Towards a Stronger Partnership: Working with Students with BTEC Entry Qualifications in HE Monica Fernandes and Dr. Jessica Hancock

Brunel University London Background Retention and achievement at Brunel - OFFA funding for ASK staff Need for student voice not assumptions Add qualitative data to quantitative Student experiences Recommendations for ASK and Brunel Towards a Stronger Partnership: Working with Students with BTEC Entry Qualifications in HE

Brunel University London Methods and sample Semi-structured interviews - £10 voucher Recruitment: internal advert, to Headstart participants 18 participants: 2 A-level (male), 16 BTEC (5 male, 11 female) – 13 of total BME Subjects – Bioscience, Broadcasting, Sociology and Psychology, IT, Sports Science, Computing, Business, Games Design, Law, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy Thematic analysis Towards a Stronger Partnership: Working with Students with BTEC Entry Qualifications in HE 3

Brunel University London Questions asked – semi-structured How has the work here differed from your BTEC? What were you confident about? How well do you feel you are doing? What have you found challenging? What support for your academic work are you aware of at Brunel? And have used? And would want? What advice would you give to other BTEC students starting at Brunel? 4 Towards a Stronger Partnership: Working with Students with BTEC Entry Qualifications in HE

Brunel University London Results: What students found challenging in their first year in university 5 Towards a Stronger Partnership: Working with Students with BTEC Entry Qualifications in HE

Brunel University London 6 What students were confident about in their first year in university What advice would these students give prospective students? Manage time well (44%) Do thorough research on the degrees and modules you want to study (31%) Know what support services are available to students (25%) Towards a Stronger Partnership: Working with Students with BTEC Entry Qualifications in HE

Brunel University London Support services What was used: 81% students went to their lecturers/ personal tutors as 1 st point of contact 75% of students went to the ASK team In the interviews students mentioned other services such as Careers Centre, Disability and Dyslexia Service (DDS), Student Services and Brunel Student Union. Opinions about future support: 56% of the students wanted subject specific advisor as support 31% of students didn’t mind whether the advisor was in their subject or not 13% of students believed an advisor from a central service would work best for them 7 Towards a Stronger Partnership: Working with Students with BTEC Entry Qualifications in HE

Brunel University London Independent learning Computing: they told us it won’t be like college at all because it’ll be more independent. … you need to know everything yourself. Psychology & Sociology: I think everyone thinks because it’s uni like, you should be able to do it by yourself. Law: you just have to do it yourself whether you understand or whether you don’t because they can’t explain it …. I struggled. Games design: he left us to learn on our own. Business: you feel like you’re kind of, um, bugging them when you them! IT: since I come here no-one really, not even lecturers remember your name. Or they’re not really bothered if you come to their lecture or not. Business: all the independent learning that you wouldn’t do in BTEC because you have that support from your teachers. 8 Towards a Stronger Partnership: Working with Students with BTEC Entry Qualifications in HE

Brunel University London Independent learning – positives Sports: just like ‘come talk to me anytime that you want. I don’t want you to be afraid’ and stuff like that. I’m not one of them really needy people that go to their lecturers constantly but they kept reminding us. It’s just more, like, colloquial? Like, you can just, it’s just more chilled out, they way that you learn. It’s more independent. 9 Towards a Stronger Partnership: Working with Students with BTEC Entry Qualifications in HE

Brunel University London Conclusion Run more exam and revision sessions as a central service for the students and within schools Make students more aware of services such as ASK available to them Working closer with departments and academic staff Working closer with other services such as the Union, DDS, etc. 10 Towards a Stronger Partnership: Working with Students with BTEC Entry Qualifications in HE

Brunel University London Contact details Monica Fernandes, Academic Skills Advisor, Brunel University London Dr. Jessica Hancock, Learning Support Tutor, University of Portsmouth 11 Towards a Stronger Partnership: Working with Students with BTEC Entry Qualifications in HE

Brunel University London References Clark, W., (2011) “Transitions in Action? Exploring Vocational Learner Progression into and out of Higher Education”, Educational Developments, 12 (2), pp Fisher, R., (2010) “The Golden Age of BTEC: The Business Education Curriculum in 1980s Further Education”, The Curriculum Journal, 14 (2), pp Hatt, S. and Baxter, A., (2003) “From FE to HE: Studies in Transition: A Comparison of Students Entering Higher Education with Academic and Vocational Qualifications”, Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning, 5 (2) pp Hayward, G., (2008) “Degrees of Success: Learner’s Transition from Vocational Education and Training to Higher Education”, Teaching and Learning Research Programme. Available at: (Accessed: 3 April 2014). Knox, H., (2005) “Making the Transition from Further to Higher Education: The Impact of a Preparatory Module on Retention, Progression and Performance”, Journal of Further and Higher Education, Vol. 29 (2) pp London Economics., (2013) “The Outcomes Associated with the BTEC route of degree level acquisition: A Report for Pearson”, London Economics, Available at: (Accessed: 2 April 2014). Ofori, R., (2000) “Age and ‘Type’ of Domain Specific Entry Qualifications as Predictors of Student Nurses’ Performance in Biological, Social and Behavioural Studies in Nursing Assessments”, Nurse Education Today, 20 (4), pp Towards a Stronger Partnership: Working with Students with BTEC Entry Qualifications in HE