What works? Facilitating an effective transition into and through higher education
@ProfLizThomas

o Transitions in higher education and beyond.
o Transition, engagement, belonging, success, drawing on the What works? Student retention and
success programme.
o Examples of effective transition activities.
o Transition to independent learning, employment and postgraduate study.
o Strategic enablers within the institution and beyond.

o Entering level 4 o Going on placement o Entering level 5 o Changing HEI o Changing student cohort o Entering level 6 o Entering employment o Transitioning to PG study

o Academic transitions – to a new way of learning o Social transitions – to a new group of people o Personal transitions – reflecting a change in circumstances and identity o Professional transitions – to a new organisational culture

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 Are students more worried about the academic or the social transition into HE?
Social
 What percentage of students think about leaving HE?
Between 33% (1/3) and 42% (2/5) of students think about withdrawing from HE.
 When are students most likely to consider leaving?
After Christmas.
During the first semester.
 Why do students think about leaving HE?
Most students having more than one reason.
Top three reasons: academic issues; feelings of isolation and/or not fitting in; and concern about achieving future aspirations.

 Are women or men most likely to gain a good degree
(first or upper second)?
Women
 Are men or women more likely to progress to PGT and
PGR?
Men
 Are BME or White students more likely to progress to a
PGT programme?
BME
 Which students are most likely to have a graduate job, or be in employment, or studying after graduation: white, black, Chinese or other Asian?
White

Thomas, L. (2012) Building student engagement and belonging in Higher Education at a time of change: final report from the What Works? Student Retention & Success
programme. London: Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

 NAO (2007) and PAC (2008): Lack of progress and lack of evidence about what works
 £1 million (Paul Hamlyn Foundation and HEFCE) to support 7 projects involving 22 HEIs to identify, evaluate and disseminate effective practice.
 The primary purpose of the programme is to generate robust, evidence-based analysis and evaluation about the most effective practices to ensure high continuation and completion rates.

o At the heart of student retention and success is a
strong sense of belonging in HE for all students.
This is most effectively nurtured through mainstream activities that all students participate in.
o The academic sphere is the most important site for nurturing participation of the type which engenders a sense of belonging. This puts high quality inclusive
student-centred learning and teaching at the heart of effective student retention and success.

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Staff capacity building
Institutional management and co-ordination
Academic
Social Service
Student capacity building
Ea rly enga gement extends into HE a nd beyond
16

Mainstream
Monitored
Proactive
Belonging
Collaborative
Well timed & appropriate media
Relevant
17

“I was quite surprised today with people like mentioning information, but [service should be reinforced on
(Male student).
1
8

o Find a person or people near you with the same student story.
o
Read the student story.
o Discuss and make a note of the reasons why this student left or thought about leaving higher education.

Implementation
Mainstream
Proactive
Relevant
Well-timed & appropriate media
Collaborative
Monitored*
Fun, semi-structured approach to group formation during induction in engineering
Activity takes place as part of academic induction for all level 1 students.
All students participate.
It is led by senior lecturer as part of the course. Groups then undertake projects.
During first week. Emphasis is on forming groups rather than providing information.
Promotes peer interaction and group working. Structured to promote mixing.
Qualitative feedback and review of data.
Are non-participants followed up?

Outcomes
Peer relations
Interaction with staff*
Developing capacity
Surveys and focus groups with students and analysis of institutional data
Groups continued to work and socialise together one year later (58%)
Opportunity to get to know a key member of staff.
Students help each other (44% reported receiving help)
Relevant to current/future goals*
Group working in the curriculum, and relevant to engineering employment.
Sense of belonging Created a belonging always or mostly (81%)
Retention & success
Better retention rates year on year (85-94%)
& compared to other engineering schools.

 “....it kind of makes....you don’t just feel like one individual person on a course, it is kind of like you are in a conglomerate of people kind of thing...I think it does definitely make you feel part of the group or part of something within the year group rather than just one lone person.”
 “First year is bad because you don’t know anyone....if you don’t set up the design group you have got to make friends, where are you going to make friends kind of thing.....well you wouldn’t usually.....and if it was all individual work. You have to stick around to do the work and obviously if it is group work you are forced to meet people....”.
 “…I think if you are part of the kind of group then if, if you are going to drop out then.... or if you are struggling academically then you have got people there to support you as well”.

Implementation Core level 1 course using problem-based learning in groups of 8 students.
Mainstream
Proactive
Relevant
Well-timed & appropriate media
Collaborative
Monitored*
This is part of mainstream curriculum.
All students participate, and group work is assessed.
Relevant to current learning and team working in employment.
During first week. Emphasis is on forming groups rather than providing information.
Uses the academic sphere to facilitate social integration. Staff work with groups of
8 students.
Qualitative feedback and review of data.

Outcomes Surveys and focus groups with students and analysis of institutional data
Peer relations
Interaction with staff*
Students worked in groups outside of the classroom and made friends.
Opportunity to get to know staff in small groups.
Developing capacity Supported to work in groups through coaching and other staff support.
Relevant to current/future goals.
Able to relate to own experiences and interests.
Sense of belonging Created a sense of belonging.
Retention & success Better retention rates year on year from
77% to 85%.

