Beginning the ^Journey

Foundation Students’ Expectations and Experience.

Dr Lalage Sanders, Dr Annette Daly & Katherine Regan

SEET ProjectCardiff School of Health Sciences

Uncertain

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Rationale - H.E. Perspective

• Retention & Widening Participation(Yorke & Thomas, 2003; Cook, 2004; WAG Report, 2009)

• Transition to H.E.(Mercer, 2004; Lowe & Cook, 2003; Hockings, 2007)

• Support(Bevitt, et al. 2009; Wilcox et al., 2005; Williamson et al., 2011)

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Rationale – Students’ Perspective

• Expectations(Smith & Wertlieb 2005; James & Becket , 2006; Horstmanshof & Zimitat, 2007)

• Engagement(Kinderman, 2007; Kraus & Coates, 2008; Trowler 2010; Thomas & May, 2011)

• Uncertainty(Haleta, 1996; Forbes-Riley & Litman, 2008, Nevalainen et al., 2009)

Generalised rather than domain specific

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Foundation (FDN) Courses

• Preparation for degree level study• Guaranteed place for successful students• Study Skills & subject specific content• Candidates:

– Mature learners returning to study– Learning specialist skills– Poor A level grades

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Foundation Courses

Cardiff Met - Social Sciences:

Health & Social Care, Youth & Community Education and Psychology. - Health Sciences:

Biomedical Science, Applied Biomedical Science, Environmental Health, Food Science & Technology, Public Health Nutrition and Sports Biomedicine & Nutrition.

UWE - ScienceBiology, Biomedical Science, Psychology, Chemistry, Conservation, Sports Medicine and Environmental Sciences

- Health Professions Midwifery, Radiotherapy & Oncology, Diagnostic Imaging, Occupational Therapy, and Physiotherapy) Nursing

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Students’ Expectations and EngagemenT (SEET)

• Pilot – Focus groups Summer 2010

• Time 1 – Survey & Focus Groups Autumn 2010

• Time 2 – Survey & Exam Board data

Summer 2011

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Sample

Survey (N=203)

• Cardiff Met – Health Science 65/67– Social Science 58/58

• UWE– Science 61/81– Health Professions 19/19

• T1 & T2 N=89

• Focus Groups

– 12 (3 groups: M, F & mature)

– 18 “

– 14 (2 groups: M&F)– 14 (2 groups: mature)

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Survey (from Sanders et al. 2003, 2006, 2007 2009)

Demographic dataABC Scale

Academic Behavioural Confidence -17 items

Subscales: Grades, Verbalising, Studying, Attendance

PELPerformance Expectation Ladder – (VAS)

Expected mark for Self and for Year Group

Reference value of ‘National Average’ at 57%

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Expectations about Marks– Autumn and Spring Terms (Medians)

Great Expectations!

** Time

*** Career point

***Time x Career Point

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Expectations about Marks by End of Year Success (Medians)

In addition Outcome interacts with:

*** Self-Year Group

** Time x Self-Year Group

* Career Point x Self-Year Group

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ABC Subscales – Autumn and Spring Terms (Medians)

*** Time

(*** Subscale)

*** Time x Subscale

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ABC Subscales by End of Year Success (Medians)

In addition:

*Subscale x Success

And

** T1 Attendance by

Success

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Overview• Performance Expectation Ladder

– Unrealistic expectations of marks– Drops with experience but still unrealistic– From Autumn onwards: Self in relation to year group

appears to indicate success vs failure

• Academic Behavioral Confidence– Attendance & Studying (motivational factors) dropped

for both groups– Grades & Verbalising (ability factors)

dropped for Not-Passed only– Autumn: Attendance appears to indicate success vs

failure

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Focus Groups’ Agenda

Students’ expectations of foundation course

How these matched their current experiences

Expectations of anticipated degree course.

Challenges

Perceived support

Reasons for persisting

Looking towards the future

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Expectations about the CourseI just thought long term, I don’t even think now ‘oh it’s still 4

years’ … I don’t really think of that I just think of a means to an end sort of thing, I’ll fill it in and apply.

I needed something to kind of bridge the gap…get into like an academic style of writing um just fill in the gaps really, just prepare myself for the degree.

I didn’t look (at this Foundation course) because I thought I was going to get on the full course

It’s pretty obvious, you put the work in you get the grades.

So it’s quite good because we do this year and we are guaranteed a place next year, I think that is quite a good thing to have in place, another route in.

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Experiences of the CourseYou can use this year to build a basic knowledge of everything and

know that we have a place ..will be really helpful to get us off on a really good start on the degree

With the course, you get the essay skills and whatever, if I’d come straight into a degree course I’d have no idea, I would have failed the first assignment or whatever ‘cos I wouldn’t know how to write it

(Next year will be) choosing what you’re interested in rather than being forced to

I don’t really want to be doing a foundation course, I don’t think anyone would if they had the choice, they’d be straight onto the degree

And then it just irritates me when other people just think it’s only a foundation year I won’t attend, it’s a doss. It’s just like well you know…I’m putting in the time why can’t you?

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InvestmentFuture VisionI think most of us are here because we know that we are going to

get qualified, we’ll be like qualified to do a job for life

It’s literally a means to an end, the job at the end, is the only reason I am here.

