‘Institutional Retention Strategies’

Professor Alison HalsteadDean of Learning and Teaching and CETL Director

International RetentionOECD (2000) Education at a Glance.

Country Retention

JAPAN 89%

UK 82%

GERMANY 72%

USA 63%

FRANCE 55%

Vincent TintoUSA retention

• According to Tinto (1982), retention rates in USA HE have averaged a steady 55% over the last century despite huge changes in participation rates and other major aspects of HE.

• Barefoot (2003) “For over a decade in the US, the overall retention rate from first to second year has remained steady at almost 60 %.”

What can retention theory tell

us?

Tinto’s retention model (1975)

I

TO GO

OR STAY?

‘Dropout from Higher Education:A theoretical Synthesis of recent research’ Review of Educational Research vol.45,pp89-125

Goal

Commitment

Institutional

Commitment

Academic Integration

Social Integration

Learning Environment

Family Background CharacteristicsQualificationsExperience

Aston’s Retention I-E-O model

"Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate

Education" (Chickering & Gamson, 1987)

1. Encourages Contact between Students and Faculty

2. Develops Reciprocity and Cooperation among Students

3. Encourages Active Learning

4. Gives Prompt Feedback

5. Emphasizes Time on Task

6. Communicates High Expectations

7. Respects diverse talents and ways of learning

Significant factors - Yorke & Ozga (1997)

• incompatibility between the student and the course / institution

• lack of preparation for the HE experience

• lack of commitment to the course

• financial hardship• poor academic progress

New Zealand 2002

Impact of Student Support Services and Academic

Development Programmes on Student Outcomes in Undergraduate Tertiary Study:

A Synthesis of the ResearchReport to the Ministry of Education

T. Prebble, H. Hargraves, L. Leach, K. Naidoo, G. Suddaby and N. Zepke

Massey University College of Education

In 2001 established a Retention Task Force

1999-2000

Retention 87%

Student Profile

66% Over 2134% Under 21

First GenerationLearners

University of Wolverhampton

• 22,000• 66% mature• State School 99%• Low Participation Neighbourhood 26%• NS-SEC 4-7 50%• 27% ethnic minority• Live at home 85%• 11% non continuation

What about a strategy?

Embedded in L and T strategy1st in 19972nd in 1999

Learning and Teaching Strategies

1999-2002: Growing a Learning Community

The aim of this strategy was ‘to develop the quality, relevance and efficiency of our learning and teaching methods so as to enhance the educational experience of students across the whole institution’.

Staff – methods of learning and teaching

Technology supported learning

Learning and Teaching Strategy 2002-5: Managing the Learning Environment

aim: ‘to develop the quality, relevance, effectiveness and efficiency of our learning environment, so as to enhance the educational experience of students across the whole institution’.

Staff Technology supported learning

Students

Objective 2002-5

• To develop strategies for improving student retention and progression – Raised profile across the university– Generated so much activity, pre-

entry,induction, within the curriculum and support services

– One stop advice centres, student buddies, mentors, formative assessment etc etc

Targets

2002-3 2003-4 2004-5

-each School to have completed analysis of current retention projects and statistical analysis of retention figures

-each School to have a retention strategy

-student wastage to be no more than 10%

-University to perform at the HEFCE

benchmark on

retention  

-University to perform at 1% better than the HEFCE benchmarks on

retention

Challenge of retention

• Driven technological innovation– VLE, ePortfolio, SMS texting and

podcasting

• Success at level 1 resulted in the £4.85 million CETL

• Highest University priority along with the Learning Environment.

Staff

• PG Certificate – Re-accreditation

• Learning and Teaching Research Network

• Expansion of Teacher of the Year

• National Teaching Fellowships

Technology Supported Learning

• WOLF success 20,000 different users– Interactivity, collaborative learning and

discussions, web quests etc

• ePortfolio developed for PDP - creating independent and reflective learners

• CAA formative and summative

• Sharpen up your skills with e-mentors

Student Support

• Personal, Academic, Careers and Employability expansion into eportfolio

• Teesside and Wolverhampton FYE• JISC regional eportfolio, UCAS, SMS

texting with partners• Centre for Excellence in Teaching and

Learning – Enabling achievement in a diverse student body – 10 PhD’s and staff secondments.

Enabling Achievement in a Diverse Student Body

University of Wolverhampton

Use of new technologies/Outputs of CETL

CETL strengthened the staff research

element of the strategy

Learning and Teaching Strategy 2002-6: Managing the Learning Environment

Students

Research

StaffTechnology supported learning

It is therefore proposed that a section of our Learning and Teaching strategy should concentrate on the development

of student learning within a ‘research-informed environment’.

Raising confidence and self esteem through dialogue and collaborative

learning• Eportfolio• Trainee teachers• Sharing issues and

concerns• Moved Tutor to

student led within the fisrt year

• Group self sustaining in year 2.

Julie Hughes - Education

NTFS 2005 Rising Star

Writing for Academic Success

Jackie Peiterick

300 level 1 Humanities students 92% plus over five years.

• Guided work• Formative feedback• Peer mentoring and

feedback• Developmental

approach• Input to University wide

‘Sharpen your skills website – being developed into blended learning version.

Alison Halstead Eleanor Cohn

Ken Oliver Matt Bates

Applied Sciences (98% retention) – Tracking, Monitoring, Intervention, Smartcards and SMS.

Has any of this made a difference?

• Performance indicators?

–recognised as one of the leading WP institutions

• Benchmarks

– met our benchmark 10.7 (03/04)

• Where are the challenges ?

Where does all this leave the 2006 –2010 strategy?

Learning and Teaching Strategy 2006-10: Embedding and Employability

“to embed the quality, relevance, effectiveness and efficiency of our learning environment into the mainstream processes and procedures of university planning and implementation, so as to enhance the educational experience and employability of our students”

TSL

Research

STAFF STUDENTS•PGCERT

•MA

•Doctorate

•Embedded skills

•S2S Mentoring

Two strategic priorities

STAFF

To enable our staff to develop their learning and teaching expertise in order to enhance the student learning experience

STUDENTSTo enable all our

diverse students to deepen knowledge and understanding, and develop skills and personal attributes which will enrich their lives and enhance their achievement and employability.

On going priorities for Wolverhampton

• Start earlier – Podcasts on how to enrol, use the Virtual Learning Environment and the ePortfolio

• Startright – Welcome week and academic induction

• Tracking, monitoring and intervention• Early formative assessment • High quality timely feedback• Peer mentoring, buddies and sharpen up

your skills website

Under consideration• Complete overhaul of first year

• Hand selected teaching teams

• High level of face2face

• Embedded and transferable skills taught through the subject

• Peer mentoring

• Just formative assessment with a pass/ fail first year boundary

Conclusion• Theory understood • Participation has been widened

significantly• Highest strategic priority • Issues for us

– Buy in by all staff – Joined up internal strategies– Keeping information clear, simple & timely

• Challenge of to-morrows students!