Supporting student retention and success at the University of Glasgow Enhancement Themes conference, Thursday 9 June 2016 John McIntyre Conference Centre, Edinburgh Alison Browitt, Chris Finlay, Maureen Griffiths, Carlo Rinaldi, Donald Ballance

This work was undertaken as part of the What Works? Retention and Success change programme, funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, co-ordinated by the Higher Education Academy and Action on Access. This is Phase 2 of the What Works? project and builds on the findings of Phase 1 (Thomas, 2012): ‘At the heart of student retention and success is a strong sense of belonging in HE for students. This is most effectively nurtured through mainstream activities that all students participate in.’

Phase 2 (2012/13 – 2015/16) involved 13 HEIs across the UK Guided by the What Works? co-ordination team, each HEI put in place a core team to look at institutional level change to support engagement and belonging, and 3 discipline teams to look at piloting change in their academic areas around the 3 programme themes: Induction/ Active Learning – Life Sciences Active Learning – Life Sciences / Engineering Co-curricular activity/support (Peer mentoring) – Interdisciplinary Studies at Dumfries campus

Activity at UofG was co-ordinated through pre-existing structures: Retention Working Group (established 2006), reporting to the Learning & Teaching Committee, was renamed as the Retention and Success Working Group Disciplines had ownership of their own activities with support provided by the project manager – discipline leads were co-opted on to the core team Student participation through SRC student representation on working group but also students on the discipline teams to inform activities in the Schools

Core team main aim: to improve data on student retention and success To reinstate level of management information prior to new student record system in 2011/12 To expand use of data by consulting on what is useful to different audiences To review what data is already collected and how it could be incorporated To build further on improvements in retention rates To monitor retention of groups of students most at risk, including MD20/MD40 – with the sectoral focus of the SFC on participation in HE of the most socio-economically disadvantaged identified by SIMD To raise awareness of issues around transitions of students and MD20/MD40 in particular, to better support their engagement and belonging, retention and success

THEME: Co-curricular interventions Personal tutoring/ academic advising Peer mentoring

SEPT Student Experience Programme Team CLAN Campus Life Advice Network Co-curricular (Peer mentoring) – Interdisciplinary Studies at Dumfries campus

THEME: Student Induction Support prior to entry Decision making Post-results relationship building Initial induction Induction Week Freshers Week Welcome Week Extended induction First term First semester First year Cook & Rushton (2008)

Expanding induction and using the VLE to enhance induction to First year Life Science With large class sizes ( ) and a relatively small staff management team the VLE has become central to fostering student engagement and communication for supporting student transitions alongside face-to-face sessions

Supporting transition through Life Sciences degree programmes Development of VLE to make core information accessible to all students within the School, irrespective of year

THEME: Active Learning Promoting student engagement and belonging in the academic sphere Thomas (2012, p16)

Active Learning – Life Sciences Student tasks and activities through the VLE to promote active learning and a sense of belonging

Active Learning – Engineering A major change to the structure of the early years of the degree programmes in the School of Engineering was introduced in 2013/14, resulting in a common core of 90 ‑ 100 credits taken by all first year students An Engineering Skills course was created with the aim of developing generic and engineering career skills at an early stage, and active learning with students working in small groups with others on the same degree programme, to foster a sense of belonging

WORKSHOP ACTIVITIES Please choose a theme to work on and get into groups: Co-curricular (Peer mentoring) Active Learning Induction Institutional Data