Value for moneyIn doing this course I’ve already started learning new things that

they didn’t teach us last year, so I’m thinking that the 3 grand is a blessing in disguise ...

For me personally this is costing me a lot of money to do this um and it’s a lot of sacrifices, it’s four years out of my life, so for me it’s very important.

You’ve spent the money now, might as well stay

We should just turn up to lectures and get taught a really good syllabus…and get what we pay for…and pass

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Identity - as a Student

Where I am I’m the only person doing a foundation year and it sort of invalidates you a bit

They sort of think she’s not going to university properly, she’s doing a foundation year. It makes you feel like you weren’t good enough to get onto it

So I don’t want them to think I’m stupid so I’ll just say that I’m doing biomedical science for 4 years

If I was doing a proper degree would they help me a bit more?

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CommunityCohesionClose knit as a group; you can share ideas and work together I’ve got to say if I hadn’t had had that sort of [support] network I

would have really, really struggled, if I was honest I probably would have gone home

We haven’t gelled as a group which is a little bit difficult ‘cause if you are stuck on something....you can’t really ask anyone unless you know them.

DiversityI think because it’s quite a diverse group, so many different

backgrounds and age ranges, um it’s quite good in terms of a debating scenario as well but also what I’m finding is to work with each other and pool your resources like.

Friends are (a source of support) because obviously that is sort of part of the university package, isn’t it?

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Confidence -Internal

I was concerned that the pace, how fast the course was going to move ... that was one of my main concerns, will I be able to keep up with the pace of learning?

I thought I was going to find it difficult going back into education from having time out... and I thought I’d find it hard - the amount of study and having to do it off my own back as well.

I was really scared of not being able to do it and failing… but really on the contrary, I’m far exceeding any expectation I had of myself.

I’m continuously trying to reassure myself and asking other people like ‘how much science have you done before?’ to see if they find it as hard as I do.

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Confidence -External

That’s what I’m looking forward to next year like, when we all start the course, we are all going to have, like, one-up on all the freshers.

We’ll be a step ahead of the rest because we’ll know about referencing, the library etc. while the 1st years may be struggling.

I think it is more of a sense of achievement really, and I want to go back to those teachers and say I can do it now, you told me I couldn’t.

We’re proving we can learn aren’t we?

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Juggling Uncertainty

Investment

Confidence

IdentityCommunity

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Key issues from data

ABC & PEL may indicate tendency to fail Confidence is key to development and

engagement ABC & PEL show drop in scores over time Conundrum?? Maybe:

PEL Relative position = confidenceABC scales = diligence

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Student Insight

It’s the ones that come into the lesson and go ‘I don’t know this’ and it’s like a self-fulfilling prophecy: you come in you think ‘I don’t know it’, he explains it, you sit there and say you still don’t know and you just give up and walk off. And then you go to the workshop next week where they can sit down with you one to one and explain it to you , that’s an opportunity, and I don’t go to them coz I’ve been fortunate in understanding it. There’s like a friend of mine, for example, who says constantly ‘I don’t get this’ and I’m like ‘Are you going to the workshops?’ and they’re like ‘No’ and I’m like ‘Why?’ and they’re like ‘‘cause I don’t get it’.

Beginning the ^Journey

Foundation Students’ Expectations and Experience.

Dr Lalage Sanders, Dr Annette Daly & Katherine Regan

SEET ProjectCardiff School of Health Sciences

Uncertain

26

ABC Items - Ability

GradesProduce your best work under

examination conditions

Attain good grades in your work

Produce coursework at the required standard

Write in an appropriate academic style

Pass assessments at the first attempt

Produce your best work in coursework assignments

VerbalisingRespond to questions asked

by a lecturer in front of a full lecture theatre

Give a presentation to a small group of fellow students

Engage in profitable academic debate with your peers

Ask lecturers questions about the material they are teaching, during a lecture

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ABC Items - Motivation

StudyingStudy effectively on your own

in independent / private study

Manage your work load to meet coursework deadlines

Plan appropriate revision schedules.

Remain adequately motivated throughout.

AttendanceAttend most taught

sessions

Be on time for lectures.

Attend tutorials

“Does it do what it says on the Tin?” The effectiveness of foundation courses as measured by student progression and

reflections

Lalage Sanders, Annette Daly and Katherine Regan, Cardiff Metropolitan University

http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/nations/wales/12_E_Fund_2011_Wales_Sanders_CFMET_UWIC.pdf

Briefing paper:

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Study: ‘Does it do what it says on the tin?’

• Level 4 2010-11– foundation graduates

– Psychology, Social care, Biomedical Science, Health Professions

– 4 Focus Groups (N=16) & Survey

– Respondent Validation

• Examining Board June 2011

– N=899 (Foundation N=199)

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Outcome

• No effect of Student type (p>.05)

• Significant difference between Disciplines(p<.001)

• No interaction (p>.05)

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What works? Student Retention and Success

• What we can conclude about FDN courses– Lacking entry qualifications– Positive reflections– Equivalent achievement

• What we can’t conclude– Up to speed?– Or screening tool

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FDN Courses on UCAS

• 819 courses from 106 HEIs• 92 Foundation degrees• 727 FDN courses• 60 descriptors (BSc/BA/Fdn etc)• Duration

– 12 one-year FT ; 2 two-years FT– 27 four-years; 10 five-years; 4 six-years