AN INSTITUTIONAL APPROACH TO
IMPROVING STUDENT RETENTION AND
SUCCESS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
PRETORIA
Professor Ana Naidoo
and
Professor Nthabiseng Ogude
[email protected]
WELCOMING DAY
www.up.ac.za
UP IN A NUTSHELL
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Large, research intensive institution
Tuition in both Afrikaans and English
Total of 61 500 students in 2012
45 000 contact students
 13 155 PG
 31 872 UG contact
 8382 first-year
 54.7% Female
 46.9% Black
 5 Campuses
 9 Faculties
Lemmens 2012 (ICP)
www.up.ac.za
VISION/GOAL
To provide a holistic quality undergraduate
education experience:
 Lay a foundation for a holistic UG
education and improve graduation and
throughput rates
 Review the educational model (how we
teach)
 Address the demands of a diverse
student population (who we teach)
[UP Strategic Plan - 2025]
www.up.ac.za
MODEL DEVELOPMENT
 Previous UP student success practices (10
years)
 Research Question: Model to suit UP : SA
context
 Best practices: (Literature review, conferences,
expert input – Kuh, Gardner)
 Academic involvement : Deputy Deans
 Steering Committee for Student Access and
Success
www.up.ac.za
Ogude,Kilfoil &
du Plessis, 2012
www.up.ac.za
IMPLICATIONS OF THE MODEL
How to determine and address
 Institutional readiness
 Faculty readiness
 Student readiness
Faculties are caught in the middle
– how do they change??
www.up.ac.za
STUDENT ACADEMIC READINESS
SURVEY
STARS RESULTS
www.up.ac.za
WHAT HAVE WE CHANGED?
COLLABORATION.. COLLABORATION…
collaboration
 Providing support structures for students
 Surveying students on their perceptions
of readiness for university preparedness
 Reflecting on the profile of students
 Foregrounding high impact modules that
prevent students from progressing or
completing their qualifications
www.up.ac.za
1. Personal
development
(DSA)
3. Academic
literacies
2. Academic
counselling
4. Tutoring
7. Lecturer roles
www.up.ac.za
PROVIDING SUPPORT
STRUCTURES – ACADEMIC
DEVELOPMENT – DEI
5. Tutor model
8. Evaluation
processes
6. Tutor
training
REFLECTING ON THE PROFILE
OF STUDENTS
Students with top marks
A failing school system
Under-prepared students
Financially disadvantaged students
www.up.ac.za
SURVEYING STUDENTS ...
STARS
RESULTS
SKILLS
(Study;Testtaking;Tmemanagement)
1st generation;
Self –efficacy;
Engagement
Student
Counsellors
Mentors
Financial;
Accommodation
Residences/
Client Services
Faculty Student
Advisor
support, career/
programme choice
... FOR UNIVERSITY PREPAREDNESS
www.up.ac.za
FOREGROUNDING HIGH IMPACT
MODULES (HIMs)
 First-year modules that
– form the core of the degree
– support ease of progression into subsequent years of
study
– are prerequisites for many other modules/ programmes
– have large enrolments
 Core modules in any year that are
particularly relevant for specialization
 Modules that have the potential to impact
on PIs such as graduation rates
www.up.ac.za
UNIT FOR ACADEMIC LITERACY
From the newly developed study guide:
Students graduating from a thousand different high
schools are distributed along an academic literacy
continuum reflecting differences in schooling,
language competence and aptitude. This module
accommodates that differentiation through
individualised learning pathways during the first six
months of the programme, thereby reducing the
disadvantage inherent in those differences.
www.up.ac.za
MENTORS & FACULTY ADVISORS
 Each faculty has :
• Trained mentors from the undergraduate senior students
• A faculty advisor employed specifically to direct students
to the various support structures present within the faculty
intersection
HIMs & At-risk
 Positions are on annual contracts
 Community of practice as part of the
development programme
www.up.ac.za
TUTORING SYSTEMS
Use of senior students
Each faculty has :
•An education consultant for teaching development
•Tutors to provide academic support to students
3 systems available:
• Supplemental instruction
• Tutor sessions
• e-tutoring
SI – Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Science
E-tutoring – Statistics
Tutors for High Impact Modules
www.up.ac.za
WHERE DO WE HAVE INPUT?
 Orientation
• Skills required
 Pre-Orientation
•
On-line course
 Integrated into the disciplines
www.up.ac.za
LECTURER
SUPPORT
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Model Use
University-wide initiative
Non-cognitive
Cognitive
STARS – psycho-social
NBT & Grade 12 &
University performance
“At- risk” students/ modules
Faculty and departmentally monitored tutoring,
mentoring and advising
www.up.ac.za
STUDENT FEEDBACK
www.up.ac.za
www.up.ac.za