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Learning&TeachingEnhancementProject2015-16

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UndergraduateRetentionandEngagementattheUniversityfortheCreativeArts:TheFirstYearExperience

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StudentsaremostatriskofwithdrawinginthefirstyearoftheirHEcareer-aroundathirdoffirstyearstudentsconsiderwithdrawing

(Thomas2012a,Boyleetal2011)

SummaryReportByDrMary-louBarrattSeniorLecturer/YearOneCoordinator(Acting)BA(H)FineArtUniversityfortheCreativeArtsCanterburyE:[email protected]

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CONTENTS

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1. ProjectSummary 3

2. ResearchProcess 4

3. Findings 7

4. Recommendations 26

5. Conclusions 30

6. ReferencesandUsefulResources 31

7. Glossary 34

8. Appendix 35

ThisreportpresentsasummaryoftheresearchprojectUndergraduateRetentionandEngagementatUCA:TheFirstYearExperience,whichwasinitiatedandfundedbytheTeachingandLearningEnhancementInitiative,UniversityfortheCreativeArts.

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1.PROJECTSUMMARY

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ThisreportistheoutcomeofaresearchprojectsetuptoidentifyissuesthatmightaffecttheretentionandengagementoffirstyearundergraduatestudentsatUniversityfortheCreativeArts(UCA)andtoexploreinnovative,sustainableandeffectiveapproachestoenhancingthefirstyearexperience.

Theaimofthisresearchproject:TolookatthewaysinwhichUCA’sinstitutionalcharacteristicsanddisciplinaryculturesmightaffectretentionandengagementamongfirstyearundergraduatesandtomakerecommendationsbasedonthefindings.Theobjectivesofthisresearchproject:

• DevelopingunderstandingoftheUCAexperienceinthecontextofwiderresearchintoundergraduateengagementandmitigatingwithdrawal

• DevelopingunderstandingofthestrengthsandchallengeswithintheundergraduateexperienceatUCA,intermsofretention

• ValuingandstrengtheninggoodpracticewithinUCA,intermsofretention• IdentifyingprioritiesfordevelopmentwithinUCAinlightofwiderresearcharound

goodpracticeintermsofretention

Thisprojecthasfocusedspecificallyonthefirstyearundergraduateexperience,asthisiswidelyrecognizedtobeacrucialpointinastudent’sHigherEducation(HE)life-cycleinrelationtoretentionandengagement(Thomas2012a,Boyleetal2011).Developinganunderstandingofthisasakeypointintheundergraduatejourney,apointatwhichstudentsaremostatriskofwithdrawing,hasbeencentraltotheresearchprojectandhasbeendrivenbyaseriesofkeyquestionssuchas,whatarethetensionpointsacrossthisfirstyear? ThenatureofUCAasaninstitutiongivesrisetofurtherquestions,suchaswhatdoesitmeantobeasmall,specialistinstitutionintermsofthestudentexperience?Howdoesthedisciplinarycultureaffectretentionandengagement?Cancharacteristicsofresilientstudentpopulationsbeidentifiedanddoesthedisciplinaryculturenurtureordiscouragesuchcharacteristics?Isitusefultoconsiderissuessuchastheseatasub-disciplinarylevel? Asubstantialbodyofresearchonthesubjectofundergraduateretentionandengagementhasbeendevelopedoverthelasttenyears.Thisbroaderresearchgivesausefulinsightintosector-wideanddisciplinaryspecificperspectivesonundergraduateretention,andoffersaframeworkforanappreciativeexplorationoftheUCAexperience,whichwasacrucialaspectoftheUndergraduateRetentionandEngagementatUCA:TheFirstYearExperienceproject.ThisinvolvedstudyofselectedcoursesanddataanalysiswithviewtodevelopinganindepthunderstandingofwhatcourseswithinUCAdowellintermsofsupportingretentionamongfirstyearundergraduates.Importantly,thispartoftheresearchprojectfocusedon“identifyinganddevelopingwhatworksinanorganisationratherthantryingtofixwhatdoesn’t”(DovestoneandKeenaghaninNottingham2011:48).

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2.RESEARCHPROCESS

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Broadlyspeaking,theresearchprojectUndergraduateRetentionandEngagementatUniversityfortheCreativeArts:TheFirstYearExperiencehasmovedthroughfourdistinctphases.

Phase1Focus:DevelopingandrefiningtheresearchscopeinlightofcurrentdiscoursesaroundundergraduateretentionandwithdrawalwithinUKHigherEducationInstitutions(HEIs)

1.1 engagingwithrelevantevents,reportsandotherpublicationsprovidingdataandinsightsthatusefullysettheUCAexperiencewithinabroadersector-widecontextandflagupkeyissuesinrelationtoretentionandwithdrawalduringthefirstyearofHEcourseswithintheCreativeArts.

1.2 reviewingandconsolidatingthescopeandaimsoftheresearchinlightofthisbroadsurveyofcurrentresearchinthefield

Phase2Focus:DevelopinganindepthunderstandingofthebroadercontextwithinwhichUCAsits,gatheringbasicdataonlevelsofengagement,retentionandwithdrawalwithinUCA,andspecialistinstitutionsasawhole,andidentifyingpotentialissuesforfurtherinvestigationinrelationtothefirstyearexperienceatUCA.

2.1 engagingwithkeyperspectives,research,contributorsandinstitutionswithinthefieldoftheresearchprojectinordertodevelopanunderstandingofmomentsinacoursewhenriskofwithdrawalareheightened,suchasassessment,inductionortermbreaks,andotherissuesthatmightimpactonthissuchas

curriculumdesignstudentdemographicsassessmentandfeedbackstrategiescoursedeliverymethods

2.2 gatheringqualitativeandquantitativeinformationinrelationtoUCAasawhole,and

analysisofinstitutionaldatasetsincludinginformationgatheredthroughInternalStudentSurvey(ISS)dataTheEarlyLeaversSurveyRetentionDataacrossUCAbyCourse

2.3 analysisofinformationgatheredinordertodevelopanappreciativeunderstanding

ofwhatmightbehappeningwithfirstyearstudentsatUCAandwhichaspectsofthisexperiencemightbebesttofocusontoenhancetheYear1experience.

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Phase3Focus:ExploringtheaboveinrelationtothefirstyearexperienceatUCAthroughcasestudies

3.1 selectionoffourBA(H)coursesacrossUCAcampuses,reflectingtherangeofprogramsofferedbyUCA,ofsignificantlydifferingsizesandmanifestingarangeofretentionrates

3.2 gatheringqualitativeandquantitativeinformationonthesefourcoursesthrough: Retentionandattritiondata Coursedocuments

InterviewswithCourseLeadersandYear1Tutors

3.3 appreciativeanalysisofinformationgatheredPhase4Focus:Disseminatingtheresearchtokeystakeholdersandgatheringresponses,thenconsolidatingandwritinguptheresearchproject

4.1 furthercriticalanalysisandsynthesisofkeyfindings

4.2 identifyingareasofplanning,deliveryetcthatundergraduatecoursesatUCAthatworkwellintermsofmitigatingagainsttheriskofwithdrawal

4.3 writingupthesefindingsinadraftreportsummarisingthekeyfindingsand

recommendations

4.4 discussingthepreliminaryrecommendationswithrelevantstakeholderswithinUCAandtopresenttheresearchwithinthewideracademiccontex,includingdisseminatingtheresearchinprogressthroughthefollowing:

UCACourseLeaderForum(ICA,July2016)HigherEducationAcademyConference,ReadyforRetention:EffectiveSystemsforTransitionandStudentSuccess(UniversityofSouthWales,6–7July2016)(See8.1).UCACourseLeaderForum(ICA,November2016)UCAAcademicRegistryForum(EpsomCampus,April2017)

4.5 finalisingthereportandmakingthereportavailabletomembersofseniormanagementalongsideacademic,technicalandsupportstaffviaUCAintranet

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Significantchangestotheresearchprocess

Severalchangesweremadetothisprojectduringitslife-span.Mostsignificantly:

• Theprojectinitiallyfocusedontheuseofpeergroupactivitiesasakeystrategytoenhancethefirstyearundergraduateexperienceandmitigateagainstwithdrawalandfailure.Whilethereisconsiderableresearchevidencingtheimportanceofpeergroupactivities,itquicklybecameclearthatitwouldbemorevaluableifawiderviewofcurrentpracticesandapproacheswithinUCAwerethefocalpointofthestudy.Openinguptoarangeofstrategies,includingbutnotrestrictedtopeergroupactivities,allowedforamuchricherrangeofissuestoariseandrecommendationstoemerge.

• Astheprojectapproacheditsthirdstage,thegroupofundergraduatecoursesselectedascasestudieswentthroughseveralchangesbeforeafinalselectionwassettledon.Thiswaslargelyduetoaconcernwithreflectingthebreadthofprogrammes,sub-disciplines,studentdemographics,pedagogicapproachesandcampusesencompassedundertheUCAumbrella.

• DuringtheresearchitbecameapparentthatwhileintheUKaround10%ofstudentsleaveHEduringYear1,between25-30%ofthesestudentsthinkaboutleaving(Thomas2012a).ThisimpliesthatlearningfromdoubterswhohavecopedwiththefirstyearofuniversityandcontinuedcouldbemakeanimportantcontributiontounderstandingwhatstopsstudentsfromleavingearlyandseemsparticularlypertinenttotheappreciativenatureofUndergraduateRetentionandEngagementatUCA:TheFirstYearExperience.So,theprojecttimescalewasextendedtoallowforthedevelopmentofasurveythatwouldenablegatheringqualitativedatafromcontinuingfirstyearstudents.

UsingatransitionsurveydevelopedbyNottinghamTrentUniversity(NTU)fortheHEREprojectasamodel,asurveywasdevelopedthatasksstudentstorateaseriesofvariablefactorsshowntohavesignificantimpactondoubtingandpersistence(Nottingham2011:58-60).Inthisway,thesurveyallowsfortherelationshipbetweenastudent’scontinuationandaseriesofvariableexperiencefactors,suchas‘senseofcommunity,’tobeconsideredinsomedepth.TheNTUstudyyieldedclearresults,forexample,ifastudentratedtheir‘academicexperiences’lowlyonthisscaletheywere“morelikelytobeadoubterandiftheyratedthemverylowly,theyweremorelikelytobeadoubterwholeft”(Nottingham2011:13eandAppendix4).Thesurveyalsoposesarangeofquestionsfocusedspecificallyaroundtheexperienceofdoubts,thetimingofthese,andreasonsforthinkingaboutleavingandfordecidingtoremain,whichoffersthepossibilityofbeginningtoexplorewhatworksinUCAprogrammestosupportretentionandsuccessfromthestudents’perspective.

Researchindicatesthat,ideally,thissurveyshouldbecirculatedinthelastweekofYear1Semester3,orthefirstweekofYear2Semester1.Themeansofdistributionwouldalsolikelyplayakeyrole,andthecasestudiesconductedaspartofthisresearchprojectindicatedthataneffectiveapproachwouldbefortherespectivecourseteamstoissueaninvitationtocompletethesurveytoallreturningstudents,andthatthisshouldbedonebyemail,whichwouldcontainthelinktothesurveyforthatparticularcourse(see8.2).

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3.FINDINGS

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3.1:TheBroaderPictureofRetentionandWithdrawal

GeneralretentionandwithdrawalstatisticsacrossHEIsintheUK DirectorofFairAccesstoHigherEducation,ProfessorLeslieEbdonassertsreassuringlythatretentionratesintheUKare‘veryhigh’byinternationalstandards(EbdoncitedinHavergal2016).AccordingtotheHigherEducation:RetentionandEngagementproject(HERE),drawingondatafromtheNationalAuditOffice(NAO),retentionratesintheUKarealsofairlystatic,withapproximately10%ofstudentsconsistentlyleavingearlyinthefirstyear(Nottingham2011:25-26).Aslightlymorerecentstudyaddstothis,notinga94%‘completionrate’fortheHEsectorasawhole(Woodfield2014:8and43Table17).However,theWhatWorks?project,citingHigherEducationStatisticsAgency(HESA)data,opensthismetricoutdemonstratingthat,acrossEnglishinstitutions,‘non-continuationrates’showsignificantvariation,between1.2%and21.4%(Thomas2012a:5-6). Alongsideintroducingthemetricsinageneralsense,theabovealsodrawsattentiontoanimportantissue:twodifferentapproachestoaccumulatingdataonstudentretentionarecommonlyusedinrespectofundergraduatesintheUK,the‘completionrate’andthe‘continuationrate’(seeThomas2012a).Thefirstreferstotheproportionofstudentsstartinginanygivenyearandcontinuingtheirstudies,withnomorethanoneconsecutiveyearofinterruption,untiltheyobtaintheirqualification.AsHEcoursestakeseveralyearstocomplete,thiscanbearatherproblematicmetric.Thelatteroffersamoreimmediatemeasureofretentioninthatitreferstotheproportionofaninstitution’sintakewhichisenrolledinHEintheyearfollowingtheirfirstentry(NAO2007:5).Givenitsspecificconcernwiththefirstyearexperience,the‘continuationrate’hasthereforebeenofthemostinteresttotheresearchprojectsummarisedinthisreport.

