Mainstreaming inclusive learning and teaching to enhance student engagement, retention and successProfessor Liz ThomasAcademic Lead for Student Retention and SuccessHigher Education Academy

Overview• Improving student retention and

success: What works? programme• Conceptual model• Key messages• Importance of learning and teaching

• Developing an inclusive institution: HEA Summit programme• 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.

Academic

ServiceSocial

Pre-entry In HE Beyond HE

Student capacity building

Staff capacity building

Institutional management and co-ordination

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.• 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 (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 theretention 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.

What HEIs did

Define inclusive

learning & teaching Review

current situation

Develop strategic

framework

Secure senior

manager engage-

ment

Engage and

develop staff

Engage students

Use data, evaluation

&research

Engaging senior

managers

Involvement in the change programme

Link to other institutional

priorities

Presenting to strategic

committees

Developmental workshops

Staff engagement

Staff consultationor research Champions

in schools/ faculties

Working groups or

committees

Staff develop-

ment

Induction & training for new staff (PG cert)

Dissemin-ation

Student voices

Resources/ guidance on key topics

Institutional processes

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/EvidenceNet/Syntheses/inclusive_teaching_and_learning_in_he_synthesis_200410.pdf

• Email: Liz.Thomas@heacademy.ac.uk

What works? Two-day Conference• 28th and 29th March 2012, University

of York• 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