Institutional data, learning experiences and diversity

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Institutional data, learning experiences and
diversity

• Muir Houston Russell Rimmer

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Structure

• Why are we doing IR?
• Who we are
• What we have done
• How we do it
• What we found
• Discussion

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Why we do institutional research

• In 2000 the purpose was to
• build a longitudinal picture of undergraduates at
  UWS,
• focusing on the student experience and linkages
  between
• Access and the initial decision to enrol
• Academic achievement
• Retention
• Value added
• Since then our work has expanded to include
  English and Australian universities
• Why?
• To study the influences of student diversity and
  curricular provision/flexibility on student
  decision making, academic performance,
  persistence and progression

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Who we are

• Muir
• LLL From mechanic to FE to HE to Ph D
• Sociology , education
• Institute of Education, Stirling
• ESRC TLRP project
• WHAN
• ARVA UWS
• Mixed-methods research
• U/g full-/part time

• Russell
• Ass Dean L T, QMU
• Economics, management
• U/g students Scotland, Australia
• MBA
• Careers of part-time students
• Model building
• Quantitative, longitudinal

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What/how undergraduate

• Apply qualitative and quantitative methods
• Use large databases
• Augment Registry data with surveys and
  interviews/focus groups
• analysis of full- part-time undergraduates
• analyses of linkages between
• performance
• progression
• entry qualifications
• area or subject of study
• age/gender
• ethnicity

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What we found feedback loop
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Age gender effects full-timers
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Age gender effects part-timers
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Diminishing returns Business schools
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Age/gender diminishing returns
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Feedback loop
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Dynamics

• Feedback ? dynamic process
• Links
• effort ? results Effort link
• results? effort Result link
• Assume
• Effort link specifies effort to be made for the
  results expected
• Result link gives actual mark for effort expended
• If expected result is greater (less) than actual
  result then effort is reduced (increased)
• Dynamic process has an attractor
• combination of effort and result to which
  outcomes tend

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What next

• Changing study approach
• SAMI intervention with Tim Duffy
• Implications of our undergraduate research
• Where to now?
• Exploit longitudinal aspects
• influences of student diversity and curricular
  provision/flexibility on student decision making,
  academic performance, persistence and progression

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References

• Donnelly, M, McCormack, D and Rimmer, R (2007)
  Load and academic attainment in two business
  schools, Assessment and Evaluation in Higher
  Education, 32(6), 1-18.
• Duffy, T and Rimmer, R (2008) Improving
  Students Approaches to Study, Exeter
  Reflectpress.co.uk
• Foster, J., Houston, M., Knox, H. Rimmer, R.
  (2002) Surviving First Year, LLRG Occasional
  Paper No.1, University of Paisley. ISBN
  1903978106
• Houston, M. (2008) 'Tracking transition issues
  in asynchronous e-mail interviewing' FQS, 9(2).
• Houston, M, Knox, H and Rimmer, R (2007) Wider
  access and progression among full-time students,
  Higher Education, 53(1), 107-146.
•  Houston, M. Knox, H. Rimmer, R. (2003)
  Progress and Performance, LLRG Occasional Papers
  No.3, University of Paisley. ISBN 1903978173
• Houston, M and Rimmer, R (2008) Learning
  dynamics in an ex-industrial region, paper to
  PASCAL European Network of Regions of Lifelong
  Learning, University of Limerick, May.
• Houston, M and Rimmer, R (2008) School
  mathematics and university outcomes, paper to
  the Conference on Mathematics Support at
  University, University of St Andrews. To appear
  in Grove, M and Marr, C, Addressing the
  Quantitative Skills Gap Establishing and
  sustaining cross-curricular mathematical support
  in higher education, Glasgow HEA Mathematics,
  Statistics and Operations Research Network.
• Houston, M. Rimmer, R. (2005) A comparison of
  academic outcomes for business and other
  students International Journal of Management
  Education Vol. 4, No.3, pp11-19
• Houston, M. Wood, E. (2005) Biosciences an
  overview of undergraduate studies in the UK, Open
  University.
• Houston, M and Lebeau, Y (2006) The social
  mediation of university learning, Working paper
  No. 3, HEA/Open University
• Reeves, A and Rimmer, R (2008) Assessing
  learning in an Executive MBA, to appear
  International Journal of Management Education,
  September.

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Discussion

• Implications of our undergraduate research
• Where to now?
• Exploit longitudinal aspects
• influences of student diversity and curricular
  provision/flexibility on student decision making,
  academic performance, persistence and progression