A MULTI-LEVEL AND INTEGRATED
APPROACH TO STUDENT RETENTION
AT TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN
Tamara O’Connor
Derek Richards
Laurie Lumsden
Student Counselling Service
“The course wasn’t as I had expected it. I found it very hard to get used to
the idea of working on your own and not getting the same teaching as you do
in secondary school. There’s also a lot of material in the course, which will be
irrelevant for the job.” First year student considering leaving college.
Introduction and Objectives
This paper describes the development of a multi-level and integrated
approach to retention at Trinity College Dublin. The College has a variety of
initiatives aimed at the retention of students in third level. Historically, these
have been short-term projects based on insecure funding, projects based on
the commitment of individuals and in response to needs identified by students
themselves rather than deliberate college management.
However, for
maximum impact, it is recognised that coordination and integration are
necessary to make retention part of the culture and formal management
system of Trinity College.
Over the past year, the College has made a concerted effort to achieve this
by incorporating retention related initiatives as part of its policies, structures
and systems.
The paper outlines related research, both international and
local, that has informed the retention activities. The philosophy and approach
that college has adopted is described. It then details some of the success
stories regarding retention initiatives and projects, particularly those that
embody a multi-level, integrated approach. Finally, some of the implications
and challenges are discussed.
Outline of Issues and Initiatives
Research background:
International research on retention highlights the importance to course
completion of a student’s ability to integrate both academically and socially
(Tinto, 1987; 1993). The role of course choice and commitment are major
influences on withdrawing (Yorke, 1999). National research supports these
findings (Baird, 2002; Matthews & Mulkeen, 2002).
2
A study conducted at Trinity College Dublin explored first year students’ views
on non-completion (Harrington, O’Donoghue, Gallagher & Fitzmaurice, 2001).
All first year students were asked to complete a survey asking questions
about their educational background, finances, and academic and social
college life. They were also asked whether they had ever felt like dropping
out of college. The survey compared those who had considered withdrawing
with those that had not, looking for indicators.
Students who had
experienced academic difficulties, financial worries, difficulties with settling
into college and concerns about career prospects were more likely to have
considered withdrawing. These findings confirm the importance of successful
integration and the necessity for a multi-dimensional approach to student
attrition.
A second study examined the reasons students withdrew from the university
(Baird, 2002).
The most-cited reason for withdrawal was a lack of
commitment to the course, combined with a host of satellite reasons. An
important finding was that two-thirds of the former students reported that
they were satisfied with their decision to withdraw and most students
continued on in third level education. This suggests that retention must be
viewed carefully as withdrawal may sometimes be in the best interest of the
student, indicating need for flexibility and support for students in transition.
The researchers concluded that “the first term and first year of College, with
all the demands for adjustment, the pressures associated with preparing for
exams, and the experience of not passing exams, offer opportunities for
intervention to improve course completion” (Baird, 2002, p. iii). The study
made several recommendations, many of which have informed the
university’s
approach
to
retention
and
many
of
which
have
been
implemented. These include the establishment of a defined exit procedure,
improved data on student progression, enhanced course information and
liaison activities with second-level schools. The initiatives described in this
3
paper address the recommendation to provide accessible information and
support - academic and personal - for students.
At the recent international conference on student retention held in
Amsterdam, “Enhancing Student Retention: Using International Policy and
Practice”, Tinto (2003) summarised several suggestions to promote retention:

Expect students to succeed

Provide early and frequent feedback

Help students to form attachments

Support active and collaborative learning

Build a college environment supportive of academic, social and
personal development