Asthetitlesuggests,certainareasofretentionandwithdrawalstatisticswereofparticularsignificancetoUndergraduateRetentionandEngagementatUCA:TheFirstYearExperience.AsemphasiswasplacedonunderstandingthecontextinwhichUCAispositioned,disciplinespecificpatternsofretentionandinformationrelevanttosmall-specialistinstitutionswereofspecialinterest.Whileseveralstudiesprovidedconsiderableinformationonthefirstpoint,suchasRuthWoodfield’s(2014),thereseemstobesurprisinglylittleinvestigationintoretentionandengagementinrelationtothesizeofinstitutions.However,Ebdongivesaninsightwhenhenotesinpassingthat“[t]hebestperformers[intermsofretention]tendedtobesmall,specialistinstitutions”anditispossibletodrawsomedata,albeitinratherlimitedform,fromHESA’stables(EbdoncitedinHavergal2016,see8.3foranoverviewofUCAandothersimilarlyspecialistinstitutionsusingdatadrawnfromHESA).DatafromHESAappearstosupportEbdon’sevidencethatsmallerinstitutionsareabletofosterapositivesenseofbelonging,whichisadvantageousintermsofthestudentexperienceandthereforeretention.Ontheotherhand,researchalsodrawsattentiontothewaysinwhichsmallspecialisedinstitutionsfaceparticulardisadvantagessuchaslackingcapacityforcross-disciplinarysubsidisation.

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Keyresearchprojects

AnextensivebodyofresearchhasbeengeneratedaroundundergraduateretentionandwithdrawalinthewakeofLordBrowne’s2010reviewofHEandthesubsequentWhitePaper(2011),whichadvocatedfocusingonthequalityofthestudentexperience(SuttonTrust2010,Thomas2012aand2012b).Theextentandbreadthoftheensuingresearchisindicatedbysection6ofthisreport,whichcitesarangeofsourcesthatprovidequantitativeandqualitativeinformationonretention,andrelevantissues,acrossUKHEIsandtherebyofferanunderstandingofthecontextinwhichUCA’sdataandtheexperiencesofUCA’sundergraduatescanbeunderstood.Twoprojectsinparticularstoodoutasofferingawealthofrelevantinformationregardingundergraduateretentionandwithdrawal:WhatWorks?StudentRetentionandSuccess(seeThomas2012aand2012b)andUndergraduateRetentionandAttainmentacrosstheDisciplines(seeWoodfield2014).ThesehavebothprovidedkeyreferencepointsforUndergraduateRetentionandEngagementatUCA:TheFirstYearExperience. WhatWorks?StudentRetentionandSuccesswasathree-yearproject(2008-2011)involvingtwenty-twoHEIscollaboratingtoformsevenprojectteams,witheachteamfocusingonexploringspecificstrategiesthatmightimprovecontinuationandcompletionrates.Theresultingreportspresentaseriesofmodelsforimprovingstudentengagement,belonging,retentionandsuccess(Thomas2012aand2012b,alsoreportsforeachproject).In2012theWhatWorks?projectenteredasecondphase,whichfocusedonimplementingandevaluatingthefindingsoftheextremelycomprehensiveandexpansivefirstphase.Phasetwoseemedparticularlypromisinginthatitaimedtodevelopadisciplinaryspecificperspective.However,whilethisphasewasduetobecompletein2015,whenUndergraduateRetentionandEngagementatUCA:TheFirstYearExperiencecametoaclosetheonlydocumentsavailablewerethesinglesheetvisionstatementspublishedattheoutsetofthisphasebythe13participatingHEIs.TwoofthesestatethattheywillincludetheCreativeArtsintheirstudy,sothesecouldbeofparticularinterestwhenpublished:UniversityofWolverhamptonisincludingSportssciences,DesignandTextiles,BiomedicalSciencesandYorkStJohnUniversityisincludingprogrammesinthefacultiesofHLSandArts UndergraduateRetentionandAttainmentacrosstheDisciplinestookuptheconcernwiththeroleofdisciplinesintheoverallpictureofretentionandattainment,andprovidessubstantialevidencethat“studentsfromavarietyofbackgroundsperformverydifferentlyagainstthekeyindicatorsofretentionandattainmentwithindiversedisciplinarycontexts”(Woodfield2014).Thereportprovidesthefirstsystematicandquantitativeoverviewoftheseissues,drawingon2010-11HESAdataforallUKundergraduatestudentsacross30disciplines.Thiswasfollowedbyasecondphaseofresearch,commissionedbytheHigherEducationAcademy(HEA)in2015,whichfocusedonthereasonsunderpinningthevariationsinretentionandattainmentwithindiversedisciplinarycontextsidentifiedinthefirstphaseoftheresearchproject.Thismakesasignificantcontributiontothefieldbyprovidingaricherunderstandingofhowstudentexperiencesmaydifferacrossdisciplines.Theoverallfocusofbothphasesofthisprojectison‘atrisk’groupsofstudents,orhowestablishednotionsofdisadvantageplayoutwithindifferentdisciplinarycontexts.Thefindingsofphasetwowerepublishedin2016,asanoverallreportalongwithsixshortreportsconcernedwithspecificdisciplines(WoodfieldandO’Mahony2016,withFinniganandRichards2016beingtheArtandDesignspecificreport).

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Thecrucialfirstyear Severalstudiesemphasisetheimportanceofthefirstyear,generallyagreeingthatapproximatelyathirdofstudentsconsiderwithdrawingduringYear1oftheircourse(Boyleetal2011:43-44and97andNottingham2011)

“Approximatelyonethirdoffirstyearstudentshaveexperienceddoubtssufficientlystrongtomakethemconsiderwithdrawingatsomepointduringthefirstyear”(Nottingham2011:Findinga).

Exploringthisingreaterdepthleadstotheidentificationofkeypointswithinthatcrucialfirstyearexperience,timeswhenstudentsaremorelikelytowithdrawortothinkaboutwithdrawing.Thereseemstobeageneralagreementthatthemostsignificantpartofthisexperience,intermsofwithdrawal,ispre-entrythroughtoendofastudent’sfirstterminHE.Infact,asignificantlyhigherlevelofwithdrawalduringthisperiodinthestudentjourneyisconsistentlyshowntobethecaseaccordingtosector-widedata.TheHEREprojectexploredthisinconsiderabledepthanddemonstratesthat“[t]heprimarytimesforconsideringleavingareimmediatelybeforeandafterChristmas…thesearethetimeswhenmostfirstyearsencountertheirfirstsetofcourseworkdeadlinesandfeedback(Nottingham2011:13-15).Accordingtosomesources,42%ofstudentsthinkaboutleavingduringtheearlypartoftheirfirstyear(Nottingham2011).Recognitionofthisasacrucialtransitionalpointforstudents,leadstoconsiderationoffivekeyareas:thesignificanceoftransition;strategiesforsupportingcontinuation;theroleofthePersonalTutor;theexperienceof‘remainers;’and,withdrawalasapositiveoutcome.

Aidingtransition

LindaWheeler(2012),K.Ecclestone(2006)andRebeccaTurner(2017)drawattentiontothesignificanceoftransitionwithintheYear1experience:

“Entryintohighereducationisrecognisedasachallengingtimeforundergraduatesastheynegotiatethenormsandpracticesofnewacademiccommunitiesandfosterrelationshipswithpeersandacademics”(Turneretal2017).

StudiessuchastheseandJimGallacherandPaulaCleary’s(2007)assertthatthistransitionalstatewithitsimplicitsenseofdestabilisationandchallenge,isbothexcitingandrisky,andmostimportantly,itiscrucialtotheundergraduateexperienceof‘individualpersonalchangeandtheprocessofpersonaldevelopmentandbecoming’(HardingandThompsonc.2011).Accordingtosuchresearch,retentiondependsontransitionbeingrecognizedasaprocessratherthananevent,andbeingvaluedratherthansmoothedover.Severalstudiesalsopointoutthatcopingwithtransitions‘buildsresilience,whichisoneofthosehardtopindowncharacteristicsofstudentswhotendtostaythecourse’(GallacherandCleary2007,Boyle2011andMcCary2011:8and43).So,fromthisperspectiveitiscrucialtohelpallstudentsrecognisethevalueofcreativeriskandchallenge,andtosupporttheminmanagingthistransition,ratherthanseeingitassomethingthatisproblematicforsomestudentsandtryingtoeaseit.Inaddition,thesestudiespointoutthatattemptingtoblurthedifferencesbetweenstudents’priorlearningexperiencesandthedisciplinaryandpedagogicalculturethattheyareenteringintoislikelytosetthem,andtheirtutors,upforanewissue,whichisdescribedasa‘secondyearslump,’anewpointatwhichstudentswillbeunpreparedandthereislikelytobeamis-matchofexpectations.

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Somestudiesdiscussthedevelopmentofanareaofuniversitywebsitesthatarespecificallyaimedatnewentrantsandtheirfamiliesandfocusonthechallengesandadvantagesofenteringanundergraduateprogramme(WoodfieldandO’Mahony2016:46-47,Moreyetal2011:48).Otherstudiessuggestthatamulti-prongedapproachisneeded:

“ToimproveretentionandcompletioninHE,studentsneedtohaveclearerexpectationsabouttheprocessesandpurposesoflearningatthislevel…HEmustarticulatetheseprocessesandpurposeswithincreasingreferencetoincreasedself-awareness,personaldevelopmentandchange”(HardingandThompsonc.2011:43).

Thisreportcontinues,

“MarketingofHEneedstoreachbeyondsimplenotionsofhighsatisfaction(greatcity,greatcampus,greatteachers,greatfacilities–universityasservice)andhighachievement(greatdegrees,greatproportionsoffirstsetc–universityasproduct)andselltheHEexperienceincreasinglyintermsofchallengeandchange.(Ifyou’relookingforadegreeandagoodtimeontheway...don’tcometotheUniversityofRutland–unlessyoualsoenjoyachallenge,expectandwanttochangeanddevelopsoyouareequippedtocollaborate,contributeandsucceedinlife).”

WhilestudiesbyRuthWoodfieldandJamieHardingusefullypresentasector-wideperspectiveontransition,WheelerwritesaboutthechallengesoftransitionspecificallyinrelationtostudentsintheArtsandHumanities,usingthephrase“[f]eedingtheenthusiasmbuttamingtheanxiety”tocapturethisneedtoshiftthinkingaroundthedifficultiesoftransitionduringtheinductionphase(Wheeler2012:4).

Pre-entryandinduction

TheCashmorereporttakesuptheimportanceofpre-entryadviceandtheinductionprocesses,stressingtheseaskeyareasforattentioninanyattempttoimproveretentionratesamongfirstyearundergraduates(Cashmore2011:25-6).Woodfieldalsohighlightstheneedtomanagestudents’earlyexpectationsabouttheHEcurriculum(WoodfieldandO’Mahony2016:5).Infact,theimportanceofmanagingexpectationsfromtheearliestpointisraisedacrossseveralstudies,includingHardingandJ.ThompsonandSarahMoreyetal.

“Theimpactofpre-entrycommunicationsonstudentexpectations,earlyexperiencesandretentionshowthatprovidingstudentswithaclearunderstandingofwhattoexpectfromtheuniversityexperience,andwhatisexpectedofthem,furtherhelpstopromoteengagement”(Moreyetal2011:34andAppendixG)

HardingandThompsonmakesomeveryclearrecommendationsregardingwaysofcommunicatingtheseexpectations,suchasgivingnewstudents‘opportunitiestoheartheexperiencesoffirstyearstudentsandhowtheyadapted,changed,survivedandsucceeded.’Wheelersuggeststhatthinkingabout‘sharing’expectationsmightbeamoreappropriateapproachthan‘managing’theexpectationsofothers,andthatthiscouldeffectivelybeincorporatedacrossthestudentlifecycle,forexampleduringrecruitment,inductionandassessment(Wheeler2012:5).HardingandThompsongivesomeexamplesofhowthismightwork,withparticularemphasisoninduction:

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“DuringInductionallnewstudentsshoulddiscussexpectations-theirown,thoseofthecourseteamandthoseoftheuniversity.Inparticular,theyshouldunderstandtheethosofthecourseanditsdelivery…Thisinductionisbestthoughtofasaprocess,ratherthananevent,involvingreinforcementthroughoutthefirstyear”(HardingandThompsonc.2011).

Thereappearstobeageneralagreementregardingthebenefitsofensuringstudentsarepreparedandofmanagingtheexpectationsofallconcerned.Infact,thisisjustoneofaseriesofkeyareasthatstudiesshowcanbedevelopedinordertoimproveretentionratesamongfirstyearundergraduates.Forinstance,HardingandThompsonaddthat“successandretentionareassociatedwithlearnermotivation,learnerpersonaldevelopment…andpositiverelationshipsbetweenandwithpeersandstaff”(c.2011:36).Consequently,theysuggestthatretentioncanusefullybeconsideredinrelationtothefollowing:“studentchangeandpersonaldevelopment;relationshipsbetweenstaffandstudents;students’relationshipswiththeirpeers;studentandstaffexpectationsoftheirroleandcontributiontolearning;motivationandinterestinthesubjectstudied”(Ibid.).Inasimilarvein,theHEREreportsetsout9recommendationsfor‘managingthosefactorsthatleadtodoubtingandsubsequentlyleavingandimprovingthosefactorsthathelpstudentstostay’(Nottingham2011:18-19,Section14andappendix).

