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Canberra Institute of Technology's (CIT's) Information Technology Unit and its Planning and Student Services Unit devised performance indicators which assessed the academic performance in individual subjects. This was done because the graduation rate did not seem to reflect the apparent 'success' and satisfaction of CIT students; that is, the general opinion was that although students were not always graduating, they were completing subjects sufficient for their own needs. As at 1995, six sets of profiles based on those indicators had been produced. This latest profile gives a graphical comparison of 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1994 data. Show less

This article reports on a research project aimed at investigating the effect of employment and a substantially increased fee level on student persistence and attrition at one of the two major New Zealand distance learning institutions, the Open Polytechnic of New Zealand. Student perceptions of fees’ importance are classified into five groups encompassing both economic and ‘education as investment’ considerations. Employer reimbursement of fees upon successful course completion was found to be a strong influential factor in student persistence. Show less

Provision of further education (FE) colleges is becoming more important to the nation’s education strategy. Much of this provision is in National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ); in 2003/04 almost half a million of these qualifications were awarded. However, in contrast to the situation in higher education (HE), there has been comparatively little research into the impact of ethnicity and gender on retention in FE. This study is an attempt to address these issues and, in doing so, to provide statistical evidence for one FE college to assist in their strategic planning. Here, statistical analyses of the effects on student withdrawal rates of the factors: age, gender, ethnicity, studying for a qualification with an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) element and Widening Participation (WP) category are carried out. Our statistical analyses show that, in general, gender is a highly significant factor in withdrawal rates as are ethnic group and WP category. Studying for an ESOL-related qualification, which is used here as a proxy for language issues, was found to be a significant factor for Entry-level students only. Age was found not to be a significant factor at any level. This led us to the tentative conclusion that, while external factors such as financial hardship are likely to play a part in influencing the decision of students to withdraw, the different ways that genders and ethnic groups at particular levels of study respond to the college environment, apparently independently of external factors, may be an issue that could be addressed through a review of internal college factors including teaching and assessment.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

Using data from several introductory-level courses at one Canadian university, community college transfer students were compared to transfer students from other universities and to non-transfer students on a number of measures of academic success. The three groups did not differ significantly in terms of course withdrawal rates, and final course grades for college transfer students were not significantly different from those of non-transfer students. However, students who had transferred from other universities received higher final grades. Mid-course grades and gender comparisons are discussed, as are policy implications and suggestions for future research.

Published abstract. Show less

Increasing demand for flexibility in workforce training is leading to greater variation in delivery methods, including flexible and distance learning. Online learning is becoming increasingly popular. However learning at a distance can mean declining course completion rates. On the other hand, access for learners with some disabilities is increased by delivering learning electronically. To improve course completion rates, one support strategy described in the literature is to build a sense of community into learning. How can online learners at a distance develop this sense of community? Research findings are analysed, and recommendations provided for building effective online learning communities.

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This paper aims to identify some of the issues related to the nursing students' experience of belonging on clinical placements from the current Australian literature. Anecdotal and empirical evidence suggests that nursing students on clinical placements often experience problems that can adversely affect their feeling of belonging in the clinical setting and ultimately their career decisions. As nursing shortages increase, retention of student nurses in their chosen profession is often affected by their clinical experiences, both positively and negatively (HWA, 2012). Health professionals' attitudes towards nursing students may affect their feelings of belonging to the environment and the health care team. These health professionals include Registered Nurses and a range of other health professionals including medical staff, physiotherapists and dieticians.

The clinical settings in which student nurses' practice vary greatly and may also make a difference to the student experience and their feelings of belonging. Student expectations should include feeling welcomed to the clinical area and respected as part of the nursing culture. Clinical placements provide the 'real world' experience to complement classroom and laboratory education. These expectations are clearly not met in some clinical environments. Complimentary research reinforces the benefit of partnering students with experienced registered nurses who have an interest in teaching nursing students. The literature has identified some examples of where students have felt a sense of belonging to the clinical environment and others where the situation has been less than encouraging. Provision of support, guidance and ensuring appropriate clinical education remain ongoing challenges for Australian universities and the health care system (Henderson et al 2011).

