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This project was developed with a view to addressing the current low retention rates among Indigenous Australian students from regional and isolated areas undertaking degree courses offered through block-release study mode by the Centre for Aboriginal Studies at Curtin University, Western Australia, relative to those of students undertaking other degree courses offered by the University. The current drop-out rate for these students is up to 60 per cent, compared with 20 per cent for the overall student population of Curtin University.

The project endeavoured to establish the feasibility of developing a 'bridging course'-style program for these students, in the form of a block-release study mode pre-tertiary academic pathway program. This pathway program would be designed to attract and retain regional and isolated Indigenous Australians wishing to undertake degree courses offered through block-release study mode by the Centre for Aboriginal Studies at Curtin University, by ensuring that these students are equipped with the skills required for the successful completion of their degree course. The pathway program would also be intended to prepare students to undertake degree courses offered by other Australian universities.

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University students experience varying forms of vulnerability, which could have negative consequences for fulfilling their academic potential. The voices of these vulnerable students have not been adequately captured in existing research and can be best sought through qualitative research which targets the very students experiencing such vulnerabilities. This article, framed within the conceptual theory of vulnerability, uses Narrative Theory as a methodological approach to explore how university students experience the phenomenon of being at risk; how they cope with it; and how their narratives of vulnerability can inform student retention and support in higher education institutions (HEIs). Being at risk is a multidimensional concept, which is dealt with inadequately in institutional ethics policy and practice. The preliminary findings suggested that students at risk feel marginalised [from] mainstream support services. Further, the evidence suggested that doctoral students' training reproduces the marginalisation of vulnerability through inadequately addressing ways of researching with vulnerable people.

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Swinburne University of Technology has experienced tremendous growth in open access online learning and as such is typical of the many Australian institutions that have ventured into online tertiary education. While research in online education continues to expand, comparatively little investigates students' enrolment and attrition. This research examines commencing enrolment and associated student withdrawal data, as well as performance scores from eight units forming a marketing major for an open access online undergraduate degree. Since data were collected over a five year period, trends and patterns within a substantial online undergraduate program can be explored. The paper discusses the challenges of analysing enrolment data. Initial findings suggest that retention strategies should be designed according to the stage students are at in their studies. Furthermore, the research informs the prioritisation and development of more effective enrolment and performance data reporting capabilities, which in turn would benefit student management and retention.

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Attempts to recruit Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students into nursing degrees have made minimal impact on the number of registered nurses working in Australia's healthcare sector. Yet increasing the number of Indigenous nurses remains one of the most important objectives in strategies to close the health gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Poor retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in a Bachelor of Nursing Science degree offered in far north Queensland, Australia, indicates the need for a different approach to support and retain Indigenous students. This action research study used a decolonizing methodology and was conducted at a satellite university campus in a remote Torres Strait Island community. Researchers trialled the use of a mentoring circle to support and retain nursing students and interviewed mentors and mentees about their experiences. Grounded theory methods were used to analyse the data. Findings indicated a growth in participant students' emotional intelligence as a result of participating in a mentoring circle. Students developed confidence, formed a group identity, better-negotiated the university environment, became more effective communicators and supported one another through difficulties. The mentoring circle model improved students' university experience and its use should be considered by tertiary educators working with Indigenous students.

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The national strategy for access and student success in higher education has been developed at the request of the UK Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Minister for Universities and Science. The vision of this national strategy is: that all those with the potential to benefit from higher education have equal opportunity to participate and succeed, on a course and in an institution that best fit their potential, needs and ambitions for employment or further study. This final report to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills sets out what the Office for Fair Access (OFFA) and the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) will do to carry out the strategy.

Part one summarises the vision, overall approach and key actions that are proposed across the three broad stages of the student lifecycle: (1) access - preparing for and entering higher education; (2) retention and student success - staying on and achieving a qualification; and (3) progression to further study or to/within employment. Part two describes the strategy in detail and the evidence that it is based on. It brings together new and existing research on access and student success, including evidence gathered through commissioned research, a call for evidence and discussions with a wide range of stakeholders. The first three chapters discuss issues, evidence, and recommendations relating to the three broad stages of the student lifecycle. The concluding chapter describes in detail the proposed implementation of the strategy and outlines the types of indicators that will be developed to measure progress against the priorities it identifies.

