student retention, support and widening participation in the north east ...

UNIVERSITIES FOR THE NORTH EAST

UNIVERSITIES FOR THE NORTH EAST

STUDENT RETENTION, SUPPORT AND WIDENING PARTICIPATION IN THE NORTH EAST OF ENGLAND.

Richard Dodgson and Helen Bolam Regional Widening Participation Project Universities for the North East March 2002

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY As part of the national and regional widening participation agenda, an increased emphasis has been placed upon the retention, support and success of non-traditional students in higher education (HE).This report discusses these issues in the context of higher education institutions (HEIs) in the North-East of England. The research project on which the report is based began in April 2001, its aim was to examine and evaluate activities to support and retain students. Specifically, the objectives of the research were to: Highlight issues that impact upon student retention, from the perspective of both university staff and students Examine national and institutional strategies for student retention, to identify common aspects that all institutions need to consider for supporting students Reflect on the contribution and experience of staff in student support and retention Evaluate the success of retention strategies from the perspectives of staff and student within HEIs Consider whether there is a need to reframe notions of student retention in light of widening participation In addition to the above objectives, the research was organised in line with the Higher Education Funding Council for England’s (HEFCE) student lifecycle model, the main stages of which are pre-entry advice and guidance; admissions and induction; first term/semester; moving through the course and employment. In conducting the research, the project team utilised several different methods of data collection, including 62 semi-structured interviews with over 78 members of staff in the region’s six universities; meetings with representatives of HEFCE, Universities UK, the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and Action on Access; 9 student focus groups and a survey of student opinions on retention. It was originally intended that the research would also include a sample of opinions from students who had withdrawn from their course, but gaining access to these students was deemed too problematic, due to researchers not being able to access individual student records. Overall the research report highlights ten themes that are common to the region’s six universities. The first of these is the high level of performance of the region’s universities with regards to student retention and completion. Using current HEFCE performance indicators, the regional average for students failing to complete and withdrawing from HE can be calculated as approximately 8.8%.This figure is below the rate of non-completion for the UK and England. Collectively, the region’s universities can be proud of this performance, however, they must also be cautious, as a survey conducted as part of this research project found that at three of the region’s universities (Newcastle, Sunderland and Northumbria), 1 in 4 students had considered withdrawing from HE. The second theme is that all of the region’s universities have adopted the student lifecycle model as a model for thinking about student retention and for delivering services in support of student success.The use of the student lifecycle model in this way is demonstrative of the region’s universities strategic approach to student retention. Student retention is considered on a strategic level in all of the North East’s HEIs, furthermore, it is included in strategies on widening participation, teaching, learning and assessment, staff development and other strategic documents. In line with HEFCE’s recommendations on good practice, these strategies are also becoming more integrated. Further evidence of this strategic approach can be found in the improvement and development of new systems for the monitoring and

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tracking of students for the duration of the student lifecycle. The University of Newcastle upon Tyne is, for example, undertaking a review of how it monitors the progress of its traditional and non-traditional students. The First Assignment Project at the Open University in the North and the introduction of personal academic record systems at many of the region’s universities are further examples of how students are monitored in support of retention and progression. Specialisation and increasing specificity in student support is a third common theme.A strategic example of increasing specialisation in student support is the development of specific student retention strategies and programmes, for example, the Open University’s National Student Retention Project, the University of Teesside’s First Year Experience and the University of Northumbria’s Learner and Guidance Support policy. All of these examples are specific in discussing the needs of students and how they can be met. On a more practical level, an example of specificity and specialisation is the holding of special induction events for mature students at all of the region’s campus based universities. A further practical example can be seen as activities for students that progress to HE via clearing or community based learning at the universities of Sunderland and Teesside respectively. At the same time as becoming more specialist in their support for students, the region’s universities have also become more pro-active; this is a fourth common theme. Pre-entry activities, in particular, campus visits and the development of study skills, diagnostic testing (e.g. the Department of Engineering Mathematics at the University of Newcastle) and sessions on raising self-esteem (e.g. University of Durham Stockton Campus Student Services) are examples of the pro-active support of students. A further example of good practice in the pro-active support of students are the meetings which have taken place between student welfare officers at the University of Northumbria and local banks, as a means of making banks more aware of the specific problems students face with regards to finance. Information and knowledge is often the basis for pro-active student support, there is a clear link therefore with the development of systems for the monitoring and tracking of student retention and progression. Comprehensiveness is the fifth common theme. Activities in support of student success and retention across the region’s six universities are comprehensive in the manner in which they include both academic and non-academic staff, as well as students. Students support the retention of students via the Students’ Union, and increasingly in the form of mentors and buddies. Indeed, the use of student mentors, in particular, during the pre-entry, induction and first semester periods of the student lifecycle, is common to all of the region’s universities. The provision of student support across each stage of the student lifecycle, for all twelve months of the year, also demonstrates a comprehensive approach to student retention.A related point here is the growing importance of the summer period in both the recruitment and retention of students. Programmes of summer activities that support new or current students, for example, the Summer University at the University of Teesside, are common to all of the region’s universities. Indeed, the North-East’s HEIs have realised that the summer can be used to prepare students for entry into HE, an activity which is proven to improve student retention. Furthermore, staff in university Student Services around region have noted that growing numbers of new and current students, as well as parents, are contacting them for information, advice and guidance during the summer period. Although national research suggests that the link between finance, the sixth common theme and student retention is unclear, university staff and students in the North-East believe that it is the main cause of student drop-out. Staff and students interviewed as part of this research project agree that levels of financial support for students are inadequate and that the process of accessing this support is overly

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complex. A large number of advisers on student finance around the region complain that pre-entry, they are unable to tell students how much financial support will be available to them. Finance, is one of many factors that impact upon student retention in a negative way, but which are external, and therefore beyond the immediate scope of a single university to solve. An equitable and sustainable solution to the issue of student finance and its impact upon the retention of all students requires action by the Government, not individual Universities. However, with the support of HEFCE, DfES and other external agencies, the region’s universities have began to cope with the financial problems faced by many students by expanding the provision of additional financial support for the non-traditional students that they recruit. The role and contribution of personal tutors to student retention is the seventh common theme. 69% of the students surveyed as part of this research project sought support and advice from their personal tutor. Furthermore, Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) subject review reports that were used as part of this project, also spoke highly of the support provided by personal tutors to their students. Thus, across the region’s six universities, the personal tutor is at the centre of the support network for students. Overall, however, the success and effectiveness of the system is still very much dependent upon the attitudes of the individual staff and students that are involved. Many of the region’s universities recognise the unsatisfactory nature of this arrangement and are considering ways in which the personal tutor system can be made more effective and responsive. The eighth common theme is the growing use of information communications technology (ICT) in support and retention. University websites provide prospective, new and current students with a wealth of information on preparing for and succeeding at University, as well as the availability of academic and pastoral support services. Increasingly, however, the use of ICT in student retention around the region’s six universities is moving away from the simple use of websites to inform students and towards the active delivery of on-line support and guidance. Examples of such development are DISSC On-Line at the University of Teesside and Durham University On-Line. The University of Northumbria has also piloted the delivery of information, advice and guidance via video-conferencing to students in rural areas of Northumberland. ICT is also prevalent in the development of flexible learning opportunities, the ninth common theme.All of the region’s universities, but in particular, the OU in the North and the universities of Northumbria, Sunderland and Teesside are considering ways in which they can make learning increasingly flexible and suited to the needs of different students. As discussed above, these universities believe that developments in flexible learning will decrease the likelihood of a student dropping out of university. Furthermore, in circumstances where a student does leave without completing their course, they will do so with some form of an interim reward for the work that they had put into date.This report suggests, that flexible learning at the very least means ensuring that timetabling arrangements recognise and wherever possible match the needs of different students. In focus groups, a large proportion of mature students stated that their time at University would be easier if they received their timetables at an early stage of the academic year. The tenth and final common theme is the need for continuous reflection and development in student retention. This report has shown how region’s universities are doing this in response to widening participation and changes in policy and thinking. Further reconsideration and reflection will be needed in the future, if the region’s universities are both individually and collectively to maintain their good record in supporting and retaining students.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The authors would like to thank colleagues at Universities for the North East and the members of the regional widening participation project management and steering committees for their comments on an earlier draft of this report. The authors also acknowledge the support of staff at the Higher Education Funding Council for England, the Department for Education and Skills, Universities UK,Action on Access, as well as Professor Mantz Yorke.Without this support, as well as the co-operation of staff and students in the region’s six universities, the research on which this report is based could not have gone ahead.

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CONTENTS Executive Summary

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Acknowledgement

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Contents

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1. Introduction and Project Overview

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1.1 Project overview

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2. Student Retention - Research, Policy and Performance

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2.1 Definitions of student retention and non-completion

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2.2 Research on student retention

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2.3 Student retention and widening participation

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2.4 DfES and HEFCE - current policy and initiatives

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2.5 Regional performance

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2.6 Summary

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3. Pre-entry Activities

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3.1 University of Durham

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3.2 University of Newcastle upon Tyne

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3.3 University of Northumbria

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3.4 Open University in the North

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3.5 University of Sunderland

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3.6 University of Teesside

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3.7 Student opinions and experience

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3.8 Summary

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4. Admission and Induction

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4.8 Summary

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5. First Semester and Moving Through

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5.4 The Open University in the North

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5.8 Summary

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6. Employment

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6.8 Summary

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7. Conclusion

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Appendix 1: Results of the Student Survey

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Bibliography

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1. INTRODUCTION AND PROJECT OVERVIEW As part of the national and regional agenda to widen participation, an increased emphasis has been placed upon the retention, support and success of non-traditional students in higher education (HE).This report discusses these issues in the context of higher education institutions (HEIs) within the North-East of England. Performance indicators show that these institutions have different records of student access and retention (See Table 2 below). On an institution by institution basis, this report discusses the strategies, mechanisms and services that each of the universities have in place to retain and support students. An exhaustive study/audit of these activities was beyond the scope of the research project on which this report is based. Instead, the report provides an extensive overview of the strategies, mechanisms and services that promote student success across the region’s six HEIs1. In providing this review, the report highlights examples of good practice that may be used by other universities. Improvements of this nature are necessary for the long-term success and sustainability of widening participation. This report begins with an overview of the research project, specifically, the research methodology, activities, aims and objectives. This overview is followed by a discussion of recent research on student retention in HE and widening participation. Section 2, also includes an analysis of the current policy and performance of the region’s HEIs in retaining young and mature students. Sections 3 to 6 examine how the region’s universities retain and support students continuously through each stage of the student lifecycle. In sequence, these stages are pre-entry, admission and induction, first term and moving through and employment. Following a brief introduction, the support and retention activities of each university are discussed in turn.The experiences and opinions of students from all institutions are discussed collectively at the end of each of these sections.The report concludes by highlighting ten themes in student retention that are common to the region’s universities. 1.1 Project overview The research project on which this report is based began in April 2001. The aim of the project was to examine and evaluate activities to support and retain students in the North-East’s six HEIs. Specifically the objectives of the research were to: Highlight issues that impact upon student retention, both from the perspectives of students and staff within HEIs Examine national and institutional strategies for student retention, to identify common aspects that all institutions need to consider for supporting students Reflect on the contribution and experience of staff to student support and retention Evaluate the success of retention strategies from the perspectives of staff within HEIs and students Consider whether there is a need to reframe notions of retention in light of widening participation In addition to these objectives, the research was organised in line with the Higher Education Funding

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These are the universities of Durham, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumbria, Sunderland,Teesside and the Open University in the North.

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Council for England’s (HEFCE) student lifecycle model, the main stages of which are set out below (HEFCE 2001a:15-27): Pre-entry advice and guidance Admissions and induction First term/semester Moving through the course Employment/progression The research project team utilised several different methods of data collection, including 62 semistructured interviews with over 78 members of staff within the region’s six universities. The research team also met with representatives of HEFCE, Universities UK (UUK) and the Department for Education and Skills (DfES)2. Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) subject review reports were used to identify departments that had good records in student support and progression. Interviews were conducted with relevant staff in each of the departments that were identified in this manner.All members of staff were asked to express their opinions on retention, as well as their experiences of supporting students. Meetings with senior university management provided a strategic viewpoint on these issues. The research team also canvassed students opinions on the problems they experience whilst studying at university, as well as the provision and usefulness of student support during each stage of the student lifecycle. It was originally intended that the research would also include a sample of opinions from students who had withdrawn from their course, but gaining access to these students was deemed too problematic, due to researchers not being able to access individual student records. It was also felt that students who had withdrawn from university may not appreciate being contacted to be asked their reasons for dropping out of university. Where ever possible, research conducted by individual HEIs into student retention has been included in the report.3 As a means of collecting information on the specific experiences and problems of non-traditional students, nine focus groups were conducted with a total of 55 students, each with different educational backgrounds: Mature (Newcastle and Northumbria) Disabled (Sunderland) Collegiate system (Durham) Minority ethnic (Teesside) Studying HE in a FE environment (Newcastle College) PARTNERS programme (Newcastle) Non-traditional qualifications (Northumbria and Sunderland)

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Formerly the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE). The research team recognise the problems individual institutions face in conducting research of this nature and collecting information on student retention, in particular, the unwillingness of some students to state the real reasons for leaving the University early.

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The focus groups, some of which were organised in partnership with the Tyne and Wear HEFCE/Learning and Skills Council (LSC) funded widening participation project and the University of Teesside, provided in-depth information on the problems students face. The research team felt, however, that further information should be collected to ensure that the views and experiences expressed in the focus groups were representative.Therefore, the research team conducted a small sample survey of student opinions and experiences with regards to support and retention at three of the region’s universities5. Specifically, the survey asked from what sources students had received pre-entry advice; the usefulness of this advice; if they had ever considered leaving university and if so why; what support services they had used and how useful they were; and the extent to which certain factors (e.g. problems with finance, wrong choice of course) would have on their ability to continue with their studies.

2. STUDENT RETENTION - RESEARCH, POLICY AND PERFORMANCE 2.1 Definitions of student retention and non-completion In its evidence to the House of Commons Education Sub-Committee enquiry into student retention in HE in the United Kingdom (UK), HEFCE (2001b:1) noted that “there is no nationally or internationally recognised definitions of non-completion”. Thus, a wide variety of different terms are used to describe the process of a student leaving university early without achieving their educational aims in HE. In addition to retention and non-completion, for example, other commonly used terms are wastage, drop-out, exits, attrition, withdrawal, non-persistence and non-continuation (McGivney 1996:21). Student retention has been defined as “the process of helping students to meet their needs so that they will persist in their education towards the achievement of the educational aims they value. Retention can achieve this through the mustering of supports that enable students to be successful, and the lowering or elimination of those factors that can disrupt a students education, and that can ultimately result in their failure to achieve the educational aims they want.”(Moxley et. al. 2001:37) In the past, the HEFCE has defined non-completers as students “who are deemed not to complete their studies in the period for which they are registered”. (McGivney 1996:21) 2.2 Research on student retention NIACE (1999:2) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD 1999:90) both agree that the decision of a student to drop-out of university should not necessarily be seen as a negative occurrence. In some cases a student may leave university early because they have achieved their goals, been offered employment or wish to transfer to a more suitable course or institution.Traditionally, however, student non-completion is seen as a failure on the part of the individual student. This view is reflected in the report of the House of Commons Education Sub-Committee enquiry (2001) into student retention, as its first order question was why do full-time students fail to complete their studies in HE? Tinto’s (1987) classic study of student retention and non-completion in HE suggested that noncompletion is a result of a mismatch between the social/academic background, intentions and objectives

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These institutions were the Universities of Newcastle, Northumbria and Sunderland.These institutions were chosen on the grounds of their close geographical proximity to each other, as the fact that they represent a mix of old and new universities. Further information and analysis of the survey results is contained in Appendix 1.