Integrationandbelonging

AsignificantnumberofstudiesshowaYear1student’ssenseofpeerintegration,communityandbelongingtobeoneofthemostimportantfactorsintheirlikelihoodtocontinuewiththeirstudies,andthatstudentsaremostlikelytofeelliketheybelongataprogrammelevel,withthatsenseofbelonginggenerallydecreasingatdepartmental,schoolandinstitutionallevels(Thomas2012:8,Cashmore2011:10-17,Boyle2011:26-30).AsWoodfieldandJoanO’Mahonypointout,thiswasevidentacrossthestudiesthatformedphasetwooftheUndergraduateStudentRetentionandAttainmentproject,particularlyincertainformsofengagement:

“Effectiveengagementwithotherstudentswashighlightedastakingvariousforms,fromstudentscollaboratingingroup-work,tostudentslearningtovaluediversestudentidentitiesandexperiencesthroughcriticalreflectionontheirownandpeers’experiencesaspartofthecurriculum,throughtostudentsfeelingembeddedsociallyinextracurriculaactivities”(WoodfieldandO’Mahony2016:6).

AnnetteCashmoresummarisesthesenseofbelongingthatcomesfromsuchengagementasapsychologicalfactorfocusingonstudents‘subjectivefeelingsofconnectednessorcohesiontotheinstitution,whichisan‘essentialcontributortostudentpersistence’(Cashmore2011:17).Thissummary,andtheformsofengagementsetoutbyWoodfieldandO’Mahonynodtowardsakeyfindingthatcomesupacrossmanyofthestudies:practicesthatbringsocialandacademicintegrationtogetherseemparticularlyeffectiveinraisingratesofretention(Boyle2011:25-26).

ApproachestobringingacademicandsocialintegrationtogetherhavebeenexploredbyUniversityofHull,NewcastleUniversityandUniversityofSunderland.Theseinstitutionshavesuccessfullyintroducedsuchactivities:ongoingcombinedpastoralandacademicsupervisionthroughtutorgroupsfromtheearlystagestotheendofthefirstyear;awelcomereceptionatwhichgroupsareformedandthenworkedtogetheronunitspecificassignmentsduringthefirsttwosemestersofYear1;and,compulsoryfieldtripsduringinductionweek(Boyle2011:28).StudyoftheseinnovationsleadsAnneBoyletoclaimthat

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“socialandacademicintegrationarereliantuponeachotherfortheirfullesteffect[which]offerstheopportunityforcomprehensiveinstitutionalstrategiesforretention”(Boyle2011:16-17).Boylealsoestablishesthatpre-entryeventsthathavebothastructuredacademicdimension,suchasprovidingpreparatoryskills,andasocialdimensionareparticularlyimportantas:

“manygroupsofstudents,suchasmature,local,andpart-timestudentsofthosewithcaringandworkcommitments,willnotengagewithanyactivitiesthatseempurelysocialandnon-essentialcomponentsofthecourse”(Boyle2011:50-52).

Boyles’studyalsoevidencestheimportanceofstructuredactivitiesandeventsinhelpingstudentsestablishthissenseofbelonging,showingthatestablishingstructurewithinanunfamiliarenvironmentenforcessocialnormsthatencouragepeopletointeractthroughsharedexperience(Boyle2011:Section7.2.3keymessageB).Moreyaddstothisbyemphasisingtheneedtomovebeyondideasoftargeting‘atrisk’studentsinsuchactivitiesandrecommendingusingsuchstrategiesinaprocessof‘supportforall,’especiallyduringthefirstyear(Morey2011:55).Likewise,Thomasarguesthatallformsofsupportshouldbe‘mainstreamandproactive’(Thomas2012:11).

Offeringsupport

AccordingtoMorey,having“accessiblecentralsupportservicescansmooththetransitiontouniversityandensurethatstudentsengagewiththeinstitution,”buttherelationshipbetweentutorsandstudentsisparticularlycrucial(Morey2011:25-26).MantzYorkeandBernardLongdensupportthis,showingthatstudentshaveaparticularlystrongsenseofbelongingwhen‘atleasttwomembersoftheacademicstaffknowthembyname’(YorkeandLongden2008:49).Thismetricispulledoutasevidencingastrengthofsmallerinstitutions,andasanindicatoroftheimportanceofstrongrelationshipsbetweentutorsandstudents.

Relationshipbuildingbetweenstaffandstudentsiscentraltoretentionand,asdiscussedingreaterdetailbelow,thisisevidencedbythefactthatthemajorityofstudentsconsideringwithdrawingturntotheirPersonalTutororanothermemberoftheiracademicteam.Therefore,itseemscrucialforsuchsupporttobevisibleandaccessible,alongsideothersupportmechanismsofferedbytheinstitution.Thetutorialsystemisheldupasaparticularlycrucialaspectofthisrelationshipbetweenstudentandpersonaltutor(orequivalent),andmeritsfurtherconsiderationhere.Thesuccessofthissystemisshowntodependonseveralfactors,which,basedonastudyofstrategiesatOxfordBrookesUniversityandUniversityofReading,Morey(2011)setsoutas:

Tutorialsprovidingavisible,structuredandvaluedsystemofsupport; Engagement,responsibilityandcommitmentfrombothsides;

AnamedPersonalTutorwhoisavailablefromtheinductionperiodandisinterestedinthestudent’swell-beingandacademicprogress;

Inclusionofmeasurestoimprovestudents’academicconfidence.JacquiMcCaryaddstothis,flagginguptheimportanceof“bothgoodteachingandsupportsystemsthatwillallowstafftodevelopawarenessofwhenstudentsarehavingdifficultywiththeirlearning”(McCary2011;43).ThishighlightsaparticularissuethatisalsotakenupbyMorey,andotherssuchasHardingandThompson:supportingstaffisessentialinmaintaininganeffectiveandsupportivesystemofpersonaltutoringforstudents.Inother

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words,“ensuringstafffeellikepartofthesolution,notpartoftheproblem”iskeytoretentionandthisinvolvesputtingstrategiesinplacetomakesurethatPersonalTutorsareappropriatelyvalued,rewardedandsupportedorasBoyleputsit,“theprovisionofSchoolandinstitutionalsupport…[as]encouragementforthekeyroleplayedbyacademicstaffinstudentintegrationisessential”(Morey2011,Boyle2011:16-17). “Providingtheopportunityforstafftobecomeinvolved(toanextent)withthestructure oftutorialscanleadtoincreasedengagement.…Lackofstaffengagementwitha tutorialsystemcanbeabarriertostudentsdecidingtoremainatuniversity”(Morey 2011:25-26).

ThisisalsosupportedbythefindingsofastudywiththeSchoolofMusicandPerformanceattheUniversityofSalford,whichshowedthatwhenstudentshadregulargrouptutorialsaspartoftheirtimetables,andacademicstaffwereassignedgroups,giventimeintheirschedules(intheformof3hoursayearforeachtutee)andrequiredtofollowupnon-attendance,retentionincreasedbymorethan10%acrosstheboard(StephenDavismoonatHEA2016).Theremainers Asnotedpreviouslyinthisreport,whilearound10%offirstyearundergraduatesintheUKwithdrawfromtheirstudies,between37%and42%thinkaboutwithdrawing(Thomas2012a:Project1,Project5andProject7).ThisflagsupthefactthatasignificantproportionofYear1studentsareworkingthroughtheirdoubtsanddifficultiesandremainingtocontinuewiththeirstudies.Thisindicatesawealthofpotentialforstudyingtheexperienceofstudentswhodoremainwithcourses,forexaminingwhatsupportsthemattimesofdoubtandhelpsthemdecidetocontinue. TheCashmoreetalsurveyindicatesthatthePersonalTutorplaysacrucialroleinstudents’decisionsaroundcontinuationandwithdrawal,statingthat“theevidencepointstotheinfluenceofthestudent-personaltutorrelationshiponwhetherornotastudentremainsontheircourse”andprovidingdatatosupporttheclaimthat70%ofstudentsconsideringwithdrawalconsultapersonaltutor.However,Cashmore’sstudyalsoshowsthatturningtoaPersonalTutorcanall-too-frequentlyhaveanegativeimpact.

“Firstly,thelackofaneffectiverelationship,asevidencedbystudentsnotreceivinghelpfulacademicorpersonalsupportfromwithintheirdepartments,iscitedbymanystudentsasoneoftheprimaryreasonsfortheirwithdrawal;secondly,inattemptingtoresolvetheirproblems,manystudentsseemedtoseekhelpinthefirstinstancefromtheirpersonaltutors,butsubsequentlyfoundthistobelessthansatisfactory.Thismaythenbeacontributoryfactorintheirdecisiontoleave”(Cashmore2011:64-65).

TheHEREProjectalsolookedatstudentswhohaveworkedthroughtheproblems,askingwheretheyturnedforsupportandwhichsourcesofsupportweremosthelpful(Nottingham2011).LiketheCashmorereport,andothersmentionedinthesectionaboveconcerningsupport,theHEREstudyshowsthatdoubtersmostoftenturntoamemberofacademicstaff,primarilyatutorontheprogramme,but,whiletheyaregenerallyhighlyappreciativeofsuchsupport,theyarelikelytofinditinadequate(Nottingham2011).

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Severalstudies,suchasMcCary(2011)andMorey(2011),showthatfriendsandpeersareanimportantinformalsourceofsupportattimesofdoubt,and,asdiscussedinthesectionontransitionabove,canalsoplayakeyroleinhelpingstudentscopewiththetransitiontouniversity.Infact,thereisagrowingbodyofresearchshowinghowsignificantaccesstofamilycapital,inafinancial,emotionalandmaterialsense,isinrelationtostudentscontinuingwiththeirstudies(Bland2016).Inresponsetoresearchsuchasthis,andwiththeviewthatiffriendsandfamiliesarebetterinformedtheymaybeabletohelpstudentscopewhendifficultiesarise,severaluniversitieshavebeenexploringwaystobuildearlylinkswithfamilyandfriendswiththeideaofensuringthatthoseinthisimportantnetwork,whomaynothaveexperienceduniversitythemselves,haveanunderstandingofsupportandadviceavailableforstudentsconsideringwithdrawal,andtherebymaybebetterplacedtoprovideappropriatesupportandguidancewhenneeded(SeeAngliaRuskinUniversityinWoodfieldandO’Mahony2016:46-47).

Withdrawalisnotalwaysabadthing

Itisimportanttoacknowledgethatwithdrawaldoesnotalwaysindicateissueswithacourse.Infact,accordingtostudiessuchasMcCary(2011),Woodfield(2014)andNottingham(2011)itisalmostequallylikelytobetheresultofnon-courserelatedissues.ThesamestudiesshowthistobeincreasinglythecaseasparticipationinHEincreases.While,asindicatedabove,itmaybepossibleforcourseteamstohaveanimpactonsuchissuesinawaythatcouldenableorencourageastudenttocontinuewiththeirstudies,itisalsoimportanttobearinmindthatthisisnotalwaysthecase,andthatthatisnotalwaysabadthing.CashmoremakesthispointwithreferencetotwosurveysoffirstyearstudentsconductedatTrinityCollegeDublin(Harrington,O‘Donoghue,GallagherandFitzmaurice2001andBaird2002):

“Animportantfindingwasthattwo-thirdsoftheformerstudentsreportedthattheyweresatisfiedwiththeirdecisiontowithdrawandmoststudentscontinuedoninthird-leveleducation.Thissuggeststhatretentionmustbeviewedcarefullyaswithdrawalmaysometimesbeinthebestinterestofthestudent,indicatingneedforflexibilityandsupportforstudentsintransition”(Cashmore2011:18).

Asthisindicates,itisimportant,nottolosesightofthefactthatstudentsareindividualswithagencyoftheirown,andanumberofthoseindividualsarelikelytorealisethatitisnottherighttimeforthemtopursueHEorthatthecoursetheyaretakingisnotforthem.Infact,withdrawalcanbetherightchoiceforsomestudentsinsomecircumstances,andastudentcentredcultureshouldensurethisdoesnotgetoverlookedinthedrivetoraiseretentionrates. Cashmore’sresearchsuggeststhatthereisaneedtomakeroomforthepossibilityofwithdrawalbeingapositiveinterventionbycourseteams,andapositiveexperienceforthestudent.Inotherwords,itisimportanttoensurethatwithdrawalisnotonlyviewedasan‘institutionalredflag’butalsoasapotentiallypositiveexperiencethat‘leavesthedooropen’forfutureengagementandachievementinHE.ThisisequallytrueofInterruption,whichalsotendstobeinterpretedasnegativeperformanceonthepartofthecourse,but,inlightofestablishedcodesofpractice,canoffercrucialsteppingoffandsteppingonpointsforsomestudentsenablingthemtocontinueandachieve(seeEqualityAct2010,part6). Thissuggeststhattheremaybeneedtoreconsider‘bestpractice’intermsofthewaysinwhichstudentwithdrawalsandinterruptionsaremanaged.

