HERE!

Higher Education Retention and Engagement Project

Strand B

Programme 9

Programme from College of Business, Law and Social Sciences,

Nottingham Trent University

Sarah Lawther and Ed Foster

ContentsSECTION 1..........................................................................................................................................2

Context..........................................................................................................................................2

SECTION 2..........................................................................................................................................6

Programme/staff view...................................................................................................................6

Examples of practice and evaluation...........................................................................................19

SECTION 3........................................................................................................................................22

Student View...............................................................................................................................22

SECTION 4........................................................................................................................................25

Document analysis.......................................................................................................................25

SECTION 5:.......................................................................................................................................26

Overall summary and key conclusions.........................................................................................26

REFERENCES....................................................................................................................................27

APPENDIX........................................................................................................................................28

HERE! Programme Student Survey..............................................................................................28

The HERE Project: Strand 2 Guide for staff participants..............................................................33

1

HERE Project Programme 9

Programme from College of Business, Law and Social Sciences, Nottingham Trent University

SECTION 1

Context

How and why we chose the programme

We were interested in working with the School of Social Sciences as they have a particular interest in using institutional data to inform teaching and learning, particularly retention data. Their recording and use of data has been used as an example of good practice within the institution (Academic Standards and Quality Committee, 20 January 2010 Intake, Progression and completion Data: Overview Report).

The Data Monitoring Sub Group1 within the School was approached for guidance about which programmes to choose for this project2. This group advised that programmes within Social Sciences have similar retention rates and different retention challenges such as large numbers of students, low entry grades. They also advised that because of issues with the recording and interpretation of retention data the figures for some of the programmes (07/08) from Registry may be misleading. It was therefore difficult to choose a programme that it could be said with certainty has ‘good’ rates of retention compared to others3. The University has since purchased a more user friendly customer relations management database to monitor and report on student persistence.

This programme was chosen because it has a similar rate of retention to other courses within the School but typically attracts students with low entry grades4 and a “range of issues on top of the normal transitional issues” (Programme Team) such as severe financial hardship, a very difficult family life, dependents, and cultural issues. The programme team describe that they work hard to support the diverse nature of their students in a variety of ways.

The Programme Leader has monitored retention data at programme level since 2004 to understand better the needs of the students and as a result has made practical changes to the programme (such as introducing a Pilot Academic Mentoring Scheme). The student survey for this programme5 found that a slightly higher proportion of students6 had considered withdrawing than we had found in our study overall, but that these doubters had all decided to stay7. The National Student Satisfaction Survey (2011) captured the views of the cohort of students that were used in this study in their third year. The overall average satisfaction rate for this programme was 89.9%.

1 This data management group aims to begin to explore strategies for better utilising student data for a range of purposes including understanding aspects of student withdrawal.2 We wanted to find programmes within Social Sciences with a better than peer rate of retention.3 This led us to reflect on our methodology as a whole and use the Appreciative Inquiry approach as most appropriate for this research as it “focuses on identifying and developing what works in an organisation rather than trying to fix what doesn’t” (Dovestone and Keenaghan, 2006, p5).4 Previous research indicates that this has an impact on student retention. The NAO, 2007, for example, reports that “students with higher entry qualifications are more likely, on average, to complete their course” (p16).5 See Appendix 1 for HERE Project Programme Student Survey.6 This was a very small group of students. This survey was given to these students during May and June. 8 out of 38 students responded to the survey, but not all students answered all questions. 7 In this programme, 43% had considered leaving but decided to stay (3 out of 7 students), 57% had never considered withdrawing in their first year (4 out of 7 students), no students had considered leaving and had not yet made up their mind whether to stay or go. In our overall study, 37% of students had considered withdrawing. For full details please see the HERE Project Final Report.

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Course data

Programme 9 is a small (38 students8), full time, three year course located in the School of Social Sciences at NTU and has been running since October 2004. The current Programme Leader has been running the course since 2006.

Methodology

Staff interviewsThe Programme Leader, Year Tutor and a Senior Lecturer who teaches the first year were interviewed.

Student surveyThe course team gave consent for us to survey all first year students on the 2009/10 cohort. A total of 8 students out of 38 students (a 21% response rate) completed the survey during May-June which included a mixture of quantitative and qualitative data9.

Course data

Student administration data NTU Programme 1

Cohort 2009/10Total no. of first year students in cohort 5610 (38 Programme leader

figures)UCAS tariff requested by course 2010 entry

2011 entryUCAS points on entry (range) 2007/8 average Tariff points 207.1

A 2006/7 average Tariff points 170

How long the course has been running 6 yearsGender M 44

F 12Age 18 17

19-20 2521-24 1225+ 2

Mode of study (FT/PT) FT 56PT 0

Professionally accredited? No

8 According to Programme Leader records (which differed from Registry records).9 Not all students answered all questions so the figures are given as percentages and numbers of students. See Appendix 1 for survey questions.10 These figures are taken from Registry data which says that 30 students are fully enrolled, 17 are temporarily enrolled. This is different from the figure given by the Programme Leader, indicating the difficulties with recording of student data.

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Progression data for students by entry cohort

Overall Programme Success Rate

At Sept 2010

Number of students

213 27 36 26 36 41 47

All students

Recruited

2004-9

2004

Cohort

2005

Cohort

2006

Cohort

2007

Cohort

2008

Cohort

2009

Cohort

Completed 83

171

18 25 21 19 0 0

Continuing Studies

88 0 0 4 4 37 43

Transfers out, Academic failure,

Withdrawal.

42 9 11 2 13 4 4

Percentage

Success rate

79.8% 66.6% 69.4% 92.3% 66.6% 87.8%

NB. Success is defined as the proportion of students who have achieved an Award or are still studying.

4

Student Satisfaction Data

The National Student Satisfaction Survey 2011 captured the views of the cohort of students that were used in this study in their third year. The overall average satisfaction rate for this programme was 89.9%.

5

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29 20 69% 89.8% 93 84 93 85 97 92

SECTION 2

Programme/staff view

This section provides a summary of the analysis of the staff interviews. The analysis has been written using the subheadings from the interview guide framework (see HERE Project: Strand 2 Guide for staff participants). At the end of this section, practical examples are listed from the staff interviews that could be used by other university programmes to enhance the student experience.

Transition to effective learners

Extended induction

The course team see academic transition as a staggered process; students are supported during induction week (the first week) but also throughout the year. Students have a timetabled induction programme for the first week which includes ‘Welcome to NTU’ (a formal introduction to the University), an introduction to the course and course leader, an introduction to other services available to students (such as student services, library, study support), and extra curricular activities such as volunteering opportunities.

Students also attend small group sessions with their Year Tutor. During these sessions there are activities that encourage students to get to know one another, such as a session where students are asked about their expectations of university and their concerns about learning at university. All students have a timetabled tutorial with their Year Tutor during this week. The timetable also has ‘gaps’ which allow for students to take part in University wide induction activities such as fresher’s fair.

The Year Tutor described that students begin the week by saying that it is ‘annoying’ to have a timetabled induction. However, by the end of the week students report that they are glad of this because their peers on different courses who have had little contact time during induction ‘don’t get to know each other as well’. One student, for example, in the survey described this course as “like a little close community” (Programme Student Survey).

Students are also given a Course Handbook and a critical dates list in induction that lists all their assignments for the first year, when they are due, their weightings and who they will be set by.

A research and study skills module teaches learning skills throughout the year. The course team describe that this has many benefits.

