Determinants of timely completion: the impact of Bachelor's degree programme characteristics and student motivation on study progress

an article by Cor J.M. Suhre, Ellen P.W.A. Jansen and M. Torenbeek (Centre for Learning and Teaching, University of Groningen, The Netherlands) published in Higher Education Research & Development Volume 32 Issue 3 (June 2013)

Abstract

Timely completion of university degree programmes is a topic of growing concern to higher education institutions and their students.

This paper reports on a study about the impact of degree programme characteristics and student motivation on study progress. The setting for the study is a Dutch law school. Data on degree programme characteristics, student ability, motivation, academic performance and academic pressure were collected from 168 first-year students six months after the start of their studies.

Analysis of the effects of degree programme characteristics and studentsrsquo; initial motivation on study progress shows that study progress mainly depends on ability, timely completion goals and transparency of assessments. The study also shows that transparency of assessment procedures considerably lowers fear of failure and academic pressure.

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Commencing student experience: new insights and implications for action

an article by Leonid Grebennikov (Office of Strategy and Quality, University of Western Sydney, Australia) and Mahsood Shah (Office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia) published in European Journal of Higher Education Volume 2 Issue 2-3 (June-September 2012)

Abstract

In many developed countries, including Australia, it is common practice to regularly survey university students in order to assess their experience inside and beyond the classroom. Governments conduct nationwide surveys to assess the quality of student experience, benchmark outcomes nationally and in some cases reward better performing institutions.

Internal surveys aim to identify which aspects of university services students rate higher or lower on their importance and performance. Thus, universities can promote highly performing areas and work on those needing improvement.

Traditionally students are surveyed at the end of each year of study. However, in recent years, some Australian universities have introduced surveys for commencing students focusing on their experience in the first few weeks of study.

This article investigates whether surveying students at the early stage can be informative and help universities manage proactively student expectations to optimise first year engagement and retention. The research sample consisted of 8,228 first year undergraduate students who participated in the Commencing Student Survey (CSS) conducted by a large multi-campus Australian university in 2010 and 2011.

The results have significant implications for the university’s first year retention strategy and consistently suggest the importance of:

• helping new students with learning methods;
• staff accessibility and responsiveness;
• course flexibility;
• implementing a wide range of formal and informal peer support activities and systems;
• giving students better prior training on what will happen at university; and
• providing new students with guides on how the university works and how to do well, written by experienced and successful students from their group.

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PISA in Focus 18

an OECD publication (July 2012)

Are students more engaged when schools offer extracurricular activities?

• Around 90% of students in OECD countries attend schools that offer field trips to places where students can learn about scientific principles and concepts.
• In most countries, science-related extracurricular activities at school are related to better student performance, a stronger belief by students in their abilities to handle science-related tasks, and greater enjoyment of learning science. And, in many countries, this is true even after accounting for the socio-economic background of both students and schools.

The bottom line: PISA cannot determine whether being exposed to science-related extracurricular activities enhances students’ attitudes towards science or whether students with more positive attitudes towards science are attracted to schools that offer more of such activities; both could be true. But what PISA does show is that these kinds of activities have a positive relationship not only to student performance, but also to students’ attitudes towards learning and their belief in their own abilities.

Full text (PDF 4pp)

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