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‘Semester 1 of Year 1 is critical to student ‘settling’, retention and
- success. How do we ensure that
19th International Conference on The First-Year Experience, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
19th International Conference on The First-Year Experience, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
19th International Conference on The First-Year Experience, Toronto, July 2006 Helen Corkill Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning , University of Luton, UK Semester 1 of Year 1 is critical to student settling, retention and
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Higher Education in the UK: Government priorities from the 2003 White Paper
Government aspiration of 50% of 18-30 year olds in HE by
2010
Widening Participation agenda Undergraduates to pay up to £3,000 pa from September
2006
Concern with fair access to HE Development of 2 year Foundation Degrees Emphasis on:
- Enhancement of teaching quality
- Partnership and collaboration
- Building networks to facilitate lifelong progression
- Delivery of HE in an FE setting
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UK HE participation rates
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The class of 2006
89% of those with 2+ ‘A’ levels progress to
HE
50% with equivalent vocational qualifications
progress to HE
55% new undergraduates – 21+ 45% new undergraduates part-time 61% new undergraduates female 50% of UK population in lower socio-
economic groups - 28% HE population
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University of Luton (August 1st 1993 – July 31st 2006)
University of Luton: 2 central University
campuses, 4 local partner colleges (one on 6 sites), 4 UK based institutes, 6 nursing sites, several overseas partner institutions
‘Widening Participation university’ Largest provider of Foundation Degrees in East
- f England
c 40% overseas students
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University of Bedfordshire (August 1st 2006 - )
University of Bedfordshire, 2 central campuses, 2 further
campuses 20 miles away, 12 partner colleges covering central half of England, 4 UK based institutes, 6 nursing sites, several overseas partner institutions, new postgraduate medical school opening September 2006
Will become Widening Participation university Largest provider of Foundation Degrees in East of England Largest provider of undergraduate and postgraduate
education qualifications in area
c 35 % overseas students
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Off-campus / partner institution students
Where are they?
What are they doing there?
Who are they?
Why?
Focus on non-traditional students: first generation, mature, part-time, ethnic minority, with disabilities, from low participation neighbourhoods (European Social Fund Project: Retaining Non-traditional Students)
Mayhew,K, Deer, C & Dua M (2004)
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Maslow: student / staff identity
‘Hierarchy of Needs’: belongingness
Maslow, AH (1987) Motivation and Personality 2nd edn (London: Longman)
‘Becoming a student is about constructing
a new identity and a sense of belongingness’
‘Finding a place between old and new
social contexts’
Wilcox, P, Winn, S, Fyvie-Gauld ‘‘It was nothing to do with the university, it was just the people’ : the role of social support in the first-year experience of higher education” (ILTHE Studies in Higher Education, Vol.30, No 6, December 2005, pp. 707-722)
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First impressions last
Web information pre-entry: accurate?
accessible? impression?
Literature: synchronous? Education Champions: work with schools;
colleges and people working
Open Days: parity between main campus and off
campus students
Communication Transition Application processes: full-time, part-time
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Welcome to the Big Brother House?
welcome?
The Union welcomes students from the University’s Partner Colleges
Students’ Union The Union welcomes you as students from our Partner Colleges and invites you to come along and join in! You can join the clubs and attend all the events that are organised by the University Students’ Union and a big bonus of NUS membership is being able to take advantage of all the discounts and services available nationally. Make sure you get your NUS Card so you can make the most of being a student Partner Colleges
Barnfield College The largest college in Bedfordshire, Barnfield operates higher education programmes at three Luton locations. All are served by public transport from the town centre, have on-site facilities and free parking for students. Subject to available space, two centres also have daycare nursery facilities. W: www.barnfield.ac.uk T: +44 (0)1582 569 500 Dunstable College
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First experiences: first confusions or a settling experience?
Application (x 2?) Joining instructions (x2?) ID numbers (x2?) VLE/s (x2?) Residence Enrolment/s / registration/s (x2?) Induction/s (x2?) Freshers events: or not? (x2?) Students Union/s: or not? (x2?) First meetings with tutors (x2?) First taught sessions (x2?)