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3.2:ADisciplinaryPerspective

Retentionandwithdrawal

Inconsideringmetricsregardingstudents’reasonsforwithdrawal,studiessuchasWoodfield(2014),Thomas(2012a,2012b)andNottingham(2011)offeranimportantinsightbutitisalsoworthbearinginmindthatnotallreasonswillberecognized,acknowledged,articulatedordisclosedbythestudentsconcerned.AsMcCarypointsout,“non-continuation,andconverselyretention,arepartofacomplexculturalandsocialpicture,”andareaffectedbyawholerangeofshiftingfactors(McCary2011).Moreyetalsupportthisview,notingthat“whatworksforstudentsandstaffintheareaofstudentretentionandsuccesswillalwaysbedeterminedbyavarietyoffactors,environmentsandperceptions:”retentionisinfact“tosomeextentariddle”(Moreyetal2011:7).Inaddition,therehasbeena“paucityofdata,researchanddiscussionrelatedtoretentionandattainmentissuesspecificallyfocusedontheirparticulardisciplinaryareas”(WoodfieldandO’Mahony2016:6).Withthosepointsinmind,itisusefultolookbeyondthesectorasawholeandconsiderdisciplinaryspecificinformationsuchasCashmore’sclaimthatCreativeArtstendstohaveaconsistentlyhighercontinuationratethanmanyotherdisciplines.

“TheproportionofFTstudentscontinuingtoasecondyearofstudy...[ishigherfor]particularsubjects,includingtheCreativeArts”(Cashmoreetal2011:25)Cashmore’sisoneofseveralstudiesthatlookbeyondsector-widedifferences,suchas

thelowercontinuationratesassociatedwithbeingaman,beingfromspecificBMEbackgrounds,beingfromalowersocio-economicclass,beingamaturestudent,studyingpart-timeandstudyingatamorelocalHEI.Tosomeextent,Cashmore’spointmaybeexplainedbythedemographicofstudentsintheCreativeArts,asidentifiedbyTerryFinneganandAishaRichards(2016),whichseemsurprisinglycloselyalignedwiththoselargelyrecognisedasmorelikelytocontinueandcompletetheirstudies:22%ofCreativeArtsstudentsaremature,whilethesectoraverageis40%;64%arewomenand36%men;76%White,2%BlackBritishCaribbean,2%BlackBritishAfrican,2%AsianBritishIndian,and1%AsianBritishPakistani.Ontheotherhand,thisdisciplineisamongthosewithagreaterpercentageofstudentsdeclaringadisability.Forexample,dyslexicstudentsrepresent11%ofthecohort,whichisfarhigherthanthesectoraverageof4%(FinneganandRichards2016).However,intheCreativeArtstheretentionratesamongthesestudentsisatthesamelevelasthosewithoutreporteddisabilities,whereasinthemajorityofdisciplinesstudentswithadisabilitywereslightly(1%-2%)morelikelytoleavewithouttheiraward(Woodfield2014).Suchclaims,whicharesupportedacrossUCAdata,indicatethatitisimportanttolookingreaterdepthatthe‘disciplinaryculture’oftheCreativeArts,todevelopadeeperunderstandingthestrengthsofthisparticulardisciplinarycultureintermsofretention,andthedifficultiesfacedbyfirstyearundergraduatesinthisdiscipline.Internalandexternalfactors Intermsofreasonsforwithdrawal,Woodfieldsuggeststhiscanbebrokendownintotwobroadareas,internalandexternalfactors,orasMcCaryputsit‘thosemattersspecifictothestudent,andthosespecifictotheUniversity’(Woodfield2014:3andMcCary2011).InastudyofthesectoringeneraltermsMcCaryidentifiessevenareasforfurtherinvestigation:academicpreparedness;theacademicexperience(includingassessment);institutionalexpectationsandcommitment;academicandsocialmatch;financeandemployment;familysupportandcommitments;anduniversitysupportservices(McCary2011:16).Accordingtoseveralstudiesofthesectorasawhole,‘academicfailure’accountsforthelargestgroupof

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studentsleaving,with‘otherpersonalreasons’accountingforthesecondlargestgroup(Woodfield2014:54,Nottingham2011).Indevelopingadeeperunderstandingofretentionandwithdrawal,somestudieslookbeyondsector-widereasonsforwithdrawal.Woodfield,forexample,showsthatalowerthanaveragepercentageofstudentsintheCreativeArtsleavebecausetheyfailedtoprogressacademicallyandahigherpercentageintermsofhealth,financial,personal,exclusion,employmentand‘other’beingcited(Woodfield2014:Tables18,18aand19).McCary’sstudyechoesthis,ranking‘personalcircumstances’and‘self-doubt’asthemostlikelyreasonsforleavingamongCreativeArtsstudents,with‘academicissues’and‘course-relatedissues’inthemiddleand‘social’and‘institutional’factorsrankedthelowest.

Studiesthatturnattentiontothedifferencesbetweendisciplines,suchasWoodfield’s,makeitclearthatdisciplinarycultureshaveasignificantimpact,notonlyonretentionandattainmentbutalsoonthereason’sthatstudentsciteforleaving,orthinkingaboutleaving,andthereasonsfortheirdecisionstocontinue.WoodfieldshowsthatstudentsinthesubjectareaofCreativeArtstendnottowithdrawbecausetheyfeeltheyhavemadeapoorchoiceoffieldofstudy,areunlikelytoexpressalackofcommitmenttotheirstudiesortocitetheworkloadasaninfluenceontheirdecisiontoleave.RebeccaBland,ChiefExecutiveofStandAlone,makessomeinterestingpointsinrelationtothedifficultiesexperiencedbystudentswhomakecoursechoicesagainstthewishesoftheirfamily.Shecommentsthat‘studyingdramaandnotmedicine,ordecidingagainsttheparticularprofessionastudent’sfamilyhopedtheywouldgointo’mayleadtogreaterdifficultyforthatstudentintermsofstayingthecourse,butalsopotentiallybringswithitahigherlevelofcommitmenttothosestudies(Bland2016).Together,suchdatasuggeststhatitiscrucialtolookdeeperintothe‘disciplinaryculture’oftheCreativeArts,toexploreissuessuchasstaffandstudentdemographics,andthedisciplinarypeculiaritiesofassessmentsalongsidethediscipline’scorepedagogicstrategies.Apedagogyofambiguity ThepictureofprimaryreasonsforwithdrawalamongCreativeArtsstudentsisexpandedbystudiessuchasYorkeandLongden’s,whichshowsthatstudentsconsistentlysaythattheprogrammewasnotastheyhadexpectedittobe,andexpressdissatisfactionwiththeteachingtheyhavereceivedandwiththeorganisationoftheirprogrammes(YorkeandLongden2008:42).

“[P]rogrammeorganisationfiguredhighlyamongsttheinfluencesonstudents’non-completion,...thecurricularstyleandthestaffingprofilemaygiverisetoperceptionsoflackoforganization”(YorkeandLongden2008:50).

SuchstudiesdrawattentiontostrategiesthatareoftenseenaskeytothedisciplinaryidentityofCreativeArtsandshowthatthesestrategiespresentparticularchallengesintermsofretention.Forexample,asLindaDrew(2008)andNoamAusterlitzetal(2008)explain,thereisanimplicit‘pedagogyofambiguity’inArtandDesign,whichinvolvespractice-basedlearningwithopenbriefswhere:

“[S]tudentshavetoengageinactivenegotiationandproblemsolvingiskey…[thereis]frequentuseof…informaldiscussionandcritique…thereisanunspokenrequirementthatstudentsexperiment,takerisks.”…“Theactivityinsuchdisciplines…hasneitheronecorrectend-resultnoronewaytogetthere…Engagingwiththeseopen-endedtasksisaccompaniedbyanassociatedintensifiedemotionalcomponent”(AusterlitzetalinDrew2008:32and21).

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Asanacademicdiscipline,CreativeArtsislargelyconcernedwithdivergentlearning,self-directionandtheopeningupofpossibilities.Studentsare‘encouragedtoidentifyandarticulatetheirownquestionsforenquiryatanearlystageoftheirprogrammeandprogrammesallowstudentstoconsidertheirownlearningandinparticularraisetheirawarenessaboutthemselvesaslearners’(HardingandThompsonc.2011).Thiscreatesasenseofagencyforstudents(Orr,YorkeandBlair2014).However,inbeingdrivenbythestudentanddecliningtofocusononecorrectoutcome,suchimplicitambiguitycanpresentparticularchallengesforstudents:it‘createsasenseofvaguenessandinsecurityformanyfirstyearstudentswhohaveexpectationsbasedontheconcreteandthecertain’(Austerlitzetal.2008:127).

“Iwasn’texpectingtobelefttodoprojectscompletelyonyourown.IwasexpectingmoreguidancewithitbeingfirstyearandIdidn’tknowwhatkindofworktheywerelookingfor.”(YorkeandVaughn2012:24)

Thissenseofalackofteachingcanbefurtherexacerbatedbythecentralityofsessionaltutorswhobringindustryexperienceandtheirowncreativepractice,whichisbeneficialintermsofmotivatingstudentsandprovidingthemwithvaluablelinkstobecomingpractitionersthemselves,butcanalsomeanthatstudentsfeelthereisalackofconsistentacademicsupport.Inotherwords,tutors,asexperiencedartistsanddesigners,embraceambiguityandencouragerisktaking,whilemanyfirstyearCreativeArtsstudentsarenotfamiliarwithsuchaprocessandarelikelytobelookingforcertaintyandreassurance,forfeedbackthatwillguaranteesuccessonthecourse.Inlightofthis,discussionoftheimportanceoftutorsreflectingonthecharacteristicsofthe“intellectualprojectthatisthecourse”seemsparticularlypertinent(SabricitedinFinneganandRichards2016:1).AsAusterlitzetal.suggest,itwouldseemcrucialtomakethevalueofthisambiguityexplicitfromtheoutsetofthestudentjourney,ifnotearlier(Austerlitzetal.2008:127-144).

Studio-basedteachingandlearning SueTangneydiscussestheparticularnatureofthestudio-basedlearningenvironment,drawingattentiontosomeofthedifficultiesthatthispresents,suchastheemotionalinvestmentrequired,thepotentialofemotionalriskandconsequencethatthisensuesandtheparticularemphasisitplacesontrustwiththestudentgroup(TangneycitedinFinneganandRichards2016:270).M.Blythman,S.OrrandB.Blair(2009)giveconsiderableattentiontotheparticulartypeofvulnerabilityinvolvedinthestudio-basedactivity,the‘groupcrit,’that“emotionallychargedface-to-facemeetingwhereverbalcriticism,bothnegativeandpositive,takesplaceinfrontofanaudience”(FinneganandRichards2016:8).Thisemphasisonsuchcornerstonesofstudio-basedteaching,whichisatthecoreofmuchCreativeArtspedagogy,canbeseenaspotentiallyintrinsicallyproblematicintermsoffosteringasenseofintegrationandbelonging,which,asshownabove,iscrucialtoretentionandattainment.AsFinneganandRichardspointout,inmanyways,itcanhavetheoppositeeffectforsomestudents,particularlyasdiversityamongststudentsincreases:

“Althoughthereisaliberalsenseofall-encompassing,tolerant,open,risk-takinganddemocratisingspaceswithintheartstudio,somestudentssoonlearnthatthesearenotplacesforthem”(FinneganandRichards2016:6)

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Severalotherreportstakeupthisconcernwiththenatureof‘thestudio,’andsomealignitwith“theparadoxofaninclusiveethospervadingArtandDesignasadisciplinealongsidetheexclusionaryimpactofastaffbodylackingindiversity”(WoodfieldandO’Mahony2016:6-7). InrelationtoassessmentoffirstyearArtsandHumanitiesstudents,Wheeler’sreportrecommendsfurtherexplorationoftheimpactofthefeedbackstrategiesusedandtheimpactsthatthesemayhaveonstudentretention(Wheeler2012:4).WhilethisisnotexpandedonatallinWheeler’saccount,itisaninterestingpoint,andonethatothersalsodrawattentionto.AsAusterlitzetal.,pointout,studentslooktotheirtutorsforguidanceandforevaluationofthequalityoftheirwork,whichhastraditionallyreliedonthe‘serialone-to-onetutorialmodelofpedagogyandthetutors’‘pearlsofwisdom’approach’(Orr,YorkeandBlair2014).Thisensuresthatasenseofambiguityalsopermeatesboththeformativeandsummativefeedbackstudentsreceive.Inaddition,whilethismethodofone-to-onediscursivefeedbackwithinthestudiocontinuestobeprevalent,asYorkeandD.Vaughnnote,ascohortsizesincrease,providingthistypeoffeedbackeffectivelyatanindividuallevelbecomesevermorechallengingandfrequentlyfeedsintotostudentsfeelingthereisverylittleteachingonthecourse.Inlightofthisambiguityandtheinherentlydiscursivenatureoffeedback,someresearchsuggeststhatfeedbackonassessedworkmustincludespecificrecommendationsastohowitcouldhavebeenimprovedifitistoaidstudentretentionandMorey(2011)addsthatsummativefeedbackonprogressgivenearlyinYear1facilitatesthestudent’sengagementwiththediscipline. Morey,WheelerandWoodfieldandO’Mahonyallindicatethat,whilethepedagogyofambiguity,perceivedlackofdirectionandexclusionarynatureofthestudiocanbeproblematic,therearealsoadvantagestostudio-basedteachingandlearning.Consequently,studiessuchasYorkeandLongden’sandFinneganandRichards’suggestthatthepedagogicpracticesanddisciplinaryculturesoftheCreativeArtsmeanthatthereisaneedforgreateremphasisonusingpre-entryandinductionstrategiestopreparestudentsforthedisciplinaryculturetheyarebecomingpartofandensurethattheirexpectationsarerealistic.Aswiththechallengesoftransition,itwouldseemcrucialtohelpstudentstomakesenseofthisdisciplinaryidentity,torecognisethevalueofthe‘pedagogyofambiguity’andtoestablishsenseofbelongingtoadiscipline-community,ratherthansmooththisover.Inshort,asignificantchallengehereseemstobeholdingontothestrengthsofthatpedagogywhileaddressingsomeoftheissues,suchasrecognisingthepotentiallyexclusivenatureofthestudioand“ensuringthatartistsandcreativepractitionersofcolour,practitionerswithadisability,ortransgenderpractitionersareamongthestaffbodyinanincreasingnumber;”afterall,“[w]ithagreaterdiversityofstaffcomesmoreexpansivecreativityandgenuinenewopportunitiesopeningup”(FinneganandRichards2016:9).

