Mainstreaming inclusive
learning and teaching to
enhance student engagement,
retention and success
Professor Liz Thomas
Academic Lead for Student Retention
and Success
Higher Education Academy
Overview
• Improving student retention and
success: What works? programme
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Conceptual model
Key messages
Importance of learning and teaching
• Developing an inclusive institution:
HEA Summit programme
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What HEIs did
Engaging managers
Engaging academic staff
What works? Student retention
and success programme
• 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.
Institutional management
and co-ordination
Staff
capacity
building
Student capacity
building
Academic
Social
Pre-entry
Service
In HE
Beyond HE
What works? Key messages
• Between 1/3 and 2/5 of students think about
withdrawing from HE.
• Academic issues are a primary reason why
students think about leaving.
• Not all students leave, and some programmes
have better rates of retention than would be
predicted on the basis of entry grades.
• Particularly effective interventions are situated
in the academic sphere and have an overt
academic purpose, while also developing peer
and staff/student relations.
Improving the academic experience
• A number of aspects of the academic
sphere are identified in the projects as
having an impact on retention and
success.
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Staff/student relationships
Peer relations
Curricular contents and related
opportunities
Learning and teaching
Assessment and feedback
Personal tutoring
Engaging learning
• Active learning: real life projects
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(H/B)
Small group teaching / collaborative
learning including sharing own
experiences (S, H, N)
Enthusiastic lecturers (H, N)
Varied learning experiences (H)
Work placements (N)
Effective learning and teaching
examples
• Engineering teams, School of
Mechanical and Systems Engineering,
Newcastle.
• Problem-based learning in groups, BA
Hons Psychology, Sunderland.
• Field trip during induction week, BA
Hons Tourism, Sunderland.
• Social science summer school,
University of Hull.
• PASS, Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes
University
HEA Inclusive learning and
teaching summit programme
Inclusive learning and teaching
• An inclusive approach uses mainstream
approaches and practices to meet the
entitlements, interests and aspirations
of all students in order to maximise
their success in HE. This is in contrast
to relying on additional practices and
interventions for particular student
groups, such as those from a WP
background or equality groups, and
focusing exclusively on the
retention of students at risk of
withdrawing.
HEA Summit programme 2009-10
• 15 cross-institutional teams worked
together to implement more inclusive
learning and teaching.
• Inclusive learning and teaching in
higher education: a synthesis of
research.
• Final report: Inclusive learning and
teaching in higher education.
• 2010-11 Developing inclusive cultures
programme.
Use data,
evaluation
&research
Define
inclusive
learning &
teaching
Review
current
situation
What
HEIs
did
Engage
students
Engage
and
develop
staff
Develop
strategic
framework
Secure
senior
manager
engagement
Involvement
in the change
programme
Development
al workshops
Engaging
senior
managers
Presenting to
strategic
committees
Link to other
institutional
priorities
Institutional
processes
Resources/
guidance
on key
topics
Staff
consultation
or research
Champions
in schools/
faculties
Working
groups or
committees
Staff
engagement
Staff
development
Student
voices
Dissemination
Induction &
training for
new staff
(PG cert)
Conclusions
• Good quality learning and teaching is
essential to student retention and
success. Some specific interventions
improved retention by up to 10
percentage points.
• Inclusive learning and teaching seeks
to mainstream effective practice.
• It is reliant on staff engagement:
awareness, understanding and
change. The Learning to Teach
Inclusively resources support this.
More information
• Student retention and success
resources:
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/retention
-and-success
• Inclusive learning and teaching
synthesis:
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/E
videnceNet/Syntheses/inclusive_teachi
ng_and_learning_in_he_synthesis_200
410.pdf
• Email: Liz.Thomas@heacademy.ac.uk
What works? Two-day Conference
• 28th and 29th March 2012, University
of York
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International key note addresses
Presentation of findings
Workshops to learn about practical tools
Evidence-informed interventions from
other institutions in the UK and beyond.
• For further information email
retention&success@heacademy.ac.uk