European First Year Experience Conference. University of Groningen, The Netherlands 13 - 15 May 2009 . A holistic approach to the support and engagement of first year students: a retention strategy. Karen Nelson, John Clarke & Sally Kift Queensland University of Technology - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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A holistic approach to the support and engagement of first year students: a retention strategy.
QUT’s Institutional Context• 40,000 students and 7 faculties over 3 campuses • Close to 10,000 commencing students each year• History of attention to transition / FYHE issues• FYE Program driven by three guiding principles
– Students must encounter curriculum that acknowledges their realities, engages them in their learning, and mediates access to life and learning support
– The institution will provide timely access to support, and – will facilitate a sense of belonging to the university, their
A holistic approach to the support and engagement of first year students: a retention strategy.
Transition Pedagogy
• Conceptual model for the FYHE• Enacted through the FYE Curriculum Design
Principles• Institutional plan and activities intentionally
transcend boundaries partnerships• One of these key partnerships enables curriculum–
mediated life and learning support – this strategyKift, S., & Nelson, K. (2005) Beyond curriculum reform: embedding the transition experience. Paper presented at HERDSA 2005: Higher Education in a Changing World, University of Sydney, Australia. July 3-6, 2005
A holistic approach to the support and engagement of first year students: a retention strategy.
Grounding
• Responsibility for engagement lies with students and with institutions and their teaching staff (Coates, 2005, Tinto 2008)
• Notion of institutionally-initiated engagement activities (Reason et al 2005)
• Lawrence’s 2005 notion of multiple discourses – http://sleid.cqu.edu.au 2(3), pp. 16–33. 2005
• Successful programs enable students “to adjust … and be successful both academically and socially” (Schrader & Brown 2008, p.317) or adapt themselves to suit student context
A holistic approach to the support and engagement of first year students: a retention strategy.
Positions QUT to respond to National HE imperatives
• Key recommendations endorsed by Federal Govt– By 2025 - 40% 25-34 year Australians will have a u/g qual– By 2020 - 20% participation of low SES students
“the reach, quality and performance of a nation’s HE system will be key determinants
of its economic and social progress”Emeritus Professor Denise Bradley
A holistic approach to the support and engagement of first year students: a retention strategy.
Student Success Project Overview
1. Identify target subjects and relevant at-risk indicators2. Collect descriptive and academic performance data3. Create call / contact lists of at-risk students4. Contact students on list by phone (email back-up)5. Email all students attempted to contact with plan6. Follow up after 2 weeks7. Evaluate outcomes: student persistence & success
A holistic approach to the support and engagement of first year students: a retention strategy.
Key Partners: Academic Staff• Process tailored for cohort / subject / faculty• Large first year subjects – that have been designed in
alignment with the FY curriculum principles• Motivated subject coordinators who understand the
difficulties faced by their students• Negotiated specific at-risk indicators and data available• As much ‘automated’ data collection as possible to reduce
A holistic approach to the support and engagement of first year students: a retention strategy.
Key Partners: Professional Staff
• IT – custom built – version 3 contact management system “OUTREACH” that stores at-risk indicators, supports SSP operations, enables tracking and evaluation of interventions.
• Counselling Services– Training and support of Advisors– Warm “hand-off’s” for students in possible distress– Management of referrals to specialist services
A holistic approach to the support and engagement of first year students: a retention strategy.
Outcomes: Persistence and Success
• S1 2008 ~600 students (1 faculty)• Persistence (as an indicator of attrition)
– ~84% of the “at-risk phone contact” students persisted – ~42% of the “at-risk not-contacted” students persisted
• Academic performance p<0.001 t-test– The average grade of the “at-risk phone contact” students was 4.51– The average grade of the “at-risk not-contacted” students was 3.37
• S2 2008 ~2700 (results of 2 faculties) for persistence (as %)
A holistic approach to the support and engagement of first year students: a retention strategy.
Issues arising
• Post-hoc design for statistical analysis – only ethical model possible
• Features of our S2 cohorts– Less attention to orientation for commencing students– Often transferring from other degrees– High proportion of repeating students
• Possible ceiling effects• “Goodness” / reliability of indicators• Compounding effects (SSP + unit interventions)