Dr Tony Cook

1
Strategies for Student Transition and Retention

• Dr Tony Cook
• Helen Richardson
• STAR_at_ulster.ac.uk

2
STAR what, who and why?

• HEFCE/ DELNI funded FDTL-4 Project
• To identify and disseminate effective practices
  to promote student retention
• Universities of Ulster (lead institution),
  Brighton, Sunderland, Manchester, Liverpool Hope
• Much existing literature on student attrition,
  but little on strategies to manage these
  challenges.

3
The STAR products

• Guidelines
• STAR Studies
• STAR Audit
• STAR Website (www.ulster.ac.uk/star)
• Active dissemination
• We will talk to anyone, anywhere if we can fit it
  in.

4
NAO recommendations

• Monitor retention
• Monitor why students leave.
• Routine tutorial support
• Improve uptake of disability allowance
• Identify and take up good practice.

5
Yorke and Longden recommendations

• Focus on student success rather than retention
• Assist students to make wise choices
• Be clear about what is on offer
• Make our expectations clear and support students
  to meet them and
• Ensuring adequacy of resources.

Buyers Remorse
6
Take home messages

• Students have to change quickly and in many
  different ways
• Some of the problems are of our making
• Solutions can be applied before and after entry
• Early leaving is an institutional problem but a
  students solution

7
Need to monitor but this is not a substitute for
change
8
Dimensions of Transition

• What changes do we expect of our first year
  students?
• Social changes
• Work/study/student lifestyle balance
• Curriculum changes
• Assessment changes
• Cope with staff relationship changes

9
Social changes

• People do not leave clubs where they feel they
  are welcome members.
• Induction as a process rather than as an event
• Well managed group work, field work, social
  events
• Cohort identity -teach small groups together
• Student mentoring systems to assist rapid
  integration
• rites of passage- separation, limbo, inclusion
• More contact with fewer staff

10
Pedagogic changes

• Broader curriculum
• Support for ancillary subjects
• Assessment changes
• Resits
• Exam duration, style
• Teacher student relationship
• Class size
• How do you make the big seem small?

11
Student baggage
12
Why do students fail?

• I went into the exam blind
• The first year doesnt count towards your
  degree
• Failing was my wake up call
• I just didnt like that module

13
Putting it together

• Non continuance has two components
• Early leaving- characterised by poor decisions
  prior to entry.
• Academic failure- characterised by poor
  preparations/ false expectations.

14
Short term solutions

• Better information to applicants
• Courses should deliver what is advertised
• Developmental teaching of literacy and numeracy
• Better communication of standards through
  formative assessment.
• Facilitate and encourage students to return.

15
Longer term solutions

• Merge full-time and part-time students
• Accounting at the module level
• Are we a modular or course based system?
• Post Qualification Application
• Start at Christmas?
• Design a course to suit those who attend it
• One size does not fit all

16
And finally

• Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the
  transition that's troublesome."
• Isaac Asimov
• Of course there's a lot of knowledge in
  Universities the freshmen bring a little in the
  graduates don't take much away, so knowledge sort
  of accumulates
• Lawrence Lowell

17
Managing transition
Independent, enthusiastic, involved,
communicative, present,
End point
sober
?
Start point
18
Tension we put in the system

• Widening participation v retention.
• Diverging teaching practices in secondary and
  tertiary systems
• Perception of increasing financial burdens -gt
  work/. Part-time full-time