Presentation delivered to Senate about the student experience.

1. Developing Our Support
Mechanisms – Improving
Retention and Student Success
Becka Currant

2. What preparation do
our students do
before they come?

3. Central Question…
How do we manage the
student journey from
applying for a place
through to graduation?

4. We need to help students understand…
• What modes of transport are available
• Which mode is the most relevant for that stage of
the journey
• How they can revise their travel plans accordingly
in the event of:
– Accidents and emergencies
– Roadworks
– Adverse conditions
– Last minutes changes to plans

5. Transition
• Transition is a key issue with regard to the
First Year Experience (Tinto, 1987, 1993; Pitkethly& Prosser, 2001;
Longden and Yorke, 2008; the STAR project, 2008)
• Transition starts before students arrive –
from the moment they think about applying
• Transition continues throughout their
University lives – between semesters,
modules, concepts, years/stages and upon
exit

6. Student Life Cycle Model
Student
Better
success
preparation
Flexible Fair
progression admissions
First steps in
HE Layer et al, 2002

7. Transitions Life Cycle Model
Student
Clear
success
expectations
Flexible
Explicit
assessment, re
requirements
gular feedback
Support
during first
year Currant, 2009

8. Do we know…
• How students manage the process of
transition?
• What mode of transport are they using?
• What do they expect to happen?
• What are their hopes, fears and
aspirations?

9. Institutions ensure students The student learning
are sufficiently prepared to experience is managed and
make the transition into co-ordinated to promote
University student success
Improving
Retention and
Student Success
Formal and informal extra-
The curriculum is designed
curricular activities support
and delivered to promote the
students and promote their
success of all students
engagement in HE

10. Institutions and Partnerships
• School links
• Raising aspirations
• Increasing aspiration
• Enhancing transition
• Recognising different 14-19 curriculum

11. Curriculum design and delivery
• Learning, teaching and assessment
practices
• Recognising different 14-19 curriculum
• Curriculum content, development and
organisation
• Academic skills development
• Academic support
• Feedback

12. Promotion and Engagement in University life
• Peer networks
• Integration of students living on and off
campus
• Engagement of Bradford students in
campus and university life
• Pastoral and financial support
• Provision and accreditation of non-
academic student experience

13. Managed and co-ordinated student learning
experience
• Institutional data
• Policy development and integration
• Institutional processes and reporting
structures
• Quality management and enhancement
• Staff engagement

14. An example – Personal Tutoring
Preparation
• What is the role of the personal tutor?
• How do we manage expectations and deal with
prior experiences of personal support?
• Who should be a Personal Tutor?
Curriculum
• What support is required? How is it delivered?
• Support for development of skills and
confidence

15. An example – Personal Tutoring
Engagement in University
• Establishment of peer networks
• Integration of student experience –
developing an ‘academic community’
Promotion of Student Success
• How do we engage staff (and students) in
the process?
• Measuring quality and developing policies

16. Next Steps
• University frameworks
• School delivery plans
– Transition
– Personal tutoring
– Classroom management
– Recognition of diversity of students
– Improving feedback mechanisms