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3.3:CaseStudies

Selectionofcases

FourUCAcourseswereselectedforstudyinordertogainafurtherinsightintoapproachestomitigatingwithdrawalwithinUCAthroughthepractices,processesandstrategiesemployedacrossitsprogrammes.InreflectingthediversityofundergraduateprogrammesofferedbyUCA,thefourBA(Hons.)courseschosenmakeitpossibletoconsiderthisatasub-disciplinarylevel.Importantly,thecourseschosenalsodrawtogethereachofUCA’scampusandfouroftheuniversity’sSchools.Inaddition,theywereselectedascoursesthatexhibitarangeofretentionrates.Withthatinmind,itisworthnotingthatatsomepointoverthelastthreeyearseachofthecoursesstudiedhashadanon-continuationrateof14%orlower,whichisbelowtheUCAUGYear1totalsforthattimeperiod(15-16.8%).Forthreeofthecourses,thishasbeenimpressivelylowat8.5%orless.Thissuggests,amongotherthings,thateachcourseislikelytohavegoodpracticetoshare,alongsideawealthofexperienceaccumulatedintermsofwithdrawalandcontinuationoffirstyearstudents. ComputerArtsAnimation(CAA)-Rochester,SchoolofFilm,Media&PerformingArts 2014/15-totalstudents:72 2014/15-34Year1students,5.9%discontinuing 2015/16-38Year1students,18.4%discontinuing

FashionJournalism(FJ)-Epsom,SchoolofFashion 2014/15-totalstudents:175 2014/15-57Year1students,14.0%discontinuing 2015/16-47Year1students,12.8%discontinuing

FineArt(FA)-Canterbury,SchoolofFineArt&Photography 2014/15-totalstudents:244inc.Yr0(232withoutYr0) 2014/15-104Year1students,19.2%discontinuing 2015/16-95Year1students,9.5%discontinuing

GraphicCommunication(GC)-Farnham,SchoolofCommunicationDesign 2014/15-totalstudents:92 2014/15-29Year1students,6.9%discontinuing 2015/16-35Year1students,5.7%discontinuingItshouldalsobenotedherethattheFineArtcourseatCanterburyincludesaYear0cohort,whichwasnotfactoredintothisstudyasthisisarelativelyrecentphenomenaandasufficientbodyofdataisnotyetavailable.Inaddition,thiswasslightlybeyondtheremitofthisresearchproject,whichhasbeensetupspecificallytoexplorethefirstyearexperience.However,thisisclearlyanareathatmeritsfurtherresearchbothintermsofconsideringthedifferencethattheYear0experiencemightmaketothelikelihoodofastudentcontinuingthroughYear1andintoYear2,andintermsofthenatureoftheYear0experienceandthestrategiesthatmightbeappropriatetofosteringcontinuationinthatcontext.

Theinformationcitedinthefollowingpassagesofthisreporthasbeendrawnfromarangeofsourcesinrelationtoeachofthecoursesstudied.ResourcessuchasRetentionDataacrossUCAbyCoursepredominantlyprovidedquantitativedata,whiletheInternalStudentSurvey(ISS),ChangeofStatusdocumentationandEarlyLeaversSurveyoffered,tosomeextent,bothquantitativeandqualitativeinformation.Coursedocuments,rangingfromYear1timetablestoProgrammeSpecificationsandAnnualMonitoringReports,gave

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aninsightintoarangeofaspectsofthestudentexperience.Inadditiontothis,shortsemi-structuredinterviewsdrewCourseLeaders’narrativesofwithdrawalandretentionintothepicture(see8.4).EachCourseLeaderwassupportiveofresearchconcernedwithretentionandengagementandthereforegenerouslygavetimetothequestionsposedandinsomecasesengagedinfurtherdiscussionofissues,mostnotablytheideathatwithdrawalisnotnecessarilynegativeandthebenefitsofanappropriatelysupportedPersonalTutorsystem.

Withthefocusonappreciativeinquiry,theconcernofthispartoftheresearchwason

buildingapictureofwhatcoursesarecurrentlydoingtomitigatewithdrawalandfostercontinuation.Directedbythefindingssummarisedabove,thisinvolvedlookingatspecificareasacrossthecourses,suchasstaffandstudentdemographics,pedagogicalpracticesthatfosterasenseofbelongingandreasonsforwithdrawal.TheemphasisherewasverymuchonlookingatthewaysinwhichUCAcoursesareputtingintopracticethingsthat,accordingtotheresearchsummarisedabove,areconsideredtobekeytoretentionsuchasusingaPersonalTutoringsysteminlinewiththerecommendationsmadebyreportssuchasMorey(2011),Boyle(2011)andMcCary’s(2011),andbringingthesethingsinearlyonaspartofthepre-entryorinductionprocessasadvocatedbyWoodfieldandO’Mahony(2016).Inthisway,ithasbeenpossibletoidentifyapproachessharedacrossUCAcourses,alongsideareasofgoodpracticethatmightbeusefullydrawnonbyothercourses.Metricsandnarratives

Intermsofmetrics,thetablesthatconstituteRetentionDataacrossUCAbyCourseareausefulsourceofdataingeneralterms.Forexample,thisdatashowshigherwithdrawalratesacrossthefirstyearofallUCAcourseswhencomparedtootheryeargroups,whichisconsistentwithsector-widedata.Likewisereflectingthepatternsshowninsector-widestudies,allUCAdataconsultedrevealsapeakedlevelofwithdrawalbetweenmid-augustandthestartofthesecondsemester,whichisrepeatedyearonyear:

Semester1-5%withdrawingSemester2-3%withdrawingSemester3-3%withdrawing

DatageneratedbytheISSisalsoarichsourceofinformation,evidencing,forexample,thatpedagogicpracticesareflaggedupasanissuebysomeYear1students,whichis,tosomeextent,consistentwiththefindingsofdiscipline-specificresearchprojectscitedabovethatshowahighlevelofperceivedissueswith‘courseorganisation’acrossCreativeArtscourses.

AsignificantadvantageofthispartoftheresearchwasthepossibilityofgoingbeyondtheunderstandingofferedbystatisticsaloneandmergingnarrativeaccountsofretentionandengagementwithUCAspecificmetrics,andthiscombinedpicturecouldbesetagainstthebackgroundprovidedbythesector-wideanddisciplinespecificresearchsummarisedabove.Thismadeitpossible,forexample,tobringtogethernarrativesgatheredfromcourseteamsanddataonissuessuchasstudents’senseofbelongingsourcedfromtheISS.Thishasacrucialparttoplayinunderstandingthestudents’experienceandthewaysinwhichkeyissuesare,andmightbe,addressedwithinUCA.Forexample,in2014/15CAAhadaratherhighwithdrawalrate,18.4%,andyet,whilethisseemstobesomethingofan‘institutionalredflag,’accordingtoISSdata81%ofstudentsonthiscourserespondedtotheISSandrecorded100%overallsatisfactionwiththecourse.AddingtheCourseLeader’snarrativetothis,supportedbyinformationfromtheEarlyLeaversSurvey,revealsthatthehighrateofwithdrawalwasindeedalignedwithfactorsotherthanstudents’dissatisfactionwiththecourseandoffersexamplesofwhatmightbeconsideredinstancesof‘positivewithdrawal:’onestudentwasofferedfulltimeemploymentandtheother‘declinedto

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returnafterinterruption’choosinginsteadto‘livebackinWales.’Thisexamplealsoindicatesthecomplexityofunpackingsuchinformationinareliableandmeaningfulway,whichisconsiderableandcouldcertainlybenefitfrombeingtakenfurtherthantheparametersofthisresearchprojectallowed.Courseteams

Asresearchinthefieldhasshown,therelationshipbetweenstudentsandtheirtutorsisakeyfactorinengagementandretention.Inthecaseofthecoursesstudied,eachhasadedicatedpersonresponsibleforthefirstyearprogramme.Thistakesanumberofforms,butcruciallyeachinvolvesanamedmemberoftheacademicteamwhomstudentsareintroducedtoattheoutsetoftheircourse:afractionalmemberofstaffintheroleofYear1Co-ordinator(FA);theCourseLeaderoverseeingdeliverybyUnitLeaders(FJ);and,CourseLeadersintheroleofFirstYearTutor(GC,CAA).Eachoftheseapproachesallowsforaconsistencyintermsofcontactwithkeymembersofstaff,andforthesenseofvisibilityandaccessibilityadvocatedbyMorey(2011).AscommonacrosstheCreativeArts,studentsonthesecoursesarealsotaughtbysessionaltutors.Thisvariesconsiderablyacrossthecoursesstudied,withonecoursemakingveryoccasionaluseofsessionaltutorsaspartofitsGuestLectureProgrammeandattheotherendofthescaleuptohalfofastudent’staughttimemightbewithasessionaltutor(FJandFArespectively).Asresearchcitedabovehasshown,thiscancreateasenseoftutordistanceandinaccessiblywhenissuesarise.Withthisinminditseemsrelevanttonotethat,accordingtoISSdata,whilethereisastrongsenseoftutoravailabilityandsupportamongstudentsontheGC,CAA,FJcourses(96-100%,85-100%and76-100%respectively),thisdipsconsiderably,to66-81%,amongFAstudents,whopotentiallyspendamuchgreaterproportionoftheirtimewithsessionaltutors(ISS2014/15Q21,Q22andQ23).

Whilesector-wideresearchevidencesthesignificanceofastructuredandsupportedPersonalTutorsystem,thereisconsiderablevariationinpracticeacrossthecoursesstudied.Forexample,FAmakessubstantialuseofone-to-oneandgrouptutorialsinrelationtostudiopracticethroughoutthefirstyearandwhilestudentscanaccessbothacademicandpastoralsupportfromtheirYearCo-ordinatororCourseLeaderonrequest,thereisnoPersonalTutorsysteminplacethatprovidesacademicandpersonalsupportforeachstudent.Inaddition,accordingtoresearchbyWoodfieldandO’MahonyandFinneganandRichards,thefactthatStudioTutorsareoftensessionalmembersoftheteamhasasignificantbearingasitmeansthatthetutorsstudentsseeasamatterofcoursearelesslikelytohaveanawarenessofwhenstudentsareexperiencingdifficultywiththeirlearningacrossthecourse,oranawarenessoftheinstitution’ssupportmechanisms(seealsoMcCary2011andMorey2011).NeitherCAAnorGChaveaPersonalTutorsysteminplaceforfirstyearstudentsbutinbothcasestheCouseLeaderoffersthefirstpointofcontactforallYear1students.ForCAAstudentsthistakestheformofaweeklymeeting,whichissupportedbyadditionalcontactwiththeCourseLeaderviaa‘highlydevelopedcultureofblogsandblogging.’ThesmallernumberofstudentsonthesecoursesmakesthisapproachmoremanageableandbeneficialthanitwouldbeforalargercohortsuchasontheFAcourse.FJdoeshaveaPersonalTutorsysteminplace.Thisisn’tpartoftheformaltaughtstructureormandatoryforallstudentsasadvocatedbyMorey(2011)andStephenDavismoon(HEA2016).Ratherstudentshave“opportunityforone-to-onemeetings,byappointment,weekly,orviacontactwithUnitLeaders.”Ineachcase,theapproachinuseissetupatthebeginningoftheyearandappearstorunconsistentlythroughtheacademicyear.

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Studentcommunities

Aninterestingaspectofstudyingcarefullyselectedcourseswasthepossibilityofconsideringretentionandengagementatasub-disciplinarylevel.Asindicatedabove,acrossthesesub-disciplinesoftheCreativeArts,thereareslightvariationsinthecompositionofcourseteams,forexample,FAhavingahighproportionofsessionaltutorscomparedtotheothercourses.So,itisperhapsunsurprisingthattherearealsosubtledifferencesinstudentdemographicsacrossthesesub-disciplinarygroups.Forinstance,accordingtoCourseLeaders,eachofthesesub-disciplineshasparticularminoritygroupsofstudents,withtheexceptionofGC.Generallyspeaking,thegroupsidentifiedreflectsector-widestatistics,anddisciplinespecificdata:studentswithdisabilitiesandBAMEstudents(CAA);males,BlackandLGBTstudents(FA);malesandInternationalstudents(FJ).