It is taught by the Year Tutor so that all students have timetabled contact with this tutor throughout the year. The students also see this tutor in timetabled appointments in small groups (the first of these groups is during induction week).

The module content supports the students’ transition to learning at university. In these sessions, for example, the differences between learning in FE and HE are discussed as well as topics such as time management, report writing.

These sessions also include an induction to university systems and processes such as academic misconduct, plagiarism, special situations procedures, anonymous marking. The course leader describes that many students have no prior knowledge of university systems, some of which can be alien to students and it is important not to assume that students know about them.

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A Learning Contract is devised at the start of the year during these sessions and then communicated to all the programme team.

Time is given during these sessions for students to elect a course representative.

Students complete a diagnostic assessment at the end of the first term. This assessment is formative, and is not assessed. Students receive ‘proper, formal feedback’ on this, before they complete their next assignment. Students are reassured that this is a ‘practice’, that this is their ‘opportunity to go wrong’ and learn from their mistakes without it affecting their marks. The tutor then gives the students opportunities to discuss issues arising from this assessment in the study skills sessions. This assessment is also used by the course team in the following ways;

o The course team can address issues students are having difficulty with in their sessionso The Year Tutor also uses the results of these assessments to inform the content of the study

skill sessions, for example, to concentrate on referencing if many students are having difficulty with this.

o Some students may be referred to further support where appropriate, such as Dyslexia Support or the School Learner Support Co-ordinator11.

o This diagnostic test is also used by the course team to identify students who may benefit from their academic mentoring pilot scheme.

“.. the research and study skills module is a very valuable module in that from an academic perspective we can pick up on issues that they are grappling with from a whole range of the year one modules not just my module..” (Programme Team)

This student, for example, said that they felt more confident that they could cope with their coursework than they did when they started their course because of the “help available with academic writing skills” (Programme Student Survey).

Coping with coursework

Transitionary curriculum

All the students who answered this question (n=7) said that they understood the difference between learning in FE and learning in HE. Students also said, in an internal evaluation by the course team, that they felt prepared for studying year 2 of the course12.

The course team describe that the curriculum has been designed so that the subject content also supports students’ transition to learning at university, in particular, building student confidence academically but also in the social and life skills that they will need in their profession. These are embedded within the curriculum. In the first year this is primarily in a research and study skills module and a professional and communication skills module. In this latter module, students learn, for example, how to manage one to one interactions, how to work in groups and how group pressure operates. In the second year, students develop employability skills in the employment based practice modules and in the third year they have a transition learning module which is designed to support transition into employment.

11 The School Learner Support Co-ordinator is a specialist member of staff who provides a range of study skills sessions and writing support.12 Of 13 students who answered the question ‘Considering written and verbal briefings, how would you rate how you were prepared for studying Year 2 of Youth Studies?’, 11 answered ‘good’ and 2 answered ‘ok’. No students answered ‘not very good’ or ‘poor’. SUMMARY OF EVALUATION 08-9 Year 2 internal course evaluation.

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Confidence with writing

The course team describe that students’ confidence with academic writing is built by the following;

The diagnostic assessment allows students to practice academic writing without affecting their grades.

Students are supported to find their own voice in their writing. Students are encouraged to believe that their opinion is valid but are also supported to express these opinions using academic conventions.

Students are reassured that the expectation is for a progression of writing, the standard expected at the start of year one is different to that at the end of year one.

The importance of attendance and its correlation with performance is emphasised.

Academic Mentoring Pilot

• An academic mentoring pilot scheme to support students with their academic work was running during the time we carried out the research. The diagnostic assessment (given in the study skills module in the third week of term one) was used by the course team to identify students who may benefit from this scheme. An exercise was given to students which required them to demonstrate structuring work, academic writing and referencing. Students were graded in six bands- 6-1; excellent, very good, good, satisfactory, borderline satisfactory, not satisfactory.

“This year we decided to use those results to identify the students who seem to be having greatest difficulty with academic work and by that I mean referencing, spelling grammar and structuring assignments” (Programme Team).

Students were assigned a tutor to help them with their academic work. This included students across the range of abilities.

“Staff within the division have taken on one or two of these students each and meet with them regularly to look at how they are progressing with assignments and make sure they make sense of the feedback they have got and apply it to the next assignment” (Programme Team).

A record of attendance at the tutorials, UCAS entry points and final marks for the year were collected to monitor the effect of the project. It was found that, of 36 students who were monitored, those students with a test score 1 moved from Fail to Third class hons, those students with test score 2 moved from Fail to 2.1, those students with test score 3 moved from Third class hons to 2.1, those students with test score 4 remained at 2.2 and those students with test score 5 remained at 2.113.

Assessment is designed to support transition

The students are given a formative assignment in the study skills module (the marks for this do not count towards their grade for the first year). They receive feedback on this before completing their next assignment.

“I think that [the diagnostic assessment] is an important feature where students can get quick and timely feedback in the first term on their performance. They clearly get feedback on a range of academic writing issues including referencing. It is a very important part of the programme to help people get up to speed” (Programme Team).

This lecturer described how assignments on his first year module were also weighted to support transition.

13 It may be that the personal contact received during these tutorials is part of its effectiveness;“the fact that they are getting that extra attention and someone saying oh you did well on that but why haven’t you picked up on that, might make a difference in itself” (Programme Team).

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“…assessments are well designed and well weighted, for example the module I teach on is a 25% weighting on the first assignment and then 70% on the 2nd one” (Programme Team).

Students are also given a critical dates list in induction that lists all their assignments for the first year, when they are due, their weightings and who they will be set by.

Additional strategies for students who have difficulty with academic work

Monitoring of retention data by the Programme Leader (early years of course 05/06/07) revealed that the main leavers before the end of the first year were repeating students,

“ …it is mainly those people who fail or who have a lot of failures in the first year assessments who are the risky ones” (Programme Team).

As a result a number of strategies were set up to support these students.

Academic Mentoring Pilot

Referral to School Learner Support Co-ordinator where appropriate

Good monitoring system by the programme for referred students. These students are sent a letter by the Programme Leader specifying exactly which pieces of work they have to do, which sitting it is and who to contact if they need support through the summer. The Programme Leader describes that a letter is often more effective than an email as those students who are having most difficulty are often those that do not have access to a computer during the summer.

An awareness that students may face financial difficulty if they cannot re-enrol on their next year course because they have not completed the first year. Students are referred to financial support within the university where appropriate.

Choice of course (early information about the course)

Students often find this course through recommendation (from previous students) rather than University advertising. The course team attends the Open Days for recruitment but report that they don’t usually see many students. Students receive an introductory letter by the course leader welcoming them to the course. The letter also includes;

details of the ‘Welcome to NTU’ (formal university) presentation

details of the course induction

who to contact about enrolment, accommodation and fees if details have not yet been received

information about Welcome Week activities

information about a message board to make contact with other students prior to arrival and

maps of the university

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Making the subject interesting

Students are involved in the learning process as actively as possible. This was partly in response to a course evaluation in which students said that they don’t like being ‘talked at’ for more than 20 minutes at a time. Much of the teaching involves discussions, and students are supported with this in the curriculum where they are taught how to work in groups and how to get the best out of what happens in class.

“There are no lectures where they are forbidden to ask questions. It is interactive teaching. It is a lot of active learning methods. ...sessions are designed to accommodate different learning styles and indeed promote different learning styles amongst the students so I think there is a conscious and careful approach to the delivery and design of the taught elements (Programme Team).

“They make us aware if we don’t understand a certain subject area it can be explained in further detail” (Programme Student Survey)

Teaching sessions also include role play, presentations, visual methods (such as the use of archive photographs, video clips) and group work.

