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Contents
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Appendix
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The Role of Pre Entry Practices
and Induction Strategies in
relation to Student Retention
Dr Sarah Shobrook
This workbook should be thought of as a prac- tical guide that will help staff interested in, or involved in, issues and activities relating to pre entry, induction and student retention. A range of concepts are identified that con- nect pre entry practice, induction strategies and student retention. Information relating to each of the above has been collected from pri- mary and secondary sources.The primary information has been derived from a series of interviews with staff at departments/schools identified as having good practice in pre entry practices, induction strategies and achieving and maintaining low attrition rates.The secondary information has been collected from other FDTL projects, conference papers and journal articles.
In section one a discussion is put forward that contextualises contemporary thinking on stu- dent retention and progression. Within this debate the argument highlights how contem- porary government policies on higher educa- tion are inextricably linked to pre entry issues, induction policies and student retention. It is argued that poor pre entry practices and undefined induction strategies can contribute to higher attrition rates. However, as this is a highly subjective area and no definite correla- tion has been identified the advice in this workbook should be considered as recom- mended good practice, not hard scientific proof.
Section two discusses the practical difficulties that staff face when they attempt to introduce new practices in areas such as pre entry. Suggestions are put forward that draw on the experience of departments who have changed
their practices and as a consequence have achieved positive results. An example looked at in detail comes from the School of Electronics at the University of Glamorgan (Hammoudeh 2002).
Section three looks at induction strategies and argues that induction should not be thought of simply as a weeklong activity. Induction strate- gies need careful thinking through so that they form a buffer zone between preparation for university and immersion into HE culture. Pre entry, induction and first year teaching are not separate categories they are all part of a set of continuous processes that when linked togeth- er help students to progress successfully through their undergraduate course.
Section four outlines a range of case studies. Most are from engineering departments but some are from other disciplines which have been identified as having good practice in the area of student induction. It is suggested that the conceptual ideas linked to induction are transferable between and across different disci- plines.
Section five outlines suggestions for good prac- tice in the area of pre entry and induction.This good practice guide is aimed at the busy aca- demic who wants to identify quickly how, where and when to make changes.
The final section offers a brief conclusion and makes suggestions on how staff might take for- ward some of the ideas and issues presented in this workbook.
Introduction
and Hammoudeh (2002) suggests one reason for this could be linked to the new 'sexy' titles attached to engineering courses, for example 'Music Technology'. Another contributing factor links to schools and the students prior experi- ence of engineering. In most cases this will be limited to A Level maths and/or physics.Very few young students entering university will have actual experience of engineering (Ash 2002).This could result in a misalignment of expectation with experience.
Hammoudeh and Barrett (2002) argue that all potential students need to be given clear infor- mation about courses and course content prior to being accepted on, or offered a place on degree course. However, this is not a one- way process, as students also need to know what is expected of them and what job oppor- tunities might arise from their chosen degree. If students have a clear idea of what they will be doing and where they are going this could help with motivation. Pre entry processes should then feed into induction activities to provide a platform where students can be introduced to their courses and get a clear picture of what to expect.
In addition to the practical and academic aspects of induction there is also a social aspect that needs careful attention.This is not just social, as in the activities arranged by the student union; receiving departments should take responsibility for setting-up some kind of social/academic activity where students meet with other students and with relevant staff. Getting to know other students on a course, finding a person to relate to, talk to, or have academic debates with is important (Frame
2002). One way of generating interaction between students is to have some form of group/social/academic activity in the first week. Encourage students to work together, to talk to each other, to get used to using laboratories etc (see section on case studies for practical examples).
Induction practices can or should be thought of as a buffer zone between pre entry activities and immersion into university life. None of the activities should happen in isolation rather they should all be informed by an underlying ration- ale linked to providing good learning and teaching support for students (Barton 2002). Research has shown that it is very difficult to demonstrate a direct correlation between attri- tion rates, pre entry activities and induction practices. However, student feedback and research on why students drop out of universi- ty has identified that preparation for university and good induction practices do help students settle quickly and more effectively, thereby reducing the number of 'at risk' students (York 1999, Hammoudeh and Barrett 2002).
The above discussion has tried to conceptu- alise the importance of pre entry activities and induction practices in relation to issues about student progression and retention. It is clear from the above debate that there is no simple answer, no one activity that could cure all problems.Thus, what is now needed is a set of joined up thinking where academic staff, sup- port staff and existing students work closely together to provide a good range of resources and activities for students progressing into and through university.
