Takeaways from the Teaching for Retention Pdf from the Academic Enhancement Model Toolbox on the AEM and Attainment Resources website.
As first year lead on BAPJD, the subject of student retention is very relevant to me. Retention is without doubt linked not only to helping students pass their required units but on a deeper level it’s about their sense of belonging. This pdf, which is part of the AEM Toolbox, suggested interventions that can improve retention rates, from using data gathered in student surveys to teaching strategies such as using formative feedback as a diagnostic tool.
This year’s cohort told me directly that they wanted more help in bonding as a group during Block 1. Although by Block 2 I could see that friendship groups were being formed, as evidenced by a week where at least 6 students were sick and absent from my group tutorial. When I made a joke the following week that they must all have been at the same party, they all laughed and looked sheepish admitting this is exactly what had happened!
Some of the teaching strategies and social integration interventions that were suggested could certainly be could put in place in the ‘Intro To’ unit. The points that resonated with me were:
- How can current students input more into welcoming new students?
- Should we reconsider the assessment brief in ‘Intro To’, which to me is extremely rigorous and challenging for such an early point in the year?
- Can we incorporate more student-centred learning?
- How can we emphasise and assist more with building peer relationships?
In my experience creating small peer group activities every week helps students get to know each other. As do ice-breaker exercises at the beginning of class. But these should happen regularly throughout Block 1 rather than just in the first session. I’d like to introduce Object Based Learning sessions throughout Year 1 as a peer bonding opportunity – with students bringing in objects that are important to them. And I want to set regular mini-photography challenges for all 3 year groups to respond to. These challenges will be a chance for students to take pictures for fun, without being assessed, and will also be opportunities for students to work in pairs or small groups. Throughout the year, work from each year group will be rewarded – as in incentive to take part and to bring different year groups together. Rewards might be tickets to see a film screening or for the opening night of an exhibition. This also feeds into creating scaffolding for students to practice their technical skills.
The pdf also touches on how important it is for students to feel known by the staff, and an important question it posed was: How are students given the opportunity to understand how the relationship with University staff may differ from their previous experience?
This is something that I’ve prehaps taken for granted, even though its clear at the beginning of the year that students are unsure of what name or title to give me or even how to talk to me. I will take the time to address this moving forwards.
Block 1 pastoral tutorials are important in getting to know students and checking in with them, but this year none of the first year students signed up for them in Block 1. I felt that I had explained clearly what they were for, however having spoken to the students about it since, there was some confusion still and I should have taken more time to explain to them in person what these tutorials were for.
Lots to think about and lots of actions that I can implement for 2022/23!
Reference list:
Suka-Bill, Z and Clay, S , (Undated), AEM Toolbox, University of the Arts London. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/201935/Teaching-for-Retention-PDF-489KB.pdf (Accessed March 2022)