When asked ‘what does your course team do best?’ these students replied

“listen to opinions of students, adapt to the students learning styles” (Programme Student Survey).

“the topics covered are highly interesting” (Programme Student Survey).

When asked what makes the course interesting these students replied

“the fact that every lecture is different, and the life skills we learn are good.”

“the course content and how the staff structured lessons.”

“the variety of information I am always learning.”

“the topics..make it interesting.” (Programme Student Survey).

Lecturers also aim to make the assessments interesting by providing a range of types of assessment. One module for example, has a visual based project for the first assignment.

“I asked them to incorporate visual images, a minimum of 2 and maximum 3 visual images, pictures, photographs into a word document and then write a 1000 word account of what those pictures represent in terms of a particular theme relating to the topic” (Programme Team).

Students devise a learning and teaching contract which is circulated across the programme team. The programme team describe that this helps the students to feel part of the course and responsible for their own learning.

Relationship with staff

The course team describe themselves as, at core, a ‘tight’ team, who support one another and trust each other’s judgement. The course leader describe that the systems are transparent, both within the team but also made transparent to students. These systems include;

Cross modular evaluation of marks for the year to ensure consistency of marking.

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All tutors know which assignments they will moderate.

Students are given a critical dates list in induction that lists all their assignments for the first year, when they are due, their weightings and who they will be set by.

It is explained in the course handbook what happens after assessment (for example, the exam board process).

The student rep system works well to allow communication from students to the course team.

The course team have regular course team meetings (about every three weeks) to discuss and review issues in relation to the programme. A recent meeting, for example, talked about evaluation and how the programme might develop their approach to evaluation across programmes. The academic tutorials have been a feature of these discussions. These meetings also provide an opportunity to discuss students that may be in difficulty or not engaging with the course.

Internal evaluation of the programme indicates that students see the programme as well organised. Of 13 students who answered the question ‘How well do you think the programme is organised in respect of communication and day-day administration?’, 2 answered ‘Excellent’, 10 answered ‘good’ and 1 answered ‘ok’. No students answered ‘not very good’ or ‘poor’14.

Staff relationship with students

The course team describe the importance of both regular informal and formal contact with the students.

Students receive regular formal communication from the course team, “… a dialogue via email” and within the session.

“It will be things like attendance, updates and reminders of assignments and assignment briefings … students are given multiple briefings in relation to their academic work…This is a feature of the ongoing communication whether it be by email or actually within the sessions themselves.” (Programme Team).

Year Tutor System

The programme team emphasise the importance of students being known by a member of staff from the first week, as well as the importance of opportunities for students to get to know one another. The Year Tutor system provides this regular, formal contact with a member of the course team.

“It is the personal thing. It is the support in the first year” (Programme Team).

In induction, all students are introduced to and meet with (individually or in small groups) their Year Tutor. The Year Tutor is the first port of call if there are any problems and remains their tutor throughout the year “she is their focal point throughout year one”. This Year Tutor also sees the first year students weekly as she teaches them research and study skills15.

“I think that [meeting the Year Tutor in the first week] is a big factor in students beginning feel they belong and they have someone to go to” (Programme Team).

14 SUMMARY OF EVALUATION 08-9 Year 2 internal course evaluation.15 Year two and three students are assigned a tutor who is teaching them.

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Informal contact

The programme also has an open door policy and recognise that students may sometimes want to talk to a member of staff other than their year/personal tutor and that it may be that they need to see someone ‘there and then’. It is important, they believe, that the ‘door is open’ for students to be able to do this where possible.

“They tend not to come for a formal appointment but to sort of bowl up at the end of a lecture and say I’m having a bit of a problem” (Programme Team).

“So in my experience students know that they can approach tutors not just one or two but all are available and approachable to students. Students know that and are aware of that” (Programme Team).

Supporting students in their relationship with the course team.

A key feature of this programme was that the course team supported the students in understanding the processes of the University, the roles of the course team, the role of the students and the communication between the team and the students. It was not assumed that students would understand how these processes and roles work in higher education.

“It is part of their skill of personal development, they are developing personally.., but facilitating that communication …I think is really critical” (Programme Team).

The processes of the University (such as academic misconduct), the role of the course team and the individuals on the team are communicated to the students.

The team describe that they make it clear to the students that they are in partnership with the students, and want to work with them to succeed. As part of this ‘partnership’, the students (as a group) design a Learning Contract during a study skills session with the support of their Year Tutor. During this process, the expectations of the students are made clear. The Learning Contract is circulated to the course team.

“I prepare them in induction week that we need to agree ground rules ..the reason why I don’t get them to agree wholly in induction week is that it may well not feel at that point that they have the confidence to start coming up with ground rules ...bearing in mind the ground rules have to come from them not us. I introduce them to the concept of ground rules in week 1 and for most of them it is not a unfamiliar concept and then … in the first study skills lecture is we hammer out what the ground rules are. Then I post them in an area and I share them with all the module leaders and say this is what we have agreed for the programme. This works in a really meaningful way…it is all part of the course identity..which is important (Programme Team).

“I think that considerable efforts are made to establish an appropriate learning environment for students where mutual respect is engendered for each other and establishing a positive working relationship. There is a code that has been reviewed and circulated recently to support that” (Programme Team).

The team are keen that the students are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning. In one to one contact, for example, students are asked how they would like to improve their situation to empower the students to take responsibility for their learning.

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There is some level of practical support in terms of managing appointments in the first year ( such as a reminder via email).

Students are encouraged to ask questions and that it is ok to do so.

“The lecturers are always available to help” ((Programme Student Survey).

The course team describe that their professional background and experience of dealing with young people is a strength of this programme, that they can use this experience when their students come to them in crisis to help deal with the issues that they face in a way that is helpful to them,

“The type of students we have on the programme have very difficult backgrounds so it is important that staff know how to deal with these kinds of students.. helping them to take control of their own learning and their own situation” (Programme Team).

The team describe that they know all of the students ‘all of our students are known’ and that the students ‘feel a loyalty to the course’. This is because, describe the team, the systems in place send a message to the students that the staff will support them to succeed.

“All the systems say to students we really want you to succeed, we are giving you the best chance to succeed, we are here to help you, ... it binds that kind of contract about learning and teaching in a very practical way...Students feeling a loyalty to the course and knowing that people are on their side and value them as people and want them to achieve despite problems they are facing in their lives“ (Programme Team).

Student to staff communication

The course team gain feedback from students in a number of ways and these are both formal and informal.

Formal evaluation – course reps

Students are given time in the research and study skills module to nominate course reps. They have found that this works better when the students have got to know each other, rather than at the very beginning of the course to allow for less confident students to come forward. The students were asked how they would like to nominate the course reps.

“They actually agreed between them all that the way to do it would be for anyone who was interested the following week to talk briefly for 5 minutes on why they think they would be a good course rep. Then they voted. This was actually good because they did this as part of the class. It has tied in well with study skills because it developed their interpersonal skills, it broke the ice, a lot of them talked in a very humorous way about their experiences and why they thought they would be interested … it worked really well” (Programme Team).

“The fact that it is an aspect of a particular module is the reason for its success. It is not just an adjunct, it is within the curriculum” (Programme Team).

The students reps are involved in the course committee and reviewing modules.

“… student representatives attend the programme boards which I think is a strong feature of the infrastructure of the programme. My experience of the programme boards and students attending those is that they make an active contribution which I think is an achievement …[as] student representation on programme committees is an ongoing challenge at all levels” (Programme Team).