In
Make retention issues core and not ‘add-on’
summary,
the
literature
and
local
research
suggest
developing
comprehensive supports to address the multitude of issues that retention
presents as well as systemic integration of core activities.
It is from this
foundation that our multi-level and integrated approach to student retention
stems.
Philosophy and Approach:
Current retention literature advocates the need for a systemic, cohesive
method to maintaining students in third level education (Thomas & Quinn,
2003; Tinto, 2003). Trinity College Dublin has made a conscious effort to
endorse a philosophy and approach to retention that is integrated into various
aspects of college, works on several levels and is characterised is by being
developmental and holistic.
One way to aid the integration of retention activities is to promote them from
the top down, using college policies and procedures. The Strategic Plan for
the College (2003) states that “…students are nurtured as individuals and are
4
encouraged to achieve their full potential.”
This can be viewed as the
ultimate goal of retention and a way to promote students as valued members
of the college community. Furthermore, a Centre for Academic Practice and
Student Learning (CAPSL) has been established which aims to foster high
standards in teaching, to strengthen support for all students for more
effective learning and to continue building e-learning opportunities (Trinity
College Dublin, 2003). These institutional initiatives provide the vision for a
focus on the students’ experience and fostering their learning, conditions
critical to persistence (Tinto, 2003).
Parallel to this focus on teaching and learning, the college has also expressed
its desire to foster personal development and to support the student’s
personal growth and welfare.
This is being encouraged through the
promotion of the personal development programme, the quality evaluation of
departments and a policy on inclusive education, the “Broad Curriculum”
(1999).
Another way the College is trying to integrate is by linking and coordinating
academic, administrative and student services staff on retention related
activities, so they are not working in isolation and to build better awareness
among students.
The remodelling and expansion of orientation to involve
students, academics, administrative and student services staff is one example
of linking and coordination. Another example is the peer learning programme
which combines the efforts of academic staff who organise and promote it,
learning support staff who help with training and consultation, and
administrative staff who help with timetabling and space allocation.
‘Multi-level’ refers to attempts to target retention activities at academic, social
and personal dimensions. The Junior Freshman Officer serves as a point of
access to a wide range of support services to be referred appropriately
whether this be personal counselling, careers advice, financial assistance or
specific learning support.
However, multi-level also means targeting the
5
individual, group, department, faculty, and college-wide level. This has the
additional benefit of increasing awareness of retention issues and supports.
We have aimed some efforts at the individual level, such as interventions for
students with disabilities and at the group leve, such as workshops for mature
students or first year students.
Other interventions are embedded within
departments; some are faculty initiatives such as a customised interactive
study skills website while others are college wide initiatives such as
orientation.
Furthermore, underpinning all efforts is a positive, developmental and holistic
framework embedded in the core curriculum. It is positive and developmental
in the sense of helping students achieve their full potential while in third level
education; providing the knowledge, skills and attitude necessary for
successful completion.
The goal is to create an environment that fosters
learning, that encourages interaction between staff and students and that
promotes responsible self-directed learning. It is holistic in that students are
valued members within this setting providing for their academic, social and
personal support.
This approach has the added benefit of helping all
students, not just those at risk.
Retention related activities at Trinity fall into three broad categories. The first
are those related to adjustment to third level, the second are supports aimed
at optimising learner challenges (primarily for the general population of
students), and thirdly more specific initiatives targeted at enhancing student
performance. The next section describes selected initiatives from each strand
that we believe demonstrate the integrated and multi-dimensional approach
to student retention.
6
Retention Initiatives
Social and academic adjustment to third level.
Social and academic adjustment to third level is critical in ensuring students
successfully complete their studies.
The move to third level has been
identified as an important transition, particularly in the first term of college
life.
Adjustments and adaptations occur on many levels for an individual
student: social, personal and academic (Baird, 2002). International research
corroborates these local findings, which emphasise the importance of student
academic and social integration to course completion (Brack, Gay & Matheny,
1993; Earwaker, 1992; Tinto, 1987; 1993). The first seven weeks of term has
been identified as a critical period for first year students as they struggle to
adjust to their new environments (Rickinson & Rutherford, 1995).
Trinity College has endeavoured to meet the adjustment needs of new
students through a variety of interventions, such as:

Orientation week at the beginning of the first term

Working with the Student Union on the Peer Orientation Programme
(POP)

