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Retention

Students on campusHEFCE/Paul Hamlyn Foundation retention project - What Works?

In 2008 CDoTL secured funding (£183,033) from the joint HEFCE/Paul Hamlyn Foundation student retention grant programme to carry out a three-year collaborative project with Oxford Brookes University. The project focused on different approaches to supporting students through personal tutoring and study advice and via a one-stop shop with a view to ascertaining the effects of these on student retention and ultimately progression through higher education.

This project was completed in August 2011.

Findings and recommendations include:

Our findings indicate that support provided by the institution plays a key role in ensuring students' progress and a more positive student experience overall. Our key findings show that providing structured support, fostering engagement, managing expectations, enabling a sense of belonging are all central in helping institutions to retain their students. We have found that:

  • Students are more likely to engage with the study support and personal development available from the institution if they are easily accessible and students feel there is a reason to engage.
  • The building of relationships, particularly between Personal Tutors and their tutees, helps retain students.
  • Staff members who operate as Personal Tutors want to feel valued in the role and rewarded for it.
  • Holistic models of study advice and personal development are effective in making students feel they are supported towards success, whether these models are delivered across the university (Reading) or locally in an academic School (Oxford Brookes).

We recommend:

  • That all support for students is easy for them to access in terms of physical access, ease of referral from others, ease of knowing who is available to help, transparent guidelines and boundaries and in terms of promotion and marketing information.
  • Contextualised study advice. The context could be school-based (as at Oxford Brookes) or centrally delivered but focused on the academic discipline (as at Reading).
  • Personal Tutors receive more support from their institutions in terms of training and guidance materials, but also in terms of reward and recognition.
  • A one-stop shop approach to delivering student services on campus and via a physical and virtual Helpdesk.
  • Access to support for new students begins before they enrol via a web link, blogs and other virtual information/communication tools.
  • Identification of students 'at risk' be based on their engagement and performance after enrolment and especially over their first term/semester, rather than based on a pre-selected set of potential indicators.

Retention Project Full Report

Related Events

What works? Exploring personal tutoring for student success. HEA Seminar Series - 16th November 2010

Main speaker: Dr Patrick Doherty, University of Liverpool

Group discussion facilitator: Dr Janette Myers, St George's, University of London

Panel discussion chair: Dr Chris Rust, Oxford Brookes University

On 16th November 2010 staff, students and external delegates from 19 institutions came together in a one day interactive workshop sponsored by the HEA. The theme of the seminar evolved as a result of one of the key findings of a three year collaborative project between the University of Reading and Oxford Brookes University on student retention and success, funded by HEFCE and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. Delgates were given the opportunity to discuss new perspectives on personal tutoring and were encouraged rethink old models of personal tutoring. The main points raised throughout the day were a call for a move away from the 'problem-solving' model of personal tutoring and indicated that a more relational or mentoring type approach would be more beneficial for students and possibly staff. However, concerns were raised that for this to work personal tutors need to be given credit for this work and a sense that the institution value and support their contribution to students' academic progress and pastoral welfare is vital. For further information on the event please see the HEA SEMINAR Nov 2010 programme. Please also click on the below links to see the PDF slides from the day.

Follow the link for summary findings and recommendations of the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and HEFCE funded What Works? Student Retention and Success programme (2008-2011) which involved the participation of 22 universities including the University of Reading.

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