Havingasenseofbelongingtoanacademiccommunityatacourselevelisoneofthe

keyfactorsinastudent’slikelihoodtocontinuewiththeirstudies,soitseemsimportanttoconsiderthisinthecontextofUCA(WoodfieldandO’Mahony2016).Inaskingstudentswhetherthey‘feelpartofanacademiccommunityintheuniversity,’ISSdatagivessomeinsightintofirstyearstudents’senseofcommunity:inthe2015/16academicyear73.9%offirstyearFAstudentsrespondingtotheISSsaidtheydofeelpartofanacademiccommunityatUCA,thiswas54.7%amongFJstudents,69.3%forCAAand80%forGC.The2014/15ISSrevealedasimilarrange:67.8%(FA),65.7%(FJ),80%(CAA)and80%(GC).However,itisdifficulttodrawanyfirmconclusionsfromthesefiguresotherthan,whilethereissignificantinconsistencyandroomfordevelopment,thereisalsoaverystrongsenseofbelonginginsomeinstances.MeshingthisdatawithnarrativesfromstudentshelpstobuildamorenuancedpictureofthissenseofcommunityandbelongingwithinUCA,andpotentiallyleadstothedevelopmentofmorerobustandusefulconclusions.Forinstance,suchalayerofnarrativeisprovidedbythePositiveandNegativeCommentsincludedwithISSStage1Results,andthesecommentstendtofocusonfactorssuchastheStudentUnionratherthancourselevelstrategies.Forexample:

“Thereisalackofclubsandactivitiesforstudentstotakepartin.Theeventsthattakeplacedon'tappealmuchtothestudents.Thereshouldbemoreeventsandactivitiesforstudentscollaborate”(ISSBA(H)ComputerAnimationArts(R)-Stage1Results-2014/15).

“Therearen'tenoughoutofuniactivitiesthatgoon.Moresocialswouldbegood.Moresocietiesneeded”(ISSBA(H)FineArt(C)-Stage1Results-2014/15).

“Nosocietiesorfewofinterest-difficulttomeetnewpeopleandmakefriends”(ISSBA(H)FashionJournalism(E)-Stage1Results-2014/15).

Researchshowsasenseof‘feelingembeddedsociallythroughextracurriculaactivities’isanimportantcomponentinstudents’senseofbelonging,andsothispresentsapotentialareaforfurtherconsiderationwithinUCA,particularlyinrelationtothechallengesthatthesizeandgeographicspreadoftheuniversitymaypresent(WoodfieldandO’Mahony2016:6).

Thesurvey‘TheFirstYearExperience,’whichhasbeendevelopedaspartofthisresearchproject,couldcontributeanadditionallayerofnarrativetotheoverviewofstudents’senseofcommunityandbelonging,onethatfocusesspecificallyonthisatacourselevel(See8.2).Thisissignificantas,asThomasandothersshow,itisatacourseratherthaninstitutionallevelthatthissenseofbelongingismostimportant(Thomas2012:8,Cashmore2011:10-17,Boyle2011:26-30).Inlightofthepointsmadebyresearchinthefield,itispossibletolookacrossvariousstrategiesemployedonthesecourses,andtoidentify

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practiceswhicharelikelytobecontributingtothissenseofcommunityandbelonging.Forinstance,WoodfieldandO’Mahonyflagupcertainformsofengagementthatarecrucialtoestablishingthissenseofbelonging,suchas‘collaboratingingroup-workandcriticalreflectiononstudent’sownandpeers’experiencesaspartofthecurriculum’(WoodfieldandO’Mahony2016:6).Agoodexampleofsuchstrategiesinuseisprovidedbythe‘creativepartnership’elementofallfirstyearprojectsontheCAAcourse,whichasksstudentstobeeachother’s‘criticalfriends’forthedurationofvariousprojects.FJruns“an(unassessed)‘live’projectwheretheyeargroupallhaveanopportunitytocontributetoacohortmagazineattheendoftheyear,whichisprintedandgiventothestudentsbeforetheybreakforsummer,”whichoffersanotherexampleoftheeffectiveuseofsuchstrategies.FurtherexamplesareprovidedbybothFAandCAA’suseofbloggingasaninnovativemechanismforpeerinteraction,reviewandcritique.

AsHardingandThompson(c.2011)pointout,givingnewstudentsopportunitiestoheartheexperiencesofexistingstudentscanbeanimportantpartoffosteringasenseacommunity,whilealsomitigatingsomeofthedoubtsoffirstyearstudents.Arangeofapproachestothisareevidentlyatplayacrossthecoursesstudied,withvariouslevelsofsuccess.Forinstance,‘TheCAASurvivalGuide’isaseriesofpresentationstofirstyearstudentsbycurrentstudentsandrecentgraduates,whichtakesplaceduringinductionweek.Onthesamecourse,Year2and3studentsmentorfirstyearstudentsviaadeeplyembeddednetworkofblogs.Bothapproachesappeartobehighlysuccessfulwithastrongsenseofstudentengagement,whichisevident,forexample,instudents’responsestotheblogposts.Ontheotherhand,FAhasrunaPeerAssistedLearningscheme(PAL)overthelasttwoyears,whichmergedacademicandsocialactivitiesandofferedaregularmeetingpointinwhichYear2studentssharedtheirexpertisewiththefirstyearcohort.Thefirsttimethiswasrun,despiteinitiallyseemingrelativelysuccessful,attendancedeclinedafterthefirstsemester.Issueswithtimetablingledtoalateimplementationinthesecondyearthiswasrun,anddelayingthestartoftheschemeuntiltheendofsemesteroneappearedtounderminetheinitiativeconsiderably.Thisindicatesthat,tobefullyeffective,suchinitiativesneedtobeintroducedandsetinmotionduringinductionweek,atthelatest.

Courseorganisation

AstypicalwithintheCreativeArts,arangeofpedagogicalstrategiesareusedacrossthecoursesstudied.Thiscanbesummarizedasacombinationof‘crits,’studioandclassroom-basedteachingandlearning,technicalworkshops,practicalprojects,writtentasks,research,seminarsandlectures,alongsideself-directedstudyandopenbriefs.Accordingtodisciplinespecificresearch,dissatisfactionwithteachingandtheorganisationofprogrammescontributessignificantlytonon-continuationamongCreativeArtsstudents.Thisislargelyseenasaconsequenceofdivergentlearning,open-ended,studio-basedteachingandwhatDrewsummarisesasthe‘pedagogyofambiguity’thatpermeatessuchprogrammes,andsoaninevitablepartofacademicstudyinthisfield(YorkeandLongden2008:42and50,Drew2008).ThetimethatstudentsspendengagedineachofthesestrategiesvariesconsiderablyacrosstheFA,CAA,FJandGCcoursesandsoitcouldbespeculatedthatstudentsonthosecoursesarelikelytohaveverydifferentexperiences.

Thereappearstobeconsiderabledisparityintermsofstudents’senseofcourseorganisation,whichissupportedbyISSdata.Forexample,while100%ofCAAstudentsreportfeelingthattheirtimetableworkseffectively,changesarecommunicatedeffectivelyandtheir‘courseiswellorganizedandrunningsmoothly,’FAstudentsrespondtothesamequestionswith75%,60%and63%respectively(ISS-2014/15Q24,Q25,Q26).Asimilarresponseisgiveninrelationtoquestionsaboutthetimelinessoffeedback,with100%of

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CAAstudentsagreeingwiththestatement‘feedbackonmyworkhasbeenprompt’and62%ofFAstudentsagreeing(ISS-2014/15Q18).Inrelationtobothsetsofquestions,GCandFJstudentssitwithinthesetwopositions.Asindicatedabove,thismaywellberelatedtostudents’perceptionofthecourseorganisation,ratherthancourseorganisationperse.However,ifthatisthecase,asresearchshows,thereisclearlyneedtoplacemoreemphasison‘sharing’expectations,which,againasresearchshows,shouldstartbeforeinductionweekandcontinuethroughoutthestudentjourney.

Acrossthecoursesstudied,studentsareclearly‘encouragedtoidentifyandarticulatetheirownquestionsforenquiryatanearlystageoftheirprogramme’asadvocatedbyHardingandThompson(c.2011).Whilethishasitsstrengths,particularlyintermsofenablingstudentstodevelopasenseofcreativeagency,assomeresearchersnote,whenthisiscombinedwiththepedagogyofambiguityitcaneasilycreateasenseofvaguenessandinsecurityformanyfirstyearstudents(Austerlitzetal.2008,YorkeandVaughn2012).Infact,thefindingsofsuchdiscipline-wideresearchseemtobereflectedincommentsfromUCAstudents:“Thetutorsarenowheretobeseen”…“Idon'tunderstandwhatishappening”(ISSBA(H)FineArt(C)-Stage1Results-2014/15Q35).Somestudentstalkof“feel[ing]uncomfortablewhenpresentingby[sic]otherpeers.Itwasn'tthenicest”…“[finding]theDigitalMediaandImagingunitinconsistentandconfusing”and“notenoughcontacttime”(ISSBA(H)FashionJournalism(E)-Stage1Results-2014/15Q35).However,thisisnotalwaysthecase,withCAAandGCstudentsappearingtorespondmuchmorefavorablytothesepedagogicstrategiesintheircourse:“IlikethefactitsmainlyfocusedonmyselfdevelopingasaGraphicDesigner,ratherthansettasksIhavetocompleteforassessment”(ISSBA(H)GraphicCommunication(F)-Stage1Results-2014/15Q35).Reasonsforwithdrawal

Whiletheaboveflagsupsomeissueswithcourseorganisation,whichcouldusefullybesubjecttofurtherconsideration,thisdoesnotappeartobecitedasaprimarycauseofwithdrawalbystudentsdecidingnottocontinueonanyofthecoursesstudied.Rather,students’reasonsforleavingappeartobefarmorenuanced,andoftenaresultoftheincreasingdiversityofentrantstothesecourses.AsoneCourseLeaderstates;

“Thereisavarianceofreasonsforstudentsleavingthecourse,noneassociatedwithdissatisfactionwithcourseordeliveryorcoursemanagementetc.Anumberoftheseexitsalignwithissuesofmentalhealth–wherestudentswithestablishedhistoriesofmentalillnessultimatelyleavethecourse,butonlyafterallinstitutionaleffortshavebeentoamelioratetheirlevelofchallengethroughearlyinterventionandsupport.”

Therearealso

“…highincidencesoflong-standingdepressionandanxiety…financialhardship,bereavements,undiagnosedmedicalconditions,complexfamilialsituations…It’salonglistandit’sgettinglongerandbecomingahugepartofwhatmycourseteamismanaging.”

ItseemsthatstudentsareinthemainleavingcoursesasaresultofwhatMcCarydescribesas‘internal’ratherthan‘external’reasons.ThisissupportedbydataprovidedbyChangeofStatusdocumentationandtheEarlyLeaversSurvey,whichindicatethatstudentsleavecoursesforavarietyoflargely‘personal’reasonsandechoesWoodfield’sfindingsthatstudentsintheCreativeArtsaremostlikelytoleavebecauseofhealth,personal,and‘other’issues(Woodfield2014).McCary’sstudypresentsasimilarpicture,ranking‘personal

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circumstances’and‘self-doubt’asthemostlikelyreasonsforCreativeArtsstudentsleavingtheircourses,with‘institutional’factorsrankedthelowest(McCary2011). Asaconsequenceofthetendencyforstudentstowithdrawasaresultof‘other’and‘personal’reasons,tutorsacrossthecoursesstudiedworkcloselywithStudentServices,generallytakingaproactiveapproachthatallowsforearlyinterventionthroughreferralstorelevantareasofStudentServices.Thisoftenmeansthatstudentsaremanagingtheircoursealongsideexternalinterventions,suchasout-patientpsychiatriccare,whichisflaggedupinrelationtobothFAandCAA.InformationavailablesuggeststhatCourseLeadersinparticularworkcloselywithstudentsinsuchsituations.ItisevidentthatconsiderableeffortismadetoensurethatstudentsareawareofwaystoaccesssupportwithinUCA,andthattheyaresupportedbycourseteams‘exercisingthehighestlevelsofsensitivitywiththehopethattheymightbecomewellenoughtoresumestudiesinaproductive,fullyengagedmanner.’Intheeventthatthisisnotthecase,thereseemstobeasimilarapproachtosupportingstudentsthroughaninterruptionorwithdrawalprocessthatisconstructiveandavoidsdeterringstudentsfromcontinuingtheirstudiesatanotherpoint. Thecomplexityofreasonsbehindstudents’decisionstowithdrawfromtheirstudiessuggeststhatdatacouldbegatheredfromstudentswholeaveinamoreefficaciousway.Currently,acrossUCAsuchinformationiscapturedonExitForms,whicharealsoknownasChangeofStatusForms.Theseformsgatherdataofthemostbasictype,offeringstudentsanumberofboxestochoosefromandafewlinesinwhichtheymayelaborate,andonceastudenthasdecidedtowithdrawtheymightreasonablyhavelittlemotivationto,orpossibilityof,completetransparencyinresponsetotheseforms.ThisstudyhasfoundthatCourseLeadersaregenerallyabletoaddtothedatacapturedontheseforms,oftendrawingoninformationgivenbystudentsacrossseveraltutorialconversations.Thisisacruciallayerofinformationgivinganinsightintothenarrativesbehind‘healthreasons,’‘personalreasons’or‘other.’Thissuggeststwokeyareasfordevelopment:firstly,reformingtheChangeofStatusFormssothatexitdataisrecorded,andcategorisedinamoresophisticatedway;secondly,developingmechanismsformoreeffectivepresentationandsharingofthisinformationsothatbetterprogramme-widestrategiesmightbedeveloped.