Course reps also encourage social integration of the group as this student describes;

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“Course reps also help form relations between the group by organising socials outside of uni hours!!” (Programme Student Survey)

The course team are responsive to feedback from students. In some cases, change is slow because actions need to go through committee and board meetings before change can take place.

Formal evaluation - additional module evaluation.

The course team regularly gain formal evaluation from the students.

“We do believe that evaluation is quite important on this programme so we evaluate at the end of induction week and we also evaluate at the end of year 1 … we also do additional module evaluation so there is plenty of evaluation goes on that is of a summative nature” (Programme Team).

Informal evaluation

The team describe that in addition to formal evaluation, they also gain feedback from students during sessions about how they are finding the course and studying.

“The formative evaluation I really undertake every week when I see the students so normally I have ten minutes with them to say how are things going to check out what their situation is” (Programme Team).

Support from friends/peers

During induction students are given opportunities to get to know each other through ice breakers, group activities and longer breaks that encourage students to make friends. Students are also introduced to the opportunities available to them at the University to meet other students such as volunteering, the Students in Classrooms project, language taster sessions.

“Certainly in induction we do a lot of that kind of thing [icebreakers and group activities] and there is a lot of opportunities to move around and chat to different people and identify people who have some kind of similar experience to yourself” (Programme Team).

Students descried the following as examples of opportunities to make friends during induction; discussions, group activities, team tasks, fresher’s week activities, treasure hunts, social activities, like trips, social class events.

“Once I had warmed up to people, I began to make friends with others in my class” (Programme Student Survey).

Fitting in/belonging

The programme team believe that most students feel their initial sense of belonging is to their course, rather than to the University. The team describe that students often feel a loyalty to the course. The Year Tutor, for example, says that some students get in touch after they have left the course and are happy to talk to the current students and be included in the prospectus for the course. The programme team attribute this sense of belonging and identity with the course to a number of factors.

• the friendliness between staff and students

• the course is small, and this creates a sense of community identity.

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“I think being small perhaps is crucial” (Programme Team)

“… because it’s only a small class, we all know each other, and it is like a little close community” (Programme Student Survey).

The course team actively encourage students to form an identity with the course. Their belief is that students often come from an institution where they have had a strong identity with the course and that this may be more difficult to achieve in higher education because there is less contact time. In addition, students may not participate in activities external to the course (for a number of reasons) so it is important that they develop a sense of identity and belonging with the course. Induction activities, for example (described earlier) are designed to facilitate this. Activities viewed as particularly important are those that “encourage them to work together in teams to understand each others backgrounds and diverse cultures” (Programme Team).

“I think HE can over-estimate the opportunities students have to feel the sense of belonging. Not everybody wants to join the football team, or the student union activities and if you don’t and you are trying desperately to establish some kind of identity within your course it can be quite difficult. I think that has worked because the students do go out together on socials and they see themselves as being part of the programme. They identify even with students in Year 2 which is .. positive as well” (Programme Team).

The Learning Contract and transparent systems indicate to students that the course team are working with the students to help them achieve their goals engenders a sense of loyalty to the course as well as a sense of identity.

“I think, .. those systems say to students we really want you to … succeed, .. it binds that kind of contract about learning and teaching in a very practical way. I think that is perhaps one of the biggest factors. Students feeling a loyalty to the course and knowing that people are on their side and value them as people and want them to achieve” (Programme Team).

“Devising ground rules, the Learning Contract… is all part of .. the course identity, linking to the idea of identity which I think is quite important” (Programme Team).

Life outside of studies

The course team see the first year as a time of transition, not just academically, but in other areas of life such as social relationships, accommodation.

“Those early days and early weeks there is a lot of flux and hiatus in the student’s life space and establishing relationships if they are in a flat with 6 others in a block of 8 flats. There is clearly going to be potential for tensions and difficulties in terms of relationships and that has a considerable impact on a key transition point which students have to negotiate” (Programme Team).

The course team support students with this by providing clear information about the support structures available within the course and within the University.

Prior to the course, students receive an introductory letter by the course leader welcoming them to the course. The letter includes details of the course induction, the ‘Welcome to NTU’ presentation, who to contact about enrolment accommodation and fees if details have not yet been received and information about Welcome Week activities, a message board to make contact with other students prior to arrival and maps of the university.

During induction week, students are introduced to their Year Tutor who is their first point of call if students have any problems. There is also the opportunity for students to talk informally to other members of the course team (as described earlier). If students do seek help, the programme team describe that they are

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reassured and empowered to help themselves through careful questioning. The University systems are restated if appropriate (such as late submission) and students referred to further support where needed.

“It is just about sitting down, reassuring and going again through what the protocol is if you don’t complete your work..and always knowing what our own professional limitations are. If students need counselling we will obviously refer them to counselling and if students need financial support, etc.” (Programme Team).

“I actually think we are well organised as a division and not only are staff clear about what the divisional support is… the students are aware…, We have a very, very clear support structure… They know who to contact which I think is really critical” (Programme Team).

Students more likely to doubt

Awareness of ‘at risk’ groups

A particular strength of this programme appears to be that data monitoring by the programme leader allows ‘at risk’ groups to be identified and the programme resources to be adapted accordingly.

The Year Tutor described that they are aware of the types of students that are ‘at risk’ within their programme, that “they are sensitive to the issues these groups of students may have”.

This programme typically attracts students with low entry grades16 and a “range of issues on top of the normal transitional issues” such as severe financial hardship, a very difficult family life. The team describe that these students may have additional challenges on top of transitional issues about coming to study at university such as

Differing educational backgrounds Different prior skills They may be the first in their family to come to university They may have dependents Cultural issues (such as family expectations, applying for citizenship).

The Programme leader described that “the course is unique in that often students choose this course because they have had issues themselves and want to make a difference but often these students need confidence, not just with their academic work but life skills and this is the first time they have trusted anyone in authority”. The course team also describe that their awareness of and experience of dealing with young people because of their professional backgrounds (such as career guidance, working with young people) is a key part of their success in supporting these students.

The course team also describe that those students with mental health difficulties are an ‘at risk’ group because they don’t always access support and those students that are repeating the year. The Year Tutor monitors repeating students closely as they have found that these students are more likely to fail. The programme staff reported that sometimes ‘at risk’ groups are those that they “didn’t expect to be vulnerable”. The staff interviewed gave the examples here of students that are travelling from the East Midlands on a daily basis who have dependents because of issues such as sick children and students on the course whose families have cultural expectations of what their HE experience should be (particularly males of Asian origin). It is described that students may, for example, be expected to commute to University from unreasonable distances because of family responsibilities. This makes bonding with the group and a ‘sense of belonging to the programme’ difficult because the student cannot take part in evening and weekend activities.

The Year Tutor also described that they have had a number of students with physical disabilities on the programme and that these students have been well supported. The team have worked closely with Student Support Services and that they “have a track record of these students being retained and being successful”.

16 Previous research indicates that this has an impact on student retention. The NAO, 2007, for example, reports that “students with higher entry qualifications are more likely, on average, to complete their course” (p16).

16

The early diagnostic writing assignment aims to pick up students with milder learning difficulties such as dyslexia and other writing issues.

Awareness of individuals ‘at risk’ through attendance monitoring

Attendance is monitored during the first few weeks of term. Students whose attendance drops are sent a letter asking if they are ok and inviting them to talk to a member of the programme team. The programme team approach this contact in ‘ a facilitative, is there anything we can help you with kind of way’. Of particular importance here, is communication within the team about students who are absent, to see if it is a pattern throughout the course. This can reveal issues for students that can be supported, as well as helping the students to feel valued and that ‘someone has their eye on them’.

