1. Balancing ‘What Works’ and personalised student pathways: How Herts Success is fostering success amongst widening participation students
--Stephane Farenga
@StepFareEdu

2. Today’s presentation Policy context of widening participation
Creating a framework: WW-1 and personalisation
Findings
Retention and transition
Success
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3. What is widening participation (WP?)
Combining increased, widening and fair access of under-represented groups (Ertl and Hayward, 2008)
Institutional definitions: sub £25k and POLAR Q1/2
“redressing the under-representation of certain social groups in higher education” (Burke, 2012, p.12)
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4. Context National WP data
Access
Outcomes
43% increase in WP students since 2004 (HEFCE, 2013a)
POLAR Q1, 29% more likely to enter HE than 2012, 73% since 2006 (UCAS, 2016)
Outcome
Quintile 1
Quintile 5
First or upper second
45.0%
58.6%
Degree & employed or studying
66.7%
73.9%
Degree & graduate job or study
41.2%
51.8%
Policy re-framing
2004 HE Act
2011 White Paper “Students at the heart…”
Shift towards student lifecycle
White Paper endorses further success measures
Research evidence
Ineffectiveness of bursaries on entrant’s decisions (Callender et al., 2009; Callender and Wilkinson, 2013)
‘Deadweight loss’ (Callender and Wilkinson, 2013)
(HEFCE, 2013b)
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5. Context National WP policy re-framing
2011 White Paper “Students at the Heart of the System”
Shift towards student lifecycle
Current White Paper endorses further success measures
Policy re-framing
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6. Context WP student retention & success
National
University of Hertfordshire
8% leave HE during Year 1
33%-42% consider withdrawing (Thomas, 2012)
14% Year 1 withdrawal in 2013/14
Down to 8% in 2014/15
37% Year 1s consider withdrawing in 2015/16
88% got 1st or 2:1
97% graduates employed/further study
71% graduates in graduate jobs
Outcome
Quintile 1
Quintile 5
First or upper second
45.0%
58.6%
Degree & employed or studying
66.7%
73.9%
Degree & graduate job or study
41.2%
51.8%
Policy re-framing
2004 HE Act
2011 White Paper “Students at the heart…”
Shift towards student lifecycle
White Paper endorses further success measures
Research evidence
Ineffectiveness of bursaries on entrant’s decisions (Callender et al., 2009; Callender and Wilkinson, 2013)
‘Deadweight loss’ (Callender and Wilkinson, 2013)
(HEFCE, 2013b)
(Farenga et al., 2016)
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7. University of Hertfordshire Methodology
Case study approach (Yin, 2009 and Stake, 1995)
Mix of online surveys and qualitative case studies
Generalisability and transferability
2014/15: 432 responses
2015/16: 315 responses
2016/17: 100 responses so far
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8. Adapting What Works… (Thomas, 2012)
Student belonging
Supportive peer relations
Developing knowledge, confidence and identity as successful HE learners
HE experience relevant to students’ interests and future goals
Intervention characteristics
Mainstream
Proactive and developmental
Relevant
Well timed and appropriate media
Collaborative
Monitored
Targeted student pop.
Institutional buy-in?
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9. …Personalised transition (Gale and Parker, 2014)
Institution
Pathway following sequentially defined periods
High level of institutional control
165
Sampled
Personal development
Personal trajectory “shifting from one identity to another”
Non-linear
Think Terenzini et al. (1996)
Farenga, 2015
@StepFareEdu

10. Herts Success Avoiding one-size-fits-all
Academic
Employability
Social
Focus groups
Choice of support
and self-selective
engagement
165
Sampled
Farenga, 2015
@StepFareEdu

11. Proactive and developmental and collaborative
Herts Success
Proactive and developmental and collaborative
Academic/Social/Employability/Personal skills
Relevant
Experience-based
Opt-out
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12. Findings Student demographics – 2016/17 – 350 Year 1s
67% engage-ment
44% BAME back-grounds
9 parents and 7 care leavers
9% are mature students
1 in 3 commute
8% with declared disability
Farenga, 2015
@StepFareEdu

13. Herts Success Curate your experience50
events or
initiatives
during
2016/17
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14. Herts Success Well timed and appropriate media
Weekly e-newsletters, texts, social media
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15. Herts Success Well timed and appropriate media
Feedback to students
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16. Findings Retention & transition
2013/14
13.85% withdrew
2014/15
8% withdrew
42% decrease
In 2015/16…
37% of Y1s considered withdrawing
46% of those students said Herts Success played an important role in keeping them enrolled
Farenga, 2015
Farenga, 2016
@StepFareEdu

17. Findings Retention & transition
“If it wasn’t for Herts Success I would not have been able to survive even Semester A of my 1st year. Herts Success helped me fit in by providing me with a buddy in the first month of university who gave me guidance about what to expect.”
– Year 1, Biomedical Science
“If it wasn’t for Herts Success I would not have been able to survive even Semester A of my 1st year. Herts Success helped me fit in by providing me with a buddy in the first month of university who gave me guidance about what to expect.”
– Year 1, Biomedical Science
“I was extremely anxious when I started, but when I began to attend events, I was able to meet people who helped me not only in the event, but also to settle into the university and become more comfortable with my surroundings.” – Female, Year 1, Humanities
“I was extremely anxious when I started, but when I began to attend events, I was able to meet people who helped me not only in the event, but also to settle into the university and become more comfortable with my surroundings.” – Female, Year 1, Humanities
Personal
support
Social
groups
"I was growing disillusioned with my mediocre work output. But the various [events] and short courses offered by Herts Success made me realise that opportunities could be found if I worked hard enough. I have stayed because Herts Success has showed me that I can build skills even when I may feel I lack them.” – Year 1, History
"I was growing disillusioned with my mediocre work output. But the various [events] and short courses offered by Herts Success made me realise that opportunities could be found if I worked hard enough. I have stayed because Herts Success has showed me that I can build skills even when I may feel I lack them.” – Year 1, History
Farenga, 2015
Skill-building opportunities
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18. Who engaged got a 2:1 or a 1st
Findings Success
88%
Who engaged got a 2:1 or a 1st
Farenga, 2015
Farenga, 2015
@StepFareEdu