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of the student and their institution.The closer the match between the student and institution, the greater the extent to which the student will feel that they are integrated into their institution. Integration also occurs as students interact with their peers, staff and their university surroundings. Research conducted by Yorke, Ozgha and Sukhnandan on behalf of HEFCE has demonstrated that a range of individual, institutional and sectoral factors are responsible for full-time students dropping out of university early (HEFCE 2001b:2): Incompatibility between the student and their course of study/institution Lack of preparation for the HE experience Lack of commitment to the course Financial hardship Poor academic progress Additional analysis by Yorke (1999:53-5) of factors influencing student retention by age, gender and social class found that younger students, rather than older students, were more likely to leave university as result of choosing the wrong course and being unprepared for living away from home. In contrast, financial issues are the most common cause of mature student non-completion.Women are more likely to express dissatisfaction with the social environment as a reason for leaving university than men. Men cite financial problems and unhappiness with their chosen area of study as reasons for their withdrawal from HE.Yorke also found that financial issues were a common cause of withdrawal for students from the lowest social classes and these students were also less likely to return to study at a later date. Students from the higher socio-economic classes, tended more than others, to highlight the wrong choice of course as their reason for leaving.When considering whether to withdraw from university or not, these students and others were most likely to consult with a member of academic staff, rather than a member of the HEIs student services. Conscious of the dearth of accurate quantitative data on the retention of full time students6, HEFCE has began an internal project that links HESA data with other sources of information on factors that are recognised as influencing non-completion. As a result of this project, HEFCE (2001b:3) has been able to identify three issues of significance with regards to student retention and non-completion: Entry qualifications - entrants with weak A-levels or non-A-level qualifications are less likely to complete Subjects - science and technical subjects have a higher average of non-completion rates than the social sciences Age - mature students are less likely to complete than younger students Research conducted by the National Audit Office (NAO) has also found that early leavers from HE tend to be over 21, have relatively low A-level grades and to be studying subjects in the area of business and management or mathematics computing. Furthermore, early leavers are likely to have entered university via clearing and to be living in accommodation other than that which is provided by their own HEI. Both HEFCE and the NAO agree that there is little correlation between social class and the tendency for a student to drop out (NAO 2002:14).

6 Available qualitative and quantitative date on the retention of part-time students in HE is in even greater short supply. Unless otherwise stated, the research discussed below is based upon the experience of full time students.

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2.3 Student retention and widening participation Interest in the specific relationship between widening participation and student retention is growing, as it is generally recognised that the long-term success of widening participation is dependent upon the retention of non-traditional students in HE. Jones and Thomas (2001:2) note that in light of widening participation, HEIs have to revise and reconsider their notions of student retention. Any reconsideration of this nature should focus upon “institutional flexibility, credit accumulation, transferability and should be consonant with the more visionary tenets of lifelong learning”. Research conducted by Universities Scotland (2001:42-7) suggests that in light of widening participation, universities need to re-think how support can be targeted at the most needy groups of students. The difficulty of doing this is highlighted by Haque (2001:13), as she asserts that differences exist both between and within the same group of nontraditional students. The majority of universities are unable to identify these distinctive needs, especially where they relate to race, religion and ethnicity. Currently, levels of withdrawal for minority ethnic students are small, but slightly higher amongst Indian and Black African students compared to other ethnic groups. Layer (2000) agrees that universities have to reconsider how they support non-traditional students as their numbers continue to grow in the HE sector. Student Services must become more upfront and pro-active in supporting and meeting the needs of all students, no matter what their background and circumstances. Most importantly, Student Services must support students in a holistic manner for the duration of the student lifecycle. In doing this, Student Services and the HEIs to which they belong, need to consider questions such as: How many Student Services actually see a balance of students according to the institution’s full time/part time split? How many institutions can show that their ethnic minority students gain graduate employment at the same rate as white graduates? How many institutions have support entitlement for distance learners? How do Student Services relate to students that continue to reside at home? Thomas (2001:22-36) has built upon the work of Bourdieu amongst others, to suggest that the retention of non-traditional students is linked to the match between the culture and social experience of the individual student and institution. Thus, students from a low socio-economic group are more likely to succeed in a university that reflects their own socio-economic and cultural experiences and expectations. This same research goes on to suggest that the attitudes of staff, learning experience and the existence of good peer support networks also contribute to the retention of non-traditional students. With reference to the first of these issues, staff need to be aware of the different social, cultural and academic background of students, to accept and respect students and develop an inclusive model of teaching, learning and assessment.With regards to friends and peers, the research found that these were often the first source of advice and support for students that were considering leaving university. Local students that continued to reside at home, felt that they missed out on being able to access this type of advice. The retention of mature students in HE is affected by issues relating to academic progress, childcare, and employability following graduation (Street-Porter 2000).Wray (2001:3-5) notes that mature students also find that stress is placed upon their relations with partners and families as a result of their decision to study at university. Stress of this nature can often lead to feelings of guilt, especially for female students, as they find that they are unable to “devote the same amounts of time previously given to the role of wife or mother”. Waters and Gibson (2001:22) comment that feelings of guilt will ultimately lead to the

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erosion of a mature student’s self esteem and confidence. Students that lack confidence are also unlikely to seek help and advice from university staff and services. Universities can contribute towards the retention of mature students by (Wray 2001:3-5): Making mature students aware of the possible problems they may face. Make partners and families aware of the demands university places upon students by including them in pre-entry and induction activities. Appoint specialist mature student support tutors on a faculty or school level. Ensure the adequate provision of childcare facilities. Ensure the provision of timetables and where possible that the timetabling of teaching is considerate of the specific needs of mature students within reasonable timeframes to allow students to make informed decisions. As discussed above, finance is highlighted as a significant factor in the withdrawal of all students from HE. Thomas (2001:29-36), for example, found that finance was the main issue of concern for students that dropped out of university. Street-Porter (2000) makes a similar point to this in relation to the withdrawal from university of mature students. Woodrow (2001) links the drop-out of non-traditional students to “regressive funding which penalises them and the HEIs that admit them”. This view is supported by NATFHE (2001:6), which has shown that institutions with the highest rates of student drop-out also have the highest staff-student ratios and the lowest level of income per student. A move towards long-term formula funding for institutions and the provision of adequate maintenance grants for students, are highlighted by Woodrow (2001) as solutions to the current problem of student retention. Table 1:Top Four and Bottom Four Institutions: Drop-Out Rate,Teaching Income Per Student and Number of Students per Academic Staff Institution

Drop-Out Rate (%)

Teaching Income Per Student (£)

Students Per Member of Academic Staff

Cambridge Durham LSE Bristol South Bank North London East London Bolton Institute

1 2 2 2 15 15 15 14

9,019 6,785 7,311 8,497 4,683 4,326 5,212 4,890

9.3 12.6 17.0 17.5 22.7 24.8 23.9 18.4

Source: NATFHE (2001:6)

Research published by the DfEE in 2000 showed levels of student debt had increased and that 10% of both full and part-time students had considered withdrawing from university for financial reasons. Furthermore, 3 out of 5 full time and 2 out of 5 part time students felt that financial difficulties had affected their academic performance (Callender and Kemp 2000:3). A similar point has been made by Humphrey (2000) with regards to the impact of term time employment upon the academic performance of students.The Student Living Report 2001 found that there was no consensus among students that they were seriously worried about their debts, 34% agreed that they were worried, whereas 32% disagreed. Views and opinions on the clarity of the current system of funding for students in HE are less ambiguous, as the majority of people agree that it is complex, confusing and bureaucratic (Williams 2001:9). Brown and Piatt (2001:15-7) argue the system of financial support for non-traditional students must be simplified if non-traditional students are to be encouraged to enter and stay within HE.

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2.4 DfES and HEFCE - current policy and initiatives Current available data (HEFCE 2000) shows that in comparison to other modern industrialised countries, the UK has one of the highest rates of completion (80%) at first-degree level.7 Figures collected by the DfEE shows that rates of non-completion for full time undergraduate students have fluctuated between 14% in 1955 and 19% in 1995/96. In recent years, the rate of non-completion has consistently been between 17-18%. HEFCE (2001c) performance indicators show that in England, the rate of non-continuation following year of entry is 10% for all entrants, 8% for young entrants and 15% for mature students. HEFCE (2001b:2) do not consider the figure of 17% to be unduly high, given the large number of new and diverse students that have recently entered the UK HE sector and that a degree of non-completion is an inevitable feature of all HE systems. However, concerns with rates of student retention and noncompletion have been rising since the rapid expansion of numbers in HE (OECD 1999:93). The DfES recognises these concerns and that for widening participation to be a success, non-traditional students that enter HE must be retained and helped to succeed. Thus, consecutive Secretaries of State for Education have demanded that the funding council should take action to reduce the rate of student retention (Ahmed 2002:4; DfEE 2000:1). HEFCE (2001b:6-7) are tackling the problem of student non-completion via mainstream and special initiative funding.The cost of retaining, as well as recruiting non-traditional students is a built in element of mainstream widening participation funding. As part of this widening participation funding, HEFCE, on an annual basis currently allocates in excess of £26 million for part-time students, £24 million for students from a disadvantaged background and £11 million for mature students. HEFCE also administers Hardship Funds (£57 million), Mature Student Bursaries (£15 million) and Fee Waiver Schemes (£12 million). Special initiative funding (£5 million over 3 years from 1999-2000) is used to support regional partnerships in the area of widening participation and retention. Two-thirds of these partnerships, “address the issue of student retention, either directly (through specific retention strategies) or indirectly (through a range of related activities such as staff development)”. (HEFCE 2001b:6-7) Furthermore, approximately one-third of the special initiative funded regional partnerships are focussed on smoothing the transition of nontraditional students into HE. The collection and dissemination of good practice in student retention and support is also being used by HEFCE to decrease rates of non-completion amongst non-traditional students.Two good practice guides on strategies in widening participation (HEFCE 2001a:35) and teaching and learning (HEFCE 2001d:42) in HE are linked by the theme of ‘student success’. Student success is broader and more strategic concept than student retention. Furthermore, it does not have the same negative connotations as drop-out, withdrawal and non-completion. Diversity in approaches to student success is recognised and accepted by HEFCE, however, the funding council is adamant in believing that student success requires the integration of institutional strategies in widening participation, teaching and learning and staff development.Within each institution, these strategies should recognise each other and the explicit need to retain their students, an objective that may be enhanced by the development and implementation of a specific institution wide retention strategy.

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This data, which was originally compiled by the OECD, also showed that rates of completion were higher in Japan (90%), but lower in France (55%), the United States (63%) and Germany (72%).

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The DfES makes its main contribution to student retention via the provision of financial support to students in England and Wales. Recent changes to the system of loans and fees include: Higher fee, loans and grant rates A higher income threshold for all students The introduction of new grants for students that have children and receive a dependents allowance Bursaries and scholarships of up to £4000, without having student support reduced Opportunity Bursaries of £2000 for young students in disadvantaged areas As a consequence of these changes the DfES estimates that students in 2001/02 will pay £1,075 towards their tuition; half of all students will not have to pay anything, as will some students that attend university on a part-time basis. In addition to loans, other specific grants to cover living costs are available for lone parents and other students to cover the cost of childcare, support of a dependant and the cost of books, equipment and travel expenses (if the student has dependents). Disabled students have access to an allowance that can be used to purchase special equipment and other learning aids. Opportunity Bursaries, Hardship loans and funds and Access Bursaries are available to students from their own university. In response to criticisms that the current system of student financial support is overly complex and bureaucratic, representatives of the DfES state that it does target the most needy students. Furthermore, information on the system of financial support is provided via the Internet and in booklet form to students, universities and other agencies (DfEE 2001). Representatives of the DfES believe that the provision of accurate advice to prospective students as they are considering whether to enter HE is also central to improving student retention.To this end, the DfES is working with schools, careers services and universities to provide children as young as 9 years old with accurate information on what HE is about, so that they can make informed choices about what course and institution is right for them in the future. The DfES funds university Summer Schools as a means of preparing students for entrance to HE, these schools “do not replace the need to ensure that standard induction arrangements cater for the needs of a diverse student population”. (DfEE 2000:2) To this end and as part of the Excellence Challenge, the DfES is working to develop and disseminate materials on preentry activities and advice. 2.5 Regional performance As mentioned above, the rate of non-continuation for full-time undergraduate students in the UK is currently in the region of 17 to 18%. Using current HEFCE performance indicators, the regional average for students failing to complete and withdrawing from HE can be calculated as approximately 8.8%.This figure is below the rate of non-completion for the UK and England. HEIs in the North-East of England perform well against national figures for non-continuation and their own relevant benchmarks (See Table 2). Rates of non-continuation for all first-degree entrants are highest in those institutions (Sunderland and Teesside) that also have the highest intake within the region of students who are from the state education sector, the lowest socio-economic classes and from the lowest participation neighbourhoods in terms of HE.The performance indicators also indicate that the University of Northumbria has been successful in balancing the demands of widening participation and student retention.

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Table 2:Widening Participation and Non-Continuation within HEIs in the North-East of England8 RECRUITMENT

NON-CONTINUATION

Institution

Percentage of students from state schools/ colleges

Percentage of students from social classes IIIM-V

Percentage of students from low participation neighbourhoods

Percentage of students who are at another HEI

Percentage of students who not in HE

All UK HEIs All English HEIs Durham Newcastle Northumbria Sunderland Teesside

85 84 63 66 89 97 97

25 25 13 15 28 39 39

12 12 8 10 17 30 22

3 3 1 3 2 2 2

10 10 4 4 9 14 13

Benchmark for percentage of students who are not in HE

5 6 11 12 13

Source: HEFCE (2001c)

The prevalence of students considering leaving university, obtained from the student survey conducted as part of this research, mirror the performance indicators, in that fewer students at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne considered leaving compared to students at the University of Northumbria, whom in turn had fewer students who considered leaving compared to the University of Sunderland. 15% of students from Newcastle considered leaving compared to 30% from Northumbria and 37% from Sunderland. Statistical analysis shows that there is an association between the institution a student is studying at and whether they have considered leaving university. Fewer students from Newcastle have considered leaving university than one would expect, whereas more students than expected from Northumbria and Sunderland have considered leaving.These variations may be explained by the different compositions of the student populations between the three institutions.The number of students who consider leaving is considerably more for each institution than the number who actually leave according to the performance indicators. This suggests that either the institutions are providing vital support to students who do consider leaving or that the problems students experience that make them consider leaving dissipate. Durham University has one of the highest completion rates in England and their analysis has shown no significant differences in completion rates amongst male/female; state school/independent; low participation neighbourhood/other neighbourhoods; ethnic minorities; mature/young students; and students with a disability. However, significant differences in first year completion rates do exist between the University’s Stockton and Durham City campuses.This difference is attributed to the fact that in past, the Stockton campus was not part of the collegiate system. With regards to widening participation the Open University (OU) as a whole has a very good record. 21% of their young entrants and 14% of their mature entrants enter with no previous HE experience and are from a low participation neighbourhood. However, the University itself acknowledges that rates of non-completion at Level 1 students have to be improved.

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Recruitment statistics are for the year of entry of 1998/99 and retention figures show the percentage of those 1998/99 students who transferred or left HE by 1999/2000.The recruitment figures refer to young full-time entrants; the retention statistics include both young and mature students. The HEFCE performance indicators upon which this table is based, pre-date the impact of any specific widening participation initiatives supported by the current round of funding.

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2.6 Summary In summary, interest in student retention is on the rise, especially with regards to widening participation. Seeing student drop-out as a failure on the part of the student is too simplistic, as research has shown that the causes of student non-completion are both multiple and complex. Financial issues impact upon all students and while the financial position of all students does appear to be worsening, there is no clear evidence to suggest that this is leading to higher rates of student non-completion.What is clear, however, is that widening participation demands a greater focus in student support across the stages of the student lifecycle. How universities in the North-East of England are going about this is discussed at length below through the model of the student lifecycle.

