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Hello,

Apologies for the delay in collating responses around engagement and retention of Foundation students.  Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and resources.  

Interestingly, while the institutional environments of our Foundation courses vary greatly, it seems there is a consensus on the best Foundation ethos in order to create an engaging academic community that encourages these students to continue their studies.  Aspects include:
  • Inclusive opportunities to clarify, reflect and consider course expectations throughout the year with peers and tutors
  • Understanding from the outset that commitment to their studies is the equivalent of full-time study, supported by pastoral and academic services as and when needed
  • Having an early withdrawal system whereby students can leave the year before Christmas to avoid being liable for full repayment of their student loan
  • Opportunities to bring their individual experiences, hopes and fears to learning tasks, thereby starting with what they know and what inspired them to join the Foundation year
I am sure there are more but these seem to be the salient ones when it comes to positive engagement and retention.

Two recommended resources include the report Building student engagement and belonging in Higher Education at a time of change:a summary of findings and recommendations from the What Works? Student Retention & Success programme  which can be found on the Paul Hamlyn Foundation website, and a report entitled An Inclusive Approach to a Redesigned Foundation Module in the Social Sciences by Dr. Tiffany Chiu and Dr. Olga Rodriguez-Falcon at Learning and Language Support Services (LLSS), University of East London (attached as a document).  

Many thanks again and I look forward to more conversations on this topic in the future!

Emma


On 20 February 2018 at 10:33, Emma Davenport <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Hello,
I hope you can help. We are looking into how to improve engagement and retention amongst our foundation students, given that around a quarter do not complete. I wondered if anyone had experience in this area and/or suggested readings/research that I could follow up with. I realise this is a very broad topic but would like to keep it so at this stage as keen to get a sense of the landscape first.
Very happy to collate and circulate. 
Cheers,
Emma

--
Emma Davenport MA, MSc, PG Cert, Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) 
Senior Lecturer / Academic Tutor
The Sir John Cass School of Art, Architecture & Design
London Metropolitan University
www.thecass.com
00 44 (0)207 133 1075



--
Emma Davenport MA, MSc, PG Cert, Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) 
Senior Lecturer / Academic Tutor
The Sir John Cass School of Art, Architecture & Design
London Metropolitan University
www.thecass.com
00 44 (0)207 133 1075

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