Michael Hill and Steve May June 2019

1. Michael Hill and Steve May June 2019 How an open access alternative provider of HE is attempting to bear down on retention.

2. Structure • The context of GSM London • The challenge of retention and attainment • The bottom up approach and top down approach • The Retention Summits • Initiatives and the evaluation

3. Features • GSM London offers three-year degree programmes and a one year foundation year and provides two-year accelerated undergraduate programmes in the UK (over 463 students currently) • Fees: £6,000/year • We have 3 intakes each academic year: October, February and June • Entry level: 32% of students enrol at level 4, while 68% of students enrol at level 3 (year 0)

4. THE CONTEXT

6. Student profile: Age

7. Student profile: Ethnicity

8. Students associated with retention risk factors – 2017 – an example from one entry cohort(based on US risk factors: Horn and Premo (1995)

9. Staff profile: Of the permanent academic staff (approx. 120 plus): • 12% are external examiners • 23% hold HEA Fellowships (with a further 50%+ currently undertaking an accredited programme) • 65% are members of professional bodies or learned societies • 75% plus from minority ethnic groups – similar to the student body

10. Degree programmes • Accounting and Finance • App Development for Digital Business • Business Management • Business Management with Creative Industries • Business Management with E-commerce • Economics • Enterprise and Small Business Development • Events and Entertainment Management • Human Resources with Management • LLB Law • Marketing • Oil and Gas Management • Travel and Tourism 68% of students enter at Level 3 (foundation year)

11. THE CHALLENGE OF RETENTION AND ATTAINMENT

12. Recognising National Key Performance measures • participation at high-tariff providers; • reducing gaps in no-continuation between most and least represented groups; • reducing the gaps in degree outcomes between white and black students; • reducing the gap in degree outcomes between disabled students and non-disabled students https://youtu.be/03U6ZLojiFk

13. Access: Index of multiple deprivation - GSM against the HE sector – How do we compare? Highest deprivation Least deprivation

14. Success – Continuation to second year

15. Success – Attainment of First and Upper Second Class degrees (Good degrees - GD)

16. Headline data for Main Teaching Departments Level 3 starters and Level 4 starters retention from Level 4

17. Comparisons with other HEIs

18. Comparator Institutions

19. Table 4 compares white and BAME ethnic groups and illustrates that for the BAME group, retention at GSM London is very close to that of other APs.

20. Table 5 considers age group on entry and illustrates that the continuation rates of GSM London mature students, at 73%, is close to that of both other APs.

21. The bottom up and top down approach

22. An evidence based approach

23. Overview of the learning from “What Works?2 about implementing change

24. Features of effective practice

25. Overview Students belong to their discipline, they grapple with discipline concepts, they value meaningful conversations with discipline staff – all these have implications for who has to lead and implement and evaluate the improvements in the academic experience.

26. THE RETENTION SUMMITS

27. Retention and Success Summits June 2018 and February 2019

28. Way of working • Students and staff introduce themselves explaining their role at GSM and particular interest regarding retention of students • Chair introduces work considered so far in the theme and identifies a scribe to take notes • Group considers customised datasets. • Group discusses existing actions and interventions and possible new actions and interventions • Group agrees on actions and completes action plan including logic chain

29. The tables - Morning • Level 3 Action Plan Decisions Lead: Joanna Merick-Tooth • Strand One – Recruitment and MarketingLead: Adel Haholt • Strand Two – Admissions, Flying Start, ReorientationJoint Leads: Steven Wallace, Dominika Lezon and Kasia Brys • Strand Three – Learning, Teaching and Assessment OneLead: Baba Sheba • Strand Four– Learning, Teaching and Assessment TwoLead - Marcia Hazzard • Strand Five – Learning, Teaching and Assessment ThreeLead:  Philip Pryce • Strand Six – Learning, Teaching and Assessment FourLead: Rosie Watson • Strand Seven - Projects and SkillsJoint Leads: Andrew Gould and James Ackroyd and Dan Phillips

30. The tables Afternoon • Strand Eight – Digital LearningLead: Bee Sen Gupta • Strand Nine – Library Services and ResourcesLead:  Karen Crouch • Strand Eleven – Personal Tutoring and AttendanceLead: Adrian Briggs • Strand Twelve – Student Hub and WellbeingLead: Tiffany Howard • Strand Thirteen – Progression, Careers and EmployabilityLead: Andrew Falconer

38. Initiatives and the Evaluation

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46. Group Task How might GSM London improve the retention of young students (under the age of 30) especially in their first year of study? For example, by enhancing the personal tutor scheme?

47. Final Thoughts Importance of: Empowering and entrusting the academic staff and students Investing in strategies to improve collaboration Disseminating evidence based approaches Reconsidering how senior staff develop and get feedback on policy implementation

48. Thank you for listening Any questions?

49. Thank you. Michael Hill Michael.hill@gsmlondon.ac.uk Steve May Steve.May@gsmlondon.ac.uk