Using data and case studies to inform and change admissions policy and practice

1
Using data and case studies to inform and change
admissions policy and practice

• Michael Hill
• Kingston University
• June 2003

2
Structure of presentation

• The university context
• Kingston University and widening participation
• How data and case studies can be agents of change
• The Resource and Action Planning Pack
• The Recruitment and Admissions Action Plans
• The UCAS datasets
• The Kingston University Retention Project
• The Future
• Contact Details

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The university context

• Over 16,000 students
• Comprehensive degree programme offer
• Record of high quality in teaching and graduate
  employability
• University mission has a clear focus on WP
• Increasing number of applications
• Strong sub regional network of FE Colleges
• WP funds used to support initiatives by faculties
  and departments addressing life cycle model
• WP strategy intertwined with L and T Strategy

4
Kingston University and widening participation

• University as a whole hits HEFCE WP benchmarks
• Undergraduate profiles differ across the
  university
• Over 50 of undergraduates come from local region
• Increasing activity with schools and colleges
  under WP Projects and Partnerships for
  Progression
• Current issues
• Treatment of UCAS applications in the light of
  appropriate offers, conversion to CF, avoidance
  of clearing, pre-sessional activities
• First year experience - learning from results of
  University Retention Project
• Foundation Degree and other new curriculum
  initiatives

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How data and case studies and other results of
research can be agents of change in admissions
practice (could also be curriculum development
and retention)

• A RESOURCE and ACTION PLANNING PACK for all staff
  involved in admissions (senior management, admin
  departments, admissions tutors)
• challenge assumptions
• raise awareness
• change attitudes
• confirm examples of good practice
• show where good practice has been effective
• encourage engagement in internal strategies
• encourage engagement in external strategies
• targeting of initiatives internal and external
• aid to monitoring and evaluating effectiveness of
  actions

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The Resource and Action Planning Pack

• Contents Page shows approach
• 1. National Perspective NAO Report
  under-represented groups, causes of and combating
  non-progression.
• 2. Overview of KU Admissions Procedures
• 3. Analysing admissions data (see later)
• 4. WP Recruitment and Admissions Action Plan
• 5. Case studies of KU practice in orientation and
  first year experience eg Healthcare Pre-Sessional
  Courses, Arts and Social Science first year
  modules Aspects of ..
• 6. National institutional case studies on
  admissions practice - generic and subject
  specific eg Fair Enough Project, University
  Progression Agreements

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The WP Recruitment and Admissions Action Plan

• Issue Under-representation of social class 111m-
  V, ethnic minorities, gender, age, disability in
  APPLYING, RECEIVING OFFERS, ACCEPTING OFFERS,
  REGISTERING AT UNIVERSITY
• Please tick the initiatives you want your degree
  programme/faculty/department to develop
• Applying EG Student Ambassador Programmes, Yr 8
  - 11 (Faculty example), Taster Days (Yr 8, 9)
  Faculty example), Post AS Summer Schools (case
  study), Targeted Open Days for students and
  parents (Faculty example), E-mentoring schemes
  (University Research Project - Atlantic
  Philanthropies)

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The WP Recruitment and Admissions Action
Plan(continued)

• Receiving offers EG Review guidelines provided
  to central admissions, Use of success criteria
  (Fair Enough Project), Develop progression
  agreements (Chester College example), Exclusion
  of culturally narrow interview selection
  criteria, Refer unsuccessful applicants to more
  appropriate programmes (Faculty example)
• Accepting offers EG Review form/style/content
  of communication sent to applicants (Faculty
  example, University Retention Project) Targeted
  post offer events (Faculty example), Constructive
  feedback offered to unsuccessful interviewees
  (Faculty example)
• Registering at university EG Pre-sessional
  courses (Faculty example), Develop Blackboard
  module to ease progression (University
  Retention Project)

9
UCAS data to inform Action Planning (can be shown
at level of university, faculty or degree
programme for social class, ethnicity, entry
qualifications, age, gender , disability)
10
UCAS datasets can also be used to compare
treatment of associate college cohorts
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Kingston University Retention Project

• Aims
• To identify groups most likely to withdraw
• To identify the main reasons for withdrawal
• To link the university experience with at risk
  groups and reasons for withdrawal

• Methodology
• Profiles students from university data
• Telephone Interviews with withdrawn students
• Focus groups with retained students

• Key findings
• Students not in halls, those admitted through
  clearing are most at risk.
• Programme not meeting expectations, finance and
  travel were the most cited reasons for withdrawal
• Expectations closely associated with class size,
  travel and admission through clearing.
• Main issues Access to academic support,
  formative feedback, social integration and peer
  support.

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The future

• WP Resource and Action Planning Pack began as
  initiative to engage staff in WP debate
• Now dropping the WP and becoming an instrument
  to take forward results of review of recruitment
  and admissions
• Useful focus for engagement of academics and
  administrators
• Role in the pack for results of institutional
  research, data and case studies will be vital

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Contact details

• Michael Hill
• Head, Widening Participation Unit
• Millennium House
• 21 Eden Street
• Kingston
• Tel [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• E.Mail M.HILL_at_KINGSTON.AC.UK

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Contact details Kingston University Retention
Project

• Steve May
• Academic Development
• River House
• 51 High Street
• Kingston
• Tel [phone]
• E.Mail S.MAY_at_KINGSTON.AC.UK