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4.RECOMMENDATIONS

–––––––––––––––––––––––

ThefindingsoftheresearchprojectUndergraduateRetentionandEngagementatUCA:TheFirstYearExperiencehaveconfirmedthatUCAhasrelativelygoodratesofretentionasawhole,includingamongitsfirstyearcohorts.Thisresearchhasconfirmedthat,acrossthatfirstyearexperience,keypointsatwhichstudentsaremostatriskofwithdrawalfromtheircoursecorrespondwiththepatternsfoundwithinthesectorasawhole.Inaddition,thesefindingsindicatethat,intermsofenhancingengagementandretention,thereareawiderangeofgoodpracticescurrentlybeingusedanddevelopedacrosscourseswithintheuniversity.TheresearchhasalsomadeitclearthatinthecurrentHEclimateinstitutionssuchasUCAareunderconsiderablepressuretopursuetheimprovementoftheirretentionrates.Whileresearchinthisfieldshowsthatcontinuingtoeasewithdrawalratesprimarilydependsonstrengtheningstudents’senseofengagement,belongingandachievement,whichisundoubtedlyapositivemove,thiscanalsositatoddswiththepressuretocontinueincreasingparticipation,whichshouldnotbeinterpretedassynonymouswithdiversifyingparticipation. Intermsofincreasingratesofretention,itisclearthatthereisnosinglestrategytodeveloporimplementbutrather,inlightofthefindingssetoutinthisreportandwithaviewtobuildingonthegoodpracticeevidentacrossUCA,arangeofareascanberecommendedforfurtherconsideration.Atthispointitmaybeusefultoaddthattheresearchhasmadeitclearthat,acrossaninstitutionwithmorethan43undergraduatecourses,attemptingtoimplementaonesize-fits-allapproachtoimprovingratesofretention,wouldinevitablybecounter-productive.Ifthisresearchprojecthasmadeonethingabundantlyclearitisthat,acomplexmixoffactorsaffectcontinuationratesacrosstheinstitution,atbothadisciplinaryandsub-disciplinarylevel,andthatwhileitisundoubtedlyusefultoimplementarangeofstrategiesandprocesses,thisdoesnotguaranteeanincreaseinretentionrates.Or,asMcCaryandMoreyputit,“non-continuation…[is]partofacomplexculturalandsocialpicture;”retentionis“tosomeextentariddle”(McCary2011,Moreyetal2011:7).Withthatinmind,aseriesofrecommendationscanbemadeinresponsetothefindingsofthisresearchproject.4.1SharingExperiencesandGoodPractices ThefindingsofthisstudyindicatethatgoodpracticeacrossUCA’sundergraduatecourses,intermsofstrategicapproachestomitigatingwithdrawalandenablingretention,tendstooperateinisolationdespiteinitiativessuchastheCourseLeaders’Forum,whichusefullyincludespresentationsonsuchissues.Therefore,inseekingtoenhanceretentionandengagementacrossundergraduatecourses,itseemspertinenttodevelopadditionalopportunitiesforsharingexperiences,approachesandresourcesandbringingtogetherinitiativesfromacrosscoursesanddepartments.Thefollowingcouldbeastartingpoint:

• Establishinga‘hub’thatacknowledgesthemanydiversestakeholdersinstudent

retentionandengagementandbringsthemtogetherinawaythatfacilitatesexchangeonthesubject

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Thiswouldincludeacademics,particularlyCourseLeaders,andthoseinvolvedwithotheruniversity-wideinitiatives,suchasstudiesofBMEstudentsandwideningparticipationinitiatives,alongsidethosefromotherdepartmentssuchasStudentServicesandmembersofboththeRegistryandAdmissionsteams

Thiscouldbeaphysicalmeeting,scheduledatregularintervalsandrotatingacrosscampuses,anonlineforumandresourcearea,oracombinationofboth

4.2Front-loadedStrategies ThefindingsindicatethatsharingexpectationsandintroducingstudentstodisciplinaryculturesatanearlystageinthetheirHEjourneyhasmanyadvantagesintermsofincreasingstudentpreparedness,easingtransition,establishingasenseofbelonging,fosteringstudent’sresilienceandultimatelypotentiallyreducingthelikelihoodofwithdrawal.Researchsuggeststhatthisshouldtakethefollowingintoaccount:

• Focusingonimplementinginitiativesintheperiodbetweenmid-August/4weekspre-entryandthefirstassessmentpoint/startofsemestertwo,withaparticularemphasisoninductionweek/welcomeweek

• Developinginitiativesthatincludeallstudentsthroughoutthefirstyear.Alongsidebroaderinitiativesaimedataidingtransitionforthestudentpopulationasawholethismayincludestrategiesfortargetedgroupandindividualsupport(whichcouldbeenhancedbytheuseofanalyticsoftware,althoughtheimplicitproblemsoftargeting‘atrisk’studentsshouldbeborninmind)

• Emphasisingthevalueoftransition,beingtransparentregardingthenatureofthisprocessandfocusingonhelpingstudentstomanagethistransitionratherthaneasingit

• Buildingasenseofcommunitythroughpeer-groupactivitiesthatcombineacademicandsocialinput.Theseshouldbeinplacefromtheinductionperiodonwardsandshouldincludeinputfromandcontactwithothercohortsonthecourse

• Providingresourcesforstudents’supportnetworks,whichotherinstitutionshaveapproachedwithnotablesuccessthroughthedevelopmentofspecificandeasilyaccessibleareasontheirwebsitesthatofferrelevantinformationandresourcestostudents’family,friendsandothersupportnetworks

4.3PersonalTutorsystems ResearchfindingsmakeclearitclearthatthereisconsiderablevalueinensuringthatformalizedPersonalTutorsystemsareestablishedandsupportedacrossallundergraduatecourses,whichcurrentlydoesn’tappeartobethecase.However,giventhatresearchshowsthemajorityofstudentsconsideringwithdrawingturnfirsttotheirPersonalTutororanothermemberoftheiracademicteam,buttheyoftenfindthesupportandguidanceofferedinadequate,itwouldseemimportanttoavoidthepitfallsofestablishingsuchasystemwithoutconsideredpreparationandtakingmeasurestoensureby-infromallsides.

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ResearchindicatesthatthesuccessofPersonalTutorsystemsdependsonengagement,responsibilityandcommitmentfromallsides,whichis,inturn,basedonseveralfactors:

• AnamedPersonalTutorwhoisassignedbeforeorduringtheinductionperiod,isassignedtoastudentforthedurationofthefirstyearandisinterestedintheirwell-beingandacademicprogress

• Thetutorialsshouldprovidestudentswithbothacademicandpastoralsupportasrequiredbyeachindividual

• ThePersonalTutorshouldbevisibleandaccessible,sothisisnotanappropriateroleforasessionalmemberofthefirstyearteam,oratutorof.5orbelow

• ThePersonalTutorstrategyshouldincluderegularone-to-onetutorials,whichareembeddedinthefirstyeartimetable

• Theone-to-onetutorialsshouldbemandatorywiththePersonalTutorrequiredtofollowupnon-attendancefromasupportiveratherthanapunitiveperspective

• MaintaininganeffectiveandsupportivesystemofPersonalTutoringrequiresensuringthatstaffwhotakeonthePersonalTutorroleareadequatelysupported.Thisincludesacknowledgingtheincreasedworkloadinvolvedinnotonlymeetingwithtuteesbutalsodeveloping,implementingandreflectingonarangeofstrategiesandsupportmechanismsrelevanttotheirsub-disciplinarycohort.Inotherwords,PersonalTutorsneedtobeassignedappropriatelysizedgroupsofstudentsandgiventimeintheirschedulestomeetthedemandsofthisrole(successfulmodelssuggestintheregionof3hoursayearforeachtutee)

• TherequirementsofPersonalTutoringmeansthattutorssteppingintothisrolemaybenefitfromtheprovisionofadditionalresourcesandtraining,whichcouldbeanopportunityforsharingofgoodpracticeandpotentiallyoneofthefunctionsofthe‘hub’recommendedabove(see4.1)

4.4 RethinkingRetentionDataLookingatUCA’sstrategiesforgatheringexitdata,inlightofrecentresearcharoundCreativeArtsundergraduates’reasonsforleavingtheircourses,suggeststhattherecouldbesignificantmeritinrethinkingthewayinwhichretentionandwithdrawaldataisrecorded,categorizedandusedwithinUCA.Thefollowingmaybeusefulconsiderationsintakingthisfurther:

• WhileUCAChangeofStatusformsalreadydistinguishbetweentypesofstudentexit,itseemsthatmorecouldbemadeofthissothatcourseteamscanbetterunderstandthecomplexitiesofretentionwithintheirsub-disciplines,forexamplethismightallowfortheidentificationofparticulartrendssuchaslinksbetween‘hotspots’ofmentalhealthandparticularsub-disciplinaryareasoftheCreativeArts.

• ItispossibletomakefairlysmallamendmentstotheChangeofStatusFormscurrentlyinuse,whichcouldfacilitatefurtherunpackingwhatismeantwhenstudentsleavetheircoursesfor‘personal’or‘other’reasonsandtherebyleadtoabetterunderstandingofkeyfactorsinnon-continuation

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• Makingsmallchangestotheformscurrentlyinusecouldaidfurtherexplorationofthereasonsgivenfornon-continuation,whichcouldinturnfacilitatetheidentificationandsupportofstudentswhoareparticularlyatriskofleavingtheircourses.Whiletherearegoodreasonstoavoidlabellingandtargeting’atrisk’students,thiscaninsomecircumstancesbeausefulstrategy

• RefiningtheAMMprocess,sothatCourseLeadersareonlyrequiredtonuanceretentiondataininstanceswhereexitsequatewithstudentdissatisfactionwiththecourse,whichcouldopenupmoreappropriateopportunitiesforCourseLeaderstosharethismorenuancedview,whereitmightcontributetoabetterunderstandingoftheissuesfacedbyfirstyearundergraduatesacrossthesub-disciplinesoftheCreativeArts(thiscouldbeafunctionofthe‘hub,’see4.1)

• Developingapproachesandsystemsthatmovebeyondlookingatinterruptionandwithdrawalasunquestionablydenotingnegativeperformanceonthepartofcourseswouldbebeneficial:Usingsuchdataasan‘institutionalredflag’undervaluesaspectsofthesupportprovidedbycourseteamsandothersresponsibleforsupportingstudents,alongsideundervaluingtheagencyofstudentsascomplex,creativeindividuals.Inotherwords,thecurrentsystemappearstooverlookthewaysinwhichstudentinterruptionsandexitscanbetheresultofpositiveinterventionsbyCourseLeadersandStudentServices,andpositivedecisionsbystudents,inlinewiththeEqualityAct2010.

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5.CONCLUSION

–––––––––––––––––––––––

ThefindingssetoutinSection3ofthisreportenhanceunderstandingofthechallengesandadvantagesfacedbyasmallspecialistCreativeArtsinstitutionandindicatearangeofareasforfurtherconsiderationanddiscussionatprogramme,SchoolandInstitutionallevels.

Ofparticularrelevanceistheconfirmationthatthedisciplinaryandsub-disciplinaryculturesandpracticesencompassedbyUCAhaveanimplicitandprofoundimpactonstudentretention,engagementandachievement,bothpositivelyandnegativelyacrossthewholeundergraduatejourney,butmostnotablyattheoutset.

Asstatedelsewhereinthisreport,itshouldbeacknowledgedthatthereisnoonesize-fits-all,quickfix.Ontheotherhand,asaresultoftheresearchsetouthere,Section4ofthisreportisabletoofferaseriesofrecommendationsthatareintendedtocontributetotheongoingdebatearoundretentionwithinUCA.Eachofthefourrecommendationsoffersameanstoimproveundergraduateretention.However,itisimportanttobearinmindthat,giventhecomplexnatureofthisissue,thereisnoguaranteeofimprovementevenwiththecarefulimplementationofawiderangeofinitiatives,andretentionisnotalwaystheonlypositiveoutcomeforcourses,orforundergraduates.

