Refmecting on the First Year of Refmecting on the First Year of Implementation of an Institution-wide Implementation of an Institution-wide First- Year Academy Initiative – First- Year Academy Initiative – Highlights and Challenges Highlights and Challenges Ludolph Botha hlb@sun.ac.za Stellenbosch University South Africa
Stellenbosch University: Central Campus Stellenbosch University: Central Campus 2
Stellenbosch University - Quick Stellenbosch University - Quick Facts Facts • Research-based University • 24 378 students (2008) • Undergraduate: 15 677 • Post-graduate: 8 701 • 2 421 permanent stafg members – academic stafg: 812 • T en Faculties (Colleges/Schools) • Four Campuses • University town • One third in University housing (residences) • One third in town (private housing) • One third commuting 3
Overview Overview • Background and context • Challenges • Core of initiative – T eaching and Learning Coordinating Points (TLCs) • Important elements • Framework of continuous monitoring and evaluation • Some preliminary results • Summary and concluding remarks 4
Background and Context Background and Context • Bleak picture for whole higher education system in South Africa in terms of retention of fjrst-year students: • 30% attrition end of fjrst year • 50% attrition end of year three • First-Year Academy (FYA) ground work started end of 2005: • report tabled June 2006 • implementation commenced immediately • 2007 was fjrst full academic year of implementation • Most important characteristic of FYA initiative: • institution-wide, systemic-holistic process making buy-in from 5 everybody essential
Some Important Challenges Some Important Challenges • Continuous process to ensure institution-wide buy- in and involvement: management, faculty stafg, support stafg and students • FYA is largely virtual – challenging to market, comm unicate and sell idea • Integrating existing initiatives impacting on fjrst- years with new initiatives of FYA, e.g. tutoring and mentoring systems • Utilizing technology optimally and creatively • Developing early assessment system and orchestrating whole University to participate and 6 follow-up on results
Core of FYA Initiative Core of FYA Initiative • Central questions were: • how to get faculty, support stafg, management and students to participate and cooperate in FYA to achieve optimal student success? • how can the in-class experience and out-of-class experience both contribute towards academic success? • Establishment of T eaching and Learning Coordinating points (TLCs) provided some meaningful answers: • senior academics convene/chair these forums (many cases deputy deans) • academic stafg teaching fjrst-years, and those responsible for curriculation of fjrst-year programmes are involved 7
Core of FYA Initiative (cont) Core of FYA Initiative (cont) • very important aspect: include support stafg, e.g. student services, academic support, student housing, as well as students • regular meetings with reporting channel through faculty council, to Senate and University Council • common goal: work together to improve fjrst-years’ academic success • fjrst time that non-academic variables are very deliberately taken into consideration as important contributing factors in faculty context - factors such as student housing, sport, recreation, wellness: student as whole person (this corresponds with work of Astin 1997 and McCuskey and Dunckel 2006) • Schematic representation 8
Important Elements in FYA Important Elements in FYA • First-year monitoring system (Dr Susan van Schalkwyk’s paper) : • early assessment - objective: early warning and assistance • mark for every fjrst-year module loaded within fjrst six weeks • clear message (picture) of who high-risk students are: students, lecturing stafg, management and parents get information • technology plays important role • Early support survey: system with immediate feedback to s tudents • Expansion and decentralization of tutor system • Improvement and expansion of residential mentoring system • Much improved training programme for tutors and mentors 9
Important Elements in FYA (cont) Important Elements in FYA (cont) • Profjling of fjrst-year students much improved: • quantitative data, such as results of grade 11, 12, access tests and early assessment scores • qualitative data obtained with Alpha Baseline Questionnaire, Progress Questionnaire • prediction model (combine qualitative and quantitative variables) – provides clearer picture of variables determining academic success at our institution (Dr Alten du Plessis’s paper) • Tracking system: brings all data on fjrst-years together: • easier to monitor and identify high-risk students • can assist more meaningfully and timeously when necessary • research based, e.g. cohort analyses, impact of non-academic variables, etc 10
Important Elements in FYA (cont) Important Elements in FYA (cont) • Various mechanisms to share good practice, market FYA and encourage research: • Scholarship of T eaching and Learning (in-house) Conference (SOTL) • Fund for innovation and research in teaching and learning (FIRLT) • Rewarding top papers at SOTL conference • Publishing best work in in-house media (e.g. T eaching Matters @ Stellenbosch University – an electronic journal) • Rewarding top achieving fjrst-years and lecturers of fjrst-year students at Prestigious Dinner with Vice -Chancellor as host 11
Important Elements in FYA (cont) Important Elements in FYA (cont) • Imbedding FYA in formal structures of University: • section in Centre for T eaching and Learning with senior stafg member as Coordinator of FYA • FYA Committee (Vice-Rector chairperson) – sub-committee of the Senate Committee for T eaching and Learning • annual reporting on FYA – Senate and University Council • Continuous research on fjrst-year issues and the FYA: • teaching large classes • the role of e-learning • the role of identity and culture • the role of language of instruction in the multilingual classroom • predicting fjrst-year success, etc 12
A Process of Continuous Monitoring and A Process of Continuous Monitoring and Evaluation Evaluation Longitudinal Evaluation: 3+1 year Quantitative data available since 2007 2008 2009 1999 for first-year students Compare previous 10 years with data since inception of FYA Qualitative data available since 2007 2008 2009 2002 for first-year students Compare previous 5 years with data since inception of FYA 13
A Process of Continuous Monitoring A Process of Continuous Monitoring and Evaluation (cont) and Evaluation (cont) Marketing & Functionality of Welcoming programme recruitment of TLCs for new students prospective students (Access Tests) Continuous evaluation of elements of the FYA with the view to assess and improve (collecting data remains important) Training mentors and Analyzing early assess- Monitoring retention tutors – assessing ment data – correlating and success rates impact of their work with final marks 14
Some Preliminary Results Some Preliminary Results • Institution responds positively and overall impression is that FYA adds to success, because: • TLC feedback on structured questionnaire 80% positive • feedback from mentor and tutor programmes positive • number of fjrst-years going to Student Counselling for problems with adaptation – signifjcantly lower that previous years • greater awareness of teaching and learning issues in faculties (especially with reference to fjrst-years) • signifjcantly more teaching and learning research initiatives aimed at fjrst-years than ever before in institution • great enthusiasm and excellent participation during in-house conference on the Scholarship of T eaching and Learning – considerable interest in fjrst regional FYE Conference in Africa from 15 8 to 10 September 2008
Retention Rates of First-year Retention Rates of First-year Students Students 1998 - 2007 1998 - 2007 88 87 86 85 84 83 82 81 80 79 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 16
Percentage Credits Passed by 1 st years: Percentage Credits Passed by 1 st years: 1998 - 2007 1998 - 2007 77 76 75 74 73 72 71 70 1998 2000 2002 2004 1999 2001 2003 2005 2006 2007 17
Weighted Average (%) Achieved: Weighted Average (%) Achieved: First-year Students of 1998 - 2007 First-year Students of 1998 - 2007 53 52.5 52 51.5 51 50.5 50 49.5 49 48.5 48 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 18
Summary and Concluding Summary and Concluding Remarks Remarks Systemic-Holistic Approach TLCs Research- Early based Assessment Approach FYA part Mentoring and of Institutional Successful Tutoring Structure First-year Student ResEd Tracking System Technological Rewarding Support 1 st year T&L Enhances the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 19
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