1st Year Experience and Student
Retention
CELT Professional Development
Event
Overview
• The Wider Context
• Why students withdraw
• Intervention strategies that may help:
▫ Prior to entry
▫ Upon entry
▫ Later
• The importance of Induction and good assessment
What did you experience that was
negative?
What did you experience that was
positive?
What do researchers have to say:
• ‘HE can be overwhelming for some students, particularly those who
are introverted and take longer to establish relationships with
others’. (Johnston, 1997, p. 8)
• ‘…students often did not have necessary study skills to effectively
cope with HE’. (ibid., p. 14)
• ‘Roughly two-thirds of premature departures take place in or at the
end of the first year of full-time study in the UK…early poor
performance can be a powerful disincentive to continuation with
students feeling that they were not cut out for higher
education…although main problems are acculturation and
acclimatisation to studying.’ (Yorke, 2004, p. 37)
Social networking
• ‘Our research identified three ways in which the
institution can play a role in promoting social
networks:
• 1.
• 2.
• 3.
1, 2 and 3
• ‘…firstly through student living arrangements,
secondly by the provision of appropriate social
facilities and thirdly via collaborative teaching
and learning practices.’
• (Thomas, 2002, p. 436): ‘Student retention in
higher education: the role of institutional
habitus’.
Seven principles of U-graduate
Education
• Important work of Chickering and Gamson (1987)
• Encourage contact between students and faculty
• Develop co-operation among students
• Use active learning strategies
• Give prompt feedback
• Emphasise time on task
• Communicate high expectations
• Respect diverse talents and ways of learning
(AAHE, 1987) Seminal.
Retention is not just an issue for the
first few weeks of the academic year.
• Research has shown that the most successful programmes are
ones where:
▫ Students are provided with comprehensive pre-entry information
about the programme, so that they are familiar with the modules
before they start.
▫ Students are given an in-depth induction programme to help
them settle in and get to know fellow students and staff.
▫ Students are part of a programme that has a strong, supportive
personal tutor system.
▫ Students are provided with a ‘friendly’ timetable that facilitates
part-time employment.
In addition:
▫ Students are on a Programme emphasising the importance
of attendance and with a strict monitoring system.
▫ Students are provided with a wide range of teaching and
learning techniques rather than just lectures or seminars.
▫ Students receive constant feedback on their work, especially
in the early stages of their studies.
▫ There is emphasis on success rather than failure,
collaboration rather than competition, achieving rather
than failing
Why do students withdraw?
• Two sets of explanations: academic and nonacademic:
• Dissatisfaction with the mode of study and the
course
• Wrong or ill-informed choices
• Undue influence by others.
• Poor awareness of course content, employer
demands, academic expectations and realities
• Genuine change of mind: ‘This is not for me’.
• Finance/domestic problems
• Failure to cope
▫ The reasons are complex and often overlapping
Also because they:
• Are unable to settle
• Do not have English as their first language
• Have no family history/limited support externally
• Simply do not work hard enough, therefore fail
• Allow employment, usually part-time, to take over
Reflection Time
▫
Could the above be prioritised in any way?
• Research recommends 3 stages to Transition
1. Prior to entry
2. Induction & Beyond
3. Curriculum Development
We will look at each, but with greater emphasis
on Induction and beyond for this presentation
Prior to entry numerous strategies may
be used:
• Bridging modules for ‘at risk’ students, generally
those without the necessary pre-requisites
• Partnership building between ‘feeders’ and receiver
▫ Moodle training; MA in Learning and Teaching
▫ Interviewing, but more by way of counselling and to
identify possible needs (diagnostic)
▫ Provision of interesting and accurate information that
is also user-friendly: Facebook??
Induction: What is Induction?
• Induction is taken as a set of processes that introduces students to:
▫
The Institution as an academic community
▫
Their campus as a distinctive social organisation and the providers of central support such as
counselling and careers guidance
▫
Their faculty, school or department as an organizational unit
▫
Their course of study as the academic framework in which they will learn
▫
The academic staff who will deliver the course and assess their performance
▫
An individual member of staff whose responsibility it is to advise them on both academic and
pastoral matters; and
▫
Their peer group.
(STAR Project, 2005)
Induction covers a number of different
aspects:
• Social induction (meeting other students, Students Union)
• Geographical induction (where is everything that the student
needs)
• Task induction (subject taster lectures, study skills, small-group
activities)
• System induction (how does everything work – rules and regulations,
student support)
• The implications are therefore enormous
Transitions Lifecycle Model
• University of Bradford :
(i) application;
(ii) transition;
(iii) support and guidance and
(iv) moving on.