3. PRE-ENTRY ACTIVITIES Collectively, the universities in the North-East of England have recognised the importance of pre-entry activities and their contribution to the retention and success of non-traditional students. Recent research (Connor and Dawson 2001:2) has suggested that pre-entry, issues of concern for students from the lowest socio-economic groups include finance; whether they will be able to cope with the academic pressure of studying at university; gaining the required entry qualifications; the applications process and personal issues (e.g. childcare).Three quarters of full time students that took part in this research did not feel that they received sufficient pre-entry information and advice on financial issues and how much it would cost to be a student. Part time students are also concerned with academic and financial issues prior to entering university. Furthermore, in comparison to full time students, part time students feel that they receive less pre-entry advice and guidance. The contribution of pre-entry activities to progression and student retention has been highlighted in research conducted by Universities Scotland (2001:42) and the NAO (2002:23). Access courses, and in particular summer schools, promote the integration of students into university by familiarising them with the university environment and providing them with essential study skills. All of the HEIs in the North-East of England provide prospective students with the opportunity to attend an access course or attend a summer school. However, before discussing these and other pre-entry activities, it is important to recognise the contribution that initiatives and programmes aimed at raising aspirations of prospective students has on student retention and completion. Research conducted by Universities for the North East in the past has shown that raising the educational aspirations of young people and adults is a priority for universities in the North East of England (Dodgson and Bolam 2000:33-4). Activities in this area include the Meteor Project and Passport Scheme at the University of Teesside, PARTNERS programme at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, the Student Targeted Aspiration Raising Scheme (STARS) at Durham University, the Sunderland University Progression Arrangement (SUPA) and the OU’s Openings Programme.These programmes and initiatives contribute to student retention by exposing their participants to HE, often at a young age and for a considerable period of time. On the basis of this experience, participants should be able to make more realistic and accurate decisions about which university to enter, regardless of whether that is in the local region or not, as well as their chosen course and mode of study.As mentioned above, students that make the right choices with regards to these issues are more likely to succeed in fulfilling their learning aims and objectives in HE.

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3.1 University of Durham The delivery of appropriate academic and pastoral guidance to all prospective and current students is an important strategic policy for the University of Durham. STARS, the University of Durham’s widening participation scheme for young people, includes visits to the campus, a residential summer school, study skills advice and information on applying to enter HE. Feedback from young people that have participated in the scheme suggest that they feel more prepared for and confident about entering university. Members of the student recruitment team at the University of Durham are also very pro-active in supplying prospective students with advice on entering the University. The individual colleges at the University of Durham are also an important source of information, advice and guidance to prospective students. Hatfield College is in regular contact with all new and prospective students prior to their arrival at the college and University. During August, this contact includes sending all new students a copy of the College’s ‘rough guide’. Since his appointment, a senior tutor in St Cuthbert’s Society has been developing links with local FE colleges as a means of making the University of Durham appear more accessible to local mature students.This strategy has included presentations in local colleges on entering HE and a visit to the College/campus for those adults that appear most interested.Via these visits, St Cuthbert’s staff have been able to provide information and advice about all aspects of university life, including guidance on finance and the availability of childcare facilities. Students that show additional interest in applying to Durham are provided with advice on how to complete their UCAS personal statement and a mock interview; all students are interviewed before they are given a place at the college. All of these college based activities help smooth the progression of new young and mature students to the University. Pre-entry activities for mature students at the University of Durham’s Stockton Campus (UDSC) includes open days, taster courses, family learning events and Wednesday for Women, which provides an opportunity for women to experience university. Staff within the Centre for Lifelong Learning and other academic departments are also able to provide advice and guidance to mature and other non-traditional students. In European Studies, for example, a member of staff commented that during the summer she receives a large number of enquires from mature students that have only just decided that they want to attend the University in September. All mature, non-traditional and part-time students attending the Department of Archaeology are interviewed and invited to attend an open day.This department has also appointed a tutor to deal with enquires from prospective part time students. This tutor is also involved in the delivery of pre-entry activities that are designed to raise the profile of the department in the local community as well as providing information and guidance on part time learning opportunities in archaeology. Through the HEFCE/LSC funded Further and Higher project, the University of Durham is working in cooperation with local FE colleges and the local lifelong learning partnership to provide pre-entry advice and information on progression into post-16 education, including HE. One of the most innovative aspects of this project is that much of the advice and guidance is provided via an interactive website. With reference to disabled students, the Durham University Service for Students with Disabilities (DUSSD) is involved in both the access and on-going support of students. The University of Durham’s recruitment strategy states that all prospective disabled students will be offered additional pre-entry advice and guidance so as to ensure that their disability does not act as a barrier to entry. Prior to the

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start of the new academic year, DUSSD receives information on and proceeds to contact all disabled students that have been offered a place at Durham. All of these students receive information on the University, colleges and the services that are provided for disabled students. Students are invited to visit the Durham and Stockton campuses, the latter of which is considered by DUSSD to be more suitable for disabled students. DUSSD works closely with central admissions, academic departments, colleges and other student support services to prepare for the arrival of new disabled students, a process that is helped by the fact that a student’s disability will in most cases be declared on his/her UCAS application. The University of Durham’s Counselling Service works closely with DUSSD to prepare the student and university staff for the arrival of students with a mental illness. 3.2 University of Newcastle upon Tyne Senior staff at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne recognise the vital contribution of pre-entry activities, in particular, the provision of advice and guidance, to the success and retention of the nontraditional students it recruits. The Enquiries Office and Student Recruitment Office provides pre-entry information, advice and guidance to all prospective students.The PARTNERS programme includes a range of pre-entry activities for young people in school years 12 to 13, for example, visits and talks in schools, student shadowing, a taster conference, parents evenings, HE skills events and an assessed summer school for Year 13 pupils. Programme staff and senior management at the University believe that PARTNERS contributes to student retention by exposing prospective students to the University at an early stage and for a prolonged period of time. Statistics show that to date, only 1 out of 61 students to have entered the University via the PARTNERS programme has dropped out of the university early. Across the University, the involvement of the different academic departments in pre-entry activities and the provision of information, advice and guidance is quite extensive. In addition, for example, to the involvement of a majority of academic departments in the PARTNERS programme, many departments participate in a whole range of other campus wide and subject specific pre-entry activities. Campus wide activities, which are organised centrally by the Student Recruitment Office, include Master Classes. Subjective specific activities include the Engineering Education Scheme, Headstart and Mapping the World. Many academic staff agree that these activities do provide a taste of HE, however, they feel that many students are sill unprepared for university life and learning when they enter in September. In response to this situation, new engineering students are sent a maths revision booklet prior to starting at the University. This booklet provides an introduction to the mathematic skills and knowledge that are required during their first year of study. The same academic department is considering pre-start classes in maths for students that enter the University with non-traditional qualifications. The Centre for Lifelong Learning and the Mature Student Support Service are focal points for mature and other non-traditional learners seeking to enter the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. The Centre for Lifelong Learning has a long tradition of providing learning opportunities on a part-time basis and in community settings. Currently, the Centre’s website acts as a central location for information available from around the North-East of England on advice and guidance, study skills, funding and childcare. The Mature Student Support Service provides specific advice on how mature students can begin studying at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Furthermore, the Student Recruitment Office provides a range of opportunities when mature students may visit the University to find out more about degree programmes and available facilities.

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The Counselling Service and Disability Unit at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne are also involved in providing pre-entry information and guidance to prospective students. Students that register their disability on their UCAS application form are referred to the Disability Unit by the admission tutor in each academic department. The Disability Unit will discuss the needs of each student with the relevant academic departments, and in some cases the student may be advised to reconsider studying at Newcastle if their needs cannot be met. All new students are invited to visit the University prior to the start of the academic year and the Disabled Student’s Officer gives a talk on the services provided by the Disability Unit during the summer school. In the future the staff in the Disability Unit are planning to work with the Student Recruitment Office to reach out to a wider group of prospective students. During the summer school and at other open days/taster events, staff from the University Counselling Service also deliver talks to students and parents on preparing for HE and the level of support that is provided to students with mental illnesses and other problems. During these talks, parents, rather than younger prospective students, are often more concerned with the level of support provided by the University. 3.3 University of Northumbria Staff at the University of Northumbria believe that the success of their institution in widening participation and the retention of non-traditional students is based upon ‘good pre-entry work’ with students, clients and partner organisations.The University of Northumbria’s (1996:3) own research into student retention found that more accurate pre-entry advice and guidance could have helped prevent many of the problems that led students to drop-out of the University without completing their studies. The University of Northumbria is in the process of implementing a new Learner and Guidance Support policy.This policy builds upon the University’s recognised strength in supporting students with a range of differing needs.The Learner and Guidance Support policy is also a response to widening participation and other changes in the HE sector.The policy discusses the ethical principles upon which guidance is based, the integration of guidance into teaching and learning, as well as good practice in guidance across the stages of the student lifecycle.The policy sets out examples of good practice in the provision of pre-entry information by all staff.These examples include (University of Northumbria 2001): Ensuring that all prospective students are provided with the opportunity to attend a taster event/open day or take part in student shadowing Highlighting to students the availability of flexible credit based learning opportunities Ensuring that staff and students are briefed on the availability of University support services are further examples of good practice in this area The Department of Student Services at the University of Northumbria plays an important role in ensuring that all students make the right the decisions about attending university.The Access Guidance Centre takes a lead in providing pre-entry information and advice to mature, part-time and community based learners that are interested in attending the University of Northumbria.The Centre has over 4,000 enquires a year, and in addition to providing information and guidance, it offers taster courses and opportunities for student shadowing. Mature students can also attend specially designed modules that are delivered as part of the Summer Programme of pre-entry activities. The University has followed up these modules and other generic taster courses with a drop-in opening evening at which mature students can get specialist information and advice. Mature students that attended these events have found them to be very useful and welcomed the opportunity to meet members of University staff, as well other prospective students. By providing an insight into the University, events of this nature build student confidence and aid retention.

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Representatives of both the Student Counselling Service and Student Welfare Office attend ACE days, open days and other taster events to provide information on applying to and preparing for university. When interviewed a member of the Counselling Service commented that students from the local area found it hard to incorporate themselves into the structures and practices of the University.A member of the student welfare staff commented that her contact with prospective students had increased, during July and August in particular, as a large number of students and their parents dropped into the Student Welfare Office seeking advice. Finance was the main issue of concern for both parents and prospective students. Pre-entry activities in support of disabled students at the University of Northumbria are very similar to those discussed above, in the past for example, the Disabled Students Officer has worked closely with the School of Information Studies to prepare for the arrival of a profoundly deaf student. The Careers Service is seeking a greater role in the provision of advice and guidance to prospective students. In cooperation with the University Marketing Department, the Careers Service is considering the production of a booklet for prospective students that includes careers advice and information on the first destination of graduates.The Schools Liaison Team at the University of Northumbria provides information to young students via ACE days and visits to local schools and colleges. Interviews with representatives of academic departments at the demonstrated that they were all involved in the pre-entry activities and the delivery of pre-entry advice. Staff agreed that the new guidance and learner support policy had helped clarify the role of academic staff and departments in activities of this nature. 3.4 Open University in the North At this early stage of the student lifecycle, the OU’s priority is to manage the entry of new students with regards to their long term success and retention.The specific objectives that relate to this priority activity include meeting the need for prospective students to make informed choices about the right course of study, as well as making students aware of the difficulty of their chosen course and providing information that previews course content (Tresman 2001:36-9). All applications to the OU from students that are disabled or have other special needs are referred to the Special Needs Officer in the regional office for the North. Upon application, all prospective students are asked to indicate if they have any special needs.Any student that does have a special need is asked to provide further information prior to an assessment of what these needs are and how the OU can help fulfil them. Prospective students can experience studying with the OU via the Openings Programme and a collaborative scheme whereby groups of Sixth Form students in a school take an OU course, thereby combining study at school with study at HE level. This scheme was piloted in Monkseaton School Language Centre.The Openings Programme provides prospective students with the opportunity to study short, pre-degree level courses.These courses are designed to develop study skills and provide a taste of studying with the OU. In developing and delivering the Openings Programme the OU has targeted minority ethnic groups, the disabled and lone parents. Furthermore, it has made available financial support for students that are on Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance and other forms of welfare benefit.9 During 2000, 50% of the 68 students that were registered on the Openings Programme in the NorthEast progressed to further study. Furthermore, in collaboration with Newcastle College, the OU in the North has also produced and circulated leaflets that set out how students from FE can progress to

9

Approximately 27% of students on undergraduate courses at the OU received financial assistance from the University.

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studying at the OU. Key staff based in regional centres link with local colleges, adult learning agencies, LSCs and university consortia to encourage progression and participation. 3.5 University of Sunderland Without the provision of pre-entry advice and guidance, senior staff at the University of Sunderland believe that students will not be properly prepared for HE when they enter the University. SUPA is one way in which the University, in partnership with local schools and colleges, is working to provide such advice. In addition to providing information, advice and guidance to young prospective students, SUPA provides an opportunity to visit the main University of Sunderland campus to meet with staff and current students. During the last year, SUPA has been extended to include mature students. Staff in the Centre for Independent and Combined Programmes (CICP) are working with colleagues at City of Sunderland College to prepare GNVQ students for progression to the University. In addition to SUPA, young prospective students receive information, advice and guidance from the Student Recruitment Office, which also maintains a small group of student ambassadors that work with Year 12 and 13 pupils in local schools. 18% of new students enter the University of Sunderland via the clearing system, thus, the Student Recruitment Office also places a great deal of emphasis on making sure that these students have made the right choice. In addition to providing over 70 telephone help lines to deal with enquiries from students during clearing, the Student Recruitment team provide local schools and careers offices with an information pack on the clearing system and the importance of students making the right choice. Students are also encouraged to attend a special university open day for late entrants. Research conducted by the Student Recruitment Office has shown that most students that enter the University via clearing are happy with the level of pre-entry advice that they receive. Staff in the Student Recruitment Office and CICP provide a lot of pre-entry information, advice and guidance to mature, part-time and community based learners.These learners can attend an array of open days and taster events that are delivered on and off campus. In addition to these activities and their inclusion in SUPA, prospective mature students can take part in a student shadowing scheme and attend an Access Open Day. Local mature (and young) students are also invited to attend the University Summer School that includes basic study skills, ICT and numeracy modules. Feedback from staff and students involved in all of these activities has been very positive.The entry and progression of part-time learners to the University is enhanced by part-time student co-ordinators in each of the University’s academic schools. In addition to the off-campus delivery of taster courses and a road show, an adviser on student financial issues holds a weekly advice session at the Learning Place in the centre of Sunderland, the majority of people that attend this session are mature. Information of a similar nature is of course provided to all students, and increasingly parents, at open days, taster events and school/college visits. The Disability Support Team (DST) at the University of Sunderland has a very pro-active approach to supporting students. Pre-entry the support team is contacted by students that have not yet made their final decisions on which university to enter.These students contact the team seeking information on what support the University offers to disabled and dyslexic students. In dealing with these enquires the team provides a lot of generic information and advice on how a disabled student should prepare for entering university, as well as answering specific questions on the University of Sunderland. For people that are intending to study at Sunderland, this information includes a copy of the University’s disability statement, policy and code of practice for students with specific learning difficulties and a resource guide for disabled

