Tony Cook

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Student Retention and TransitionSTAR

• Tony Cook
• STAR_at_ulster.ac.uk

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The STAR project(Student Transition and
Retention)

• Documenting and disseminating good practice
  associated with student transition.
• Guidelines
• STAR Studies
• Web site (www.ulster.ac.uk/star )
• Active dissemination

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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

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TRANSITIONS
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Managing transition
Independent, enthusiastic, involved,
communicative, present, reflective
End point
sober
?
Start point
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Student journey
Choosing subject
Choosing pre entry qualifications
Choosing degree subject
Choosing institutions
Applying
Selecting
Passing
Enrolment
Induction
Engaging
Succeeding
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Dimensions of Transition

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

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The effect of A level score
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Pre entry qualifications

• Most do precisely what they say
• And no more.
• Many students are ill prepared
• Pre-HE performance can be a proxy for other
  background variables
• Pre-HE performance may not measure what we value.

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Disadvantage

• Mostly first generation students
• Lack of cultural capital
• Poor advice
• Low expectations of themselves
• Inaccurate expectations of University.

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Causes of poor transition

• False prospectus
• Buyers remorse/ survivors syndrome
• Events

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Solutions

• Better information to applicants
• Courses delivering what is advertised
• Developmental teaching of literacy and numeracy
• Better communication of standards through
  formative assessment.

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Information to applicants

• Start induction on application
• Influence the advisors
• Parents and teachers
• Get prospective students on campus in term time
  (interviews, taster courses)
• Put them in contact with existing students

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Effect of pre entry mentoring
December 2003 First term retention June 2004 Year One retention June 2005 Year Two retention
Subject group (56) With mentors 54 (96) 51 (91) 51 (91)
Control group (34) Without mentors 30 (88) 26 (76) 22 (65)
Dan Bennett (2009) Brighton
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Homestart

• Aimed at students living at home
• A programme of workshops and social events
• good, because in Freshers week, people in Halls
  had made friends already, and we had friends
  through Homestart.
• It gave me a sense of belonging and a chance to
  meet others who understood the travelling.

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Induction

• Start at Application sometimes before
• Newsletters/ information
• Interviews/ visits/ taster courses
• Initial induction
• Extends to semester 2.
• Social events -student/ student- student /staff
• Small group teaching
• Study skills

Dont lose sight of the goal- independence.
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Longer term solutions

• Merge full-time and part-time students
• Accounting at the module level
• Funding
• Student success
• Post Qualification Application
• Start at Christmas?
• Design a course to suit those who attend it

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STAR Products

• Davies, Cook Rushton (2007) How to get your
  kids through University. Accent Press
• Cook Rushton (2009) How to Recruit and Retain
  Higher Education Students a handbook of good
  practice. Routledge
• STAR Studies- www.ulster.ac.uk/star

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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