“We do monitor attendance quite closely …, if you have good divisional collaboration, you can figure out which are the poor students in terms of attendance ..last year for Year 1 we arranged to have a chat with the poor attenders midway through the year individually..So by having these attendance meetings you can pick up on academic issues. This I am sure helps with retention.” (Programme Team). I think again a feature of the team and the way in which the team supports the student is an intimacy so .. we make the efforts to get to know the students. Conversations will take place amongst the team about the students and their progress and that is a regular part of what we do.” (Programme Team).

Supporting ‘at risk’ students

In addition to the support structure described above (‘Life outside of studies’) students are also introduced to Student Support Services during induction and to the School Learning Support Coordinator.

The course team are aware of ‘at risk’ times for students and describe that they use the study skills sessions to address these key times of risk which, for their course, are;

• First few weeks. It is important student worries are addressed and that students begin to gain a sense of identity with the course. Activities are designed to establish course identity and address concerns (with an awareness of balance with information overload).

• When doing first assignments, particularly if students have poor time management skills. The study skills sessions cover time management during this time.

• When students receive their assignment back after Christmas. In the study skills sessions there is an after Christmas review.

• Summer year one if they have referred work and/or are repeating students.

• Students can also be ‘at risk’ because of external events that can be unpredictable such as bereavement.

Changes for future cohorts

The course team are currently in the process of validating a part time route for the course. The current students were very positive about this proposal as it would allow current full time students who get into difficulties with financial or family commitments to revert to a part time study route for part of their course rather than taking a year out or dropping out entirely. This has been in response to student needs.

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Future goals

Students are encouraged to find part time work (paid or voluntary) in an area that relates to their course and about 80% of students are usually in some kind of work related to this area. The Students in Classrooms17 project is also promoted; this is a University wide scheme where students can gain placements (for example within local primary schools, or as a post 16 mentor) to enhance their employability skills.

Much of the course content that relates to employability is during the second and third year (the first year being primarily about the transition to university). During the second year of the course students can complete an elective module within which they need to complete 50 hours of placement and write a report analysing how the organisation works and whether it is achieving the objectives of the organisation. In the third year, students complete a module that is designed to facilitate student transition into employment.

Issues particular to the course

The course is primarily an academic course which gives an introduction to a range of professions. A few students, however, arrive thinking that the course is a professional qualification. Whilst the team weren’t aware of any students that had left because of this, they reported that this was problematic for these students and could be corrected if it was made clear at the admissions stage that this is a degree rather than a professional qualification.

Issues highlighted by the Programme Leader and Data Monitoring Group with understanding and making use of institutional data.

• Retention figures differ depending on when the data is recorded. Progression data collected in December, for example, does not record early withdrawals.

• An accurate record of actual entry qualifications is difficult to attain. UCAS points ‘asked for’ and ‘UCAS points attained’ may differ. The recording of UCAS points does not include students that have not entered using entry points (eg mature students, adults with no qualifications). This may have implications in the future if institutions wish to record/measure ‘value added’.

• Institutional data was recorded differently across our three institutions so comparisons of data were not always possible.

• It was difficult for programmes to get an accurate number of students starting the course. Some students, for example, don’t arrive and don’t inform the course (they may, for example, have a conditional offers elsewhere). Others may attend for a few days then leave without informing the course.

• The December count (the official count done centrally) information is not available to programme leaders until Exam Board (so programmes have no official numbers before then). (is this right across the university at NTU? This is something one of the programmes said).

• It is difficult to access information about students prior to their attendance on the first day. Is this right?

The University has since purchased a more user friendly customer relations management database to monitor and report on student persistence.

17 Students can gain placements (for example within local primary schools, or as a post 16 mentor) to enhance their employability skills http://www.ntu.ac.uk/current_students/while_here/students_classrooms/

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Examples of practice and evaluation

Transition to effective learners

Students are given a critical dates list in induction that lists all their assignments for the first year, when they are due, their weightings and who they will be set by.

Students receive a session in induction that addresses types of learning at university, academic jargon, attendance, time management, sources of support (academic and pastoral) and details of the Programme Representative Committee. The induction sessions also include an induction to university systems and processes such as academic misconduct, plagiarism, special situations procedures, anonymous marking. The course leader describes that many students have no prior knowledge of university systems, some of which can be alien to students and it is important not to assume that students know about them.

A Learning Contract is devised at the start of the year during these sessions and then communicated to all the programme team.

“I prepare them in induction week that we need to agree ground rules ..the reason why I don’t get them to agree wholly in induction week is that it may well not feel at that point that they have the confidence to start coming up with ground rules ...bearing in mind the ground rules have to come from them not us. I introduce them to the concept of ground rules in week 1 and for most of them it is not a unfamiliar concept and then … in the first study skills lecture is we hammer out what the ground rules are. Then I post them in an area and I share them with all the module leaders and say this is what we have agreed for the programme. This works in a really meaningful way…it is all part of the course identity..which is important (Programme Team).

Students are given time in the research and study skills module to nominate course reps. They have found that this works better when the students have got to know each other, rather than at the very beginning of the course to allow for less confident students to come forward. The students were asked how they would like to nominate the course reps.

“They actually agreed between them all that the way to do it would be for anyone who was interested the following week to talk briefly for 5 minutes on why they think they would be a good course rep. Then they voted. This was actually good because they did this as part of the class. It has tied in well with study skills because it developed their interpersonal skills, it broke the ice, a lot of them talked in a very humorous way about their experiences and why they thought they would be interested … it worked really well” (Programme Team).

“The fact that it is an aspect of a particular module is the reason for its success. It is not just an adjunct, it is within the curriculum” (Programme Team).

The students reps are involved in the course committee and reviewing modules.

There is a monitoring system by the programme for referred students. These students are sent a letter by the Programme Leader specifying exactly which pieces of work they have to do, which sitting it is and who to contact if they need support through the summer. The Programme Leader describes that a letter is often more effective than an email as those students who are having most difficulty are often those that do not have access to a computer during the summer.

An awareness that students may face financial difficulty if they cannot re-enrol on their next year course because they have not completed the first year. Students are referred to financial support within the university where appropriate.

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Coping with coursework

Students are encouraged to read early in the first term during seminars. The lecturer describes this as “effectively reading groups”. Students are given short chapters or vignettes to read prior to the session. These are short enough so that students that have not prepared can skim read the article in the session and still contribute. Students are set up into groups of 4 or 5 within the session which, for the first half will be based around sharing ideas about the reading.

Making taught sessions interesting

Students are supported to be critical and to work in groups in an early assignment. Students are set a group presentation that is connected to the first assignment in which they present on the theme of non-verbal communication. They plan and deliver this as a group after which the students are asked to give critical feedback to each other on their presentation. This is then videoed and students access this in order to write a reflective account. The lecturer describes that students are prepared carefully for this around what makes criticism constructive and describes that this “has worked very well. I think the students have not only learned from receiving constructive criticism but they also learn from giving it. I think that is an important learning experience for all” (Programme Team).

Lecturers also aim to make the assessments interesting by providing a range of types of assessment. One module for example, has a visual based project for the first assignment.

“I asked them to incorporate visual images, a minimum of 2 and maximum 3 visual images, pictures, photographs into a word document and then write a 1000 word account of what those pictures represent in terms of a particular theme relating to the topic” (Programme Team).