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This section discusses the importance of good pre entry practices in relation to induction and student retention. Questions are raised about who should be responsible for pre entry prac- tices and when and where they should take place.The work of Hammoudeh and Barrett (2002) will feature strongly in the recommen- dations. Pre entry in the context of this discus- sion addresses the time prior to entering uni- versity when students are thinking about the choices open to them and about which degree course to take. As has been noted by Ash (2002) and by Yorke (1999) making the right choice of course is a really important decision. Pre entry practices should link with local schools and colleges and with UCAS to pro- vide clear information about courses.This same information should be available on open days or applicant days at the university.
As was noted in the previous section good pre entry practices can be used to help students match their expectations of university to their experiences. Clear guidance and information on what a course entails is important to a stu- dent as it helps them to make up their mind about what they want to do and where they want to go. Recent research has shown that dissatisfaction with a course because it does not correspond to what was expected by the student is a major contributing factor to stu- dent withdrawal (Hammoudeh 2001).This is particularly the case in engineering, as the sub- ject is not taught at schools. Students arriving on an engineering degree do not always under- stand what will be expected of them or what to expect from it (Ash 2002).Thus it is impor-
tant that course publicity is accurate and not aimed at selling a product but reflecting the true nature of the course. Information from admissions needs to be relevant and students should receive guidance on anything they are unsure of. In this context information on mod- ule content, assignments, learning outcomes and employability prospects could form an important resource to help students make the right choice.
There is a marketing argument that runs con- trary to the above debate. Many universities are reluctant to let students numbers fall and will focus publicity in such a way that it attracts the student to the area and the university and not a specific course. Now while in some cases this might work in others it creates an inherent tension by bringing into play the competing needs of the university, the student and the department. With this in mind it becomes important to ensure the right publicity and information are handed to prospective stu- dents.
It is argued that pre entry practices should be guided by and closely linked to the receiving department and where possible staff from the receiving department should be the ones to talk to potential students to explain what will be expected of them on the course and what to expect from university.
should students be given in the first week? and secondly who should deliver the information? Answers to each of these questions could help in forming an over arching strategy for pre entry and induction.
It would appear that if induction is to be a tool for helping with retention then clearly the strategies employed will need careful thought and planning to account of pre entry issues and first year teaching.
This section outlines a range of different case studies collected from a series of interviews with staff. Most of the studies are from engi- neering departments but some are from other disciplines which have been identified as having good practice in the area of student induction.
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At the University of Glamorgan in the School of Electronics a number of initiatives have been put in place that relate to increasing student numbers, reducing attrition rates, and ensuring incoming students select the right course. Akram Hammoudeh (2001, 2002) has been responsible for implementing a number of these changes. He has worked with a small team of like-minded staff to help reduce attri- tion rates. In 1999/2000 16.8% of students withdrew from courses in the School of elec- tronics but by 2000/2001 this had dropped to 9.3% and was still in decline.
So what did the School of Electronics at the University of Glamorgan do? They decided to have an active policy of inter- viewing all students who applied to them via UCAS. This was extremely time consuming as it took up most Wednesday afternoons from October through to May. However, this activity had a number of advantages, firstly it ensured that students knew what to expect from the course, secondly it gave staff the opportunity to meet new students, thirdly the uptake from UCAS increased due to the interview process and 36.1% of UCAS applicants took up the their offer of place.This hands on approach
paid dividends for the department.
On arrival at the University students were taken under the wing of the first year pro- gramme manager, who showed them around the campus and department, helped them with registration at induction, helped them logon to the computer system and generally supported them while they settled in.
First year teaching was also seen as an impor- tant area for consideration. Hammoudeh and Barrett noted that "Staff teaching first year are hand picked to be empathetic, approachable, available and inspiring and as far as possible first year modules adopt a 'hands on' work- shop approach to learning'" (2002: 1).
The above actions have been captured in a for- mula to address student attrition
RET=EID+(E+IN+C)IV
RET = Retention EID = Early Identification E = Early IN = Intensive C = Continuous IV = Intervention
Over the last three years the strategies put in place by the school of Electronics at the University of Glamorgan has paid dividends, attrition rates have fallen from over 16% to about 8% and in addition applications for courses have increased.
