Support and Retention for Part 1 Chemists

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Support and Retention for Part 1 Chemists

• Elizabeth Page
• Department of Chemistry

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Background

• Support programme established in late nineties
• HEA funding to produce materials in 2004
• 2007 major project funding from RSC for new
  ways to enhance the first year curriculum
• Transition mentoring
• Personal response systems

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Transition Mentoring

• Part 1 students linked with a volunteer older
  student mentor before start of term.
• Mentors provide an informal, supportive and
  guiding relationship.
• Mentors provide help and support
• Practical advice
• Social support
• Academic support

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Whos involved in the scheme?

• Students mentors
• All volunteers
• 2nd, 3rd and 4th year students and postgrads
• The mentees
• All Part 1 students including retaking students
• Some straight from school/college, some have had
  gap years and some been in employment
• All face similar challenges
• Coordinators in department and Counselling and
  Psychological Services
• Coordinate recruitment and training
• Arrange regular meetings
• Gather feedback and form point of contact

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Key stages for a successful scheme
1. Finding volunteers
3. Introducing mentors and mentees
2. Training volunteers
4. Regular contact, meetings or events
supported by departmental co-ordinator
5. Gathering feedback from mentors and mentees
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Whats in it for Mentees?

• Practical and academic advice about their new
  surroundings and course
• Increased confidence from knowing older students
  and other mentees
• They learn supportive relationships are enabling
  and not a sign of weakness its OK to ask for
  help
• They learn they are not expected to know
  everything immediately

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Whats in it for Mentors?

• Mentoring helps students recognise how much they
  have developed good for self-esteem
• Personal satisfaction from knowing they have
  helped a new student at a difficult time
• The opportunity to develop transferable skills,
  such as social, leadership, communication skills
• Valuable experiential evidence for cvs and
  interviews

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Whats in it for the Department?

• Cross-year relationships establish a sense of
  community
• Team building within mentor/mentee groups helps
  with first year assignments.
• Mentors provide help with module selection at
  enrolment in Freshers Week
• New students become more familiar with
  departmental processes more rapidly

Mentor team quiz Freshers Week
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Electronic Voting Systems for Supporting Student
Engagement

• Hand-held devices which allow an individual
  response
• Who Wants to be a Millionnaire? type questions
• Can be used anonymously or in the known mode

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How do electronic voting systems support new
undergraduates?

• Increase student engagement
• Provide a break in lectures
• Encourage peer learning via discussion
• Provide instant feedback to lecturer
• Provide instant feedback to students in class
• Responses can be anonymous
• Individual performance can be downloaded to
  Blackboard
• Can be used to monitor attendance

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Are they Effective?

• Module marks increased significantly in the main
  Part 1 module in which they were used compared
  with other Part 1 modules (blue bar)

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Are they Effective?

• Module marks increased significantly in the main
  Part 1 module in which they were used compared
  with other Part 1 modules
• 66 Part 1 chemists found them enjoyable or very
  enjoyable to use
• 63 Part 1 chemists found them useful or very
  useful for helping learning.
• 96 Foundation Year students and Part 1
  non-chemists found them enjoyable or very
  enjoyable to use
• 87 Foundation Year students found them useful or
  very useful for helping learning

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Positive Student Comments

• Breaks up the lecture and helps me put my
  knowledge in to practice Part 1 Chemist
• You get feedback straight away Part 1 chemist
• Helps you understand there are others the same
  level as you Part 1 non-chemist
• Make you think but youre not embarrassed if
  youre wrong - Foundation Year Science student
• They are fun to use so able to learn while
  having fun-Foundation Year Science student

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and some negative ones

• they took too long
• just waste a bit of time but good to do as a
  class though

Both from Part 1 chemists
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Conclusions

• Transition mentoring and use of electronic voting
  in lectures have been successful in developing
  sense of community and greater integration with
  learning
• Retention rates improved over last year
• Support programme ensures success for those who
  participate