Relationship with staff

Class debate. The students are split into small groups of 3 or 4 and given an article to read about the surveillance of young people in public places. This subject relates to the subject discipline but also is chosen because it is “a good soft topic to start on because everybody has got a view on it”. The students are then asked to discuss this in their small groups before they then have a class debate about whether surveillance of young people is a good thing or not. This activity is done in induction week to allow students to get to know one another. It isn’t assessed which gives students “who perhaps lack confidence in their own ability the opportunity to articulate their thoughts in a small group”. The tutor described that it “worked really well..it was a lively debate”.

“Three of a Kind” icebreaker. The students are asked to put their chairs to one side and find at least three different people in the room that share something in common.It can’t be something visibleIt can’t be living in NottinghamIt can’t be that they are studying on the same course.The tutor describes that this works well when it is carried out before any PowerPoint presentations in induction week!

“Jargon breaker”. Students brainstorm in small groups before contributing from their small groups to a class brainstorm all the jargon they have come across that relates to being on a University degree (for example curriculum, learning outcomes, modules, credits). The students are reassured that it “…doesn’t matter that you don’t know these. We are going to talk about the ones you need to know, to get you through term 1”. Another idea for this session is to ask students to match definitions and terms on cards in small groups.

Fitting in/belonging

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During induction students take part in an interactive session from Student Support Services that addresses issues of resilience and being supportive as a group. Students are given case studies about different student issues, such as a student who finds it difficult to socialise because they don’t drink alcohol, and asked how they would deal with each case. The aim is to encourage students to be mutually supportive as a group.

Students devise a learning and teaching contract which is circulated across the programme team. The programme team describe that this helps the students to feel part of the course and responsible for their own learning.

Students more likely to doubt

During induction week students take part in a session that aims to address early anxieties they may have about starting at university. The session begins with an icebreaker. Students are asked to find 2 or 3 people that they have something in common with (apart from starting at university!). They are then asked, in these groups, to “come up with half a dozen things that are worrying you right now” (Year Tutor). These groups then feed back to the class what they have written in a “big group brainstorm”. The Year Tutor describes that this works well because they are in small groups, rather than individuals, so “they don’t feel that they are going to be vulnerable by exposing their concerns and fears”. Student report anxieties such as not passing the course, not making friends, not knowing how to make notes in a lecture. Some issues are able to be addressed “there and then”, for other issues the Year Tutor may say, “by the end of induction week you will know this..I give then milestones of when things should be clicking into place for them”. The Year Tutor describes that “by lunchtime comes they have already got off their chest a lot of the issues and anxieties that they have”.

The Programme Team report that their internal evaluation indicates that this works “because one of the questions we ask them is, ‘is there anything worrying you at induction or before you joined the university and what is worrying you now?’. A lot of the responses indicate that a lot of their worries have been addressed. Not all of their worries because obviously if they worried that they are not going to be academically be successful and they haven’t got the first piece of coursework back an induction week evaluation won’t indicate this but it certainly would indicate that we have addressed some of the concerns which I think is .. a valuable thing for induction week” (Programme Team).

Future goals

The Course Leader describes that the team aims to model the behaviour they would expect their students to display when they are in practice as an example of how they would operate with clients in future (or current) employment

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SECTION 3

Student View

DRAFT Programme 1

This section presents the views obtained from first year students enrolled on the course during 2009-10. The course team gave consent for us to survey all first year students on this cohort. Students were sent a link during May to the online survey by email. A total of 8 students out of 38 students (a 21% response rate) completed the survey. See Appendix for survey questions.

Students were asked to rate different aspects of their course using a Likert scale and a number of qualitative questions were included on students’ feelings about their first year experience. Due to the small number of respondents in this survey the results have been reported as percentages and numbers of students. Some of the qualitative responses are included below.

1. What do you like best about your course? I liked the difference of the courses, and learning about new situations etc, The modules involved and the lectures are always available to help The module, social policy, the topics covered are highly interesting

2a. How interesting do you find your course?18 Please use a scale of 1-5, where 1= "not at all interesting" and 5= "very interesting" 66% found the course interesting (4 out of 6 students)17% found it moderately interesting (1 student)17% did not find it interesting (1 student)

2b What makes it interesting/not interesting (as you indicated in previous question)? The fact that every lecture is different, and the life skills we learn are good. The course content and how the staff structured lessons The variety of information i am always learning The topics in terms of contemporary society, criminal justice and social policy make it interesting. The

amount of coursework we receive is not interesting.

3. How friendly are the students on your course? Please use a scale of 1-5, where 1= "not at all friendly" and 5= "very friendly".86% said the students were very friendly on their course (6 out of 7 students)14 % felt students on the course were not friendly (1 student)

4a. How valued do you feel by staff on your course? Please use a scale of 1-5, where 1= "not at all valued" and 5= "very valued".67% of students felt valued (4 of 6 students)33% felt moderately valued by staff (2 students)There were no students who did not feel valued

18 The results have been reported as follows: students were asked to rate the following statements between 1 and 5 where 1= "not at all interesting" and 5= "very interesting". Students who found the course interesting rated the statement 4 or 5, students who found it moderately interesting rated the statement 3, and students who did not find it interesting rated the statement 1 or 2.

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4b.Can you tell us what makes you feel this way? Are there any specific examples that you can give us? They make us aware if we don’t understand a certain subject area it can be explained in further

details Most of the lecturers, are nice, and are willing to help their students, I have had many private sessions

with the tutors, when I was stuck on the subject, or didn't understand what was being discussed in lesson.

Opinions asked during workshop lessons Reassurance, body language, eye contact, enthusiasm to teach.

5. Have you made any good friends on your course?83% had made good friends on their course (5 out of 6 students)17% had not made any good friends (1 out of 6 students)

6a. Can you give us any examples of opportunities in your course to make friends during induction? Discussions, group work Team tasks Group activities, Freshers’ week activities Treasure hunts, social activities, like trips. Social class events or more group work.

6b. Can you give us any examples of opportunities in your course to make friends after induction? Group work Once I had warmed up to people, I began to make friends with others in my class, because its only a

small class, we all know each other, and it is like a little close community. Group work Always group work available Seminar groups. Workshops for preparing for 2nd year.

7a. Have you considered withdrawing from your course at any point during the academic year? 57% had never considered withdrawing in their first year (4 out of 7 students)43% had considered leaving but decided to stay (3 out of 7 students)No students who had considered leaving had not yet made up their minds about whether to stay or go

7b. Can you tell us if there is anything about your course that has helped you decide to stay? Tutors and friends

7c. Is there anything about any other aspects of your life that have helped you decide to stay? Partner and family. I like living in the city

7d. Can you also tell us what made you consider leaving? Miss family The location.

8a. How confident do you feel that you can cope with your coursework? Please use a scale of 1-5, where 1= "not at all confident" and 5= "very confident"60% of students confident that they could cope with their coursework (3 out of 5 students) 20% felt moderately confident (1 out of 5 students)20 % did not feel confident at all (1 out of 5 students)

In comparison to when the students first started the course:43% felt more confident now that they could cope with their coursework (3 out of 7 students)28.5%% felt about the same (2 out of 7 students)28.5 % felt less confident than they did at the start of the course (2 out of 7 students)

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8c. Can you tell us what it is about your course that makes you feel this way? Can you give specific examples?

I am never good at writing essays, I think its my weak point, I am not confident about them. My writing has improved and it is apparent in my grades Help available with academic writing skills The amount of coursework we receive can seem overwhelming, it's difficult to have a social life, i live

at home and don't have time for a part-time job or a social life, i i consistently have coursework to complete, but i guess that that's the commitment needed in order to pass.