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Joining instructions and registration
University of Luton
Information was received well in advance, was clear and helpful
Very straightforward for both information and registration
Registration OK
Registration quite simple
Very flexible when helping with last minute course change
No problems
Partner College
I did not receive any information
Information was incorrect and told me to turn up on the wrong day, wrong week and at the wrong place
Registration complicated – got sent from pillar to post
Nightmare!
Took 6 months to get ID card
It was OK if you had all the right documentation, but people didn’t always read the list of what they had to bring with them
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The development of the social network: ‘people make it for you’*
‘Equal emphasis needs to be placed on successful integration into the social world of the university as into the academic world’
‘Making compatible friends is essential to retention... and students living arrangements are central to this process’
‘Accommodation is also important for students who live with their parents and mature students…difficulties in having a social life at university’
‘Meaningful membership of the academic and social worlds of the university’
‘Whilst all aspects of the first-year experience were explored, social support emerged as a significant theme’
(Wilcox, P, Winn, S, Fyvie-Gauld “‘It was nothing to do with the university, it was just the people’ : the role of social support in the first-year experience of higher education” Studies in Higher Education, Vol.30, No 6, December 2005, pp. 707-722) * Year 1 BA(Hons) Psychology student, University of Luton, July 2006
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The role of the Student Union in the initial weeks
University of Luton
Freshers Week was great!
Can’t wait for this year’s one
Am going to pretend I’m a fresher all over again
Students took new students all
- ver Luton – really helpful
Wall to wall party
SU really great - have volunteered to help with new students this year
SU helped me with all sorts of things when I was settling in to the University and to life in England (Slovak student)
Partner College
Only went to Freshers Fair – was there anything else?
Do we have a Union?
Where is it?
Do we belong?
The SU was really helpful – Freshers Week was cool!
The SU really helped me to feel like a proper student
I am a mature student and too
- ld for the SU
It made me feel very old
I’m not interested in anything like that
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Induction: a good introduction to the university community?
‘the induction crisis’ (Frame, 2001) ‘Low progression rates and voluntary student withdrawal
are increasingly a concern as participation rates in the tertiary sector rise. Models of departure stress the importance of transition mechanisms in obtaining the commitment which ensures persistence.’
‘Induction is the first contact the undergraduates have with
the university and forms their impressions’
‘To succeed in their studies students must be motivated,
accustomed to the university culture and feel part of the university community. Induction must effectively lead in’
Edward, N ‘First Impressions Last: an innovative approach to induction’ (ILTHE Studies in Higher Education, Vol.4, No 3, November 2003)
Luton: divide / on-campus / off-campus / token gestures?
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Induction
University of Luton
POINTLESS!!!
Tutors pointed out the obvious
Waste of an afternoon
Made no difference if there or not
Could have been much better
Irrelevant
I do remember the afternoon drinks in the department
Brilliant – had a party!
Fantastic – had fun day, barbeque, party, really set scene
Really established staff/student relations
Partner College
Induction at college was boring but set scene for the course
Learned to use referencing and to write a bibliography
Had lots of talks
Had two inductions – one at the University and one at College, I think – can’t remember
Joined the sports students for a fun day at the University – great!
What’s Induction?
Still waiting for the one at the University!
When’s it going to happen? (June)
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Perceptions: University v College
Class sizes: large lecture
groups
Pastoral care: poor Contact with tutors:
variable / poor
Transition into HE: smooth Specialist subject
facilities: good
Social life: good /
excellent
Class sizes: small Pastoral care: excellent /
big selling point
Contact with tutors:
excellent
Transition into HE:
problematic
Specialist subject
facilities: good
Social life: very variable /
some non-existent
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8 case studies on the first-year experience in off-campus locations
All students from similar subject disciplines
Campus 1 (B): midlands, 10 miles from partner university, university centre on site, 800+ HE students
Campus 2 (E): east of England, 10 miles from partner university, part of new-build HE/FE campus 2006, 1000+ HE students
Campus 3 (F): south-east England, I mile from partner university, 750+ HE students
Campus 4: (G): east of England, 30 miles from partner university, 100+ HE students on campus, part of new university 2006/7
Campus 5 (N): south of England, geographically far removed from Midlands-based partner university, 750+ HE students on campus
Campus 6 (S): north of England, in same town as partner university, 200+ HE students
Campus 7: (W): London, 1 mile from partner university, 300+ HE students, university centre on site
Campus 8: 1 ‘control’ group from Year 1 at University of Luton
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Areas of origin
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Term-time residence
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Are you AT University?