However:
Even the most outstanding induction week
will do little more than introduce students
to the information highlighted. Induction
and transition activities therefore need
embedding throughout the first semester
and first year in order to support student
success.
An ideal induction programme
should…?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Be strategically located and managed
Address academic, social and cultural adjustments that students may face
Provide time-relevant targeted information
Be inclusive of all student groups
Address special needs of particular groups
Make academic expectations explicit
Include teaching staff at a personal level
Develop required computing and e-learning skills
Recognise existing skills and experience
Recognise different entry points and routes into higher education
Be inclusive of students’ families
Be student centred rather than organisation centred
Be an integrated whole
Be part of an ongoing extended programme
Be evaluated with outcomes and actions communicated to relevant stakeholders
(Fry, Ketteridge & Marshall, 2009))
Research has identified that students feel the following areas are the
most important with regard to induction:
1. Opportunities to make friends
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2.
Social Networking
Icebreakers
Reduce the amount of Lectures
Increase the amount of small group work
Start induction on Monday
To be told in advance what their induction involves

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Pre-entry activities
Reading lists
Send out accurate timetables
3. To understand what kind of learning is involved on their degree
programme and be reassured that they’ll cope
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Discussions about differences
Sample some learning activities
Group activities
Campus Tours
Course Reps & feedback
4. To be reminded how their course will benefit their future plans
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5.
Focus on graduation and graduate employment
Graduate destinations
Engaging with the programme
Wider benefits of the programme
The Induction programme to fit around their other
commitments, such as family and employment

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Clear timetable sent out in advance
Start on Monday
Avoid Early starts and late finishes
Blocks of time
Who is involved?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Students
First Year Convenor
Teaching & Support Staff
Colleagues in Academic Registry
Marketing
Student Services – (research shows professional student services should be
highlighted at early stage)
• Student Learning & Development Centre
• Students Union
What else can be done?
• Connecting well on the first day of class
• Small group teaching wherever possible
• Interactive teaching and active learning
• Balanced content: no overload/threshold
concepts to the fore; achievable learning
outcomes (not too many)
And:
• Highly visible constructive alignment between
learning, teaching and assessment: purpose is clear
• Encourage self-assessment/provide guidelines for
this
• Provide criterion-referenced guidelines
• Peer support
• Well-monitored attendance… SEE Examples
Also:
• Assertive outreach (Smith and Beggs, 2003)
• Personal Tutors/studies advisers
• Academic and other skills enhancement
• Referral
• Reduce barriers to effective learning AND
effective assessment
Some barriers to effective learning
Could everyone think of at least 3 barriers?
Barriers to effective assessment
So…
• Keep assessment manageable: short rather than long
essays; one essay rather than two.
• Use synoptic assessment whenever possible
• Spend time helping students to understand your criteria
• Could they assist in drawing it up?
• Reduce emphasis on examinations:
▫ are they necessary at the end of semester one?
▫ could failed semester one exams, if held, be discounted?
• Employ lots of CATs such as the One Minute paper
• Use diagnostic assessment early so as to intervene before
it is too late. It does not have to be formally assessed.
• Assess often and early.
In addition:
• Give feedback highlighting how subsequent work could
be improved and give within a week to 10 days.
• Always begin with a positive!
• Suggest what would help rather than state what was
wrong: “In your next essay, in the review of literature
section, here are three things you could do: 1. 2. 3.
• We shall presume good guidelines on the writing of a
literature review (or whatever) had been given!
What else: over to you…
Some Examples –
University of Portsmouth Induction Week
The UniSmart programme (www.unismart.biz) is used in universities
throughout New Zealand, Australia and the UK
Induction and Orientation Websites:
Giving
students the basis ‘need to know’ information and points of contact
University of Warwick –
orientation homepage
Staff Aids - Induction Ideas
Start of Semester OnWards:
• “We missed you…” is a postcard – sent to students at early
period as a way of informing them that their absence has been
noted, that their attendance is important and to encourage them to
make contact if there is a problem.
• Tracking and monitoring of students begins in earnest throughout
this period.
▫ Attendance letter from X/School – sent to students who have
missed 3 lectures/module, encouraging the the student to make
contact. Track reasons and if student has withdrawn unofficially
▫ Form an ‘At Risk’ register: This will identify students who have a
poor attendance record or referrals for supportive follow ups by
appropriate staff.