4. Case studies
main lecture theatre where each group had to demonstrate their buggy's proficiency in a competition (as set out in the rules).The win- ning group receive a prize of some sort (this is usually dependent upon departmental funds). If a group decides not to build a buggy they still have to attend and take part in the competi- tion. It was felt important that all the students should be involved.The game proved to be hugely popular with the students (see pictures below).
As with the monopoly game at the Business School the buggy game serves a number of purposes linked to a good induction pro- gramme, namely it integrates students into uni- versity life, gets them talking and working together and in general helps them settle into the subject and get to know staff at an early stage.
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The University of Hull introduced an induction activity called the 'Orange Tree Game' (OTG). As with the two case studies discussed above the OTG was seen as much as a team-building, social activity as an academic one. Students took part in the OTG on the Friday of induc- tion week. They were divided into groups of four and given a sheet of A3 paper, one broad- sheet newspaper, a roll of sellotape and an orange. The OTG was divided into two parts. In part one, students had to design and draw a struc- ture that would support the orange using the materials supplied, as high as possible from the laboratory floor. In part two, students had to
make the structure. Groups were marked on the design conformance of the structure and the height of the final model.The OTG took place in the engineering labs and before the game students were introduced to the rules and safety regulations of the labs. Lecturing staff were at hand to talk to, although students had to do the work themselves.The winning group were given book vouchers.
Feedback from the students showed that most (90%) felt this to be a positive activity, which they really enjoyed. In fact at the end of the first year when they were asked what they had enjoyed about university many still went back to the OTG as something memorable and fun. Some students even asked for more, similar activities to be arranged. On the whole the OTG proved popular with students and even the staff involved really enjoyed the experience. (also see Appendix).
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The Business School at the University of Teeside run an extended induction that stretches well into the first semester.They iden- tified that at induction week students were overloaded with information and probably for- get more than they learnt. With this in mind the University of Teeside decided to extend some induction practices over a longer period and offer optional drop in sessions to students throughout the first semester.These sessions were linked to skills and using the university facilities such as the library and computing. While in the initial weeks this approach was quite successful it was not long before student
numbers diminished. It was found that the stu- dents left attending the optional induction classes were often the most enthusiastic ones and not necessarily those in need of help. Feedback from students suggested that if the activities were not part of the course, nor assessed then they saw no reason to continue attending.
This case study is not a success story but does offer an opportunity to consider how some- times the best intentions are not always the most successful. Hence it is important when considering an induction strategy to include students in the process as well as staff.
The above workbook is not a definitive recipe to pre entry and induction practices; rather it is more a prompt, a guidebook that offers sug- gestions for practical activities to help support students.This book does offer some practical advice and actual examples of activities that could be used by busy academic staff.
Cater & McNeill (1998) put forward the idea that listening to what students ask for and responding to student feedback is the key to successful transition into HE. Including qualita- tive evaluation and feedback from students is a sure way to identify good pre entry practice and induction strategies and attention to both these areas will help alleviate some of the problems relating to high attrition.
There is little doubt that changes to the higher education system are bringing with them new challenges for staff and students alike. By way of responding to these challenges it will be necessary for staff to make changes and adjust according to the needs of students.The above suggestions on good practice apply to this moment in time, but to keep apace of the changes that are happening it will be important for staff to develop a continual evaluation process with students and respond to the find- ings. This process in itself will ensure that stu- dent progression never becomes a static topic.
6. Concluding remarks
Ash, J. (2002). Student Induction into studying at university. SEDA paper 113.
Banning, J. (1989). Impact of college environ- ments on freshman students.
The Freshman Year Experience: helping stu- dents to survive and succeed in college. Upcraft, M. and Gardner, J. and Associates, (Eds.) Jossey-Bass, San Francisco
Barton, H. (2002). "Induction at Oxford Brookes: principles and practices". In Student Induction in Practice. SEDA Paper 113. Billing, D. (1997).
Induction of new students to higher education. Innovations In Education and Training International. 34(2):125-134.
Bradbeer, J. (2000). Induction of Students to Higher Education. Miscellaneous Paper No 1. FDTL.
Cater, K. & McNeill, J. (1998). Coping with the darkness of transition: students as the leading lights of guidance at induction to higher educa- tion. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling. 26(3):399-415.
Cook, A. & Lowe, H. (2000). Hitting the Ground Running:The Role of Induction in Preparing Students for University. Educational Development, University of Ulster.
Crystal, L. (1993). Coping with Induction in the nineties. New Academic. 2(3): 17-18.
