University College Dublin

University College Dublin

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RETETENTION BEGINS BEFORE ENTRY

12 Weeks to Retention

Underrepresented Mature Students in UCD and in the Irish Higher Education system.

Ronan Murphy UCD Mature Student Adviser

May 2012

OverviewExplanation of who the students are that I work with

Some facts and figures about mature students in UCD and in Ireland

Issues mature students face pre-entry The process and programmes for

Retention My general work as it relates to retention

and student issues General UCD student supports

Mature Student Retention

Underrepresented within the general student population In

Ireland Students with a physical disability or specific

learning difficulty

Students from low socio-economic (backgrounds)

Students who didn’t enter university at 18, (possibly for the above reasons) but who enter university after they reach 23 years old based on what is know as mature years application

Mature Students in UCD

Categories of Mature Students Those who have no third level experience or

may not have completed secondary school Those who have some association with third

level Those who come into UCD on secondary

school results Those who have degrees but are studying to a

second undergraduate degree

Recent UCD Survey by Dr. Bairbre Fleming

438 /926 mature students surveyed responded

58% F/42%M

Mean age of respondents =36.4 and a median of 32

80% of respondents parents did not complete 3rd level

Around 40% married or w/partner

37% have child dependents

50% receiving state assistance for education

Mature Students Ireland Survey(National network of mature student officers in Ireland)

55% F /45% M respondents = 1955 36% married or w/partner 45% have adult dependents 43% have child dependents 33% out of education for 10+years 11% out of education for 6-9 years 15% out of education 3-6 years 27% haven’t participated in any programmes of

education prior to entering HE 80% respondents parents didn’t go to 3rd level 60% receiving some state assistance for education

Mature Students Ireland SurveyCurrent Financial Situation

14% at risk of dropping out due to financial worries

60% finding it difficult or precarious financially

66% find their financial situation having an impact on their studies

73% considering going on to PG

93% unable to continue on to PG without financial support

Pre-conceived assumptions and pre-entry realities

Generally speaking mature students come to university from a particular frame of reference and which can be stocked with a number of pre-conceived assumptions regarding their ability to persist

Mature students also arrive with some stark realities

Pre-conceived assumptions and pre-entry realities

The assumptions include questions about academic ability and nervousness about their right to be present

Realities are: Financial worries (60% finding it difficult or precarious

financially) Juggling of familyand/or work life Childcare (37% UCD w/children) Parent care care (47% nationally with adult

dependents) and the conscious choice to change their life

Assumptions and realities as triggers to non persistence

For mature students pre-conceived assumptions and/or pre-entry realities can be a trigger for entering students to question whether they have made the right choice to enrol in higher eudcation

Unlike their 18 year old student colleagues mature students already have their lives outside univeristy and the very act of entry to HE requires them to alter their lives , sometimes drastically, and juggle new realities

Application and Affirmation

What is important therfore for the entering mature student is to affirm that the leap of faith they made by applying to and accepting a place in higher education is reasonable and an attainable goal

This affirmation to the entering mature student needs to prove/display that they are not alone, that they can succeed and that others like them have completed the course having come from similar circumstances and mindsets

Retention 360 entering mature students in 2011

171 of whom have no prior contact with HE

One retention figure is that only 1 of these 171 students has withdrawn

Withdrawal = actively withdrew Retention = moved from 1st to 2nd year Completed = finished their degree

programme

Retention

Over a 10 year spread 1999-2009 the overall UCD retention is 83% but it shows signs of improvement in more recent years

Taking 2008 - 89% progressed from 1st to 2nd year

which was an improvement from 86% in 2007

17/16/9 withdrawals over past three years for mature students

One way I count is to see how many returned emails I receive when I send out a bulk e-mail

The process/programme of retention

Mature years entry students in Ireland get notified of their acceptance into a university in the first week of July

I get a list from our Admissions Office of all those mature students who have accepted places in UCD by mid-July

As we know from talking to entering students that at this point all those who have accepted places are both very excited and very nervous


My service earns its salt from this point in mid to late-July through the first six weeks of term

It is very important that during this time mature students feel supported in the fact that the choice they made, the leap of faith, is valid and attainable


All entering mature students will get a letter from

me within a week of my getting the list from

Admissions

The letter is both a welcome letter and an outline

of available supports from that point on

Writing Academy

Writing Academy Entering MS are invited to partake of a 3 day

writing academy in late August designed to alleviate the writing anxiety that attachs itself to many entering mature students

The Academy gives people a refresher on what is expected academically in 3rd level

This pre-registration writing programme, in collaboration with our Mathematics Support Centre, added a mathematics component in 2011 and will enhance this component this year

Writing Academy

Mature Student Orientation Day

Mature Student Orientation Day

All entering mature students are invited to a half dayorientation programme held on the Saturday beforethe official university orientation

This event showcases UCD student services Provides an opportunity for mature students to

meet other mature students within and without their academic discipline

Have a campus tour Engage with a student panel Q&A with current

mature students.


These targeted programmes are designed to getthe mature students past the first hurdlesregarding

Their questioning of their academic ability Feeling isolated as the only mature student Having a grasp of the campus and its services Alerting them to the one-to-one service provided by

my office

An awareness of the different supports especially is essential for retention


No matter how many programmes I could run

there is actually nothing to prepare the entering

mature student for the first few weeks of term

and the feeling of being overwhelmed by 18 year

olds

The positive about this is that there is a big and

infectious buzz from the younger students


Once academic term begins the actually day to

day practicalities and difficulties begin forstudents trying to balance their former lives

andresponsibilities with the rigours and

demands oftheir academic work

A million things crop up and I stay very busy

with my one-to-one advisery service

Issues arising in one-to-one advising sessions

A large part of my service is one-to-one advising sessions and the main categories of what students seek advice on are outlined below:

This is a new data base where these issues or this work is being captured but it is being refined as some categories such as ‘Academic’ are currently covering a very broad range. Often more than one issue arises at a time (e.g. academic performance and family breakdown). We do have a way of noting second issues but again the categories are the same and are currently under scrutiny.

Academic Issues Registration queriesAssessment BereavementPhysical Health Mental HealthStress/Coping/Anxiety FinancialPersonal Careers


Within the first two weeks I e-mail all entering mature students to alert them once again as to where my office is

I recently set up a facebook page to pass on any important or relevant pieces of news

Although many will have been introduced to the mature student society on the orientation day I remind them of that again and of its first get together http://www.ucd.ie/maturesoc/gallery.html

http://www.ucd.ie/maturesoc/gallery.html


The first few weeks usually work pretty well as everyone is a bit overwhelmed just trying to get set up but around week 5 or 6 –trouble –

I send a specific email out to the mature students and explicitly outline what I think many of them are feeling; overwhelmed, anxious, unsure and ready to jump ship.

I invite them to come and see me and let them know that they are not alone in their thoughts

I remind them again of the different student supports and also remind them that they are already half way through their first semester


The other very important piece is to

remind students that once they get their first semester exam results to come and see if they haven’t passed everything as even one or two non-passing marks can get a student thinking that they aren’t up for it

Sampling of UCD Retention Supports for Students

Access and Lifelong Learning UCD GeneralSecondary School Outreach OrientationHEAR programme week long Orientation

Programme Orientation

Peer Mentoring Peer MentoringStudent Adviser Student AdvisersOrientation for student with a disability

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