Peer mentoring

E-mail shots

Financial hardship schemes

1:1 counselling

Use of web technologies
The combination of these initiatives aims to meet students’ needs
comprehensively during this key period. Effort has been made to insure these
initiatives spring from the culture of Trinity College and fit them into
mainstream college activity so that they do not operate as ‘add-on, ad-hoc’
provision. It has been our experience over the years that the more integrated
into the college system the initiatives are, the more likely they will be
7
successful and enduring. As Tinto (2003) advocates, “Add-ons do little to
change the essential character of university experience, little to alter the
prevailing character of student educational experience, and therefore little to
address the deeper roots of student attrition” (p.1).
The Peer Orientation Programme (POP) and Peer Mentoring Programme
illustrate the integrated support for students in transition. Both initiatives are
built on the research that third level students prefer support from peers.
Research undertaken in Trinity College indicates that 78% of students would
seek support from a close friend if feeling worried or under stress
(Moukaddem, 1995).
A study conducted in the Dublin Institute of
Technology, suggests that effective peer relationships can act as a buffer to
the stresses of daily academic life (Lindsay, 1998).
Other studies have
demonstrated that students at-risk of dropping out of college seek help and
advice from their fellow students (McKavanagh, Connor, & West, 1996;
Prediger, Roth & Noeth, 1974).
This year the POP ran in conjunction with College Orientation and was
supported by the Senior Tutor’s Office, Student Services and the Students’
Union (an example of linking of services). In total 178 first year students
signed up for the POP and were matched with 130 senior years student
volunteers with involvement across the six faculties.
Trinity College decided to engage web technologies as a means for meeting
the academic / social orientation and integration needs of first year students.
The Internet and E-mail can facilitate communication and contact that might
otherwise not occur. The aim was to provide an online resource accessible to
students, parents and others as a precursor to attending Trinity College and
for the first term at Trinity.
The New Entrants’ website (www.tcd.ie/orientation) was initiated in August
when the Leaving Certificate results were published. This enabled active
8
involvement and participation in the events of the new entrants’ life from the
time they received news of acceptance until the end of the first term.
Student participation was further facilitated through the use of e-mail. The
website advertised an e-mail (orientation@tcd.ie) that students could use
throughout the weeks to address any questions, concerns, etc. that they
might have. The e-mail facility also informed the content for the site (e.g.
when questions were raised by prospective students, the necessary
information was made available online to all prospective students).
The initial seven weeks focused on orientating new students to Trinity College
and informing about what to expect. The offering was wide ranging including
information on college maps, living in Dublin, faculties and departments at
Trinity College, going to college, study at third level, the library, IS services,
Freshers’ week, accommodation, International Students, grants, societies,
sport facilities, the Students’ Union, the health centre, guidelines for students
with disabilities, funding for disability, student counselling, chaplains, careers
and much more.
9
Once the new students arrived and began lectures, the focus of the new
entrants site changed to supporting their academic integration alongside their
social and personal well being while at Trinity College. Weeks 9 – 13 centred
on strategies for achieving academic success drawn from many sources
including the Student Counselling online resources, the study skills interactive
web seminar, etc.
Many other services and academic departments
contributed material and suggestions.
Users of the site who engaged in the evaluation came from each of the six
faculties and a wide range of departments and courses were represented (see
Diagram 1).
Number of users from different courses
CSLS (2%)
Pharmacy (4%)
TSM (14%)
European St (4%)
law (10%)
engineering (6%)
2% 2%
2% 2%
2%
2%
2%
4%
medical chemistry (4%)
14%
4%
Drama (6%)
medicine (2%)
10%
4%
music ed (2%)
Occupational therapy (2%)
Science (6%)
Computer science (6%)
2%
2%
10%
Radiation therapy (2%)
Sociology (2%)
6%
6%
6%
2%
2%
2%
6%
4%
Natural Science (10%)
BESS (4%)
psychology (2%)
Nursing (2%)
Germanic lang (2%)
phy & chem adv mater (2%)
social studies (2%)
BIT (2%)
Diagram 1. New Entrants web site users by course of study.
Participants in the evaluation were also asked to rate on a five-point scale
how useful they found the site (see Diagram 2).
10
2%
Usefulness
0%
13%
Extremely Useful (13%)
Very Useful (32%)
Useful (53%)
Not very useful (2%)
Not at all useful (0%)
53%
32%
Diagram 2. Rating of how useful New Entrants found the web site.
The results were extremely positive. The highest percentage of users claimed
that the site was useful (53%) with 45% rating it as very or extremely useful.
To summarise, this initiative brought together a diverse range of information
into one location facilitating a multilevel and integrated approach to student
orientation. Due to the success of this initiative, in future years the site will
be maintained by the Senior Tutor’s Office as part of the overall orientation
package, an example of how a retention initiative has been incorporated into
college procedures.
Several of the retention related activities at Trinity College Dublin are directed
at promoting academic adjustment and reducing academic difficulties. These
aims are facilitated through a multi-level and integrated initiatives and
approaches throughout the college system. Among the aids to optimisation
of learners’ approaches to academic work are:

Library training

IT training

Personal development planning

Student records system

Peer assisted learning

Maths support
11

Study Skills and Personal Development workshop programme

Study skills material

Work with departments/Generic Skills Integration Project

Study skills web seminar

Peer Support Programme
These initiatives work at many levels, from the ground up and from the top
down. Some of the initiatives evolved from individuals seeing a need and
responding to it, such as Maths support, while others have involved the whole
college, such as the workshop programme and student records system.
The study skills web seminar is an example of our approach to retention that
started out as an ‘add-on’ service to address students’ academic needs but
which has evolved into an integrated component of the study skills
programme. It is an interactive online study skills training programme. The
programme was developed using theory and research about student strategic
learning. Among the modules in the programme are: note taking, reading,
writing, critical thinking, memory and understanding, learning styles,
overcoming procrastination, revision and examinations, setting goals,
concentration, and self-regulation.
However, it also addresses social and
personal aspects as it includes training on motivation, managing stress,
working in groups, self-management and so forth. While aimed primarily at
the individual student, it can also be used at the course and faculty level. The
Dental School and the Health Sciences faculty are customising the content to
suit their students and courses.
The seminar continues to be updated by
Trinity as well as through our collaboration with DIT and Carlow IT.
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Specific Interventions to Enhance Student Performance
The College offers a number of services aimed at enhancing student
performance, especially for students for whom the research suggests are at
risk of non-completion:

College Tutorial System

Student Counselling Service

Student Disability Services

Trinity Access Programme

Learning Support Programme
The oldest and most central to College culture is the Tutor system. Every
student has a Tutor who acts as a mentor and advocate but who also has
formal responsibility in terms of withdrawal from College.
Students are
encouraged to consult their Tutor before leaving College. Tutors take on the
role in addition to normal research and teaching. Tutors are supported by the
Senior Tutor (a part-time appointment) and her office.
Other established
13
services which provide retention-related assistance include the Student
Counselling Service, Student Disability Services and the Trinity Access
Programme (TAP).
The main focus of this section is the Learning Support Programme, as it is an
example of how College has tried to make its efforts more systemic. Funded
by the HEA, this is a joint project of the School of Clinical Speech and
Language Studies and the Student Counselling Service.
The programme
offers generic workshops on academic development issues as well as more
specialised individual assistance.
One of the targets for the project has been the development of a policy and
procedure so that ways can be found to move evaluated services into the
mainstream of College activity when the HEA funding period ends. This is
being done within the framework of CAPSL. There is also a service delivery
role as the programme provides students with requisite skills to face academic
and/or social challenges thereby encompassing a developmental, holistic
view.
Within the Student Counselling Service one-on-one learning support
consultations were held with 52 students in 2002-03.
Issues included
motivation, examination stress and techniques, revision, study skills, learning
styles and writing. The examination results for this group of students are
shown in Diagram 3.
Of the 52 students who self-referred because of
perceived academic difficulty, only 2 failed and withdrew. One of these was a
medical student who decided he/she no longer wanted to be a doctor, the
other did not turn up for exams. One student withdrew and re-enrolled in
another course, five are repeating this year and two are “off books”.
14
JF
SF
JS
SS
PG
5
4
PG
3
SS
2
JS
SF
1
0
JF
I
II.1
II.2
III/PASS
Repeat
Off Books
Other
FAIL
Diagram 3. Examination results of students from the general college population
who received individual consultations on academic development issues.
Within the Learning Support Service (LSS) of the School of Clinical Speech
and Language Studies, the emphasis is on students with specific learning
disabilities or difficulties with written and/or spoken English.
All incoming
students are screened using the Lucid Adult Dyslexia Screening test and the
VARK learning styles inventory. Students fall into two groups: those that are
referred for full psycho-educational assessment (conducted within College) for
dyslexia
or
other
specific
learning
disability
and
those
who
have
underdeveloped English skills. Half of the 56 students who used the service
last year were mature entry students, many from disadvantaged backgrounds
and who had limited progression at school as children.
Relatively few of
these students were referred from the Trinity Access Programme (TAP).
Students who are diagnosed with dyslexia are registered with Student
Disability Services (SDS) and joint programmes are developed involving
assistive technology, academic assistance at SDS, specific specialist dyslexia
tutoring at the LSS, and examination accommodations.
Work with these
15
students is intensive.
Student motivation is very high but students often
struggle against enormous difficulties.
For students who are not dyslexic as such, work tends to be less intensive
and involve the development of basic library, reading and writing, study and
technical skills (such as word-processing).
Work is done on a one-to-one
basis and by encouraging participation in generic programmes offered on
campus. This group of students also have enormous difficulty with the sheer
volume of work to be done.
8
6
4
PG
SS
JS
SF
JF
2
I
II.1
11.2
III/PASS
Repeat
Off Books
Other
0
FAIL
Diagram 4. Examination results of students with a specific learning difficulty who
received individual consultations on academic development issues.
The examination results for the LSS group of students are shown in Diagram
4. Of the 56 students who self referred in 2002-03 because of perceived
academic difficulty, 5 failed and withdrew. All were first year students. The
loss of these students was tragic given their motivation and effort but the
reality is that disability is an enormous challenge. On the whole the marks of
the LSS students were lower than for the student group seen at the Student
Counselling Service but it must be noted that an LSS student achieved the
only “first”.
16
JF
SF
JS
SS
PG
Main implications for 3rd level education
We have attempted to draw attention to the multi-level and integrated
approach to student retention that has developed at Trinity College Dublin.
We have sought to demonstrate the existence of a complex College-wide yet
integrated activity that includes academic staff, student service staff,
administrative staff and the students themselves. As part of the development
activity being undertaken by the Centre for Academic Practice and Student
Learning (CAPSL), this complex web of services and activities was mapped
using social network software (Borgatti, Everett & Freeman, 2001) and the
following diagram was produced.
Diagram 5. The student learning network at Trinity College Dublin.
Diagram 5 illustrates the core of learning support services through which
many retention activities are conducted and their relationship with academic
departments and key decision making bodies within College.
The core of student learning (and thus retention related) organisations
includes the Senior Tutor’s Office, Careers Advisory Service, Student
Counselling Service, Student Disability Services, Learning Support Service,
17
Trinity Access Programme, Library, Information Systems Services, Mature
Students’ Office, International Students’ Office, the Students’ Union and the
Graduate Students Union. (This was done before CAPSL was formed). Most
noticeable is the direct work with academic departments by the Student
Counselling Service and the Career Advisory Service. The Students’ Union
and the Graduate Students’ Union are more involved in the key policy making
bodies of the university than any of the other services and as such wield more
decision making influence than their peer organisations within the core group.
As noted in the early part of the paper, College policy in terms of the
Strategic Plan (2003) and the Broad Curriculum (1999) actively supports the
embedding of retention related activities.
Both formal and informal mechanisms of coordination exist simultaneously.
The informal aspect of coordination in general has been possible because of
the values held by staff concerning skills required for effective work (defined
in the Broad Curriculum) and a commitment to put into practice the skills we
are trying to impart to students. The formal aspect of coordination (CAPSL) is
the mechanism through which the long term-planning and financial support
will eventually be achieved.
Key conclusions
In the past, retention related supports have developed in isolation from
College policy and in response to needs recognised by individual staff. This
resulted in a complex web of different student support services.
Each of
these initiatives had been developed based on research and best practice,
both locally and internationally, providing a rich mixture of knowledge and
experience within the campus itself. However, such a pattern of development
brings with it the risk of duplication and gaps in support. Without formal
coordination this places a heavy burden of responsibility on all staff involved
to share information and ideas and to work collaboratively with each other.
To an extent the culture of the College encourages this systemic process.
18
The impact of activities is magnified by support from College policy through
the identification of retention issues as a priority, through formal coordination
with the establishment of CAPSL, through the recognition of the need to
embed student support services in College systems and culture and through
the involvement of students themselves.
Within Trinity, the formal
involvement of students is significant from class level right through to the
major policy and financial bodies of the university.
Trinity College Dublin has developed a complex system of services and
supports to aid retention of students. To date these activities reflect the key
finding of the research rather more by evolution than by strategic planning.
Complexity brings positive outcomes such as environments for creative
thinking, diversity of services, alternative approaches to service delivery and
different ways of looking at similar problems.
Complexity also brings
challenges such as the potential risk of duplication, the potential lack of
coordination and collaboration, and the potential for a lack of accountability.
While change can be a slow and difficult process, the move to a more formal,
coordinated approach is welcomed with the awareness that it is in the best
interests of the students.
19
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