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students.This resource guide includes contact names and addresses for members of the DST and school disability support tutors. New and prospective students are advised to visit the University and discuss their own particular needs with DST staff and the disability support tutor that is based in the relevant academic school. The existence of these tutors helps the process of preparing for the arrival of a new disabled student. Prior to entry the DST will try to complete an assessment of a students needs and make alterations to the timetabling and location of lectures/seminars. Unlike other universities around the region, the DST can conduct its own assessments of student needs, a situation which greatly improves the level of pre-entry support that it is able to provide. In addition to their involvement in open days and taster events, interviews with staff in a sample of academic departments at the University have highlighted some interesting pre-entry activities. For example, the Department of Computing has been working with staff in CICP to develop and deliver short courses that prepare students for entry onto degree level ICT courses. The School of Arts, Design and Media interviews all potential students as well as sending all new students a good luck message prior to the arrival of their ‘A’ level examination results. The Department of Chemistry holds between four and five open days a year, at which prospective students are provided with advice and information on course content, future careers and progression to further study. 3.6 University of Teesside The University of Teesside recognises the important contribution of pre-entry activities to its success in facilitating the access and retention of non-traditional students. Indeed, senior staff at the University believe that through the provision of enhanced pre-entry advice and guidance and the development of its Summer College, significant improvements can be made to the support and retention of non-traditional students.The University of Teesside’s Passport Scheme provides young people in participating schools and colleges that have traditionally not considered entering HE with enhanced information, advice and guidance on preparing for and applying to their local university. In line with similar initiatives across the region’s universities, the Passport Scheme also provides young people with the opportunity to visit the University of Teesside campus. In addition to the Passport Scheme, pre-entry activities for young people include open days, colleges visits and a summer school. Furthermore, as part of its involvement in the local Excellence Challenge partnership, the University plans to hold a sixth form conference, Master Classes for gifted and talented students and workshops on the successful completion of UCAS applications.The University of Teesside’s Schools and Colleges Liaison Unit is also an important source of advice and guidance for prospective students. Pre-entry activities for adult and part-time learners at the University of Teesside include taster courses, university visits, Summer College and an access open day. For example, on a annual basis, the University holds 12 advice and guidance days for prospective part-time students. Staff in the Centre of Lifelong Learning comment that students that attend the access open day are interested in finding out about the availability and content of courses as well as careers opportunities after university. Questions and enquiries about financial issues are rare, whilst community learners are interested in finding out whether they can study without having to attend the main university campus.As part of the Progression Pathway’s project (a HEFCE/LSC funded widening participation project) staff from the University’s Centre for Lifelong Learning are monitoring the retention of students that are studying off-campus in community centres. Staff are also focusing on providing community learners with a high level of advice and information, in recognition that in the past, these students have received less guidance than students at

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the main campus. Students that attend the University’s Summer College, which is currently in its fifth year, receive advice and tuition in the necessary skills to enable them to succeed in their chosen area of study. Last year approximately 200 students in total enrolled on the Summer College’s programmes, a large number of which will progress to further learning. Senior staff believe that the Summer College plays an important role in supporting student retention, as the courses are designed to ensure that students do not leave programmes in their first year due to a lack of confidence. The Student Counselling Service at the University of Teesside is not heavily involved in pre-entry activities. Colleagues in other services and academic departments do draw the attention of prospective students to the existence of the service and the level of support that it offers to students. In some cases the parents of new students contact the Counselling Service to find out what level of support is available for their son/daughter. Pre-entry, parents and new students will also often contact student financial advisers to discuss the availability of financial support. In their regular visits to local schools and colleges these financial advisers use real life scenarios to paint a realistic picture of what university involves. It is very rare for these staff to advise someone not to enter university on financial grounds. The Careers Service at Teesside also attend open days and taster events to offer advice on the value of additional qualifications. The Student Support Unit in the Department of Student Services supplies information on entering HE to disabled students and students with other learning difficulties.This information is provided in a range of different formats, including the Internet, audio cassette and enlarged text publications. 3.7 Student opinions and experience Of the students in the surveyed as part of this research report, who considered leaving, considered leaving, 14% stated that this was due to making the wrong choice of course or because they did not like the course.This suggests that pre-entry advice and guidance is essential in helping students make the right choice. 64% of the students surveyed stated that they had received pre-entry advice and guidance before entering university whilst 36% stated they had not received or asked for any such advice or guidance. Table 3 shows that the Careers Service at a student’s school or college is the most common source of pre-entry advice and guidance, this is closely followed by universities, departments and family/friends. Table 3: Common Sources of Pre-entry Advice10 Where students seek advice

Number of students

UCAS University open day/university department Family/friends School/college careers service From school and open day at university Family, school and university School and family Other Total

3 65 47 236 10 8 50 22 441

There are significant associations between a student’s background, whether they are from a disadvantaged group within HE, and their seeking of advice and guidance before they enter university. Fewer students from a widening participation category sought/used pre-entry advice and guidance than would be expected if there was no association between background and seeking pre-entry advice and guidance. They are also less likely to seek/use pre-entry advice and guidance than students who are not from a widening participation category within HE. 10

The total of 441 is lower than the number surveyed because not all students sought or used pre-entry advice and guidance.

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Student opinions on pre-entry advice and guidance activities appear to be quite positive. Over 41% of those surveyed who sought pre-entry advice and guidance found it very useful, 48% found it slightly useful and only 11% found it either not very or not at all useful.This is very positive as it suggests that if students know where to access advice and guidance then it can be beneficial to them in making the right choices. Indeed, there are more students who seek advice and who do not consider leaving than would be expected according to statistical tests. Furthermore, there are significantly more students who do not seek advice but who consider leaving than would be expected. Clearly, seeking pre-entry advice and guidance does have a positive impact on retention. Qualitative information, gathered in focus groups, supports the above statistical analysis.A mature student at the University of Northumbria that took up the opportunity to shadow another mature student believed that it helped them gain a more accurate picture of what HE was about.Young students at both the universities of Durham and Newcastle upon Tyne found that attendance of an open day helped them to make the right decision about which university to enter. Both young and mature students found that the information provided to them by their university was useful, but that at times they received a little too much. A student at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne that took part in the PARTNERS programme commented that it persuaded him to continue his education and enter university. All of the disabled students that attended a focus group at the University of Sunderland spoke highly of the advice and support that was provided to them by staff in the DST. Student opinions and experiences of receiving information and advice on entering HE from school and colleges is very mixed. Mature students at the universities of Northumbria and Newcastle upon Tyne commented that they received a high level of support and guidance from staff in Newcastle and Northumberland colleges respectively. However, two mature students at the University of Northumbria that attended the same college received very different levels of advice. The same is true for students studying on HND courses at a local college; one group of students received no advice at all on progression to HND, while the other had received information on progression to both HND and full degree courses. Clearly, the volume and level of pre-entry advice and support from schools and colleges is very much dependent upon the character and knowledge of the institution, student and staff. Indeed, a member of staff at the University of Northumbria believes that despite widening participation and the Excellence Challenge, the emphasis is still upon individual students to find out what universities have to offer and which are most suited to their needs and objectives. As mentioned, this is a situation, which works in favour of prospective students who have familial experience of HE. 3.8 Summary The level and volume of pre-entry activities conducted by HEIs across the region is very high. Furthermore, statistical analysis shows that these activities do make a positive contribution to retention and success of non-traditional students. Much of the pre-entry information, advice and guidance that is provided by the region’s HEIs is very specific and targeted at different groups of students. However discussions with students suggests that care must be taken not to inundate and confuse them with too much information. Greater emphasis must also be placed on uniformity in the provision of information by schools and colleges. The region’s universities can and are contributing to this by providing schools, colleges and other agencies with information packs and visits.

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4. ADMISSION AND INDUCTION Despite the growing scope of pre-entry activities, for many students, their first experience of HE will come with their admission and induction into university. Traditionally, the admissions and induction process in HE has mixed a range of administrative (e.g. registration) and social activities (e.g. Freshers Week), the latter of which will often be centred around the students’ union. However, as the range of students entering university has increased, the relevance of the traditional induction and admissions process has been increasingly questioned. A representative of Action on Access has commented that the induction process is currently centred upon meeting the needs of the institution, rather than those of the student.These needs include being supplied with information that is accurate, standardised and specific in a manner that recognises that induction can be a disorientating and confusing process for many students. To this end, universities should consider assigning a mentor to all new students, while HEFCE are developing a serious of good practice guides on induction and the content of student handbooks. The QAA has also recently considered good practice in HE with regards to the recruitment and admission of students. The QAA (2001a:6) recommends that, “institutions should explain to successful applicants their arrangements for enrolment, registration, induction and orientation of new students, these promote efficient and effective means of integrating students”. Institutions, should, in particular, recognise the differing needs of students - full time, part time, disabled, mature and minority ethnic. Furthermore, institutions need to work towards the early identification of students that require special or additional learning support, so that this support can be arranged and supplied at an early stage. QAA also suggests that universities should make readily available information relating to the institution, faculty and department in which a student is studying; learning support; personal student welfare and personal development planning. 4.1 University of Durham The University of Durham’s seventeen colleges play a significant role in the admission and induction of new students.A senior member of staff believes that the sense of community that is created by and exists within each college smoothes the progression of new students from school/college to HE. At Hatfield College, induction begins with the arrival of most new students on ‘Freshers Sunday’. On arrival, new students receive the name of their college tutor, a detailed information pack and meet their ‘college buddy’ (i.e. current second year students that act as mentors for new first year students). On ‘Freshers Sunday’ college staff and tutors also meet with the parents of the new students, an event which is described by Hatfield’s senior tutor as a ‘symbolic handover’. Current students, rather than college staff, take a lead in the three to four days of activities that follow ‘Freshers Sunday’, something that the new students appreciate. During their first week at college, new students will also meet with their college tutor, in a group, rather than on a one-to-one format.When asked to reflect on their experience of the college induction week, many current Hatfield students commented that they found the whole process and the college itself, to be quite intimidating at first. These students also commented on the speed at which their first week passed and how they were very busy taking part in different college activities and meeting new friends. One student commented that only after he had attended matriculation in Durham Cathedral did he feel part of the college and University.

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On behalf of the University as a whole, St Cuthbert’s College organises a two-day residential induction conference for new mature students.The conference includes a general introduction to HE, college and University, including making students aware of the possible problems that they may encounter in their relationship with current partners, wives and husbands. New mature students are encouraged to inform personal tutors/counselling staff as soon as they occur so that the University can respond. Reflecting on the content and purpose of this particular induction conference for mature students, Wray (2001:3) comments that, “it seems that the University of Durham believes that, if the students are made more aware that these, and other such problems, can be encountered then the eventual outcomes may not be so serious.” Staff and students at the University of Durham have commented that departmental induction processes differ greatly. In the Department of European Studies the induction process lasts for three days. The majority of this period - two days - is spent introducing new students to the general structures and mechanisms of the university. A single day of the induction process relates specifically to the European Studies degree programme. All new European Studies students receive a detailed course handbook and induction pack. In the Department of Politics new students have, in the past, received instruction in making lecture notes, participating in tutorials, finding information in the library and writing essays. In the case of Department of Archaeology, a recent QAA (2000a:6-7) subject review notes that “good information, including the Department’s expectations, is provided to students through the departmental student handbook, and students are clearly aware of its contents.” The central student services at the University of Durham are also involved in the induction of new students. Staff in the Counselling Service, for example, will attend and give talks at events organised by the University’s departments, colleges and Students’ Union. These talks concentrate an introducing the Counselling Service to the students as well as providing basic information and advice. Both the Counselling Service and DUSSD send information to academic and college staff as a means of reminding everyone of the services they provide. DUSSD staff comment that as a result of these talks and presentations that they will pick up students that had not declared their disability upon applying to the University or did not realise that they qualified to receive support. 4.2 University of Newcastle upon Tyne There is a designated induction week for all new students at the University of Newcastle, the purpose and structure of which is currently subject to review. This review is being undertaken with a view to establishing the procedures and structures of support that continue beyond the first week of term, as well as recognising the differing needs and anxieties of non-traditional students. On a strategic level, the University of Newcastle upon Tyne is also looking at ways in which welfare and disability awareness can be further included in the induction process. Currently, all new students receive information on the availability of the student support services that are provided by the University. Representatives of the Counselling Service also give talks to new students at faculty and departmental induction events. In recognition of the differing needs of mature students, the Counselling Service gives a separate induction talk to this particular group of students. New mature students are also invited to attend an induction event to find out more about the available services and meet other new students.

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In addition to these support services, the Union Society and Student Advice Centre also provide information and advice to new students during the University’s induction week. A member of academic staff at Newcastle commented that the Students’ Union has taken over the induction week, thus, the academic departments cannot spend as much time as they would like discussing and introducing students to academic issues. This same member of staff believes that Freshers Week currently excludes mature, disabled and ethnic minority students, a situation that acts as a division within their own department, especially when students are expected to work together. As well as including a general introduction to the department, induction activities in the departments of Management and Engineering at the University of Newcastle includes study skills units and an introduction to ICT. In the Department of Agriculture “students value the comprehensive induction week which provides an introduction to the library, computer facilities, welfare and careers services. Students returning from second and third years also benefit from their participation in induction activities.” (QAA 1998a:7) A review of the induction process in the Anatomy and Physiology department, which are similar in orientation as those mentioned above, notes that the induction week is important for introducing students to their programme of study and for preparing them for student centred learning. (QAA 1999:6) 4.3 University of Northumbria The University of Northumbria’s own research has recognised the importance of the induction process to the retention and success of its students. Furthermore, staff at the University of Northumbria believe that induction should be targeted to meet the differing needs of traditional and non-traditional students. Staff in the Access and Continuing Education Service (ACES) are particularly interested in the progression and induction of mature students into the University. Prior to the start of the new academic year, ACES organises an induction event for new mature students and their partners.The aim of this event is to make students and their families feel welcome and to raise their awareness of what university is about. At this event mature students are also encouraged to seek support and not to feel guilty about seeking the advice of staff. Overall, this event is designed to make students feel that they belong at the University, something that in itself makes an important contribution to student retention. In addition to ACES, many of the other student support services at the University are involved in the induction of students.The Student Welfare Office, for example, plays an active role in Freshers Week and other induction activities.A senior member of the student welfare staff commented that when she meets with students during induction she encourages them to be pro-active and to take responsibility for their own learning and actions at University. A member of the Student Counselling Service staff believes that it takes much longer than a week or month for a new student to be properly inducted into the University. Throughout the whole of their first year, new students will be incorporating themselves into the University; local, mature students often have the greatest difficulty in doing this. Interviews with academic staff, as well as recent QAA subject reviews show that induction activities on a departmental level at the University do recognise the differing needs of students. Research conducted by the University of Northumbria has also highlighted the contribution to retention of induction at the lowest - i.e. faculty/departmental - level. Furthermore, via its Learner and Guidance Support policy, the University is aiming to standardise the induction process across each of its academic departments and schools. According to the policy, good practice in this area includes welcome events, including provision for particular types of students (e.g. mature); an early meeting in Freshers Week with their guidance tutor

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and tutor group; information on learning and support facilities; small group activities and projects which encourage both social and academic integration and the recruitment of Level 2 and 3 students as mentors for new Level 1 students. 4.4 Open University in the North In the case of the OU, induction activities begin with the completion of a student’s registration and payment of fees. In between this stage and the subsequent ‘course start’ stage, the OU looses approximately 9,000 students. During this period therefore, the strategic objective of the OU is to develop an early relationship with new students, via early contact between students and tutors. At this stage of the student lifecycle tutors are also directed to provide students with further essential, coherent information to embark on the course, thus avoiding information overload (Tresman 2001:38).As a means of facilitating the integration of new students into the University, the OU in the North has introduced a series of induction events in central community locations around the region. These events include information and workshops on student support, distance learning and time management. With the beginning of a new course, the OU’s NSRP recommends that induction activities should include peer mentoring and further contact between students and tutors. Furthermore, at this stage of the student lifecycle, the OU places an emphasis on feeling integrated into and valued as a member of the academic community.The University also recognises the impact of external factors upon the decision of a student to stay or withdraw at this early stage. Positive factors include having the support of friends, employers and family. Negative factors include problems relating to the balancing of study with work and family activities, as well as a mismatch between a student’s expectations and the reality of their chosen course. 4.5 University of Sunderland As part of its Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategy, the University of Sunderland is constantly seeking to improve its system of induction for students on an annual basis. With specific regards to widening participation and student retention, a senior member of staff has noted that the University is seeking to ensure that the induction process is welcoming to all students, especially those that have entered via clearing, and therefore are unlikely to have visited the University before. The student recruitment team at Sunderland has a key role in the development and delivery of induction activities for students. For example, the recruitment team supplies induction packs to all students, as well as organising ‘meet and greet sessions’ and orientation events. Research conducted by the student recruitment team in the past has shown that students feel that they are provided with too much information, too quickly during Freshers Week. Therefore, the student recruitment team reduced the amount of generic information they provide to students and began to work instead with the University’s academic departments to provide programme specific induction material. During Freshers Week, the student recruitment team office acts as a single, visible point of information for new students. Prior to Freshers Week, the student recruitment team organises a separate induction event for mature students. This event provides mature students with an opportunity to ask questions and get information on finance, childcare, and other services. Current mature students are also available at this event to answer questions and chat with new students.