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The University Experience
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Institutional identification
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‘Great Expectations’?
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Tutorial support: traditionally an area of good practice in colleges
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Support for students
University of Luton
Lecturers very supportive
Staff really supportive (apart from
- ne)
University offers a good range of support and I have used financial support and special workshops
Good system of appointment booking to speak to tutors
Tutors offer informal and formal support sessions
Small seminar groups really helpful
Tutors always ready to help
staff not biased – will help everyone
Careers help really good
Partner College/s
Staff fantastic! Really supportive
Staff always there for you
Staff always have time for you
Staff always ready to listen
AM really good – gives everyone her mobile number and doesn’t mind if we phone at 10.00pm
Can always ask for help – only small group
Best thing about college and course is supportive staff
Difficult to get help with counselling
Guidance staff not very sure about HE finance problems
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Retaining the students…………
According to Tillman (2002), the following
‘personal’ factors influence retention:
- “lack of preparation”;
- “external commitments”;
- “social isolation”;
- “interaction with faculty”,
- “financial need” and
- “academic failure”.
Other key factors include:
- selecting the ‘wrong course’ (Yorke 1999);
- financial worries (Bennett 2003; McGivney 2003).
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……………………………………………..
Factors influencing student retention can relate to
both the social and cultural characteristics of the student, and the characteristics of the institution.
….emphasis is shifting to acknowledge
institutional issues, rather than simply focussing on the student (Tinto 1997)
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On-campus modules: desirable or necessary?
Case study groups (University of Luton 2005/6):
Group 1: Semester 1: PDP at University (art) Group 2: Semester 1: one subject module at University (sports) Group 3: Semester 2: one subject module at University (fashion) Group 4: one day per week at University throughout year (2
days at college) (web-development)
Group 5: no formal contact with university throughout year
(computing)
Group 6: no formal contact with university throughout year
(business)
Group 7: part-time course (care management) Group 8: part-time course (early years senior practitioner)
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Retention: different delivery patterns between college and university
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First Years at the University of Luton
3 best things about Year 1
1.
social life (100%)
2.
meeting new / different people (79%)
3.
independence (75%)
3 worst things about Year 1
1.
accommodation issues (75%)
2.
money problems (68%)
3.
being away from family and friends at home (58%)
4.
dealing with personal problems (51%)
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Additional sources
Beaney, P ed (2006) Researching Foundation Degrees (London: fdf publications) Charles, A (2006) Great Expectations (Luton: University of Luton) Frame, P (2001) Managing the induction crisis: students can make a difference Student Induction in Practice (Birmingham: SEDA) Hatt, S & Baxter, A (2003) From FE to HE: studies in transition: a comparison
- f students entering higher education with academic and vocational
qualifications Bristol: UWE Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning) HELP CETL www.xxxxxxxxxxxx Henderson, G (2006) Making Opportunity Work: Managing Student Transition through Higher Education (First European FYE Conference, University of Teeside, UK) Mayhew, K Deer, C & Dua, M The move to mass higher education in the UK: many questions and some answers Oxford Review of Education Vol 30 no 1 (Oxford: OUP) Wyatt, J ed (2006) Forward (Lichfield: fdf publications) www.fdf.ac.uk
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Contact Details
Helen Corkill Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning University of Luton* Park Square LUTON LU1 3JU UK email: helen.corkill@luton.ac.uk tel: +44 (0)1582 734111 x2646 www.luton.ac.uk www.bridges.cetl@luton.ac.uk * University of Bedfordshire from 01/08/2006