Excerpts from published abstract. Show less

In Germany about half of the adult learners who start second chance education drop out before graduation. In this paper we aim to contribute to an explanation for this low success rate. We focus on the normative expectations of learners: What are their expectations concerning teachers' attention to their personal abilities, teacher support and the recognition of their needs, and to what extent are these expectations met by teachers? Our main assumption is that the greater the difference between learner's expectations and teacher practice, the more likely learners are to become disengaged and be absent from school, and this may lead to school dropout in the future. We use a database of N = 420 learners in 7 randomly selected institutions of second chance education in Germany. Results show, that (1) on average, adult learners tend to expect teachers to take an interest in their personal problems and to take responsibility for their learning process. However (2), 30 per cent of learners experience teachers who are (a) more or (b) less learner-oriented than they expected them to be, and (3) students in group (b) show considerably lower school engagement and higher absences than students in group (a). Results are discussed with regard to practical implications for second chance education.

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The ability of all students to successfully complete their schooling is fundamental to their continued success and quality of life and Alberta Learning is committed to ensuring that all Albertans have the knowledge and skills required to be successful and to learn quickly and flexibly throughout life. Alberta Learning’s Business Plan for 2000-2003 set a target for improving high school completion from 70% to 75% and as a key step in achieving this target, a study of barriers to high school completion was undertaken. This involved conducting a literature review, data analysis and consultations. This report provides a summary of the literature review and data analysis, discusses issues associated with early school leaving and suggests outcomes for removing barriers to high school completion.

The technical report accompanying this document is indexed at TD/TNC 72.485. Show less

The aim of the Earning and Learning Research Partnership was to explore the reasons why a substantial proportion of successive cohorts of students in South Australia had not completed the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) or were identified as potential non-completers. The project officially commenced in September 2019 and was completed in August 2020. The research particularly aimed to capture the student voice behind young people's earning and learning pathway choices, specifically identifying: why students in Years 10, 11, or 12 leave school without a documented 'valid' reason (leavers); and why some Year 12 students remain enrolled in high school but appear to beat risk of not completing SACE (stayers). To actively seek the student voice, information was collected by means of Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI). This mode of data collection meant that attempts were made to contact all members of the two target populations of leavers and stayers by experienced interviewers from a demographic similar to the interviewees.

Abstract from publisher's website. Show less

[Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 had a significant impact on apprentices, their employers and learning providers. Companies, particularly in certain key sectors, furloughed staff or made them redundant. Off the job learning and assessment were disrupted, and many companies required staff to work from home, changing the nature of on-the-job training. This report presents the findings from the [Further Education] FE COVID-19 Learner and Apprentices Experience Survey conducted in the 2020-2021 academic year. The research comprised 4,240 online and 5,703 telephone survey interviews with a mixture of apprentices and education and training learners in England, covering all levels from level 2 to level 5. The interviews were conducted between May and July 2021 and included learners and apprentices who had left their course early as well as those who were still studying.

The aim of the research was to understand FE learners' and apprentices' experience of, and satisfaction with, their learning and training within a COVID-19 context. The research sought to provide insight into COVID-19 impacts in areas such as quality of remote learning, study support and welfare support. It allowed learners to provide feedback on their experience, which will help inform future policy development. Other areas covered in the survey were satisfaction and reasons for leaving their course early. The report is structured to show separate results for apprentices, 16-18 education and training (E&T) learners and 19+ E&T learners. Each of these groups had significantly different learning contexts during the pandemic.

Key findings are: (1) overall satisfaction with teaching, training and support was high; (2) higher level learners and apprentices were less satisfied than other learners; (3) most learners and apprentices thought that they were on track with their learning; (4) learners and apprentices preferred onsite teaching to online learning; (5) lack of motivation was the key barrier for home working for all learners and apprentices; (6) learners and apprentices with a disability or learning difficulty were less satisfied than other learners; and (7) health and well-being issues were reported by many learners and apprentices. The report concludes that further research in this area would be helpful. It would be extremely valuable, for example, to investigate the overall impact for these cohorts on outcomes, such as progression into higher levels of study and employment and long-term wage gain. Further research into the impact on learners with a disability or learning difficulty, those living in deprived areas and learners and apprentices with health and well-being issues would also be valuable.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less