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A number of other University services are involved in providing new students with information during the induction period.As part of its pro-active approach to supporting students, the Student Welfare Office provides new students with information on the services they provide and financial issues, for which there is a great deal of demand.The Student Welfare Office also encourages students to seek help and support as and when a problem occurs. Prior to entry, new disabled students are provided with a resource guide that includes information on what to expect during Freshers Week and the importance of completing registration. All students can seek information and advice on course/degree registration from the Programmes Unit. The Students’ Union at Sunderland is also an important source of information and advice for new students, indeed, its contribution to the induction and retention of students is recognised at a senior level. In the Department of Engineering, all new students are provided with an induction pack, which includes information on the University and their specific degree programme. Students also split into small groups for meetings with programme leader and more specific information on chosen programme of study. Activities in the School of Arts, Design and Media are very similar, but also include a study skills element. In CICP, staff meet with all new students during induction to offer advice on module and programme choice. 4.6 University of Teesside The University of Teesside’s widening participation and Learning Teaching and Assessment strategies (LTAS) recognise the importance of the induction process and its contribution to student retention.The aim of the First Year Experience, which is one of four priorities within the University’s LTAS, is to improve retention rates and the quality of the student learning experience for all new first year students. Research conducted by the University in the past found that mature students find the first few days at university to be both stressful and disorientating. In response to this,Teesside now holds a specialist induction event for mature students - Older and Bolder Day. Feedback from attendees has been very good, with students valuing the opportunity to meet staff, existing students and form peer networks.The University aims to build on this success and increase the number of mature students that attend the event. Retention of mature students and their experience of induction, has improved significantly as a consequence of this. The University of Teesside’s financial advisers (which are based in the Students’ Union’s Advice Centre and Student Services) have a great deal of involvement in induction activities. During Freshers Week, for example, the financial advisers organise a finance day to inform students about various issues, including, the management of budgets. Via these talks and presentations, as well as a large amount of other literature, the financial advisers ensure that new students are provided with a realistic picture of what financial support is available to them. Counselling Service staff at the University also deliver a range of talks and presentations during induction, these talks are designed to raise student awareness of the services that they offer. In comparison, the Careers Service at Teesside has a more limited role in the induction of new students, as staff have found that they generally are not interested in their careers as they start at a new university.

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4.7 Student opinions and experience A majority of students that attended focus groups organised by the research team were satisfied with their induction into HE.As mentioned above, students at Hatfield College felt part of their institution after three to four days of extensive activity. Students at the University of Newcastle who entered HE via the PARTNERS scheme found that they were very familiar with their new institution, as result of the time they had spent at the institution as part of the programme. Pre-entry activities at the universities of Northumbria, Sunderland and Teesside also appear to have succeeded in easing the transition to university for both young and mature students. In the case of mature students at the University of Northumbria, for example, mature students that had not attended the university pre-entry, spoke highly of the special induction activities for mature students. One student commented that the induction day for mature students ‘put her at ease’ about entering university and that it provided her with ‘a lot of practical advice’ on how to fit into her new surroundings. Mature students at the universities of Northumbria and Newcastle agreed that it would be useful if institutions could provide them with timetable information earlier than the start of term, so that they could arrange childcare and working hours. The support of peers, for example, roommates in Hatfield College, or other local students at the University of Newcastle, also contributed to the integration of new students. One issue for universities to be aware is that a large number of students felt that they were given too much information during the induction period at their chosen university. 4.8 Summary The region’s universities have clearly responded to the differing needs of non-traditional students vis-avis their induction and admission into HE. For example, the 5 campus based institutions in the North-East hold special induction events and activities for mature students.The OU has also recognised the need to provide induction activities for distance learners. It is also encouraging to see that induction activities are campus wide, in that they involve both academic and non-academic staff.

5. FIRST SEMESTER AND MOVING THROUGH The first semester is recognised as a key stage in the student lifecycle, as it is during this period that a new student is most likely to drop-out of university. Beyond this stage, it is important that students are provided with and have access to a high level of continuous support. Research conducted by Unis4Ne in the past found that the region’s universities do provide such support and that it reflects national principles of good practice in that they are holistic, integrated and pro-active. This support is provided by both specialist staff in student services and academic tutors, indeed, recent research has described the academic tutor as the “mainstay of student support.”(Borland and James 1999:87) New national legislation (e.g. the Disability Discrimination Act) and regulations of good practice have prompted universities to revise and review these practices. Borland and James (1999:87) suggest that disabled students often feel worse than non-disabled colleagues when it comes to their ability to be able to access student support. In supporting students, all of the region’s universities work closely with their Students’ Union. Students’ Unions contribute to student retention by providing a range of services that include advice and guidance on student welfare, childcare and a student job shop. Regionally, however, there are large disparities in the scope and scale of the services provided by Student’s Unions. For example, the Students’ Union at

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Teesside University is able to run and staff a large student advice centre, while the Students’ Union at UNN lacks the resources to employ a professional student adviser/councillor. The student support services operated by Students’ Unions supplement and complement those offered centrally by the region’s universities. Most importantly, good and clear lines of communication exist between the Students’ Unions and university student support staff. Thus, student support staff within Students’ Unions and central university services will refer students to each other. 5.1 University of Durham Supporting their students, so that they can gain the maximum benefit from their time in HE, is a strategic objective of the University of Durham.The main sources of on-going support for students at Durham are academic departments, central student services and the colleges.The close personal support provided by the University’s seventeen colleges is a key factor in Durham’s high rate of student retention.Within each college, support for students is available from the head of college, resident tutors, personal tutors, chaplaincy, support officer, Junior Common Room presidents and Junior Common Room sabbatical officers. A senior member of staff at Durham has commented that the collegiate system creates a sense of community that fosters networks of peer support, as a result of this, college staff are able pick up on the needs of their students.Two new colleges have been established at the UDSC in the belief that they will contribute positively to student retention. From 2001-02 all new first year students will join a college and in doing so will receive more direct support. In Hatfield College, the college tutorial system is described by a senior member of college staff as being at the heart of what the college does in support of students. The college tries to be pro-active in its support of students, for example, the University’s ‘keeping of terms’ system is used to monitor the well being and progress of students. Issues relating to time-management, academic motivation and finance are all problems for students within the college. Students with financial problems are encouraged to apply to the college’s access and hardship fund and/or take-up employment within the college. In special circumstances, the college has made financial awards on the basis of academic excellence. Again, a senior member of staff at Hatfield believes that having some prior experience of HE, either through friends or family, is an important contributory factor to student success and happiness. Student’s without this experience take longer to integrate into university as they do not know what to expect. Staff in St Cuthbert’s Society estimated that 10% of new students will have some kind of problem and that 10% of these will be serious. Student’s at the college have access to a network of support that is similar to that which is provided in Hatfield College. Furthermore, the college has recently appointed a full time student support officer that is designated to offer advice in such areas as money management. Staff in St Cuthbert’s Society are also considering ways in which they can be more pro-active with regards to student support and retention. For example, the staff have built close relations with Durham University Students’ Union, as well as holding advice and guidance sessions in the college bar and other areas in which students congregate. The central student support services at Durham include the Counselling Service, DUSSD, welfare and education/welfare advisors and a self-contained student welfare office at the UDSC. The Counselling Service at Durham is open all year, during which time it delivers between 75 and 90 hours of support a week.The aim of the service is to keep both students and staff safe from harm, by offering advice on both a one-to-one and group basis.The Counselling Service also provides a lot of information via leaflets and

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other literature, and is experimenting with the development of on-line counselling in special circumstances for students that are unable to travel to the main campus. The head of the Counselling Service is a great believer in students being referred to the service by their college and academic department. With specific regards to student retention, 15.5% of the Counselling Service clients during the 1999-00 period said that the service played an important role in persuading them to continue at university (50% said they would have stayed regardless). In cases where the student does wish to leave university, the Counselling Service will work with them, their college and department to design a proper exit strategy which covers future choices and opportunities. Since 1978, DUSSD has expanded in support of the 5% of the student population at Durham that has a declared disability. During the period 1999-2000, DUSSD helped 430 students via individual meetings, a comprehensive website, a newsletter and weekly drop-in sessions. DUSSD also co-ordinated support for students in departments, colleges and library. DUSSD work’s closely with the academic departments to raise awareness about different disabilities amongst staff, and also produce a comprehensive staff handbook on teaching disabled students. This handbook suggests that the best source of help for a student is contact with a sympathetic member of staff. Furthermore, the handbook notes that while there is very little real discrimination against disabled students at Durham,“there are still too many cases where there has been a lack of awareness of the implications of disability.” (University of Durham 2001:6) Overall, however, the QAA has praised DUSSD and the University of Durham’s policy and practice towards disabled students. Table 4: Retention Statistics for Students that have used Durham University Service for Students with Disabilities. 1998-99

Number of DUSSD students Number of students that have withdrawn during year Percentage of total number Number of students that have withdrawn at/near start of year Number of students that have returned in following years Number at UDSC Percentage of students at UDSC of total number withdrawn

14 (1 died) 3.8 2 4 4 28.6

1999-00 26 6 4 3 11 42.3

Source: University of Durham (2001a:3)

Departments are the main source of academic support to students at the University of Durham. All academic departments operate a tutorial system, however, a senior member of the University notes that it is an ‘informal’ system in that it is up to individual students to take advantage of it. Other University wide developments in the area of academic support to students include the introduction of student progress files, the rewarding of intermediate awards and Durham University On-Line (DUO), a learning environment for teaching and learning which will improve contact between students and tutors, especially for part time and distance learning students. A recent QAA (2000a:6) review of the Department of Archaeology noted that students were very satisfied with the level of academic support provided by their tutors and department as whole. The University’s ‘keeping of terms’ system is used by the Department of Archaeology (and all others at the University of Durham) to identify students at risk through poor attendance and the non-submission of required work. As mentioned above in the context of Hatfield College, finance is a concern for many students at the University of Durham. Indeed, on all levels, staff at the University believe that growing financial pressures are the main concern for students considering leaving the University. In recognition of this, the University

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is seeking to provide greater levels of financial support to students from a disadvantaged background.An example of such support is the Targeted Bursary Scheme for applicants to the University from schools in the North-East of England.This scheme guarantees a bursary of £500 to students that have been assessed by their LEA as not being able to pay a personal contribution to their tuition fee. Staff in the Department of European Studies and Counselling Service also note that mature students attending the University are concerned by issues relating to childcare and the culture shock of entering HE. Student support staff at the UDSC, believe that this is a particular problem for young adult males from the local area, a group of students that are also generally unwilling to seek support. Currently, the University operates a day-care nursery and vacation play scheme, however, certain staff believe that the provision of childcare is woefully inadequate. The teaching and academic/pastoral support of part-time students is a contentious issue for some staff at the University of Durham. Following changes in the Centre for Lifelong Learning, one member of staff describes part-time students as having been ‘cast out’ into the University with little consideration for their support.The Department of Archaeology has appointed a part-time students’ tutor to both recruit and retain students.To date, most of the problems for these students have related to examinations and their general academic progress, not finance. 5.2 University of Newcastle upon Tyne In response to widening participation, the University of Newcastle is in the process of updating its systems of student support and approaches to teaching and learning. Senior staff within the University recognise that this action must be taken to facilitate the retention and success of non-traditional students post-entry, otherwise, the University’s good record in retaining students will be in danger of erosion.The University of Newcastle’s widening participation plan recognises the importance of supporting non-traditional students during their first semester/year within the university. New students that attend the University, but continue to live at home in the local area have been identified by staff as being particularly at risk of dropping out at an early stage of their studies. In response to this, the University of Newcastle is considering ways in which the support needs of these and other students can be identified at an early stage. For example, the University is considering the introduction of diagnostic tests for new students that will assess their need for learning support.The Department of Engineering Mathematics at Newcastle currently holds diagnostic tests of this nature for new students.The University is also reviewing teaching content and practices during semester one so that they better reflect the different needs and experiences of all students. In addition to local students, the University of Newcastle is also particularly concerned with the experience during semester one of mature students and students that have progressed to university from FE. In support of mature students, the University operates the Mature Student Mentoring by University Students (MASMUS) scheme, which pairs new mature students with a trained second year mature student mentor who is able to offer advice and guidance on an informal basis. As part of the Tyne and Wear HEFCE/LSC funded project, research on the progression of FE students into HE has been conducted at the University of Newcastle. Just below 40% of the students that took part in this research described their early experience of HE as being quite difficult. Approximately 70% of these student believed that they had received enough support in terms of teaching and learning, and many had also sought financial advice from the University.The University is considering ways in which its support for FE students can be developed in the future, including, the use of Blackboard to support continuity in student support during the transition from FE to HE.

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A full range of student support services are available to students at the University of Newcastle. These services include a Student Advice Centre, the Student Counselling Service, the Disability Support Service, the Mature Student Support Service and the UNCLE (University of Newcastle Children’s Loan Equipment) scheme. Information on all of these services is easily accessible to students via the University of Newcastle’s website. Specific support for non-traditional students includes a telephone help-line for mature students that is ran by the Student Advice Centre in conjunction with Mature Student Support Service.The telephone help-line operates between 5 and 7 pm on Tuesday during term time, at the same time on a Wednesday mature students can attend a drop-in session. Between 10 am and 4 pm on a Friday, mature students can meet with the Mature Students Support Officer. Guides, a website and financial support is also available for mature students. During the course of a academic year, a large number of mature students also attend the Student Counselling Service. In comparison, the Counselling Services sees a small number of first year students whose expectations of university have not been met, something which counselling staff believe indicates the growing effectiveness of the University’s pre-entry activities. In addition to providing on-going advice and guidance, the University of Newcastle’s Disability Support Officer and Service arrange assessments of students needs, advise on financial support arrangements and provide access to equipment and software in a resource room.Approximately 245 students are registered with the service, a majority of which are suffering from dyslexia. In light of this, the University employs a full time dyslexia advisor.A large number of students that are registered with service will also seek advice from it on more general academic and pastoral issues. All students that attend the University of Newcastle are assigned a personal tutor. Information on the personal tutor system is made available to all students via their own academic department and University of Newcastle website. As part of its widening participation strategy, the University is to undertake a review of the role, responsibilities and training of personal tutors, especially those that teach a high proportion of new students.The PADSHE system helps tutors and academic departments to monitor the progress and success of students. Developments in the on-line support of students also supplements the work of personal tutors and departments in providing advice and study skills. For example, the University is seeking to provide a Blackboard on-line support system for non-traditional students that would include study skills modules; financial guidance and help; revision techniques; links to support networks and a student chat-room. New ICT systems are used to monitor and track the progress of students that enter the University via the PARTNERS programme. 5.3 University of Northumbria Research conducted by the University of Northumbria (1996:3) in the past showed that just over 4% of the 1994-95 student cohort withdrew without completing their studies. A large proportion of these students withdrew during the early stages (i.e. semester one) of their studies at Northumbria.The pattern by which a student decided to leave the University of Northumbria early was similar for many students, beginning with poor initial guidance, leading to unfulfilled expectations, combining with other personal pressures, for which too little support was received, too late and resulting in withdrawal. When considering withdrawal, friends and family were the most popular source of advice for students, 39% of students turned to the their personal tutor and only 6% of students visited specialist support staff. Full time students found it easier to seek help and advice from staff than part-time students.