Severalareasthatmeritfurtherinvestigationhavealsocometoattentionasaresultofthisresearchproject.Thesecanbesummarizedas:

• InvestigatingtheYear0experienceanditsrelationtocontinuationamongYear1students

• Gatheringdataandnarrativesfromcontinuingstudentsusingtheonlinesurveypilotedinthisresearchproject

• Consideringtheimpactofparticularstaffdemographicsonthestudentexperience.Forinstance,whilethevalueofsessionaltutorsintheCreativeArtsisclear,forYear1cohorts,spendingasubstantialproportionoftheirtimewithtutorsof.6andaboveduringfirsttwosemesterswouldlikelymakeconsiderabledifferencetoretention

• FurtherexploringtheimpactthatpedagogiesspecifictotheCreativeArtshaveonretention,forexampletheuseofthegroup‘crit’andthe‘open’brief,andwaysthatthismaybeconfiguredordeliveredtobecomeamorepositiveexperienceacrosstheundergraduatecohort

• Identifyingwaysofimprovingstudents’senseofbelongingbothinsideandoutside

ofthelearningenvironment,forexamplethroughextracurriculaactivitiessuchasstudytrips,andthroughStudentUnionactivities

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6.REFERENCESandUSEFULRESOURCES

–––––––––––––––––––––––Austerlitz,Noam.(2008)UnspokenInteractions:ExploringtheUnspokenDimensionsofLearningandTeachinginCreativeSubjects.London:TheCentreforLearninginArtandDesign:UniversityoftheArtsLondon.Austerlitz,Noametal(2008)‘Chapter6MindtheGap:Expectations,AmbiguityandPedagogywithinArtandDesignHigherEducation.’InDrew,L.TheStudentExperienceinArtandDesignHigherEducation:DriversforChange.Cambridge:GroupforLearninginArtandDesign(GLAD)Bland,B.(2016)‘Toimproveretention,wemustfocusonthoseatgreatestrisk.‘Blog.April11,2016.From:https://www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/improve-retention-we-must-focus-those-greatest-risk[accessed:13April2016]Blythman,M.,Orr,S.andBlair,B.(2007)CritiquingtheCrit.ProjectReport.York:HigherEducationAcademyBoyle,Anne,Allison,S.,Archibald,K.etal(2011)GoodPracticeinStudentRetention:AnExaminationoftheEffectsofStudentIntegrationonNon-completion.UniversityofSunderland,UniversityofHullandNewcastleUniversity.FinalReportfortheWhatWorks?StudentRetention&SuccessProgramme.PaulHamlynFoundation,HigherEducationFundingCouncilforEngland,HigherEducationAcademyandAc-ononAccess

Cashmore,A.,Scow,J.andCane,C.(2011)“Belonging”and“Intimacy”FactorsintheRetentionofStudents–AnInvestigationintotheStudentPerceptionsofEffectivePracticeandhowthatPracticecanbeReplicated.’UniversityofLeicester.FinalReportfortheWhatWorksStudentRetentionandSuccessProgramme

Day,P.(2013)‘TheArtGroupCrit.Howdoyoumakeafiringsquadlessscary?’InJournalofLearningDevelopmentinHigherEducation,2013(5):1-15.Availablefrom:http://arts.brighton.ac.uk/projects/networks/issue-18-july-2012/the-art-group-crit.-how-do-you-make-a-firing-squad-less-scary[Accessed8March2016]Drew,L.(2008)TheStudentExperienceinArtandDesignHigherEducation:DriversforChange.Cambridge:GroupforLearninginArtandDesign(GLAD)Ecclestone,K.,Blackmore,T.,Biesta,G.,Colley,H.andHughes,M.(2006)‘Lostintransition:managingchangeandbecomingthrougheducationandwork.’Nottingham:TLRPSeminarSeries‘Transitionsthroughthelifecourse,’Seminar12-13October2006.EqualityAct2010.Availablefrom:http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents[Accessed11Jan.2016]Finnigan,TerryandRichards,A(2016)RetentionandAttainmentintheDisciplines:ArtandDesign.LondonCollegeofFashion,CentralSaintMartins,UniversityoftheArts,London.UndergraduateRetentionandAttainmentacrosstheDisciplinesPhaseTwoReport.HEA

Frankel,H(2007)‘SurvivingtheLeapYear,’TheTimesEducationalSupplement,14-20Gallacher,JandCleary,P(2007)‘Learningcareers:exploringtransitionsbetweencommunity-basedfurthereducationtomaincollegecampuses.’PapergiventoResearchingtransitionsinlifelonglearningConference,UniversityofStirling,22-24June2007

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Harding,JamieandThompson,J.(c.2011)DispositionstoStayandtoSucceed.NorthumbriaUniversity.FinalReportfortheWhatWorksStudentRetentionandSuccessProgramme

Harrington,H.,O‘Donoghue,A.,Gallagher,M.,&Fitzmaurice,D.(2001).TheFirstYearExperience:AnInsightintoNon-completion.Reportcompiledforstudentcounsellingservice.TrinityCollege,Dublin

Harvey,L.andDrew,S.withSmith,M.(2006)Thefirst-yearexperience:AReviewofLiterature[online].York:TheHigherEducationAcademy.Availablefrom:https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/sites/default/files/first_year_experience_full_report.pdf[Accessed20May2016]Havergal,Chris(2016)‘RiseinUKUniversityDropoutRate‘Disappointing.’’March23,2016.Availablefrom:https://www.-meshighereduca-on.com/news/rise-uk-university-dropout-rate-disappoin-ng[accessed13April2016]

HigherEducationAcademyReadyforRetention:EffectiveSystemsforTransitionandStudentSuccess.Conference(UniversityofSouthWales,6–7July2016)

HigherEducationStatisticsAgency(HESA)https://www.hesa.ac.uk/pis/noncon

Johnston,B.(2010)TheFirstYearatUniversity:TeachingStudentsinTransition.Maidenhead,UK:OpenUniversity,McGrawHillEducation,SRHE

McCary,Jacqui,Pankhurst,S.,Valentine,H.andBerry,A.(2011)AComparativeEvaluationoftheRolesofStudentAdviserandPersonalTutorinrelationtoUndergraduateStudentRetention.AngliaRuskinUniversity.Finalreportforthe’WhatWorks?StudentRetention&SuccessProgramme.’

Morey,Sarah,Robbins,S.etal(2011)ComparingandEvaluatingtheImpactsonStudentRetentionofDifferentApproachestoSupportingStudentsthroughStudyAdviceandPersonalDevelopment.UniversityofReadingandOxfordBrookesUniversity.Finalreportforthe’WhatWorks?StudentRetention&SuccessProgramme.’PaulHamlynFoundation,HigherEducationFundingCouncilforEngland,HigherEducationAcademyandActiononAccessMorosanu,L.etal(2010)‘SeekingSupport:ResearchingFirst-YearStudents'ExperiencesofCopingWithAcademicLife.’InHigherEducationResearch&Development.29(6):665-678NationalAuditOffice(NAO) https://www.nao.org.uk/

NottinghamTrentUniversity,BournemouthUniversityandUniversityofBradford(2011)‘TheHEREProject-HigherEducation:Retention&Engagement2008–2011.’FinalReportfortheWhatWorks?StudentRetention&SuccessProgramme.PaulHamlynFoundation,HigherEducationFundingCouncilforEngland,HigherEducationAcademyandActiononAccess

Orr,S.,Yorke,M.andBlair,B.(2014)‘TheAnswerisBroughtaboutfromwithinYou:AStudentCentredPerspectiveonPedagogyinArtandDesign.’InInternationalJournalofArt&DesignEducation,33(1):32-45SuttonTrust(2010)Initialresponsetotheindependentreviewofhighereducationfundingandstudentfinance.Availablefrom:http://www.suttontrust.com/research/sutton-trust-initial-response-to-brownereview/[Accessed23May2016]Thomas,Liz(2012a)EngagementandBelonginginHigherEducationataTimeofChange.FinalReportfortheWhatWorks?StudentRetention&SuccessProgramme.PaulHamlynFoundation,HigherEducationFundingCouncilforEngland,HigherEducationAcademyandActiononAccess

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Thomas,Liz(2012b)BuildingStudentEngagementandBelonginginHigherEducationataTimeofChange:ASummaryofFindingsandRecommendationsfromtheWhatWorks?StudentRetention&SuccessProgramme.

Turner,Rebeccaetal(2017)‘Easingthetransitionoffirstyearundergraduatesthroughanimmersiveinduction.’InTeachinginHigherEducation,Vol22Issue7:805-821 Wheeler,Linda(2012)ThinkingTwice:Transition,RetentionandSuccessintheArtsandHumanities.Conferencepaper:ReportontheHigherEducationAcademySummit,BritishAcademy,8March2012Willcoxson,L(2010)‘FactorsAffectingIntentiontoLeaveintheFirst,SecondandThirdYearofUniversityStudies:ASemester-by-SemesterInvestigation.’InHigherEducationResearch&Development,29(6):623-639

Woodfield,Ruth(2014)UndergraduateRetentionandAttainmentacrosstheDisciplines.HEA

Woodfield,RuthandO’Mahony,J.(2016)UndergraduateStudentRetentionandAttainment:PhaseTwoOverviewReport.HEA

Yorke,MantzandLongden,B.(2008)TheFirst-YearExperienceofHigherEducationintheUK.FinalReport.York,HEA

Yorke,MantzandVaughn,D.(2012)DealornoDeal?ExpectationsandExperiencesofFirst-YearStudentsinArtandDesign.York:HEA

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7.GLOSSARY

–––––––––––––––––––––––

BAME Black,Asianandminorityethnic

BME Blackandminorityethnic

CAA ComputerAnimationArts

FA FineArt

FJ FashionJournalism

GC GraphicCommunication

HE HigherEducation

HEA HigherEducationAcademy

HEIs HigherEducationInstitutions

HERE HigherEducation:Retention&Engagement

HESA HigherEducationStatisticsAgency

ICA InstituteofContemporaryArt

ISS InternalStudentSurvey

LGBT Lesbian,gay,bisexual,andtransgender

NAO NationalAuditOffice

NSS NationalStudentSurvey

NTU NottinghamTrentUniversity

PAL PeerAssistedLearning

UCA UniversityfortheCreativeArts

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8.APPENDIX

–––––––––––––––––––––––

8.1:Poster-‘TheFirstYearExperience:UndergraduateRetentionandEngagementinthecontextofaSpecialistInstitutionandCreativeArtsCourses’

8.2:Survey–‘TheFirstYearExperience’

8.3:Table–‘OverviewofRetentionDataacrossselectedspecialistinstitutions’

8.4:Interview–ashortinterviewpreparedforCourseLeaders

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8.1:Poster–‘TheFirstYearExperience:UndergraduateRetentionandEngagementinthecontextofaSpecialistInstitutionandCreativeArtsCourses.’ThisposterwaspresentedattheHigherEducationAcademyConference,ReadyforRetention:EffectiveSystemsforTransitionandStudentSuccess,whichwasheldatUniversityofSouthWales,6–7July2016.

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8.2:Survey–‘TheFirstYearExperience’

Thetestsurveyshownbelowhasbeendevelopedsothatonlyachangeoftitleisrequiredforittobedistributedacrosseachoftheparticipatingcourses.Theonlineversionofthistestsurveycanbefoundathttps://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/SHR2QFN

ThissurveyhasbeenadaptedfromNTUTransitionSurvey2009,asharedresourcedevelopedfortheHEREProject2008–2011,whichinturnwasbasedonpriorstudiesintostudentretention,suchasYorkeandLongden2008(Nottingham2011:58-60).ThesurveyinvitescontinuingstudentstorespondtoasetofquestionsusingaLikertscaleof1-5.Ideally,thedatagatheredthroughtheproposedsurveywouldbeanalysedwithreferencetocoursespecificdata.Inotherwords,itwouldcontributetothepictureofthefirstyearundergraduateexperienceprovidedbyprogrammeteamsandotherdatasets.

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39

40

8.3:Table–‘OverviewofRetentionDataacrossselectedspecialistinstitutions’ThistableusesdatadrawnfromHESAtocontextualizeUCAretentionandengagementamongstothersimilarlyspecialistinstitutions,whichwaspresentedattheUCACourseLeaderForum,heldatICANovember2016.

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8.4:Interview–ashortwritteninterviewdevisedaspartofthisresearchproject,whichCourseLeadersofthefourcoursesstudiedwereinvitedtorespondto.

Undergraduate Retention and Engagement at UCA: The First Year Experience This research is part of a Learning & Teaching Enhancement Project funded by UCA. It is led by Mary-lou Barratt, Year One Coordinator BA(H) Fine Art, Canterbury E: [email protected] T: 01227 817366 The research aim is: To explore in more depth the institutional characteristics and disciplinary cultures and practices within a university specializing in the creative arts, and to identify the ways in which these impact on retention and engagement The research objectives are: • Developing understanding of the strengths, challenges and priorities for change within the

first year undergraduate experience at UCA in terms of continuation and engagement • Valuing and strengthening good practice within UCA • Producing information and developing practices that can feed out into the disciplinary sector

and bring UCA in to the wider discourse

Questionnaire for Course Leaders

Dear …, as Course Leader for ….. your responses to the questions below would be an invaluable contribution to this research project. All questions refer to the year one cohort on the … course. I would be most grateful if you would answer as many questions as you can by typing directly into the form. If you do not wish to answer any of the questions, or are unable to please just add ‘NA’ or ‘-‘ as appropriate. Then return the document to [email protected] Many thanks in advance Mary-lou

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1: You How long have you worked with this course? How long in the role of Course Leader?

2: The course team Who oversees the development and delivery of the first year programme? Approximately how many hours per week does the first year cohort spend with staff of .6 and above? Approximately how many hours per week does the cohort spend with sessional staff? Does this vary across different stage(s) of the course and/or semester(s)? Is there a personal tutor system in place for year 1 students?

If yes, at what point is this tutor allocated and how often are students expected to meet with them?

3: The students Who do you see as the minority groups of students in your subject area? Approximately what percentage of students join the course through internal progression?

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Thank you for your time

4: The course Please briefly list any pre-induction information usually provided to students joining year 1 of this course Please briefly list any induction week activities offered to students joining this course aimed at helping them to meet other students, academic staff and / or support staff Do any modules, stages, or phases of year one include opportunities for students to work in teams or small groups?

If yes, please indicate the Stage(s) and/or semester(s) that this takes place, and give a brief example

Do your year 1 students have the opportunity to work with year 2 or 3 students at any point in the course?

If yes, please indicate the Stage(s) and/or semester(s) that this takes place, and give a brief example

What is the timing of key assessment points during the first year of this course? What are the primary assessment strategies used during the first year? What are the primary course delivery methods across the first year (eg lectures, workshops, self-directed etc) ?

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