Engagement

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Engagement Retention in Higher
EducationLessons from CEQuery

• Geoff Scott
• PVC Quality, UWS

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Our Changing Context 1976-2006

• Globalisation, internet, personal technologies,
  cheap travel
• Access to a University education 10 Australian
  school leavers in 1970s now 30
• Decreased government funding per capita (2/3rds
  of 1976)
• New (non-government) sources of income increasing
  
• HE Export market now 7billion
• Rapid growth in competition onshore/ offshore

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Our Changing Context 1976-2006 contd

• Softening demand (local and international)
• User pays students as consumers - litigation
• Increased government scrutiny, micro-management
  (e.g. ESOS) reporting
• Mission vs market e.g. multi-campus
  university/access
• Training vs education work ready vs higher
  order capabilities
• Gen Y may have up to 20 jobs over their career

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Retaining students matters in such a context

• We must not only gain but also retain students
• Retention matters morally
• Retention matters financially
• Retention is about relationships

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About CEQuery

• Origins
• How CEQuery works 5 domains and 26 subdomains
• Best Aspect Needs Improvement hits are coded
  and sorted into domains then subdomains
• BA NI Importance
• BA/NI Quality
• You can check accuracy of coding by viewing the
  comments in each count
• The CEQuery dictionary can be adjusted by the
  user if not satisfied with the accuracy of coding

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CEQuery Subdomains

• Assessment
• Expectations
• Feedback
• Marking
• Relevance
• Standards

• Course Design
• Flexibility
• Learning methods
• Practice-theory links
• Relevance
• Structure

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CEQuery Subdomains contd

• Outcomes
• Further learning
• Intellectual
• Interpersonal
• Personal
• Knowledge/skills
• Work application

• Staff
• Accessibility
• Practical experience
• Quality attitude
• Teaching skills

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CEQuery Subdomains contd

• Support
• Infrastructure
• Learning resources
• Library
• Social affinity

• Student administration
• Student Services

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The CEQuery study of comments from students in 14
Universities

• Study of 280,000 comments made on the CEQ
  2001-2004/5 by 94,000 students in 14 Australian
  Universities
• Available on DEST Website at
• http//www.dest.gov.au/sectors/higher_education/p
  ublications_resources/profiles/access_student_voic
  e.htm
• 80 hit rate with 90 accuracy

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CEQuery Findings High Importance
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CEQuery FindingsHigh Quality
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CEQuery FindingsPatchy practice
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CEQuery FindingsLow Quality
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Key implications for student retention and
engagement

• It is the total experience that counts
• Learning is a profoundly social experience
• Learning is not teaching
• Course design needs to follow the RATED CLASS A
  checkpoints derived from this and parallel
  studies
• Read and match
• Consider the 60 learning methods, especially
  active and practice oriented ones and watch out
  for FOE bias
• Areas of patchiness open up opportunities for
  improvement benchmarking

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Alignment with Other Research on Engagement
Retention

• Pascarella, E Ternenzini (2005) How College
  affects students, Jossey Bass, San Francisco
• AAHE 1998, Powerful partnerships a shared
  responsibility for learning, AAHE, ACPA NASPA,
  Washington D C, http//www.aahe.org/assessment/jo
  int.htm,
• Coates, H 2005a, The value of student engagement
  for higher education quality assurance, Quality
  in Higher Education, 11(1), pp. 2536.
• Krause, K et al 2005, The first year experience
  in Australian universities findings from a
  decade of national studies, Centre for the Study
  of HE, University of Melbourne, HEIP, Canberra.
• Kuh, GD 2005, The national survey of student
  engagement conceptual framework and overview of
  psychometric properties, Indiana Centre for
  Postsecondary Research and Planning, Bloomington.
  Available on the NSSE website.

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Using CEQuery at UWS

• Key UWS surveys include BA NI comments
• Results integrated into consolidated Annual
  Course and Unit Reports
• Overall, triangulated diagnostics which include
  CEQuery results are produced
• Identify key hot spots for improvement
• Assessment policy and procedures
• More flexible and response course designs
• Use high importance areas in online course
  accreditation and review
• Use results to validate rating items on surveys

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UWS Strategies used to engage staff with such data

• Respected senior leader gives focus to TILT
• Staff motives to engage addressed
• Intrinsic
• Extrinsic
• Embedded into key processes
• University Funding model rewards for improvement
  excellence
• Individual performance management,bonuses
  awards
• Informs allocation of strategic funding
• Listen, link and lead
• Nested tracking improvement system for LT
• Reports that are integrated with an overall
  diagnosis

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UWS Strategies used to engage staff with such
data Contd

• Set up Heads of Program Network Teaching
  Fellows
• A/Deans (LT) accountable for action
• Use of IT to enable timely,convenient access
  Cognos, Teleform, Online Complaints Mgt, OCAS,
  Extraction
• Benchmarking for improvement
• Close the loop in multiple ways using the same
  data
• Vital signs to the Board of Trustees
• Students told posters post-cards WebCT First
  Class
• Key committees review progress PQC, RR, Senate
• Annual Senior Mgt Conference includes HOPNet
• All College plans must justify actions with TILT
  data
• UFM Rewards
• Senior staff accountable in performance plans
• Awards

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The Above Strategies align with research on
effective implementation

• Four recurring themes
• Change is learning learning is change
• Organisational individual capabilities to
  manage change are intimately linked
• There is a profound difference between change
  and progress
• Strategic change and continuous quality
  improvement are two sides of the same coin

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Nine recurring lessons on effective change
implementation in Higher Education

• You cant address every change idea that comes
  along - evidence-based priorities must be set
• Because change is a learning process
  understanding what motivates staff to engage in
  it is key
• Intrinsic motivators moral purpose/job
  satisfaction/relevant/feasible
• Extrinsic motivators peer group/promotion/pay/pra
  ise/listen, link and lead/just-in-time just for
  me help when I need it/solutions to my gaps/a
  forthcoming AUQA audit or accreditation review
• 3. The university culture (the way we do things
  around here) is a powerful influence on
  motivation to engage
• 4. Change in one area almost always triggers a
  need for change in others - alignment

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Change Management LessonsContd

• 5. Successful change is always a team effort
• 6. Focus on both the present the future
• 7. Change unfolds in a cyclical fashion
• 8. Look both inside outside for change
• solutions
• 9. Change does not happen - it must be led

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What makes for an effective HE Leader (of change)?

• UWS-ACER Carrick Project 2006-7
• LT leaders in 20 universities from DVC to
  Head of Program
• Preliminary results align with earlier research
  on effective school leaders successful
  performers in 9 professions
• Ones capability is most tested when things go
  wrong
• Emotional Intelligence is central (personal
  interpersonal)
• A distinctive set of cognitive capabilities
• Generic and role-specific knowledge skills are
  necessary but not sufficient for effective
  performance
• Everyone is a leader of change in their own area
  of expertise
• How successful leaders develop and what helps
  this process is poorly understood

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Follow up Questions