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Since the above research was completed, the University of Northumbria has thoroughly revised and implemented a campus wide Learner and Guidance Support policy. With reference to guidance and support during the ‘moving through’ stage of the lifecycles, the policy document states that good practice involves (University of Northumbria 2001:4): Identifying key points when guidance interventions are essential Knowledge of specialist support services for appropriate referrals Offering programmes beginning in semester one, level one - to develop the key skills of study, self management, working with others, communication, IT, use and application of mathematics and to provide opportunity to share anxieties, expectations and experiences of HE Development of student mentoring schemes and relevant training Having a comprehensive guidance tutoring system The Learner and Guidance Support policy states that guidance tutoring “lies at the heart of the University’s on-course guidance support system. It plays an essential part in the academic, personal and professional development of students and in the quality of their learning experiences. It is an integral element of the teaching responsibility.” (University of Northumbria 2001:5) The role of the guidance tutor and good practice in their helping students with differing needs to succeed is set out in detail in a handbook for tutors that accompanies the Learner and Guidance Support policy. The tutors handbook includes sections on managing student progress files, when guidance tutorials should be held for Level 1, 2 and 3 students; additional ways of tutoring, issues in guidance tutoring, skills needed to help students take responsibility for their own progress, difficult moments in tutoring, guidelines on the referral of students; and meeting the challenge of academic and student diversity. This later section includes a discussion of how to support part-time, distance learning, mature and disabled students. Academic staff across a range of departments at Northumbria comment that both the Tutor Handbook and Learner and Guidance Support policy have clarified what the role of the personal tutor should be and has personalised the level of support through, for example, the introduction of student progress files. QAA subject review reports of Politics, Librarianship and Information Management and Psychology all speak highly of the support and guidance that is provided to students. In the case of Politics for example, the QAA (2001b) subject review report states that, “the Division has an effective system of student support and guidance, students that do not attend [meetings with their guidance tutor] are rigorously followed up by letter and telephone. Full and part time students report satisfaction with the approachability and accessibility of staff.” Problems with the retention of Level 1 students in Librarianship and Information Management have been solved by monitoring attendance and increasing levels of student support during the first semester.The School has, in particular, introduced group tutorials as a means of fostering networks of peer support and appointed tutors to foster the development of part-time students. Senior academic staff in the School of Humanities and the School of Social, Political and Economic Sciences believe that when students do withdraw it is because of problems and pressures relating to finance and debt, issues over which the School and University have very little control. A member of staff in Librarianship and Information Management also believes that the need for students to work on a parttime basis when studying detracts from their experience of being in HE. In some cases, students have been unable to attend seminars and lectures because of work commitments. Research conducted by the Northern Economic Research Unit (NERU) at the University of Northumbria found that 46% of full time

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undergraduates at Northumbria were engaged in part-time work. Furthermore, students from less well off backgrounds worked an average of 12 hours per week. The NERU research also found that a correlation existed between the uptake of part time work and declining academic performance. The Department of Student Services at the University of Northumbria includes the Disability Support Service, the Student Welfare and Finance Officer, the Counselling Service, Careers Service, the Access and Continuing Education Service and the Study Skills Centre. Information on all of these services, as well as advice and guidance can be accessed by students via the University of Northumbria website.The Disability Support Service provides advice and guidance to students that are disabled, deaf and hard of hearing and dyslexic. Dyslexic students make up the bulk of disabled students at the University and support for them is well established across the campus. This support includes specialist software in the University’s Study Skills Centre, a Dyslexia Support Group and informing and advising lectures on how they can support dyslexic students. As a result of new national legislation, all University staff have had to become more aware of the needs of dyslexic, deaf and disabled students, as a result of this the amount of staff development undertaken by the Disability Support Service has steadily increased. Finance is an important issue for disabled students, in particular, the slowness of the application procedure for Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA).The Disability Support Service is able to offer advice on applying for and managing DSA, but it is unable to speed the up the process of carrying out assessments of students’ needs. The Student Welfare Office also supports students in a variety of different ways, however, the majority of its clients are seeking help and advice with their financial affairs. Staff in the Student Welfare Office agree that finance is the main issue for students with regards to retention and non-completion at the University of Northumbria. The Student Welfare Officer administers DfES funds for students, as well as the Universities own Access Fund and Hardship Loans. In addition to helping students apply for different forms of financial support, the Student Welfare Office provides information on managing a budget and financial planning. Furthermore, staff from the Student Welfare Office have met with local banks so that they are better informed about the poor financial position that many students find themselves in.Although the financial position for many students at the University may be very poor, a senior member of the student Welfare Office commented that the number of students leaving the University for financial reasons is still relatively small. Unfortunately, because of the amount of time spent by staff in the Student Welfare Office working with students on financial issues, time spent on more general welfare issues has declined. The University of Northumbria’s Counselling Service is open to students throughout the academic year, major holiday periods and the summer. The majority of the Counselling Services’ work is done with individual students on a one-to-one basis. However, the Counselling Service has began to provide a growing number of sessions to staff and students on common issues. The Counselling Service has also played a role in the development and implementation of the University’s Learner and Guidance Support policy.The Head of the Counselling Service believes that the first 4 to 6 weeks of the academic year are vital for identifying new students that are at risk or considering withdrawing. The University has a ‘duty of care’ to assess and support these students, as well as the growing number of students that are entering the University with mental health related illnesses. Staff in ACES believe that the transition to teaching and learning in HE is the main problem for mature students. In addition to the pre-entry and induction activities discussed above, ACES help new mature students overcome this problem by providing on-going advice to students. Finance, the availability of childcare and relationship problems are also issues concern for mature students that are considering

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leaving the University. Through its involvement in the Tyne and Wear FE/HE projects, the University of Northumbria has also developed structures to support the progression of FE students into HE. In addition to the above structures and systems of academic and pastoral student support, the University of Northumbria believes that student retention is and can be further facilitated via the provision of flexible learning opportunities and curricula. The Credit Accumulation and Transfer System (CATS) is a current example of the flexible learning opportunities provided by the University of Northumbria. CATS, which is ran via ACES is described as an enabling programme which allows students to study courses of their own choice at a pace which is also convenient/suitable for them. 5.4 The Open University in the North Currently, 180,000 students are enrolled with the OU, 37.9% (18,233) of these students have low or no previous educational qualifications. 5.6% (7,000) of the current student body are disabled or have some other special needs. A large number of new students also fail to complete their studies with the OU, in 1997/98 for example, 51,000 new students began courses with the OU, but only 31,000 completed their studies and only 28,000 passed their final examinations. Research conducted as part of the OU’s NSRP found that “workload, density of concepts being taught, pace and manageability of study and the poor management of student expectations about time needed for study” were the main factors that led a student to drop-out of their studies with the OU (Tresman 2001:45). In response to this, the NSRP proposes key activities and developments in the delivery of academic/pastoral support, the curriculum and system of flexible learning and the monitoring of tracking of students. The OU’s national and international reputation for student support is based around the work of its individual associate lecturers.Through distance and personal contact with students the associate lecturers provide academic advice and help students become effective learners. Furthermore, the associate lectures monitor the progress of their students and evaluate their need for additional support and guidance. Associate lectures that teach on Level 1 designated courses have an additional tutor-counsellor role that involves providing new students with an induction to the OU, helping students to develop appropriate learning skills, preparing students for the attendance of residential schools and examinations, the provision of advice on future course choice and acting as a personal point of contact for students previously allocated for counselling and referring them to student services for more specialist information (Open University 2001:6) The NSRP proposes a more pro-active role for associate lecturers in the future, especially with regards to the provision of advice and guidance to students during the early stages of the academic year, exam feedback and increased flexibility in the setting deadlines for the submission of assessed work and timetables of study.The idea behind these recommendations is that individual associate lectures will have greater scope to react to the different, changing needs of their students. In short, the level of support they provided should be of a more personal and specific nature. Student Services, located at the OU in the North office, supports students by offering advice and guidance, as well providing fee waivers, textbooks and access to PCs to eligible students, such as the financially disadvantaged. In light of widening participation and the increasingly diverse nature of its students, the OU has recognised that it must take due care of their needs and not overload students with excessive levels of support material. On a national level, on-going support for disabled students and those with special needs is co-ordinated by the Disabled Student Services Section. In the North-East and on a regional level around the country, the needs of these students are taken care of by the Special Needs

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Officer.A guide for students, Meeting Your Needs, sets out the level and type of support that is available to students, depending upon their disability/special need.This support includes special arrangements for the submission of assessed work and attendance of residential schools and access to assistive technologies, via the Access Technology Loan Scheme. In the future, the OU is committed to expanding the level of services it provides to disabled and special needs. Documentation relating to the OU’s NSRP (Tresman 2001:43) states that, “significant numbers of students on their first Level 1 course withdraw before the end of the course, but almost a third of these have completed 3 or more pieces of assessed work.” The NSRP proposes to ‘reward and rescue’ these students by further developing the OU’s flexible curriculum. This curriculum, together with the OU’s pedagogy, is designed to aid the success and progression of non-traditional students.The NSRP proposes that in the future, students who encountered significant difficulties during the course of their studies should be able to suspend their studies and rejoin the course at a later date having ‘banked’ their completed credits and assessments. Furthermore,“significant slices of work leading to a meaningful suite of learning outcomes gained part-way through a long course would be rewarded with appropriate credit at that point.The invitation would be extended to rejoin the second half of the course.”(Tresman 2001:44) Access to a large central database of students and their needs already assists OU staff to support the institutions learners. The NSRP proposes further developments in the tracking of students and their progress.A regional example of such a development is the 1st Assignment Project, which consisted of OU in the North staff contacting all first year students that had failed to complete their first assignment. Staff found this exercise to be time consuming, but also successful in that it was both appreciated by students and left them feeling re-assured. Since November 2001, the OU in the North has embarked upon and ambitious project to research into the reasons for student failure on individual modules or courses, and for non-progression from one course to the next.This project, building on recommendations of the National Student Retention Project, ensures that proactive contact is made by telephone, with OU students in the following categories: All students in the region11 who did not achieve a pass grade in a course for which they remained registered at October 2001.The total number of students to be contacted is currently around 1500. All students who were new to the OU and successfully completed a 2001 course, but who, despite not having completed a qualification, failed to register for a course starting in February 2000, approximately 300 of these students currently exist. OU students who passed their coursework in 2001, but failed their examination and were offered an exam resit; again about 300 students are affected. The contacts are being made by a team of Associate Lecturers, with experience in their own faculty, and a detailed analysis of their findings is being established.Working from the Regional Centre, and using the OU’s extensive student database, they are able to give advice and guidance on an individual basis, targeted where it is most needed.

11

The OU’s northern region includes continental Western Europe, for whom the regional office has responsibility.

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5.5 University of Sunderland The University of Sunderland is committed to improving the retention and progression of new Level 1 students by 3%. This commitment is reflected in the University’s widening participation, and Teaching, Learning and Assessment strategy, as well as the attitudes and actions of academic and non-academic staff. Currently, the University conducts an annual review of the pastoral support system in each of its academic schools.The results of this review, as well as examples of good practice are fed back to staff as part the University’s Teaching and Learning Conference. Other University wide retention strategies include the availability of modules to support learning, careers planning, information skills handling and dyslexia, all of which attract credit. In addition, individual academic schools offer special hours for returners, drop in resource facilities and access to academic tutors on a drop-in basis. As part of its Teaching, Learning and Assessment Strategy, the University is also considering the introduction of diagnostic testing as a means of assessing the needs of new students and contacting former graduates to get their impression on the learning experience and environment at the University of Sunderland. Each individual academic school at the University has had to devise and implement its own strategy for the retention and progression of students. A QAA (1998b:6) subject review of pharmacology and pharmacy at the University notes that, “retention and completion rates are good for all programmes. Approximately 90 per cent of students proceed to Level 2 of the undergraduate programme.” The academic and pastoral support provided by tutors is descried by the QAA as being ‘excellent and well organised’, as is the provision of study skills for Level 1 students, which introduces them to different learning styles and resources. Statistics show that in the School of Arts, Design and Media (ADM), the progression and retention of Level 1 students has drifted downwards from an average of 84% to 79%. Most significantly, the lowest retention rate within the school is for male student students from the North-East region. According to ADM staff, the School already has an effective system of academic and pastoral support, which is based around the personal tutor system, and a curriculum/structure of learning, which means that staff have a lot of personal contact with students. Furthermore, as between 60 and 75% of ADM students are in some form of part-time employment, the School has tried to adapt the curriculum to the need for students to work. The School is also in the process of developing and implementing activities/strategies that are focussed on improving the progression/retention rates of Level 1 students, in particular during the first semester.These strategies and activities include: The piloting of early diagnostic assignments Development of PADSHE/support system to include key study and research skills Revision of referral/deferral procedures as a means of improving the monitoring and tracking of students Closer monitoring of student attendance Improvements to the access and safety of school buildings Across the University’s academic schools, the use of ICT is becoming more prevalent in the support and tracking of students. For example, staff in CICP are experimenting with the use of video-conferencing to support students that are on franchise courses at Gateshead College.

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Collaboration in support of students between the University of Sunderland’s academic schools and central student support services is excellent.The University’s central student support services include the Student Welfare Office, Counselling Service, Chaplaincy, Careers Service and Disability Support Team. A senior member of staff in the Student Welfare Office believes that finance, rather than other welfare and academic issues, is the main cause of concern for students that are considering withdrawing from the University. This same member of staff believes that mature students are most at risk from financial problems and therefore the type of student most likely to drop-out from their studies. In response to this situation, the Student Welfare Office is very pro-active in making students aware of the financial support that is available from the DfES and University, for example, mature students’ bursaries and Access Funds, the total of which was increased to £1.5 million during the last academic year. Despite this proactive approach, however, mature students from lower socio-economic groups that attend the University are still hard to reach and unwilling in many cases to accept financial support. Staff in the University’s Financial Guidance Unit saw over 1300 students in the period of August 2000 to July 2001. Students can drop-in to the Unit or make an appointment with the Financial Counsellor. The counsellor comments that it is getting more difficult to provide advice and guidance to students as the system of financial support for students becomes more complex. The activities of the DST have already been discussed above with reference to the pre-entry activities and induction of students. DST’s ongoing support for students includes helping those that are dyslexic or have another specific learning difficulty to organise their timetable and make sense of the information that they are provided with upon entry to the University. Dyslexic students can also opt to take the Level 1 ‘Get Sussed’ module, which includes important study skills, information on what dyslexia is and the assessment of needs procedure. Students with a specific learning difficulty and dyslexia can also attend a support group, which meets on a weekly basis throughout the academic year. DST staff comment that these tasks can be dealt with relatively quickly, but helping students that did not declare their disability or condition upon entry is more problematic. The task of helping students to apply for Disabled Students Allowance and conducting the assessment of these students is also a time consuming activity. However staff do believe that the period of time which it takes for the student to apply for and receive the allowance is overly long. Furthermore, the DST has a large stock of equipment that can be loaned to students if they have immediate learning and support needs.The level of support that is provided by the DST and the school-based Disability Support Tutors is of a very high and specific nature, however, DST admit that some students do continue to leave the University because of their disability. In some cases, these students may return at a later stage to the University on a part-time basis. In co-operation with the universities of Newcastle and Northumbria, and six local FE colleges, the University of Sunderland is also in the process of developing networks of support for students that enter the University from a FE background.12 Much of the work with these students is done at the pre-entry and induction stage of the student lifecycle. Research conducted at the University of Sunderland shows that a majority of the students that enter from a FE background are satisfied with the level of academic and pastoral support they receive.

12

These activities are jointly funded by HEFCE and the LSC.

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The University’s two nurseries, St Mary’s and Gorse House, have been named among the best in the country, both recently receiving a Quality Counts kite-mark by the National Day Nurseries Association. The University therefore provides an important quality service to students with children, providing them with childcare that is local and of good quality. 5.6 University of Teesside Like the University of Northumbria above, the University of Teesside has conducted its own research into student retention. In order of importance, this research identified the following reasons for noncompletion (University of Teesside 2001:59): Course of teaching and organisation (e.g. quality of teaching, class size, tutor support) Ability to cope with the course Living environment Course relevance to career Support (peers, family) University facilities Personal stress Financial problems In response to this research, the University of Teesside has initiated a variety of programmes and processes in support of non-traditional students. Interviews with senior staff at the University suggest that the First Year Experience is one of the most important of these. As mentioned above, the First Year Experience is one four priorities in the University of Teesside’s Learning and Teaching Assessment Strategy. The aim of the First Year Experience is to enhance the quality of the ‘student learning experience’ for all new Level 1 students and to improve student retention and support through the provision of advice and guidance. Specifically, better guidance and support will involve the development of key skills, the provision of peer support and the development of more appropriate Level 1 methods of teaching, learning and assessment. The study skills of students at the University of Teesside are promoted and developed via a number of specialist centres. The Drop-in Skills and Study Centre (DISSC), is the most prominent of these, as it provides additional support to students in such areas as handling information, presentation and communication skills, and preparing course work. During the last academic year, over 1,000 students visited the centre, the majority of these were mature students (i.e. over 21).A senior member of staff at the University of Teesside has noted that DISSC should not be seen as a remedial service, as it operates both a self and tutor referral system. Recently, DISSC has developed a website (DISSC On-Line) for students that are unable to attend the centre on campus. The Mathematics Open Learning Centre operates in a similar role to DISSC, as it acts as a drop-in facility for students from across the University that require additional support with mathematics and other numerical skills. In the last academic year, the Centre was visited by over 900 students, a large proportion of which were engineering students. All students that have used the Centre speak highly of the one-toone support that it provides. Additional support in ICT and science is provided to new students by staff in the School of Science and Technology to new students that need additional support with demands of first level curriculum in the area of science and technology.