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This paper reports some preliminary findings of a research project titled 'New roles for the teacher: increased completion through social responsibility'. This research, designed as an intervention project, has an overall aim of reducing absence and drop-out rates in the Danish vocational and general adult educational system by developing and improving the teachers' competences. This has been pursued in the research project through engaging teachers in training aimed at improving their socio-pedagogical competences. The effect of this training has been measured by two electronic questionnaires filled in by the teachers, interviews with the teachers, and by the teachers' written logbooks. At this stage of the research it is not possible to document comprehensive and specific changes in the teachers' attitudes and specific behaviour. However the project's focus on the socio-pedagogical competence has had an impact on the drop-out rate. The preliminary conclusion is that it is the general attitude in the teacher groups towards the importance of improving retention that is of significance for the documented effects on the drop-out rates.

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There is a growing interest in policy research on student completion and non-continuation and bodies such as the European Commission and OECD are focusing on the subject. There is also increasing national interest in the issue in many countries and they are looking to each other for input on effective policies. However, there are significant social, economic and educational differences between national systems across Europe, making this a very challenging project. The aim of this article is to study challenges and complexities in researching student non-completion of higher education programmes in Europe. [The authors] use the case of two contrasting countries - England and Norway - to help to identify some of the differences, challenges and complexities that are relevant when creating an approach for analysis that can be used more widely to explore 'non-completion' across different countries in Europe and beyond.

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Community colleges enroll nearly half of the students enrolled in public undergraduate programs and a disproportionate number of first-generation, low-income, underprepared and minority students. The new national completion agenda has brought both visibility and pressure to these open-access institutions, which have completion rates of less than 25 per cent for first-time full-time students and even lower rates for part-time students. While interventions to improve success tend to be focused on the first year, a surprisingly large number of students successfully complete more than one year of college credits yet leave without completing a credential or transferring. This study focuses on these 'nearbies', successful students close to completion who leave higher education. Results indicate students have varied reasons for departing, demonstrate behaviors at odds with their espoused value of earning a certificate or degree, and need support and encouragement throughout their time at the college. Personal relationships are particularly important in fostering a sense of connection.

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Assessment methods in higher education will always be vehemently debated and evoke a plethora of emotions, comments and opinions. This short study attempted to scrutinise how the use of alternative methods of assessments in a foundation year award affected student retention and progression from the access year on to the traditional first year of an [Bachelor of Laws degree] LLB. Learners on the award completed a questionnaire about how they felt about their assessments. The findings are discussed and the authors enter into a discussion about the idea of complementing traditional timed exams with a suite of alternative and inclusive assessments. In conclusion the authors demonstrate that student retention and progression rate reached a rate of 95 per cent for the 2012/13 cohort.

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This research examined the relationship between placement in a learning support college program and subsequent academic outcomes. The sample consisted of 275 entering freshmen students who were enrolled in the Learning Support reading courses in the fall of 2005. Data were collected from the Gordon College Office of Institutional Research. The data showed that of the 275 students who enrolled in a Learning Support reading course in the fall 2005 semester, 189 returned for the spring 2006 semester. Data also showed that 58 per cent of the 275 students enrolled in Learning Support reading during fall 2005 successfully completed a basic reading intensive course upon completion of their remedial reading class. One hundred eighty seven students who had previously completed Learning Support reading enrolled (spring 2006 or later) in Introductory English 101 and 121 passed. Fifty-five students who had completed Learning Support reading enrolled (spring 2006 or later) in History 1121, Western Civilization, and 20 students passed. Six of the 205 students who completed Learning Support reading graduated Gordon College within a three-year period. The results of the present study indicate that the Learning Support Reading Program in place at Gordon College has proven to be a beneficial tool for at-risk college students. It is assumed that programs such as the Learning Support Program described here may help students build a foundation that will aid them throughout their college career.

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