Download Good Practice for Safeguarding Student Learning Engagement

Workshop
Good
Practice for
Safeguarding
Student
Learning
Engagement
Karen Nelson
Tracy Creagh
www.safeguardingstudentlearning.net
A review of the relevant literature and
.
evidence underpinning SJF.
 A philosophical & applied understanding
of each principle.
 How to achieve good practice in MSLE in
your context/institution.

Copy of the social justice framework.
Examples of MSLE good practice related to
each of the principles.
 Ideas for applying the framework to other
student retention and success initiatives


Dr Tim Rogers
Dr Glenda Jackson
Rhonda Leece
Andrew Brown
Dr Jim Elliot
Chris Hepperlin
Liz Smith
Launch of the Good Practice Guide 26
Joanna Scarbrough
March 2013
The social justice case


Important that all students who are made an
offer encounter “institutional conditions”
designed to facilitate learning engagement and
success
Aspirations for social inclusion demand equity of
opportunity
The economic case

Adams, Banks, Davis & Dickson (2010) Australian
retention study estimated total cost of attrition to be
~$1billion per annum for sector or $20-$36 million
per public university
Learning and Teaching Grants Showcase October 25, 2012
“Higher education can transform the
lives of individuals and through them
their communities and the nation by
engendering a love of learning for its
own sake and a passion for
intellectual discovery”.
Bradley, Noonan, Nugent & Scales (2008)
Review of Australian Higher Education: Final Report
Cost of Attrition “CALCULATOR”
For a university with 44,000 students and 11,000 commencing
students ...

If 10% of students who accept a place leave before the census
date (1,100)

and another 15% leave during their first year (1,650)

This is an annual loss of 2,750 first year students

Direct loss of income per student per year ~$16,500

Total loss of income $45,375,000

Every 1% improvement in commencing retention (110 students)
= $1,815,000

12 more students retained each year = $198,000

Since 2005 - at QUT progressive development
and deployment of a systematic approach to
monitoring and intervening with students
identified as “at risk of disengaging”  the
Student Success Program. (in Learning, Evaluation, Innovation and
Development, 6(1), pp. 1-15.

Similar large MSLE initiatives at AUT and UNE

High levels of interest throughout the sector,
e.g., ANU, Deakin, Monash, Auckland, Griffith
University, UniSA, RMIT, Charles Sturt, CQU,
ACU, Swinburne, Wollongong, Griffith, Curtin,
UQ, Curtin, Edith Cowan... Hobsons
It is critical for students’ learning outcomes,
the government’s widening participation
agenda and the reputation of the sector that
various approaches to MSLE are guided by an
agreed set of guiding principles, consistent
with the notions of equity and social justice,
to ensure that the ultimate benefit of
monitoring is positive for students ...
To lead good practice for the Australasian HE
sector in monitoring student engagement by

Designing and developing a set of
guiding principles for Safeguarding
MSLE; and

making available a set of resources to
support learning and teaching policy and
practice; and

providing a good practice guide for MSLE
that reflects the expertise of personnel
in existing good practice programs.
• AR Cycle 1 Develop the
MSLE Principles
Draft principles
Social Justice
Principles and
Framework
• AR Cycle 2 Refine principles,
identify exemplars
& artefacts.
• Action Research
Cycle 3: Develop
case studies,
refine good
practice guide
Final Suite of
Resources in
Repository

Annotated bibliography

Literature review

Good Practice Guide
 Social Justice Framework
 Principles
 Good practice exemplars
 Eight Institutional Case Studies
 Practical artefacts
 Toolkit

Safeguarding Student Learning
Engagement Website
https://safeguardingstudentlearning.net/
Launch of the Good Practice Guide 26 March 2013
Literature
Good
Practice for
Safeguarding
Student
Learning
Engagement
Karen Nelson
Tracy Creagh
www.safeguardingstudentlearning.net
 The more students learn; the more value they find in their
learning; the more likely they are to stay and graduate…
Least we forget the purpose of higher education is not
merely that students are retained, but that they are
educated. In the final analysis, student learning drives
student retention. [Emphasis added] (Vincent Tinto, 2002)
 ENTER scores are more highly correlated with SES status /
opportunity than academic potential (Trevor Gale, 2009)
 Equity students show similar attrition and completion

patterns as their non-equity peers.
“The time and effort students devote to activities that
are empirically linked to desired outcomes of college and
what institutions do to induce students to participate in
these activities (Kuh, 2001, 2003, 2009a)”
Perspectives
of Justice
The will
What should social justice
desire? Whose desire?
To render
How should social
justice be achieved?
To everyone
Who should
social justice
benefit?
Their due
What should social
justice deliver?
Distributive
Freedom, social cooperation
and compensation.
Individuals/ groups
represented by govt /
authorities
Liberty, protection of rights,
punishments for
infringements.
Individuals in free market.
Proportional
distribution
Disadvantaged
individuals
groups
Basic material & social
goods /opportunities
Open competitive and Individuals who
govt protection of life contribute to
and property
society
Material & social
goods / opportunities
commensurate with
talent and effort
Means for all to exercise
capability and determine their
actions.
All people within and among
social groups
Democratic processes
that include /
generalize from the
interests of the least
advantaged
Positive self-identity.
Self development; self
determination.
Retributive
Recognitive
All people
differently
experienced
within and
among social
groups
Launch of the Good Practice Guide 26 March 2013
Launch of the Good Practice Guide 26 March 2013
Launch of the Good Practice Guide 26 March 2013
Principles &
Examples
Good
Practice for
Safeguarding
Student
Learning
Engagement
Karen Nelson
Tracy Creagh
www.safeguardingstudentlearning.net

Fundamental to recognitive social justice; individuals
participate in democratic processes to ensure self-control
over their lives.

 students are actively involved in the design and
enactment of programs and in the review of program
outcomes.