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The University of Teesside’s Summer University provides students with the opportunity to attend revision sessions during August, prior to these students taking their examination re-sits. Last year, 96% of the students that attended these revision sessions progressed to their following year of study. Level 2 Summer University courses act as a bridge to the final year of a honours degree course.These courses are open to degree students that have completed their second year and students that are transferring to a degree course after successfully completing their HND. Staff at the University note that the Summer University programme contributes to the development of key skills and employability. Students that are enrolled on Summer University and College courses have access to a full range of support facilities, including the Learning Resource Centre, DISSC, personal counselling in the Student Centre and childcare. The ongoing preparation of non-traditional students for work and the development of their key skills are both strategic priorities for the University of Teesside. During the ‘moving through’ stage of the student lifecycle, these priorities are supported via the activities of the Careers Service, including its involvement in teaching and learning and various opportunities for students to experience the world of work. Modules that aim to develop the key skills of students, as well as a specific ‘Learning Through Work’ module are also provided by the University. Diagnostic tests are used by some academic departments at the University as a means of assessing the key skills and skill development needs of new students. From the first semester onwards, academic departments, the Department of Student Services and the Students’ Union provide a high level of personal and pastoral support to students. Research conducted in a sample of academic departments at the University of Teesside provided contrasting views of the tutorial system. In one department, the system of tutorial support was described as being ‘well conceived’ but under pressure due to the large number of students each tutor had to see. Students, therefore, indicated that they were not able to see their tutor, indeed, some students had not seen their tutor at all. The Department has attempted to address this problem by introducing student profiles for Level 1 students, however, a majority of students did not consider these booklets to be helpful. Indeed, a QAA (2000c:9) subject review judged this system to be ‘reactive rather than pro-active’. The situation in the Department of Art and Design is very different, as students describe the system of tutor support to be ‘tremendous’.A senior member of staff has also highlighted the University’s development of an ICT based managed learning system that will allow students to view their own progress files, choose modules, select options and access online academic support and guidance. The Department of Student Services co-ordinates the pastoral support of students across the University. The Department provides information to students on a wide range of subjects (e.g. student funding; supporting students in distress; surviving away from home; dealing with exam stress) as well incorporating a drop-in student advice centre and the Student Support Unit.The Student Support Unit is composed of seven advisers that deal with student enquiries on finance, funding, childcare provision and the availability of support for disabled students. Support for disabled students and students with specific learning difficulties at the University of Teesside is very similar to that discussed above as two advisors conduct assessments of students’ needs, provide students with assistance in applying for DSA, work with students to ensure any specific examination arrangements are catered for and assist students in finding personal helpers. The Counselling Service, which is also based within the Student Support Unit, provides one-to-one support to students, as well as being involved in the development and training of University staff. A large number of mature students use the service, in many cases these students are seeking support and advise in relation to problems with their partners that have developed as a result of attending the University.

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The Counselling Service also operates a project that aims to ease student stress and depression through sport, recreation and leisure. The Advice Centre, which is located in the Students’ Union, is able to provide students with advice and guidance on a range of issues, however, staff agree that most enquiries relate to financial issues. Mature students, in particular, visit the Advice Centre to discuss issues relating to finance and debt. Young students, Advice Centre staff suggest, are more willing to get into debt than mature students. Like all of the services discussed above, the Advice Centre tries to be pro-active, but often finds that students still only visit them as a last resource.The Students’ Union job shop - UniTech - is able to help students that are seeking part-time employment in the local area. The Activities and Skills Centre in the University of Teesside’s Student Union provides a variety of training and development opportunities, these include, short courses on managing your money, motivation, developing self esteem and problem solving. 5.7 Student opinions and experience The region’s universities clearly provide a wide range of services as part of their on-going support for the students that they recruit. However, a majority of students that were surveyed as part of this research project used only two of these services - the students’ union and personal tutor. Our research found that students also regularly visited financial advisors and advice centres. These relatively low figures suggest several possibilities: students do not need support services or students do not know where to go or do not want to access support services offered by universities.Whilst the high number of students using the students’ union may be explained by the fact that the survey was administered in and near the union buildings themselves, this result suggests that students’ unions offer important services to students, and this is confirmed by the high rating that students gave this service. Most services were useful to the students who used them but financial advice was not seen as useful as some of the other services.There was also some wide variations in students’ ratings of the usefulness of the service as can be seen by the standard deviations, and this suggests that it depends on the nature of the problems that students have as to how useful services are. Table 6: Number and Percentage of Students who use Support Services Support service

Advice centre Students’ Union Disability services Financial advisors Childcare support Mature students support Personal tutor Counselling service Chaplaincy

No. of students using service

% of students using service

Usefulness of service (mean, out of 10)

86 499 12 83 6 16 464 37 12

13 74 2 12 1 2 69 6 2

6.4 7.3 8.0 5.7 7.3 6.1 6.7 6.3 6.8

Standard deviation of usefulness 2.3 2.1 3.1 2.3 3.1 2.5 2.4 2.5 2.8

There are some differences in the use of services depending on whether a student is from a group that is traditionally under-represented in HE. More students from a widening participation background use the advice centre for support than one would expect if there were no differences between the two groups of students and there are fewer students from advantaged backgrounds using this service. Fewer widening participation students than expected use the students’ union.As one would expect it is only students who

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are from a widening participation category that use the disability services as students with disabilities are classed as under-represented in HE and people without a disability are unlikely to use this service. The same is true for the mature students support services. Fewer students from advantaged backgrounds use financial advisors than one would expect but widening participation students use it more than would be expected. Again, widening participation students are using the counselling service more than one would expect and the other students are using it less than would be expected.There are no differences between the two groups in their use of the chaplaincy and personal tutors. These results show that there is a clear need to provide support to students who are from under-represented groups in HE as they are more likely to access services than other students. The one area where students do not differ is with the personal tutor, and there is a high use of this service suggesting that it can be a very useful support mechanism but the extent to which students found this useful varied quite a lot, implying its usefulness is dependent upon the problem and the relationship with the tutor.This finding was mirrored in the focus groups where some students stated they had very good relationships with their personal tutor and the support the tutor provided them with was very useful whereas others had less positive experiences with tutors. One student at Northumbria University was unsure of the role of the personal tutor and had not been told why they had to see their tutor others at Newcastle and Northumbria felt that tutors did not understand the problems mature students face. Not all students at Sunderland University were aware that they had a personal tutor and some disabled students felt that their tutors were not as discrete as they would have liked them to be regarding their disability. One student who was studying a HND at a local college found their personal tutor very helpful when they went to them when they were considering leaving the course and the tutor was able to explain all their options to them and help resolve their problems. At Durham University students do receive a lot of support from tutors but there was the opinion that sometimes there are too many people offering support and students do not know whom the best person to speak to is and some academic tutors were not very approachable. The most common problem experienced in relation to tutors was difficulty in contacting them. Students at Sunderland University found the support offered from the disability support unit throughout their studies has been most beneficial to them, with personal contact and help as often or as little as they like. They also found that the disability team were very good at working closely with academic members of staff to ensure that the students receive the support they need during their studies. 5.8 Summary The first term at university is one of the most important periods for retaining students, as many students find the transition to university a difficult one. Institutions need to consider the ways in which they currently support students to make them feel as though they belong to and are part of the university, to foster social networks that can help support students. However, it is not enough to concentrate only on this period of time but there is a need for sustained levels of support offered throughout students’ time at university. Pastoral, academic and personal support services exist to help support students and increasingly the way in which courses are designed and delivered are adapted to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student body with different needs.

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6. EMPLOYMENT “The employment market is changing in ways that make it more important than ever for students and graduates to take personal responsibility for managing their own career development throughout life. For this they need to develop the skills to manage their own career including the abilities to reflect and review, to plan and make decisions, to use information resources effectively, to create and to take opportunities, and to make provision for lifelong learning. Career guidance is one essential component of the overall support which students need.” (QAA 2001b:4) A review of the need of careers advice and guidance identified that there is great variability in the scope of careers guidance provision between institutions and at different stages of the lifecycle, from the preentry stage to the after-graduation service they provide (Purcell and Rowley 2000:C8). There was also considerable variability in the amount of information available, with students at new universities and those studying minority subjects feeling less satisfied with careers guidance provision. Careers staff recognise that there are problems with providing guidance on new professions/careers, the voluntary sector and intermediate jobs that previously would not have been seen as graduate level employment because of employers targeting certain types of institutions or because certain industry sectors do not have the resources to provide information to the careers services. Although the majority of students had used their university careers services and found the guidance useful, students who appear to be most in need of advice and guidance are those least likely to have used the service. Mature students, part-time students, students from new universities, and those from lower socio-economic groups are less likely to use the careers services. These students are being put at a disadvantage in the graduate labour market because of lack of advice and guidance but there is clearly some reason(s) why they do not seek or use the services available to them. One possible reason could be that such students perceive careers services as being available in helping students considering ‘traditional’ graduate jobs and they may not perceive this as being what they want to or what they can do. The majority of students only use the careers service in their final year, by which time it is too late to help those with problems/complex issues. Many students who were dissatisfied with their transition to work complained of a lack of guidance in the pre-entry phase of their degree in relation to subject choice, location and mode of study. Clearly, there is a need for institutions to provide careers advice and guidance from pre-entry to university to students’ graduation and beyond. The QAA (2001b:8) Code of Practice for career education, information and guidance states that institutions should make clear in its information to prospective and present students how the skills and knowledge acquired during study are intended to be of use to them in the development of their careers. It also states that institutions should seek to identify and cater for the special needs of students who may be disadvantaged in the labour market. The performance indicators shown in Table 7 illustrate that the region’s universities have good records in providing their students with a basis to gain employment. A high percentage of students at each of the institutions go on to employment or further study within 6 months of graduation.

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Table 7: Percentage of Students in Employment or Further Study13

Institution

All UK institutions All English Institutions Durham Newcastle Northumbria Sunderland Teesside

Percentage of first degree students who are in employment or further study 94 94 94 94 93 94 91

Percentage of successful first degree students in employment only

Benchmark for percentage of those in employment only

93 93 91 93 92 93 89

93 93 92 91 90

Source: HEFCE (2001c)

6.1 University of Durham The University of Durham recognises the need to provide learning opportunities that are designed to meet the career needs of their students. Careers advice and guidance is offered through central services although the colleges and academic departments also take on responsibility for providing careers advice and guidance. For example, the Department of Archaeology provides advice on careers in archaeology and this supports the pro-active support provided by the careers service that gives advice on more general employment/careers issues. The careers service operates across both campuses, with a small team at the UDSC, and careers service staff have worked hard to bring the services at both campuses together, providing better services to students, although it is more difficult to manage.The careers service recognises that the services offered by both campuses cannot be identical because of the different compositions of the students at each campus with Stockton Campus careers service providing more advice and guidance to mature students and students that have entered via alternative routes who tend to have different careers advice needs to students at the main Durham campus. The aim of the service is to help students achieve suitable and realistic career goals on completion of their university education.The service offers guidance interviews, a duty advisor to deal with short enquiries, careers library, the job shop, IT based information and guidance sources, departmental talks, careers talks arranged every term, and employment skills sessions. The service recognises that there are some students who are weaker than others in terms of thinking about careers, or because of a lack of resources and support, find themselves in a weak position concerning career progression compared to other students. The service has therefore produced a plan to raise awareness and concentrate additional resources on these students. The careers service at the Stockton campus does not have the capacity to work as closely with first year students as they would like but they ensure that all second year students receive a careers talk during the first few weeks of the new academic year whilst third year students receive specific sessions geared up to their requirements.The service also has agreements with the courses run at Stockton Campus and they provide each course with a set number of contact hours across the three-year groups to provide advice and guidance to students. One to one advice sessions are also offered to students.

13

Statistics refer to full-time first degree students that obtained their degree in the period 1999-2000.

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Students who are considering transferring to another course/university use the careers service, and the staff provide unbiased advice on what the best options are for the individual. Mature students are more likely to ask for advice and guidance early on in their studies than younger students and local students are more likely to use the service frequently and are more concerned with finding local employment.The careers service at Stockton recognises that more work needs to be done to provide more specific employment skills for students and improve the provision of advertising term-time working at the Stockton Campus and overall the careers service provides transferable key skills. 6.2 University of Newcastle upon Tyne The careers service at the University of Newcastle has a large staff compared to other HE careers services and has recently won the 2001 ICG National Careers Award for Working with Students in Further and Higher Education.The university recognises the importance of employability and progression from university and has developed strategies and action plans within their widening participation strategy to ensure the needs of all students are met. The careers service has developed, in collaboration with the student recruitment office, work-related activities as part of the PARTNERS Programme Summer School to enhance the employability of targeted students who may be disadvantaged in the labour market compared to other graduates.The service is also involved in providing an accredited module on training for community volunteering and a sub degree programme in community volunteering.The careers service runs activities similar to those of Durham University as well as providing a professional contacts network where alumni are willing to talk to students about their careers. The Academic Unit, part of the careers service, also provides skills training and induction week activities in collaboration with academic departments and helps support departments in the production and delivery of key skills and work-experience accredited modules. For example, the careers service has helped academic departments produce accredited work-related modules for archaeology, fine art, music, and museum studies to name just a few. Many departments also offer skills sessions on their own such as Marine Technology who offer presentation skills sessions as part of study skills but they find that the students who need this extra support are the ones least likely to use it. Other departments find it difficult to find the time/space to include study skills as part of the course and some offer their own careers advice because of specific progression routes such as Planning and Architecture although their students can use the careers service as well. Academic departments also encourage students to participate in the Students into Schools project, a mentoring and tutoring project that can enhance students’ their employability. Staff in Law also run skills audits for students to identify the skills they need and where they can improve to help with employability and staff believe that the structure and content of the degree also helps towards good rates of employability for their students. Enhancing the employability of graduates is a key responsibility of the careers service and they work closely with faculties and departments to develop new approaches and materials. Some elements of the career management skills programme, which is offered to all students as independent study or individually tailored counselling, are embedded in faculty-wide generic training programmes. The service is also working collaboratively with Durham University on material for entrepreneurship that can be embedded in subject curricula at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.The university also operates the Graduate Service for all graduates of pre-1992 universities in the region including its own.The careers service also organises a pilot project where students can earn academic credit for setting up and running a real business.