The expectations are higher then I thought.

9a. Do you feel that you understand how learning at university is different from your previous learning? All students who answered this question (5 students) said that they understand how learning at university is different from their previous learning

9b. If yes, please give examples of what has happened on your course to help you understand the difference?

For example using references, and evidence and sticking to a word count. More freedom with your own learning Learning at university is at more of an individual level, you have to discover a lot about your course

alone, you obviously have some assistance from tutors/lecturers, but it's totally different to sixth form/college.

Academic skills

10a. Is your course helping you to achieve your future goals?60% of students said that the course is helping them to achieve their future goals (3 out of 5 students)40% (2 out of 5) said it was not helping them to achieve their future goals

10b. If yes, can you tell us how? It is shaping me for my future career But only because i am unsure about my future Encouraging voluntary work I have more understanding of the career paths i have available to me.

11. Thinking back over your first year, when did you feel most committed to being on your course? Can you describe how you felt and what made this possible?

At the beginning, i was eager to learn because it was a new place and course At the start. i felt motivated After xmas hols, was ready to settle and i felt happy At the start of the year when the pressure wasn't as hectic and there was more time to socialise with

the people on my course. At the beginning

12. If you had to pick one thing that you think that the course team does best, what would it be? Can you tell us how this affects you?

Private one-to-one sessions, they are really helpful. Listen to opinions of students, adapt to the students learning styles Consistency of attendance, punctuality to helping. Work hand outs in lectures

13. Is there anything else that you would like to tell us about that you think may be relevant to our research?

Course reps also help form relations between the group by organising socials outside of uni hours!!

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SECTION 4

Document analysis

For each programme reviewed as part of the HERE! project, a selection of course documents were also analysed where possible to gain further understanding of how course teams enhance the student experience.

Pre-course information

Students receive an introductory letter by the course leader welcoming them to the course. The letter includes details of the course induction, the ‘Welcome to NTU’ presentation, who to contact about enrolment accommodation and fees if details have not yet been received and information about Welcome Week activities, a message board to make contact with other students prior to arrival and maps of the university.

Course handbook

The course handbook begins with an introduction from the course leader and a list of all staff contacts with the message ‘if in doubt, ask’. Sections of the handbook are as follows; general information (communication and health and safety), about your course (which includes aims and learning outcomes), how will you learn? (which includes where to access support with learning and an introduction to the year one tutor and learning support co-ordinator), your contribution to the course (such as expectations of attendance, engagement, code of conduct), assessment (for example, explaining the difference between formative and summative assessment( and what happens after assessment (the Board of Examiners).

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SECTION 5:

Overall summary and key conclusions

A key feature of this programme is its whole team approach to transition. Pargetter et al (1998) argue for the importance of transition being “’owned’ as an issue and a challenge within departments, centres and faculties, and not just by the institution as a whole”. Members of the course team describe that there is an “acknowledging of the programme .. as an exemplar of widening participation. It is very much that we acknowledge that we are working with a wide range of ability and background and academic experience and I think considerable efforts are made, not just to acknowledge that, but to support the students” (.Programme Team).

There is an awareness of key transition points for students, the kinds of issues that students face in the transition to university life (such as academic and social transition) and the individual transition issues that the types of students on their course might face (such as cultural issues, personal difficulties, making new relationships). The professional practice backgrounds of the course team mean that the staff have an awareness of these issues and “ guidance and some counselling skills which will be directly beneficial to these students” (Programme Team) The course is designed to support students in these areas using a range of different strategies and approaches as outlined in this case study.

The findings of the National Student Satisfaction Survey (2011) for this course, which captured the views of the cohort of students that were used in this study in their third year, suggest that overall, students are very satisfied with this programme (89.9%).

These strategies and approaches are continually monitored and evaluated using both formal (such as the student rep system, retention data) and informal communication with students to monitor and make changes to the programme in response to student needs.

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REFERENCES

Doveston, M. and Kennaghan, M. (2006) Improving classroom dynamics to support students’ learning and social inclusion: a collaborative approach. Support for Learning, 21(1), 5-11.

NAO (National Audit Office), (2002) Improving Student Achievement in English Higher Education. The Stationery Office.

Pargetter, R., McInnis, C., James, R., Evans, M., Peel, M., Dobson, I. (1998) Transition from Secondary to Tertiary: A Performance Study, [online] , available at http://www.dest.gov.au/archive/highered/eippubs/eip98-20/contents.htm, accessed 1 March 2010.

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APPENDIX

HERE! Programme Student Survey

HERE! Survey 1 (pilot programme social sciences)

NTU has been asked to conduct academic research to better understand the experience of students in their first year at university.

We are looking at programmes to see what we can learn about what helps students to stay at university. We would like to know what it is that your programme does that helps students to stay so where possible we would like you to tell us about actual activities, examples and practices that you have found to be helpful (if any).

All completed questionnaires will be entered for a prize draw. The first prize is a £30 Tesco voucher, the second prize is a £15 Tesco voucher.

This survey has been set up so that your answers will not be linked to your email address so the answers you give will be anonymous. As the researcher, I will be provided with a list of email addresses of students that have responded (to enter for the prize draw) but these will not be linked to your answers in any way.

If you have any questions at all, please do get in touch with me, Sarah, at sarah.lawther@ntu.ac.uk

Please tick to confirm that you have read the questionnaire information

Yes (question requires an answer)

Consent

I understand that my participation is voluntary.

I understand that the information I give will be anonymised.

I agree that anonymised data and findings may be used in academic papers and shared within NTU and with other universities.

Consent agreement

Yes I have read and agree to the above consent information

No, I do not agree to give my consent

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1 Can you tell us what you like best about your course?

2a How interesting do you find your course?

Please use a scale of 1-5, where 1= “not at all interesting” and 5= “very interesting”

1 2 3 4 5

2b What makes it interesting/not interesting (as you indicated in question 2a)?

3 How friendly are the students on your course?

Please use a scale of 1-5, where 1= “not at all friendly” and 5= “very friendly”

1 2 3 4 5

4a How valued do you feel by staff on your course?

Please use a scale of 1-5, where 1= “not at all valued” and 5= “very valued”

1 2 3 4 5

4b Can you tell us what makes you feel this way? Are there any specific examples that you can give us?

5 Have you made any good friends on your course? (please circle)

Yes No

6a Can you give us any examples of opportunities in your course to make friends during induction?

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6b Can you give us any examples of opportunities in your course to make friends after induction?

7a Have you considered withdrawing from your course at any point during the academic year? (Please circle one of the following)

No, I have never considered withdrawing Please go to question 8a

Yes, and I have decided to stay at NTU Please answer questions 7b,7c and 7d

Yes, and I haven’t made up my mind about my future plans Please go to question 8a

7b Can you tell us if there is anything about your course that has helped you decide to stay?

7c Is there anything about any other aspects of your life that have helped you decide to stay?

7d Can you also tell us what made you consider leaving? Please then answer question 8a onwards

8a How confident do you feel that you can cope with your coursework?

Please use a scale of 1-5, where 1= “not at all confident” and 5= “very confident”

1 2 3 4 5

8b How does this compare to when you began the course? Please circle one of the following;

I feel less confident I feel about the same I feel more confident

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8c Can you tell us what is it about your course that makes you feel this way? Can you give specific examples?

9a Do you feel that you understand how learning at university is different from your previous learning?

Yes No

9b If yes, please could you give examples of what has happened on your course to help you understand the difference?

