Maximizing Student Retention and Success: Reflections, Analysis, and Strategies

1. What works? Student Retention and SuccessTeam Summit meeting 20 January 2010

2. Objectives of the session • To meet with other participating institutions to share emergent findings and research tools. • To situate your project in the broader context of the research literature and initial programme findings. • To further promote peer support and the development of relationships between projects. • To identify mechanisms to engage others within the institution to widen impact. • To discuss and shape the outcomes of the programme to maximise impact.

3. Session 1: Programme Reflections Robert Dufton, PHF Jean Arnold, HEFCE

4. Feedback Groups

5. Session 2: Meta-analysis Update

6. Key issues addressed Two key approaches discernable: • Evaluation of the impact and/or effectiveness of particular interventions (peer mentoring, personal tutoring, ELLI, study advisers, integrating interventions into the curriculum). • Focus on evidencing their impact and identifying particular characteristics that make them effective. • Compares differences in implementation & context • Evaluation of the relative importance of a students’ sense of integration (Sunderland/Leicester). • Focus on evidencing impact of integration. • Investigating factors that contribute to integration.

11. Student engagement • Who do students engage with? (Peers, mentors, teaching staff, personal tutors, student services, others) • When do they engage? (Pre or post entry, in the classroom, in own time, one-off/ongoing opportunities) • Where do they engage? (Locally or centrally, in the classroom or in additional offerings, university or students’ union) • What do they engage with and why? • How do they engage and what facilitates or hampers this? • Why do they engage / what do they gain from it / impacts?

12. Preparation and transition • IAG, realistic expectations and academic skills and capacity. • Pre-entry decision making (IAG?): HERE • Student expectations: Anglia • Preparation for study: Anglia, Aston, Sunderland • Staff knowledge about students: Northumbria • Student capacity/skills: Aston, Northumbria • Induction processes: Leicester, Reading • Pre- and post-entry peer mentoring: Aston • Impact of student background: Leicester

13. Capacity Building • Common to 6 of 7 projects • Includes development of skill, knowledge or resilience. • Evaluating impact across different stages of lifecycle: • Pre-entry – perceptions of preparedness (AR, S, A) • Post-entry – Induction (L, R); Diagnosis (N); interventions (AR, R, A) • Contribution of evidence around promoting early/ongoing engagement; building effective relationships; effect of enhancing knowledge of students; effect of capacity building on sense of belonging. • Overlaps with pre-entry preparation/transition, academic and social experience.

14. Academic Experience • Central aspect in all 7 projects • Includes L & T practices; assessment/feedback; curriculum content, development and organisation. • Projects focus on 3 aspects of academic experience: • Integration of particular student groups (N, S, L). • Contribution of specific interventions (A, AR, R, N). • Effective academic practices (NT). • Contributing of evidence around effective L&T practices; building relationships as part of the learning process; impact of personalised learning approaches. • Overlaps with capacity building and social experience.

15. Social Experience • Common to 5 of 7 projects (A, S, AR, L, NT). • Includes provision of formal and informal activities, outside of the curriculum. • Projects focus on 3 aspects of social experience: • Role of social integration in retention (S, AR, L) • Role of institution in promoting social integration (NT) • Impact of intervention on social integration (A) • Contribution of evidence around importance of the provision of social activity; effective practice; impact of building peer relationships and of specific interventions. • Overlaps with academic experience & capacity building

16. Professional service provision • Student services, library and learning services, WP, disability, careers, admissions etc. • Local or central provision: Reading • Integrated, targeted or open access: Reading • Student use of academic and non-academic services: Anglia

17. Organisation and management • National system and institutional management, systems and cultures. • Comparing notions of student retention and student success: Northumbria • Understanding where and from whom students want to access support from: Anglia and Reading • Staff knowledge, development and engagement: Leicester and Northumbria • Use of institutional data: Leicester and Reading

18. In summary • Projects are looking across lifecycle • Addressing different perspectives • Addressing multiple aspects of student experience • Centrality of student engagement

19. Critical friendship groups

20. Feedback Groups

21. Cross team group discussionReflection questions • What particularly engaged you about this project? • What further information or clarification would you like? • What similarities are there with your project and are there any opportunities for collaboration?

22. LUNCHTIME Swap Shop • Select one person to stand by your project poster to answer questions/network. • Rest of the team: Identify any links with others or any research tools, expertise, project outputs, venues etc. that may be useful for your own project.

23. Session 3: Key Evaluation Outcomes

24. Key Evaluation Outcomes • Read the outcomes provided. • Select all of those relevant to your project. • Use 2 to indicate those which are central and 1 to indicate marginal or peripheral outcomes. • Use the other box to add additional outcomes if necessary. • Use the comment box to provide an explanation as to its relevance and any evidence available to date.

25. Session 4: Outputs and Implications

26. Outputs and implications • Table 1: Yellow • Table 2: Green • Table 3: Blue • Table 4: Red • Table 5: Orange • Table 6: Purple

27. Outputs and implications of the programme • Drawing on your preparation, consider how can we ensure that institutions across the sector engage with the practical learning that emerges from our projects and the programme as whole? • What types of ‘information’ do we want to share? • What formats will be most effective for engaging policy makers, different institutions and staff groups?

28. Any other business…. • Retention convention • Named project representatives • Booking filling up fast • Posters • Support needs? • Presentations? • Briefing • Events • Questions and issues?