What works? Student retention and success programme

1. Learning & Teaching Conference 7th July 2010 Jacqui McCary Angela Barry What works? Student retention and success programme

2. Investigation of the role Personal Tutors and Student Advisers play in student retention

3. Outline of Presentation • Overview of methodology • What we can learn from students who thought about leaving but go on to stay • What we can learn from where students tell us they want to go to for help or advice on a range of issues • Closing points

4. Methodology Embodied Conversational Agent Survey

5. Methodology Questionnaire Development • Qualitative and quantitative • Demographic data • How students use academic and support services • The role of Personal Tutors and Student Advisers • Whether students had ever considered leaving • Where students WANTED to go for help on a range of issues

6. Methodology Participants: • The survey was comprehensively advertised and made available to all 1st & 2nd year students across campuses and joint ventures • The response rate was over 10% with 559 complete questionnaires being included in the final analysis

7. Methodology Analysis • Quantitative analysis of the demographic data • Qualitative analysis of the open text questions relating to how students used the academic and support services • Qualitative analysis of how students viewed the roles of Personal Tutors and Student Advisers • Qualitative analysis of why students had considered leaving, what they had done about it and why they stayed • Quantitative analysis of who students wanted to approach on a range of issues

8. STUDENTS WHO CONSIDER LEAVING

9. Students who consider leaving 42% of sample (n=237) had considered leaving on at least one occasion

10. Students who consider leaving 42% of sample (n=237) had considered leaving on at least one occasion Of these 237 students: 93% (n=222) explained why they had considered leaving 89% (n=213) told us what they did when considering leaving 91% (n=216) gave a reason for why the decided to stay

11. Answers to “Why did you think about leaving?” • Internal to the student • Personal • Social • Self Doubt • Internal to the university • Institution • Teaching • Course

13. Internal to the student • Felt too young to be at Uni. Not enough experience and couldn’t cope with being alone • Because at the beginning everything was too much for me • Because I was trying my best but it seemed it was not good enough I wasn’t getting the grade to pass

14. Internal to the University • Disorganisation. Tutors not showing up for lectures. It feels more like a self-taught course... • I didn’t feel I was receiving enough guidance on module choices & assignments; it wasn’t clear how resits should be done & I felt lost in the system! • I was unhappy with the organisation of the course for January starters.

15. What did you do? • Internal to the student • Carried on • Tried to become more positive • Spoke to family and friends • Internal to the university • Contacted Personal Tutor • Spoke to other teaching staff • Contacted Student Adviser

17. Internal to the Student • Plodded on • Nothing, just patience • Talked to close friends and continued on as I knew the goal in the long run was worth not giving in for

18. Internal to the University • Spoke to my personal tutor • I spoke with my tutor about my concerns and then I set in place very strict timetables for my work to make sure that it was all completed on time • I told my personal tutor who told me to wait longer to see how I felt.

19. Why did you stay • Internal to the student • Determined to complete • Tried to become more positive • Improve employment prospects • Internal to the university • Liked the course • Difficult to leave • Convinced by Personal Tutor.

21. Internal to the student • Because I realised I was just going through a "wobble" - a knock in confidence which I could recover from and prove to myself and others that I can be a good nurse! • When I wasn’t so stressed I realised that Uni is hard work but worth it; that the good outweighed the bad • I believe that if something’s easy; it’s not worth doing and I don’t give up easily.

22. Internal to the university • Personal tutor said that the course would get better – I’ve been here a while now; studied my diploma here and some modules seem very similar but Personal Tutor promised things would change and that staying was in my best interests for my career. • I was referred to learning support who helped me • The course started to make more sense and I felt more relaxed.

23. Summary • Of the students who thought about leaving (n=237, 42%) • 40.9% gave reasons internal to the university • 34.6% took actions internal to the university • 25% stayed because of reasons internal to the University • “Difficult to leave” - If removed reduces to 19%

24. Conclusions • Many doubters (n= 95, 40%) gave psychological reasons for staying – Determination or Becoming more positive • If we can encourage academic and support services to nurture this positive outlook in students we should see an impact on student retention.

25. WHO STUDENTS WANT TO GO TO FOR HELP

26. Feeling low Study concerns A break from study Academic advice Wanting to leave university Homesickness Expectations not met Change of course Family concerns Personal concerns Health concerns Financial concerns Module planning Mitigation or extension Issue with an academic member of staff Complaint Harassment Accommodation Issues

27. Personal Tutor Student Adviser Family / friends Student Support Services Academic Staff Programme or Pathway Leader Faculty admin. staff Students’ Union Student Representative Chaplaincy i-Centre Library Choices – students would like to approach for help

28. Personal Tutors • All students assigned a Personal Tutor • Academic friend • Initial meeting in Freshers’ week and within six weeks • Implementation varies across Departments and Faculties • All academic members of staff are Personal Tutors

29. Student Adviser • Not Academics • Located in a Faculty however centrally managed • Clearly defined role • Extensions – Academics can not give extensions or mitigations • Mitigations • Intermissions • Module choice – not academic advice about appropriate modules • Academic failure advice

30. Analysis: Family and Friends If you wanted to seek advice related to…. who would you like to approach? Feeling low Homesickness Family concerns Personal concerns Health concerns Financial concerns Wanting to leave Disappointment with expectations

37. Who student want to go to (no sig difference): • Personal Tutor, Student Adviser and Family and Friends • Harassment • Break from Study • Wanting to Leave • Personal Tutor and Family and Friends • Mitigations and Extensions • Students Adviser and Family and Friends • Accommodation

38. Who student want to go to Across the board of issues students said they wanted to go to friends and family. For example....

42. Summary • Students want to talk to family and friends about many issues that affect them at university • The roles of Student Adviser and Personal Tutor are well defined and students do distinguish between them • Students want to use a range of services within and outside the university

43. Conclusion • Students want to talk to family and friends about many issues that affect them at university • How to inform this group without impinging on autonomy of student? • Information at open days • Booklet to be sent with student’s permission • Well publicised area of website • Students then decide whether to approach their friends and family should an issue arise

44. Closing Points • Research has highlighted the times when students are most vulnerable to thinking about leaving • Students have told us that they want to use a range of academic and support services both in and outside the university when they experience diverse issues including thinking about leaving • If we can inform and empower these sources of support they can help improve student retention