participating in

teamwork activities• Not submitting 1st early first

assessment• Failure of 1st assessment

item• Non-submission or failure of

subsequent assessments

Sometimes in combination – depending on

resources available



“Outreach”

Descriptive Information

Commencing Student

Information

Target cohort details

StudentSuccess Advisors

General & Discipline

Advice

Weekly “students at risk” reports

Academic Performance Information

Student Success Project Model ...

FYE Consultant - Life Support

Academic Skills Advisors - Learning Support

Specialist Support

StudentSuccess Project Team

Leaders

Indicators of student activity

Contact Information

QUT Learning Support:• Kick Start/Study Smart, • Library Help Desks, • Scheduled Workshops, • Academic Skills Advisors

Faculty Learning Support:• School / Discipline Support, • Unit specific support, • FY/Academic Advisors• Peer Learning Advisors, Duty

Tutors, PASS schemes,

QUT Specialist Service Providers:• Counselling, Disability, Equity• Careers and Employment• International Students Services

Existing Services

Limited information

Skills Development Workshops- Following early diagnostics

“Warm Hand-Off”

Referral to

Existin

g

Services

QUT Student Guild



Student Success Project Activities

2008• Sem 1

– 350 students in 5 FY subjects in Faculty of IT

– Significant changes to persistence and academic performance.

• Sem 2– 2696 students in 7 FY

subjects in 5 faculties were monitored

– 1915 outbound calls made; 650+ “successful calls”

2009– All 7 faculties– Variety of approaches

• 3 x diagnostic – co-curricula

• 4 x curriculum embedded – 6000 students ~ 1500 “at

risk” – As of 7th May (week 10)

• 2769 contact attempts and emails

• 778 (28%) of students showing at-risk indicators contacted by phone



Outcomes: Persistence and Success

• S1 2008 ~600 students (1 faculty)• Persistence (as an indicator of attrition)

– ~84% of the “at-risk phone contact” students persisted – ~42% of the “at-risk not-contacted” students persisted

• Academic performance p<0.001 t-test– The average grade of the “at-risk phone contact” students was 4.51– The average grade of the “at-risk not-contacted” students was 3.37

• S2 2008 ~2700 (results of 2 faculties) for persistence (as %)

Not At-Risk At-Risk Phone Contact

At-Risk: Not contacted

Case 1 84.6 89.2 81.7

Case 2 79.2 67.4 34.2



Issues arising

• Post-hoc design for statistical analysis – only ethical model possible

• Features of our S2 cohorts– Less attention to orientation for commencing students– Often transferring from other degrees– High proportion of repeating students

• Possible ceiling effects• “Goodness” / reliability of indicators• Compounding effects (SSP + unit interventions)


Thank you for listening

Questions ?


European First Year Experience Conference

University of Groningen/University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands

13 - 15 May 2009

A holistic approach to the support and engagement of first year

students: a retention strategy. Karen Nelson, John Clarke & Sally Kift