In 2015-16, more than 33,000 students dropped out of their college programmes within the first six weeks – before passing the crucial funding benchmark of 42 days. This means that institutions do not receive funding for them – and nor are they included in success-rate data. It is a growing trend: in 2014-15, the figure was 32,000, and in 2013-14, it totalled 29,000.
Level 1 courses suffer the highest drop-out rates with 10 per cent leaving within the first six weeks, followed by Level 2 at 8 per cent and Level 3 at 4 per cent.
Some of these students may be joining other programmes, but a significant number become Neets (not in employment, education or training), at a high personal cost to their life chances – and a significant cost to colleges from lost income. What is the answer? Fostering a sense of success among students from the start.
Within the first few lessons, students are silently appraising whether or not they have made the right choice. Clearly, too many are deciding that they have not. The most common reasons for drop-out relate to a sense of isolation and of limited progress. Success within the first four to six weeks can transform attitudes, build self-belief and generate a can-do spirit, as well as a commitment to achieving the relevant study goals. Consider the following interlinked strategies.
1. Upbeat induction
Be warm and welcoming. Avoid the highly functional induction of timetable, tour of college and diagnostic testing. The formula should be FFF: future, friendships and fun. Present a ladder of future opportunities and invest in a range of group-bonding activities. And most of all, seek to generate a sense of fun. John Hattie’s research indicates that the “single greatest predictor of subsequent success is whether the student makes a friend in the first month”.
2. Parental support
Design a bright, upbeat circular for parents, explaining the benefits of the course programme and how to support their son or daughter. Aim for a “push” from home. There is considerable research evidence, as presented by the UCL Institute of Education and professors Jane Waldfogel, John Hattie and Stephen Scott, that the high variations in student achievement levels are rooted not in poverty, but in the quality of the home learning environment.
3. Advance organisers
Issue a learning plan or some other form of advance organiser for the first topic area, setting regular study goals wrapped up in a personal-action-steps-for-success (PASS) format. The learning plan should provide a clear overview of what is to be covered plus relevant online and library resources for exploration beyond the classroom.
4. High expectations
Robert Rosenthal’s study on the Pygmalion effect in 1968 highlighted the impact of high expectations on achievement; his findings have been confirmed by many other studies. The most recent was the Teacher Expectation Project (TEP), published by the University of Auckland in 2014. It says teachers should seek to build a warm, positive rapport through tone of voice, circulation, encouragement, eye contact and can-do confidence.
The positive teacher behaviours that are emphasised by the TEP include joy, gratitude, serenity, interest, hope, amusement, pride, inspiration and awe.
Make a link to Carol Dweck’s work on fixed and growth mindsets and Angela Duckworth’s Grit. Too many students believe their ability is fixed and unchangeable, but it is all about effort, not ability.
5. Chunk the lesson
Speaking at length only works if attention is retained. Otherwise apply the simple recipe of whole-class presentation (short and sharp) followed by an individual task, paired task and, in a longer lesson, a group task as well. Apply Dylan Wiliam’s “all response” fast-paced questioning approaches to gauge understanding in real time. Step back and repeat as necessary. The key is for students to know they are making progress lesson by lesson.
6. Challenging tasks
Design open-ended, mixed-ability, collaborative tasks that offer a challenge, with engaging learning outcomes; these could involve creating videos, photo slideshows, displays, websites, surveys, interviews, reports, charts, diagrams, cartoons, maps, posters or presentations. Set a series of graduated tasks, from factual to conceptual, reflecting the course standards and introduce individual sub-tasks. Aim to stretch all and to build employability skills, especially the confident use of Microsoft Office or Apple software, as appropriate.
7. Demonstrating progress
Apply SMART targets that all can achieve. Set straightforward lesson-to-lesson independent study tasks that do not demand high ability, but commitment and effort; for example, view a YouTube video or read a specified textbook chapter. Use the Cornell note-taking method for evidence of completion.
Finally, design an assessment checklist in the style of a proficiency scale, as recommended by Robert J Marzano, in order to give concrete progress references and to promote self-assessment and metacognition.
Success within six weeks is possible.
Bradley Lightbody is an author, presenter and managing director of collegenet.co.uk. This article originally appeared in Tes magazine on 28 July 2017.
