Retention and Student Services at Open Universiteit – Nanda Boers

Retention and Student Services at Open Universiteit – Nanda Boers

• 1.
  Measures in distanceeducation for successful student retention at the Open University of the Netherlands (Faculty of Psychology) Preventing student dropout with measures that promote progression before, during and after courses
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  Central office islocated in Heerlen (South of the Netherlands) 6 faculties: Educational Sciences, Humanities, Law, Management sciences, Psychology, Science (bètasciences) About 19000 active course enrollments (OU-total). 7800 psychology and health sciences enrollments (students can do more than one enrollment) 900 employees (academic and non academic staff) and 150 at faculty of PSY PSY works closely together with Marketing and Relationship management and ECO (center for expertise in education) OU has course income and government subsidies, research projects mostly external resources (ZonMW for Psychology) pagina 2 INTRODUCTION: ORGANIZATION OF THE OU Faculty of Psychology – May 2024
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  Study centers arelocations for studentmeetings, small group activities, exams and all sorts of festivities. There are 11 study centers in the Nederlands en 6 in Belgium. The central office of the OU is located in Heerlen. ou.nl/studiecentra Study centers
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  Some definitions Reasons for(temporary) discontinuation of study New educational model Perspectiveof teachers/study advisors/faculty of psychology ECO’s analysis of annual data– 2023 Faculty Focus 2024 Marketing and Relationship management Recommendations for reducing dropout pagina 5 CONTENT: MEASURES IN DISTANT EDUCATION Faculty of Psychology – May 2024
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  pagina 6 Faculty ofPsychology – May 2024 SOME DEFINITIONS "Student retention" refers to the ability of an educational institution to attract and retain students throughout their period of study, with the aim of enabling them to graduate successfully. "Progression" (throughput) relates to the successful completion of a particular level or phase of education, such as completing a study year or program and then moving on to a higher level or the next phase. Coöperation between academic staff, management en support.
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  1. The studyis not what I expected (too much theory, distance learning doesn't suit me, less student contact, too difficult, workload per course too high). 2. After studying a few courses, I need a break (many students reported they took a break and never returned). 3. My home and/or work situation has changed and I no longer have time for the study (e.g., job changes/family composition changes, relocation, caregiving, health reasons). pagina 7 Faculty of Psychology – May 2024 REASONS FOR (TEMPORARY) DISCONTINUATION OF STUDY (1)
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  4. Distance learningrequires (too much) self-discipline. Due to the limited amount of guidance and little contact with teachers and fellow students, it's difficult to find sufficient motivation. 5. I know enough about psychology; I don't need more. 6. I prefer another education because the career prospects in Mental Health Care in the Netherlands are unclear. pagina 8 Faculty of Psychology – May 2024 REASONS FOR (TEMPORARY) DISCONTINUATION OF STUDY (2)
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  1. Both bachelorand master with fixed and variable courses (fixed course in 11 weeks, exam in week 12) 2. Increase of study advisors 3. Increase of online structured course elements (online classes, self tests, weekly summary, feedback moments, exam training) 4. Increase of tutors capacity 5. Emphasis on course enrollment NEW EDUCATIONAL MODEL 2014 pagina 9 Faculty of Psychology – May 2024
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  pagina 10 Faculty ofPsychology – May 2024 EXAMPLE BACHELOR'S YEAR SCHEDULE
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  1. Additional resourcesto increase tutoring capacity 2. Increase of monitoring capacity study advisors 3. In the masters program additional variable courses 4. Developing community tool (during the course/program) 5. Student Wellbeing and Student Psychologists 6. Focus on data from ECO and M&R PERSPECTIVE OF TEACHERS/STUDY ADVISORS/FACULTY OF PSYCHOLOGY pagina 11 Faculty of Psychology – May 2024
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  1. In thebachelor's program, fixed courses, especially for a student's initial purchase, show higher course success rates compared to variable courses. Fixed courses are also completed significantly faster. 2. Passing the first course strongly determines whether or not a subsequent purchase is made. If a student passes the first course, 71% make another purchase. However, if they fail the first course, only 22% make another purchase. 3. In the master's program, dropout during the thesis phase is particularly concerning. This aspect is currently being addressed in a project, which seeks to identify the main causes of dropout and implement appropriate interventions. ECO’S ANALYSIS OF ANNUAL DATA - 2023 pagina 12 Faculty of Psychology – May 2024
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  1. The tutorpool is creating a new plan to reduce dropout rates in terms of guidance (individual/group) and scheduling (fixed/variable), to determine the most effective strategy during the course. 2. Study advisors have defined target groups to monitor more specific. They will use intelligent agents within an overall students educational portal to engage students in the program. 3. In collaboration with ECO, research has begun into dropouts in the master's thesis phase. Why do students drop out while they have started the thesis process? Results are expected by the end of 2024. FACULTY FOCUS 2024 pagina 13 Faculty of Psychology – May 2024
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  1. Improved accessibilityon student data – necessary for monitoring student progress in terms of communication and purchase behavior. 2. Mapping the study intentions and motivation of the students who enroll. Based on this research, the maximum percentage of transition can be calculated. Then, we can determine an acceptable percentage of transition to be included in subsequent projects and research. 3. Updating Study Coach module (study skills modules, use of AI in studies and student well-being). Collect data on the use of Study Coach and its impact on academic success. MARKETING AND RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT pagina 14 Faculty of Psychology – May 2024
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  Employ a tutorpool to support teachers in student engagement and monitoring within courses, particularly in courses with large student numbers. Optimizing intelligent agent function in Brightspace or other learning systems. Provide example schedules for all courses, indicate pass rates, suggest most logical follow-up courses, alert students to enroll in time, refer to website Wellbeing and Study coach. Invest in an integrated (monitoring) tool, offering study paths, study plans, annual schedules, and prompts for timely registration (exam, follow-up course). Work throughout the program with faculty study advisors who are available to students by phone, video call or face-to-face. Highlight engagement activities and the program's structure. pagina 15 Faculty of Psychology – May 2024 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR REDUCING DROPOUT
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  Questions?