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6.3 University of Northumbria The careers service at Northumbria University offers a range of services to students throughout their studies and after they have graduated.The careers service encourages students early on to consider what skills, experience, knowledge and attributes students will need for graduation and they provide advice and guidance in helping identify current skills and any skills gaps that may exist.They provide information and advice on voluntary work opportunities that can be used to help students with employability as well as providing advice and guidance on specific subjects such as geography.The service also provides workshops to assist students in seeking employment opportunities. They also offer other services such as advertising vacancies locally, recruitment fairs and so forth, which are common across all of the institutions. The careers service operates the Graduation Service, similar to Newcastle except Northumbria specialises in assisting those students who attended new universities whereas Newcastle deals more with those who attended old universities. The QAA review has improved the links between academic departments and the careers service and the guidance policy developed at the university has helped clarify the role of the service and made more staff aware of them. The careers service is considering a publication of a document for new students that sets out clearly information on careers and the most common destinations of students to show students how the careers service can help them at an early stage. Employment skills are not currently embedded on all courses but the careers service works closely with courses to develop skills.The service is also focussing on providing support and guidance to those courses that have a high number of students with disabilities and international students, as there are particular career concerns for such students. 6.4 Open University in the North The Open University differs from many institutions of HE in that many of the students enrolled on courses at the university are already in employment (over 30,000 employers sponsor staff on Open University courses) and a significant number of these are in full-time employment, so there is less demand for specific advice on careers during students’ study and after graduation. However, the university does offer careers advice to students through the advisors in the regional centres as well as through central services.They provide advice on career paths as well as dealing with enquiries as to whether certain Open University courses and modules are recognised internationally and by what countries. 6.5 University of Sunderland One of the university’s priorities, stated in their learning and teaching strategy, is “fostering challenging up-to-date curricula and syllabuses with clear and explicit learning outcomes which meet the needs of students and equip them with the necessary skills for personal growth, subsequent employment and further study”. The University recognises the need for students to enhance their employability through the curriculum, selected learning activities and exposure to relevant work-experience opportunities.The university also offers generic modules, some of which are designed to extend opportunities in employability skills. The careers advisory service at the University offer information, support and guidance for all students at any stage of their studies as well as graduates from the university for a period of time (3 years) after graduation. The service operates an advice desk for enquiries where students can drop in without

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appointment and careers guidance interviews, where more in-depth guidance is provided to students.The careers service also offers advice and information on voluntary work, and run company experience programmes whilst the Business Bridge offers project work related to students’ courses, which help with employability skills. Both of these services, along with the job shop are located in the Opportunities Centre, where advice and guidance is available for all aspects of employment and further study. 6.6 University of Teesside The careers service at the University of Teesside is active in providing advice and guidance to students at all stages of the student lifecycle.The small number of staff within this service give talks/presentations to local schools and colleges about career opportunities for graduates, they provide talks at Adult Learners Week on careers planning and are also involved in open days for both the university overall and specific departments/schools as requested.The service is also considering providing specific advice and guidance for students on the Passport scheme although there are issues over resourcing this extra service because of the small size of the team. Furthermore, staff from the Careers Service deliver a careers management module as part of the Summer University. Several other programmes at the University incorporate career management elements as well as key skills and providing opportunities for work experience. A careers management module is delivered by staff of the Careers Service for the summer University that is open to both current students and the general public and raises awareness of the need to start thinking about careers very early on. There are difficulties the careers service experiences at certain times of the year in coping with demand from students such as helping in writing CVs and so forth and the service also recognises that students who are drawn from disadvantaged backgrounds may also require more assistance in careers advice and guidance than other students, especially because many of these students lack self-confidence.The service works closely with some departments to provide advice and guidance in relation to specific subjects and the possible progression routes but links with other schools/departments are not so strong. Staff at the careers service work closely with other support services such as the counselling service, Students’ Union, centre for lifelong learning and so forth where each refers students to one another where students’ problem/needs for advice and guidance span more than service. The service is also being used more frequently over the summer from local students seeking advice and guidance on employment opportunities within the local area. There has been a recent review of the careers service at the university and they are looking to develop further activities with the academic and staff development unit to develop employability skills for students.The university has one course at the moment where careers service staff are teaching a module on professional skills and they would like to do more of this activity although there are issues over time and resources.There are also sessions on careers advice that are inbuilt as part of a course/programme such as media studies where there is a session on careers in media. Events are also held in law where lawyers are invited to talk to students about what they do and what career opportunities there are and in sport sciences they have used graduates to come back to the university and talk about their progression from doing their degree to employment. The university is also involved in a national scheme called Mentoring for Ethnic Minorities, which involves the mentoring of current students from ethnic minorities by businesses in recognition of the fact that employability prospects for ethnic minority students are not as good as other students’ prospects after graduation. Normally the scheme tries to match ethnic minority mentors with ethnic minority students

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but there are difficulties in this region due to the low numbers of ethnic minority businesses.The aim of the scheme is to provide the students with more confidence and employability skills. 6.7 Student opinions and experience The first cohort of students on the PARTNERS programme at Newcastle did not find the generic study/employability skills given as part of the programme very useful as they found it hard to see the relevance of them but they did find the session offered by the careers service as useful. It was only when they started their course that they realised the relevance of the skills. Since this first cohort the PARTNERS programme has been modified and expanded upon in light of students’ feedback. Some students stated that they had received a lot of advice and guidance from their personal tutors about progression/careers. The general opinion of students is that they do not consider seeking careers advice in the first year as it is too soon to worry about their career and many are unsure of what they want to do, although they felt that careers services speaking to them early on in their studies is useful in reminding them that the service exists. Some students use the careers services more than others and some have not even used the services, as they know what they want to do after graduating. Common problems mentioned by students included the difficulty in getting to see/speak to careers advisors, especially at short notice, and knowing where to look for information on careers advice as many of the career service libraries can be quite daunting to students in terms of the amount of information they contain.At Durham some students felt that the careers advice is not as good as it used to be because there was more subject specific advice given than now and there is less help with mock interviews.There was also a feeling that there were not many opportunities or much support from the university in relation to non-traditional jobs and most employers on the milk rounds are for accountants/consultants and banks. Students studying HE at the local college felt that more could be done as part of their courses in terms of progression and careers. Some students were not even aware of the UCAS deadline in December for applications to universities when the focus groups took place in November and many were unsure of the progression and career opportunities available to them. However, students on another course at the same college had received very good careers/progression advice and guidance and received a lot of help in completing UCAS forms. Many of the mature students felt that they had to be realistic about their career opportunities and practical in what future employment they can achieve or what further learning opportunities there are. Several mature students considered further study but they have concerns over financing further study although for some professions postgraduate qualifications are necessary. Few of the mature students in the focus groups have used the careers services. 6.8 Summary Ensuring that students leave university with the right employability skills and advice and guidance on possible paths of progression is clearly an important area that institutions need to, and do, consider.The six universities provide an array of services and support to help students maximise the benefits of studying at university. However, there is some concern over when students use the services offered, with many leaving it too late in their degree/course to access these services, and this has an impact on the progression and employability of these students.The universities have increased the number of activities that they do early on in students’ studies in relation to careers and progression opportunities but they are limited by resources and students’ willingness to consider careers advice/progression at such an early stage in their studies. Raising awareness of the services early on may be beneficial but targeted approaches

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through working with departments and specific courses throughout students’ time at university may have more of an impact on employability/progression, especially if employability skills and careers advice form part of the course rather than as something additional.

7. CONCLUSION The previous four sections have demonstrated the large extent to which the region’s six universities are both concerned with, and involved in, facilitating the retention and success of the non-traditional students that they recruit.Analysis of these activities highlights a number of themes that are common to the region’s six universities.The first of these is the high level of performance of the region’s universities with regards to student retention and completion. As mentioned above, using current HEFCE performance indicators, the regional average for students failing to complete and withdrawing from HE can be calculated as approximately 8.8%.This figure is below the rate of non-completion for the UK and England. Collectively, the region’s universities can be proud of this performance, however, they must also be cautious, as a survey conducted as part of this research project found that at three of regions universities (Newcastle, Sunderland and Northumbria), 1 in 4 students had considered withdrawing from HE. The second theme is that is all of the region’s universities have adopted the student lifecycle model as a model for thinking about student retention and for delivering services in support of student success.The use of the student lifecycle model in this way is demonstrative of the region’s universities wider and more general strategic approach to student retention. Student retention is considered on a strategic level in all off the North East’s HEIs, furthermore, it is included in strategies on widening participation, teaching, learning and assessment and staff development. In line with HEFCE’s recommendations on good practice, these are also becoming more integrated. Further evidence of this strategic approach can be found in the improvement and development of new systems for the monitoring and tracking of students for the duration of the student lifecycle. The University of Newcastle upon Tyne is, for example, undertaking a review of how in monitors the progress of its traditional and non-traditional students. The First Assignment Project at the Open University in the North and the introduction of personal academic record systems at many of the region’s universities of further examples of how students are monitored in support of retention and progression. Specialisation and increasing specificity in student support, is a third common theme.A strategic example of increasing specialisation in student support is the development of specific student retention strategies and programmes, for example, the OU’s National Student Retention Project, the University of Teesside’s First Year Experience and the University of Northumbria’s Learner and Guidance Support policy. All of these examples are specific in discussing the needs of students and how they can be met. On a more practical level, an example of specificity and specialisation is the holding of special induction events for mature students at all of the region’s campus based universities. A further practical example can be seen as activities for students that progress to HE via college (e.g. the Tyne and Wear HEFCE/LSC project), clearing (e.g. the University of Sunderland) or community based learning (e.g. Teesside’s Progression Pathways project). At the same time as becoming more specialist in their support for students, the region’s universities have also become more pro-active; this is a fourth common theme/issue. Pre-entry activities, in particular, campus visits and the development of study skills, diagnostic testing (e.g. the Department of Engineering

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Mathematics at the University of Newcastle) and self-help sessions on raising self-esteem (e.g. UDSC Student Services) are examples of the pro-active support of students.A further example of good practice in the pro-active support of students are the meetings which have taken place between student welfare officers at the University of Northumbria and local banks, as a means of making banks aware of the specific problems students face with regards to finance. Comprehensiveness is the fifth common theme. Activities in support of student success and retention across the region’s six universities are comprehensive in the manner in which they include both academic and non-academic staff, as well as students. Students support the retention students via the Students’ Union, but increasingly in the form mentors and buddies. Indeed, the use of student mentors, in particular, during the pre-entry, induction and first semester periods of the student lifecycle, is common to all of the region’s universities. The provision of student support across each stage of the student lifecycle, for all twelve months of the year, also demonstrates a comprehensive approach to student retention. A related point here is the growing importance of the summer period in both the recruitment and retention of students. Programmes of summer activities that support new or current students, for example, the Summer University at the University of Teesside, are common to all of the region’s universities. Indeed, the North-East’s HEIs have realised that the Summer can be used to prepare students for entry into HE, an activity which is proven to improve student retention. Furthermore, staff in university Student Services around region have noted that growing numbers of new and current students, as well as parents, are contacting them for information, advice and guidance. Although national research suggests that the link between finance, the sixth common theme, and student retention is unclear, university staff and students in the North-East believe that it is the main cause of student drop-out. Staff and students interviewed as part of this research project agree that levels of financial support for students are inadequate and that the process of accessing this support is overly complex. A large number of advisers on student finance around the region complain that pre-entry, they are unable to tell students how much financial support will be available to them. Finance, is one of many factors that impact upon student retention in a negative way, but which are external, and therefore beyond the immediate scope of a single university to solve. An equitable and sustainable solution to the issue of student finance and its impact upon the retention of all students requires action by the Government, not individual Universities. However, with the support of HEFCE, DfES and other external agencies, the region’s universities have began to cope with the financial problems faced by many students by expanding the provision of additional financial support for the non-traditional students that they recruit. The role and contribution of personal tutors to student retention is the seventh common theme. As mentioned above, 69% of the students surveyed as part of this research project sought support and advice from their personal tutor. Furthermore, QAA subject review reports that were used as part of this project, also spoke highly of the support provided by personal tutors to their students. Thus, across the region’s six universities, the personal tutor is at the centre of the support network for students. Overall, however, success and effectiveness of the system is still very much dependent upon the attitudes of the individual staff and students that are involved.The region’s universities recognise the unsatisfactory nature of this arrangement and are considering ways in which the personal tutor system can be made effective and responsive.

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The eighth common theme is the growing use of ICT in the support and retention. University websites provide prospective, new and current students with a wealth of information on preparing for and succeeding at University, as well as the availability of academic and pastoral support services. Increasingly, however, the use of ICT in student retention around the region’s six universities moving away from the simple use of websites to inform students and towards active delivery of on-line support and guidance. Examples of such development are DISSC On-Line at the University of Teesside and DUO at the University of Durham. The Universities of Northumbria has also piloted the delivery of information, advice and guidance via video-conferencing to students in rural areas of Northumberland. ICT is also prevalent in the developing of flexible learning opportunities, the ninth common theme. All of the region’s universities, but in particular, the OU in the North and the universities of Northumbria, Sunderland and Teesside are considering ways in which they can make the learning increasingly flexible and suited to the needs of different students. As discussed above, these universities believe that developments flexible learning will decrease the likelihood of a student dropping out of university. Furthermore, in circumstances where a student does leave without completing their course, they will do so with some form of an interim reward for the work that they had put into date.This report suggests, that flexible learning at the very least means ensuring that timetabling arrangements recognise and wherever possible match the needs of different students. In focus groups, a large proportion of mature students stated that their time at University would be easier if they received their timetables at an early stage of the academic year. The tenth common theme is the need for continuous reflection and development in student retention. This report has shown how the region’s universities are doing this in response to widening participation and changes in policy and thinking, for example, the concept of ‘student success’ and use of the student lifecycle model. Further reconsideration and reflection will be needed in the future, if the region’s universities are both individually and collective to maintain their good record in supporting and retaining students.

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APPENDIX 1: RESULTS OF THE STUDENT SURVEY 1. Introduction A short survey was produced and given to 750 students at three of the six institutions, the Universities of Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumbria and Sunderland.These three were chosen because of the physical location and because of the lateness in producing the survey. The results can be said to be generally representative of all the institutions.Two people in several locations within each institution administered the survey and one day was spent at each institution, with surveys being administered to students between the hours of 10am to 2.30pm at each institution to ensure consistency across the institutions and to capture the most number of students.At Newcastle University, the survey was given to all students who were in the Students’ Union and the university Cafè nearby on one day.At Northumbria the survey was administered to all students in the Students’ Union and at Sunderland it was administered to all students within the School of Computing and Informatics and the restaurant/Cafe at St. Peters campus. 715 surveys were returned out of 750 and 16 of them were spoilt, which meant there were 699 usable replies. 214 or 31% of the respondents were from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 211 (31%) were from the University of Northumbria, and 267 (38%) were from the University of Sunderland. Thus, the three institutions are equally represented in this sample. 44% of the students surveyed were in their first year of study, 30% were in their second year of study, 16% in their third year and 10% in their fourth year of study. The number of students studying particular subjects can be seen in Table 1. Management studies/accounting/law/IT was the most common subject studied followed by humanities and social science subjects. Table 1:The number and percentage of students studying particular subjects Subject Humanities/social sciences Sciences Medicine + related subjects Engineering Agriculture Mgt/accounting/law/IT Combined Honours Languages Maths Postgraduate subjects HND subjects Total

Number of students 139 66 10 24 7 271 80 9 11 58 21 696

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% of students 20 10 1 3 1 39 12 1 2 8 3 100

2. Pre-entry advice and guidance Table 2: Places and people where students seek advice and guidance before entering university Where seek advice UCAS University open day/university department Family/friends School/college careers service From school and open day at university Family, school and university School and family Other Total

Number of students 3 65 47 236 10 8 50 22 441

There were 449 students who stated they sought advice and guidance before entering university compared to 249 who did not seek any advice. One respondent did not complete this question.Table 2 highlights the different sources of advice and guidance that students use before entering university and as can be seen school/college careers services are the most frequent place students receive advice from. It is also worth noting though that the university itself is also a common source of advice and thus it is important for universities to advertise the advice and guidance they can provide before students enter university. Table 3: Observed and expected frequencies of students seeking advice and considering leaving university14 Sought advice Considered Leaving Not Considered Leaving Total

Not sought advice

81

88 109

366

169 60

156 338

447

169 244

184 244

447

Total

244 691

244

691

Over 41% of those who sought pre-entry advice and guidance found it very useful, 48% found it slightly useful and only 11% found it either not very or not at all useful.This is very positive as it suggests that if students know where to access advice and guidance then it can be beneficial to them in making the right choices.This is evidenced in Table 3, which shows that more students who seek advice and who do not consider leaving whereas those who do not seek advice are more likely to consider leaving (Chi square=27.51, d.f.=1, p=