 “I made [friends] through my seminars, really. I got four really good friends, and I’ve just clicked with them straight away, and then we sit together in lectures and stuff. And now I’m working on this project with them and we’ve been meeting up outside of Uni and stuff.”
 “[...]I like that you can work together and somebody can bring a piece of information that you’ve never heard of, and you can bring something that somebody else has never heard of, and then you can swap them and find out how they found it and what’s in the research. I like that.”

Implementation Group tutorials developing academic skills and relationships with staff and students.
Mainstream
Proactive
Part of the compulsory skills module.
All students participate; those who are failing are followed up one-to-one.
Relevant
Well-timed & appropriate media
Assessed coursework set through PASS contributes 30% of the module assessment.
Meet 4-5 times per semester; more frequent meeting in first semester. Face-to-face and text book.
Collaborative
Monitored
Emphasis on learning with each other and from each other.
Attendance monitored and followed-up.

Outcomes
Peer relations
Student survey, interviews, focus groups; attendance monitoring; and data.
Students learn from each other and feel more confident.
Interaction with staff 89% reported sufficient contact with staff through PASS; 88% confident now to ask for academic help.
Developing capacity Develop skills of all students; including failing students.
Relevant to current/future goals.
Taught by academics from their discipline, so perceived as relevant
Sense of belonging Shows that the dept cares/they belong.
Retention & success 83% in 2004-05 to 92% in 2007-08.

 [We] learn how others are feeling about the course and how they are getting on. The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly and that helps everyone have a voice, which is important for those who wouldn’t speak up in a lecture.
 Made me feel… that there were people to talk to if needed.
 I feel it is a great system to get to know your academic advisor and this makes me feel more involved in the Life
Science department.

Thomas, L., Jones, R. and Ottaway, J. (2015) Effective practice in
the design of directed independent learning opportunities. York:
Higher Education Academy and Quality Assurance Agency

o Majority of students do not feel adequately supported with their independent learning (NUS 2012) o Students are often not clear what is expected of them
(Thomas et al 2015)
We have students who have been highly successful in this system (A-levels). They have to learn how to learn differently, rather than just studying harder they have to study differently, and unfortunately some don’t learn that until they
fail. It’s hard lesson to learn. (Veterinary Science) o The aim is for students to be fully independent by they time they complete UG education.

o If there are certain passages that bewilder you in the reading, use the diary to analyse that sentence piece by piece, trying to get it into your own words. Use the diary to try out your ideas. It is a safe place, where we don’t need to see perfection
– what we want is to see the thought processes that you personally go through when you face that particular passage.
We strongly recommend that you keep a reading diary for all
your reading on this module. (English and Critical Theory)

1.
A clear structure of what to do and explicit guidance about what is required;
2.
A safe space for learning to learn;
3.
Support from staff and the opportunity for students to check that they are on the right lines;
4.
Opportunities for peer support;
5.
Guidance on how to be reflective and better understand the learning process; and
6.
Support with specific skills required (e.g. ICT).
7.
Underpinned by monitoring to identify students who are struggling and in need of support.
8.
A staged or ‘scaffolded’ process to enable students to move from being dependent learners to be autonomous by the end of their undergraduate education.

o Self-managed learning I think, observe and have experienced personally builds a confidence and an interest in learning in whatever context you are. If some students have appreciated this point and its importance then the module will have been more than worthwhile. I think for them it will be life
changing. (Management) o The skills learnt are key to any future career in law or business and provide a practical side to the course that is otherwise absent from the standard LLB course with its more
academic focus. (Law)

o The students on our psychology degree programme are introduced to the idea of practitioner psychology scenarios at level five, where they complete a portfolio as part of their assessment of a module. The PBL at level six in the module
‘Neuroscience’ takes this a step further, where they become more independent in their learning and experience being an important member of a multi-disciplinary team, addressing a real-life dilemma. They learn the importance of working within the dynamics in a team, and how to respect different opinions and experiences. (Psychology)

o The Making Digital History project … has involved getting students to produce online resources that teach others about the work they've been doing in the curriculum. It has been assessed across all levels of the curriculum and in different types of module and through collaborative and individual work too. The key aim is to shift students from consumers to active producers/communicators of historical knowledge to
audiences beyond academia. (History)

 Think of ways in which you have helped students to make an effective transition into/from any HE phase.
 Would these approaches have helped the student you discussed earlier?

o Learning and teaching plays a pivotal role in supporting students with transitions into and through higher education. This includes: o Providing information to help ensure good decision making.
o Informing expectations to improve ‘fit’ with reality, o Developing academic skills to enhance academic transition.
o Building social capital (networks and relations) to promote integration with peers and staff.
o Nurturing confidence, engagement and belonging to improve retention and success.

Commitment
Partnership with staff and students
Monitoring student behaviour
Institutional data
Success
Student capacity
Priority for all staff
Staff capacity

 Thank you for listening.
 Please get in touch if you would like to discuss anything: liz@lizthomasassociates.co.uk
or visit www.lizthomasassociates.co.uk
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