Cutler, G. (2002) "Investingating UK Undergraduate Electrical and Electronic Engineering Attrition". International Journal of Engineering Edcuation.Vol 39 (3).
Frame, P. (2001). Student Induction in Practice. SEDA Paper 113.
Hammououdeh, A & Barret, J (2002).Tackling Engineering Retention: A Firsthand Experience. International Conference on Engineering Education. (Manchester).
Hammououdeh, A. (2001). Conversion Model Analysis and Evaluation. School of Electronics, University of Glamorgan.
Hammououdeh, A. (2002) Recruitment Analysis and Evaluation. School of Electronics, University of Glamorgan.
Tinto,V. (1987). Leaving College. University of Chicago Press: Chicago.
Wilkinson, J. Matthew, B & Earnshaw, H. (2001). Engineers Need Mathematics But Can We Make It Interesting? International Conference on Engineering Education (August 6-10, 2001 Oslow, Norway)
Shobrook, S. (2001). Survive the Transfer Process. Conference Paper, PROGRESS 1.
Yorke, M. (1999). Leaving Early: Undergraduate Non-completion in Higher Education. Falmer Press: London
Bibliography
Achieving the right balance in the welcome lec- ture is extremely difficult. On one hand, the students have already received a wealth of information and are reaching saturation level. On the other, the department clearly has a duty to impart some information at the very beginning such as the basic safety notices. The remaining activities in Week 1 are organised such that the students should flow from one activity to another and are aimed at counter- balancing the information overload with rein- forcing some of the softer issues such as peer group formation. For organisational conven- ience, the student intake is organised in to three groups based on subject grouping in mechanical engineering, electronic engineering and those students on 4 year BEng pro- grammes. Immediately after the welcome lec- ture, the students spend at least one to two hours with their allocated personal supervisor in tutor groups. These meetings have no for- mal agenda except from tackling immediate issues raised by the students and taking the students through the completion of any forms required by the University or Department as part of the registration process. The remaining time is given over to developing social relation- ships between the students or the students and the personal supervisor. The morning of the first day is then completed with all students and staff gathering for a buffet lunch and to take some time to chat and relax after the stress of meeting new people and exploring new surroundings.
End of August
Send letter to all new students
Arrive – Welcome Lecture
Safety, Workshop,
Instrumentation,
Intro to Laboratory,
Lectures and Sessions
Introduction to Programmes
Induction Pack
Buffet Lunch
Departmental Registration
and Photo’s
3 groups of students
EE, ME, Franchise
Meet the Supervisors
University Welcome Event
Orange Tree Game
FIGURE 1
The afternoon of the first day is devoted to the completion of the Departmental registra- tion process where students are digitally pho- tographed before they exchange a series of completed forms for a University registration document. At the same time, the students are given additional materials such as a student handbook, "Maths for Engineers" CD-ROM and also a Maths Skills Practice booklet. It should perhaps be mentioned here that as part of the Study Skills module, student undertake an on- line mathematics diagnostics test and so the Maths Skills Practice booklet is aimed at helping the students prepare for that test.
The second day of the new semester is given to a detail overview of the various degree pro- grammes in subject groups by the Programme Directors. The department feels this is a very important part of the process as quite quickly the student can lose sight of the overall pro- gramme by focussing too much attention on individual modules, essential the emergent properties of the programme are brought out from the collection of modules that make up the programme. In addition, the second day of the semester also includes the University's wel- come event which encompasses items such as a talk by the Vice-Chancellor, registration with doctors and dentists and an overview of the various student services available within the University.
The third and fourth day of Week 1 encom- passes a range of activities to help students embrace the demands of an engineering course. For example there are sessions on workshop experience, instrumentation and lab- oratory safety which are evenly spread over the two days.
The final day of week 1 is given over to two equal sessions; one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The first session is a laboratory session where students aim to improve their skills such as soldering a cube or the operation of elementary items of equipment whilst not having the normal rigours of a full experimental session. Two of the main objectives of the department in this session are to orientate the students to practical demands of their course whilst developing the student's group work and social interaction with other new students. The second session aims to reinforce the latter
Typical Items within the Induction Pack
- Letter from HOD
- Student Registration Checklist
- Induction Week Timetable
- Uni. Induction Welcome Session
- Student Induction Checklist
- Useful Web Links
- Copy of Assessment Sheet
- New Student Record
- Student Medical Form
- Entrance Qualifications
- Photograph Form
- Room Numbers Leaflet
- University Registration Pack
- Student Handbook
- Maths Skills Practice
- Maths 4 Engineers CD -ROM
- Seminar 1 Timetable
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My department (Electronic, Communication and Electrical Engineering at the University of Plymouth) offers a wide variety of undergradu- ate programmes from 'traditional' BEng engi- neering courses to 'new' BSc programmes in media and internet technologies. It goes to considerable pains, as do many others, to attract new students onto them. In summer 2000 I made a critical appraisal of what we had done in recent years, having persuaded stu- dents to join our courses, to welcome them when they first arrive.