Student participation in program design, enactment and
evaluation and making informed decisions about their
individual participation in the program.

Develop an ‘Action Plan’ with contacted students  selfidentification of learning & non-learning issues and assists in
the design of individually useful and relevant activities.

Use input from student advisers to revise the intervention /
program and training materials so that these resources
incorporate issues or trends articulated in student responses
to interventions

Incorporate an evaluative mechanism (for example, a student
survey) to gather feedback from the students on their contact
experience

From a recognitive social justice perspective; all individuals
have access to social, cultural, political and economic
resources.

considers that access is intentionally determined by inclusive
structures, systems and strategies that promote learning
engagement, particularly for ‘underserved’ students.

MSLE programs are designed to serve as active and impartial
conduits to the resources of the institution (e.g. curriculum,
learning, academic, social, cultural, support, financial and
other resources).

Ensure that the focus of the intervention / program is about
supporting engagement.

Develop strong relationships and / or service agreements
with support programs across the institution – such as
mentoring, counselling and academic skills development
programs.

Ensure training of advisors involves understanding the
institutional support ‘map’ and services available to students
both within and outside of the university.

Ensure advisors understand the historical, cultural, social and
economic barriers to access.

From a recognitive social justice perspective; individuals have
the right to be treated with dignity and respect and to have
their individual cultural, social and knowledge systems valued.

 activities are mindful of the rights of students to be treated
fairly with dignity and respect, as well as their rights to obtain
or withhold information, and these rights are recognised by
institutions that expect compliance with institutional policies.

Ensure that all students are treated with dignity and respect
and that their individual cultural, social and knowledge
systems are recognised and valued.

Use ethical protocols for the use of student information.

Tailor responses to meet students individual circumstances by
listening to their responses and issues.

Treat information gathered by the program as confidential
provide explicit training and guidelines about maintaining
confidentiality.

Ensure advisor training incorporates culturally and inclusive
communication practices.

From a recognitive social justice perspective social difference
is understood so that responses can be designed and applied
to particular situations to counteract the barriers that impede
participation.

 MSLE initiatives focus on counteracting barriers to participation such as
finances and broadening the knowledge and experiences of higher
education for previously under-represented groups.

Programs are designed to demystify and decode dominant
university cultures, processes, expectations and language for
differently prepared cohorts.


Use experienced students as advisors to normalise the ‘student
experience’ via the use of student ‘language’ and dispel myths and
preconceptions about approaching academic staff for assistance.

Recruit student advisors from a pool of student mentors with prior
knowledge of processes and protocols.

Recruit student advisors who have previously completed the same
course of study are well equipped to discuss relevant issues.

Consider matching advisors to particular cohorts of students when
scheduling outreach activities.

Email a ‘Student Readiness Survey’ to students prior to the
commencement of their studies. Use the questions and response
alternatives to help refine expectations about what ‘success’ might
look like as well as identify non-academic issues that may impede
connectedness and their university experience.
From a
recognitive
social
justice
perspective;
participation
From a recognitive
social justiceonperspective
participation or
is
is not predicated
previous opportunity
not predicated on previous opportunity or privilege.
privilege.
…which,
all students
have the
to participate
in university
whenshould
interpreted
foropportunity
MSLE initiatives
considers
that all
activitieshave
andthe
to opportunity
complete their
qualification(s)
in ways activities
that are
students
to participate
in university
harmonious
with their
backgrounds
and circumstances.
and
to complete
theirindividual
qualification(s)
in ways
that are harmonious
with their individual backgrounds and circumstances.
MSLE programs to promote socially inclusive practices so all
students experience a sense of belonging and connectedness.
Therefore, for good practice in MSLE ‘Participation’
requires MSLE programs to lead to socially inclusive
practices so all students experience a sense of belonging
and connectedness.


Provide a ‘Welcome Call’ to students to invite discussion
about the hidden curriculum and to offer a friendly voice 
assists in breaking down and alleviating pre and misconceptions about university life and creates a sense of
belonging.

Make the student experience visible via social media tools to
increase connections between peers (example – a blog site,
Facebook page).

Avoid language based on stereotypes or assumptions when
communicating with students; use inclusive language
Good
Practice
Good
Practice for
Safeguarding
Student
Learning
Engagement
Karen Nelson
Tracy Creagh
www.safeguardingstudentlearning.net
A review of the relevant literature and
.
evidence underpinning SJF.
 A philosophical & applied understanding
of each principle.
 How to achieve good practice in MSLE in
your context/institution.

Copy of the social justice framework.
Examples of MSLE good practice related to
each of the principles.
 Ideas for applying the framework to other
student retention and success initiatives


Workshop
Good
Practice for
Safeguarding
Student
Learning
Engagement
Karen Nelson
Tracy Creagh
www.safeguardingstudentlearning.net