10a Is your course helping you to achieve your future goals?

Yes No

10b If yes, can you tell us how?

11 Thinking back over your first year, when did you feel most committed to being on your course? Can you describe how you felt and what made this possible?

12 If you had to pick one thing that you think that the course team do best, what would it be? Can you tell us how this affects you?

(requires an answer)

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13 Is there anything else that you would like to tell us about that you think may be relevant to our research?

Thank you very much for completing this survey.

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The HERE Project: Strand 2 Guide for staff participantsResearch into programmes with better than peer rates of retention

Research Purpose

The HERE project is a 3 year research project funded by HEFCE/ PHF as part of the “What Works? Student Retention & Success” programme of work. We are interested in student retention, but unlike most studies we are primarily investigating why students stay rather than why they leave. The work has two strands: students with doubts who stay and those actions programmes can take to better support retention.

Our aim is to find out what works in your programme to support retention and help first year students to stay at university. We are primarily looking for good practice and, whilst we will seek to be rigorous, we are looking for examples of good practice, not flaws and weaknesses.

Research Design

The focus of our research is to find out what works best in your programme to support retention. We have applied the principles of the Appreciative Inquiry approach in order to do this. Appreciative Inquiry “…focuses on identifying and developing what works in an organisation rather than trying to fix what doesn’t” (Dovestone and Keenaghan, 2006, p5). We will ask you about what you do best in your programme to support students to stay. We would then like to ask you about specific areas that we have found (from our strand one research) that appear to support retention.

Our strand one research collected feedback from just under 1,000 first year students between March & May 2009. Approximately 1/3 had, at some point, doubted and considered withdrawing from university. Importantly, the reasons for doubting were not the same as the reasons that doubters cited for remaining. For example, the most common reason for doubting related to the course (poor initial choice, dissatisfaction with some aspects of the experience etc.), but the main reason that doubters cited for subsequently remaining were associated with support from friends and family (particularly friends made on the course).

We have therefore structured the questions to reflect the need to reduce activities likely to lead to doubting and also to enhance those activities that support students who have doubts.

What would we like to find out?

We would like to know what you do in your programme to support students with retention.

We would like to find out what you actually do (rather than what you would like to do or think would work given more time/resources etc). Where possible we would like to explore actual activities, examples and practices.

We would be particularly interested in exploring any research or evaluation that you have carried out into your own practice (formal and/or informal).

Anonymity

The information that we collect from you will be reported anonymously. A programme, for example, may be referred to as ‘a large programme within the School of Social Sciences at Nottingham Trent University’. Individuals will not be identifiable from the information reported. No incentives will be offered to staff for participation in the interview. Participants may withdraw from the project at any time and ask for their data to be destroyed.

Data will be stored according to the Data Protection Act 1998. An audio recording of the interview will be made only with permission. This will be stored safely and not made available to those outside the project. Data will be kept for six years after the end of the project in line with current ethical guidelines. After this time, the data will be destroyed.

Intended use of the research data

The data will be used to report on progress for the “What Works? Student Retention & Success” programme of work. A final report will be produced that makes recommendations (based on evaluation and evidence from all projects within the programme) about how best to support student retention across the sector.

The data will also be used to produce academic articles and conference presentations.

DOVESTON, Mary and KEENAGHAN, Marian, 2006. Improving classroom dynamics to support students’ learning and social inclusion: a collaborative approach. Support for Learning, 21(1), pp.5-11.

Interview Structure

The structure below illustrates the areas that we would like to ask you about. We may prompt you for further details, and are happy for you to give us additional information that you feel is relevant.

Questions

Background information about the programme

Can you give us some background information about your programme, common issues, types of students, its particular challenges to retention etc.

What works?

What is it that your programme does now when it is at its best in terms of retaining students?

What is it about your programme that makes this possible?

Programme Practice

Reducing leaving Increasing staying

COURSE RELATED

The most common reasons that students who answered our questionnaire gave for having doubts about being at university were course related, for example, wrong choice of course, describing difficulties in making the academic transition to HE and problems with the workload. Students who had had doubts about being at university (doubters) were much less likely to agree with the statement ‘I’m confident that I can cope with my studies’ than non doubters.

Could you tell us what you do in your course that you think helps students in these areas? (Academic transition, coping with work, choice of course, problems with the course).

SUPPORT FROM FRIENDS & PEERS

The most common reason that students gave for why they had decided to stay (after having doubts) was because of ‘friends and family’. Friends were mentioned most often, and students often described friends they had made at university such as ‘seminar buddies’.

Can you tell us about the kinds of things that you do that help students get to know each other?

RELATIONSHIP/COMMUNICATION WITH STAFFStudents that we spoke to in our qualitative research that had not had doubts about being at university all described that they had ‘someone they could talk to’ (be it a lecturer, personal tutor, or so on) about their work if they needed to. Student doubters were also much less likely to agree that they felt valued by teaching staff.

Could you tell us about communication between staff and students on your programme (such as written, online, informal etc)?

ADAPTING TO UNIVERSITYIn our focus groups, all students who had never had doubts could describe a time when they felt they belonged to the university, and this was often linked to recognizing faces, or places. More of these students (non doubters) described taking part of the social life of the university (student union, student ambassador) than student doubters.

Can you tell us what you do to help students feel part of the university?

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LIFE OUTSIDE OF STUDYThe second and third most common reasons that students gave for having doubts about their course were ‘student lifestyle’ (which included problems with accommodation, with other students such as flat mates, feeling unhappy with their social life) and ‘financial problems’.

Could you tell us about how you have communicated to students where to go if they had a problem with their finances, accommodation, or problems with other students?

ADAPTING TO THE COURSEStudents described adapting to the course, getting to know the staff, starting to enjoy the subject and course as reasons for staying after having doubts.

Can you talk about what you do to facilitate adapting to the course?

STUDENTS MORE LIKELY TO DOUBTOur initial analysis of the survey data found that mature students were more likely to have had doubts about being at university than non mature students. Students who completed our survey and said that they had a disability were also more likely to have doubts than those students that did not declare a disability.

Can you talk to us about who you see as ‘at risk’ students in your programme and tell us about anything that you do because of these students?

DETERMINATION AND INTERNAL FACTORSSome students said that it was internal factors such as their desire not to quit that helped them stay here.

Could you tell us if there is anything that you do in your programs that would support such students (some of which may be staying here mainly because they don’t want to leave, rather than a desire to stay)?

FUTURE GOALSThe second most common reason that students cited as a reason for staying after having doubts was ‘future goals and employment’.

We would like to hear about how the programme (and in particularly any activities you do) relates to future student goals (both employment goals and personal goals if appropriate).

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Closing questions

Can you summarise why you think your retention rate is as good as it is and what it is you do best?

What have you plans to improve on?

It would be extremely beneficial if we were able to survey some of your students, may we do so?

As this is a pilot study for further research, could you also tell us if there any questions that we haven’t asked that you think would be useful?

We are happy to share our findings with you. Is this something you are interested in? We could, for example, facilitate a workshop about the project, forward presentations, academic articles etc.

Thank you very much for taking part in this research.

Contacts

NTU

Ed Foster ed.foster@ntu.ac.uk

Sarah Lawther sarah.lawther@ntu.ac.uk

Bournemouth

Chris Keenan ckeenan@bournemouth.ac.uk

Natalie Bates nbates@bournemouth.ac.uk

Bradford

Rebecca Currant R.Currant@Bradford.ac.uk

Ruth Lefever r.lefever@bradford.ac.uk

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