New students were instructed to arrive up to a week in advance of the start of the academic term, given a brief introductory talk and then enrolled - essentially a form filling and fee pay- ing session.They were then given an induction week timetable detailing them to arrive at par- ticular locations at scattered times during the induction week to receive various talks: Students' Union, library, welcome from Head of Department, administration, student servic- es.The week was largely empty and the stu- dents left to their own devices. In some years an evening 'meet the staff' social event had
been laid on but these seemed to have been abandoned after one small group of students had enjoyed themselves rather too much on a boat trip (booze cruise) up the river Tamar.
It was clear to me that for many students our induction week efforts were counter produc- tive; far worse than having no induction period at all.Those students who were local students, or who had arrived with friends, or who were unusually outgoing simply spent the week par- tying. Many others tended to 'hide' for a week and felt at a loss, bored and homesick. In both cases it was a poor preparation for the follow- ing week when we expected students to settle enthusiastically into good work habits.
What exactly was wrong with what we were offering? 1.There was no opportunity for students to get to know each other or staff for although they were meeting together for specific talks, these were occasions when they were expect- ed to listen.
- Although useful (in some cases essential) information was conveyed in the introductory talks they give students little opportunity to participate or to think for themselves and must have seemed to many to be a sad foretaste of their university experience.
3.There was simply too much 'white space' in the timetable. Students who arrive, enthusiastic and raring to go (we cynical academics proba- bly underestimate the number of freshers in this category) cannot fail to be disappointed by being told to amuse themselves for a week.
Our hard won new students needed to be given something interesting and challenging to do during induction week. I had in mind some- thing along the lines of 'build a crane/bridge with matchsticks' but with an electrical/elec- tronic connection. Designing a suitable task proved to be in itself a challenge for staff. Informal discussions with academic colleagues produced a large number of suggestions most of which were pitched at the knowledge and resource level of a final year undergraduate project. I drew up a check list of requirements for a suitable task, it must:
- Be achievable without prior knowledge in about three days by groups of four students.
- Have a competitive element to provide motivation.
3.The competition must be decideable on the basis of a simple measure (ie a count or a time) and must not require 'judging' by staff.
- Ideally have an 'electrical' theme.
Discussions with technical staff proved more fruitful than those with academics. Consideration of simple electrical/electronic components led to the idea that it might be reasonable to expect our new students to build a switch which led to a search for a suit- able application for the switch and the idea that it could be used to reverse the polarity of connections to an electric motor and that if the motor and switch were mounted on wheels, the switch itself could be activated by hitting something.The name 'head banging buggy' quickly followed and the competition
would be won by the team whose buggy 'banged' - reversed direction - the greatest number of times in 30 seconds when placed between two 'walls' about one metre apart.
A prototype was built to confirm that the task was feasible given the time and knowledge constraints and to check the costing. Items bought in were a variety of wheels, cogs, axles, pulleys, a simple dc motor and battery. Glue and sticky tape and 'junk' items were also needed.The estimated cost was about £3 per buggy - less that £1 per student.
A table consisting of a board surrounded by low walls was constructed. A set of rules was drawn up. We considered the possibility that some innovative students might realise that a long buggy, just short of the 'pitch' length would have an advantage and we debated whether to phrase the rules so as to forbid this. Our decision then was to phrase the rules in as open a fashion as possible with the aim of encouraging innovation.This proved to be star- tlingly a fruitful.
At the start of induction week when students arrive and enrol I construct a list of student names and place of origin and then divide them into groups of 4 mixing them up as much as possible, one of the main aims of the exer- cise being to break down barriers and encour- age them to get to know each other.They are then given the rules and a briefing on the com- petition including a demonstration of the pro- totype but little or no information about how to proceed. It is made clear during the briefing that the main aims of the exercise are to enable the new students to get to know each