19. Opportunities & personal support
Findings Success
“Having a mentor which had previously experienced my course and who has experienced a lot of what the University has to offer definitely helped academically and fitting in at University.”
– Male, Year 1, Engineering & Technology
“Having a mentor which had previously experienced my course and who has experienced a lot of what the University has to offer definitely helped academically and fitting in at University.”
– Male, Year 1, Engineering & Technology
“Herts success provided a lot of free extra-curricular activities and events that really helped me to cope with academic stress. Herts success has also provided helpful trainings and workshops which really benefited my academic skills (academic mentor)" – Male, Year 2, Pharmacy
“Herts success provided a lot of free extra-curricular activities and events that really helped me to cope with academic stress. Herts success has also provided helpful trainings and workshops which really benefited my academic skills (academic mentor)" – Male, Year 2, Pharmacy
Opportunities & personal support
Personal
support
Farenga, 2015
@StepFareEdu

20. 97% 71% Findings Success @StepFareEdu Employed/further study
Employed in graduate jobs
Farenga, 2015
Farenga, 2015
@StepFareEdu

21. Findings Success Specific skills Financial assistance @StepFareEdu
“In terms of my employability, Herts Success has encouraged me to find work experience in the community. In doing so, they awarded me a bursary to cover my expenses.”
– Year 3, Computer Science
“In terms of my employability, Herts Success has encouraged me to find work experience in the community. In doing so, they awarded me a bursary to cover my expenses.”
– Year 3, Computer Science
“The trip to Nice [in France] with Education First has enabled me to improve my French language skills that I will find very useful when starting a career in tourism”
– Year 2, Tourism Management
“The trip to Nice [in France] with Education First has enabled me to improve my French language skills that I will find very useful when starting a career in tourism.”
– Year 2, Tourism Management
Specific skills
Financial
assistance
Farenga, 2015
@StepFareEdu

22. Findings Personal development
I see Herts Success as my key to a fuller life, giving me more character and universal skills. [Herts Success] gives me opportunities I can use anytime in my life.”
– Year 1, Commercial Law
“[Herts Success] has motivated me to keep going and working hard to achieve my goal. It has helped me grow as an individual and a young adult. The programme changes students’ lives for the better, helping students grow.”
– Year 1, Law LLB
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23. Findings Sense of belonging
BAME students relying more peer networks? White students on taking advantage of what’s available?
Year 1s
BAME
White
Positive impact on social integration
80%
48%
Considering withdrawing
24%
43%
Farenga, 2015
@StepFareEdu

24. Targeted interventions without wider buy-in
Conclusions
Targeted interventions without wider buy-in
Challenge of using WW-1 as a foundation but allowing personalisation
Curated student experience with demonstrable outcomes and personal narratives
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25. Thank You!
Any questions? Say hi to the team! Stephane Farenga Research & Evaluation Officer
@StepFareEdu

26. References @StepFareEdu
Burke, P.J. (2012). The right to higher education: Beyond widening participation. Oxon: Routledge.
Callender, C. and Wilkinson, D. (2013) ‘Student Perceptions of the Impact of Bursaries and Institutional Aid on their Higher Education Choices and the Implications for the National Scholarship Programme in England’, Journal of Social Policy, 42, 2: DOI: /S
Ertl, H. and Hayward, G. (2010). “Caught in the ‘triple lock’? An evaluation of governance structures of the development of Diplomas in England”, Research in Comparative and International Education, 5(3),
Farenga, S. (2015) ‘How going beyond financial support contributes to student success and retention: an institutional case study of the National Scholarship Programme’, Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning. 17, 3:
Farenga, S., Renton, R. and Collins, S. (2016) ‘Improving the transitional student experience through innovative delivery of the National Scholarship Programme’, Forum for Access and Continuing Education.
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27. References @StepFareEdu
Gale, T. and Parker, S. (2014) ‘Navigating change: a typology of student transition in higher education’, Studies in Higher Education. 39, 5:
Higher Education Funding Council for England. (2013a) ‘Trends in young participation in higher education’ at (accessed 05 Apr 2017).
Higher Education Funding Council for England. (2013b). Higher Education and Beyond: Outcomes from full-time first degree study. (accessed 05 Apr 2017).
Higher Education Funding Council for England. (2015) ‘National Scholarship Programme’ at (accessed 20 Apr 2016).
Office for Fair Access, (2015) ‘What do we know about the impact of financial support on access and student success?’ at (accessed 20 Apr 2016).
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28. References @StepFareEdu
Stake, R. (1995) The art of case study research. London: Sage Publications
Terenzini, P., Springer, L., Yaeger, P., Pascarella, E., & Nora, A. (1996). First-generation college students: Characteristics, experiences, and cognitive development. Research in Higher Education, 37, 1–22.
Thomas, L. (2012) ‘Building student engagement and belonging in Higher Education at a time of change: final report from the What Works? Student retention & Success programme’ at (accessed 05 Apr 2017).
Universities and Colleges Admissions Services. (2015) ‘End of Cycle report 2016’ at (accessed 05 Apr 2017)
Yin, R. (2009) Case study research design and methods. 4th ed., London: Sage Publications
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