Hi,
Dianne Willis states that skills tests are not
predictive of those needing academic support. Since my earlier
response I have had a few e-mails and would like to enlarge a
bit. I have watched scores of students before ill named "support"
and "progress" committees, and the following is based on the
students who fail.
We are taking nearly 50% of the relevant age group into higher
education, which goes from the top of the ability range to Mr.
and Ms average (by definition at 50%). Half the population is
"average" so about 70% of the population have the ABILITY to get
to HE. Put another way, there is no clear difference between
individuals in the second and third quartiles of the population,
they are all effectively average, with a mixture of strengths
and weaknesses, but only some enter HE. 25 years ago, very few
of this group would have got A-levels at all. GCSEs maybe.
So our entrants are
(i) the high fliers who will mostly be creamed off into
the most demanding or desirable institutions and courses (e.g.
oxbridge, medicine)
(ii) The top quartile, who will succeed without help unless they
have a nervous breakdown
(iii) the "average" students, ranging from above average
intelligence but not well applied workaholics to the below
average intelligence who worked hard and/or had good coaches.
They all arrive level, but we have to predict who will succeed,
who will fall by the wayside, and this comes down more to their
psychology (motivation, interest) than ability, which we cannot
change anyway. My calculation is that ability/ skills should
be weighted at one third of the prediction. The rest is related
to motivation and external social factors affecting the work
rate. The students who fail our Skills module are the ones who
don't attend and don't hand in work.
Some pointers (but not carefully worded questions) we can ask
about are:-
Career aims; do you know what you want to do? vague aims -
vague motivation
Did you really want to be a vet/brain surgeon/rocket
scientist/journalist/dancer? (i.e. not on this course.
Yes = bad unless they really have accepted reality.
Did you apply to university because it is what you do after
A-levels? Yes = AAhhhh!
Is this subject degree essential to your career aims?
Yes = good, no = bad
Is this subject your first choice? yes = good
If they came through clearing, then obviously they did not get
their first six choices.
Was this subject your best subject at A-level? If so did it
affect your choice of degree subject? Yes = bad
Did you choose this subject because you thought it would be
interesting and difficult? Yes = good
Did you choose this subject because it seemed easy at school?
yes = bad.
Do you have to get (or will you get) a part time job? no = good
If so, how many hours a week is the maximum you can do and still
study? Answers >10 hours very bad misplaced confidence.
Will someone be pleased to hear how you do in each essay?
Yes = good, (support).
What family ties are there? Does the student help with the
family business? Is a parent/ sib disabled? retired early? in
ill health? All potential drains on private study time.
How much alcohol/ other drugs do you consume per week?
None = good
Do your friends drink more or less than you? Less = good
How hard do your friends study, more or less than you? More =
good.
Have you ever lived away from home before? Yes = good.
Do you always look on the bright side? yes= good.
Do you ever feel miserable, fed up and worthless? Yes =
potential suicide.
Do you think this course will be
easy? No = good; OK if I work hard = better.
I feel like producing a more subtle version for my 250 first
years.
A few of these "average" students use brilliance to replace hard
work. For the rest, with similar "average" abilities, most rely
on rote graft. The dividing line between success and failure is
then the motivation to do the hard graft, not their key skills
ability.
The really low IQ ones who relied on coaching and memory
(often short term) will be difficult to support in a large
student body. Accept some failures.
On Tue, 16 Apr 2002 13:22:20 +0100 "Willis, Dianne [IES]"
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Hi
>
> My name is Dianne Willis and I work at Leeds Metropolitan University.
>
> I am very interested in supporting year one students academically and am looking to introduce some diagnostic testing in year 1 to (hopefully) enable us to target extra support where it is most needed. Many of the tests I have seen relate specifically to Key Skills and so far, these have not proved very useful/predictive.
>
> Does anyone use any tests they could recommend for me to trial?
>
> Dianne Willis
> Principal Lecturer
> Leeds Metropolitan University
> School of Information Management
> Beckett Park Campus
> Leeds
> LS6 3QS
>
> Tel 0113 283 2600 x4737
----------------------
Best wishes,
Hugh Fletcher
Hugh Fletcher
School of Biology and Biochemistry
Queen's University of Belfast
97 Lisburn Road
Belfast
BT9 7BL
Tel. : +44 (0)28 90272084 Direct
Fax (School office): +44 (0)28 90236505
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