Student Motivation and RetentionOrmond Simpson

Adapted from ‘Student retention in distance education - are we failing our students?’ – tbp Open Learning November

2013

RIDE 2013

2

82

39

61.5

15.722

5.3 2.5 0.5

146

0102030405060708090

100

Conventional institutions

Distance institutions

Conventional and distance graduation rates compared

3The ‘Distance Education Deficit’

The ‘DED’

Probability of suffering depression, unemployment and (women) partner violence, according to educational

experience (Bynner, 2002)

Probability of:

4

What happens to students who dropout? - effects of dropout on full-time students in the UK

dropouts

5

Effects of dropout on distance institutions

Students drop out of their first module

Students do not re-enrol

Institution loses re-enrolment

fees

Institution loses income – is unable to

invest in better

student support

6

Professor Michael Moore

Moore’s‘Theory of

Transactional Distance’

The isolation of distance students (from other students, their tutors

and the institution) is a principal factor in

dropping out.

7

Proactive Contact

“Student self-referral does not work as a mode of promoting persistence. ‘“Students who need services the most refer themselves the least. “ Effective retention services take the initiative in outreach and timely interventions with those students” 7

Professor Edward Anderson

1942-2005

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Importance of learning motivation

“The best predictor of student retention is motivation. Retention services need to clarify and build on motivation and address motivation-reducing issues.

“Most students dropout because of reduced motivation”

(Anderson, San Diego, 2003)

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‘E-learning’ ?- a ‘category error’?

Gilbert Ryle 1900-76

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‘E-learning’ ?or

‘E-teaching’ ?

11

“No e-teacher can ever be

certain that their teaching

will cause a learner

to e-learn”

- Ramsden (2003 -

paraphrased)

Professor Paul

Ramsden

1212

Teaching

‘[Teaching] that does not consider motivation... may result in little improvement’

Gibbs and Morgan BJET, (1982 - paraphrased)

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“The important thing is not so much that every child should be taught, as that every child should be given the wish to learn.”

- Lubbock (1834-1913)

Do we spend too much time on teaching

and not enough on motivating students to learn?

1414

Student support needs to be…?

ProactiveMotivational

Individual and Interactive

‘Proactive Motivational Support’

(‘Appreciative Advising’ or ‘Strengths Approach’)

15

Carole Dweck – ‘Self Theories’

Martin Seligman – ‘Positive Psychology’

- and others

Learning motivation theories 2

John Keller – ARCS Theory

John Hattie – ‘Self–Reporting’

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Cost benefits of retention

If F = students fee per year, S = institutional expenditure per student, V = total institutional overhead then if the number of students in year 1 is N1 and in year 2 is N2

Income Year 1 = N1F – (N1S + V) Income Year 2 = N2F – (N2S + V)

Reduction in income due to student dropout between years

= N1F – (N1S + V) – [N2F – (N2S + V)] = (N1 – N2)(F – S)

Then if there is a retention activity costing £P per student it will cost N1P. If that increases retention by n students so that N2 becomes N1 + n then the reduction in income is now:

[N1 – (N2 + n)](F - S)

So the reduction is itself reduced making a saving of

(N1 – N2)(F – S) – {[N1 – (N2 + n)](F - S)} = n(F – S)

For the retention activity to be self-supporting n(F – S) > N1P

Or np > 100P/(F – S) where np is the per cent increase in retention

For example P = £10 F = £2500, S = £1000 then np > 100x10/(2500-1000) = 0.67%

So if a retention activity costing £10 per student produces an increase in retention of more than 0.67% it will be self-supporting

17

Funding learner support

£ Fund motivational student support

Increases student

retention

Generates increased

student fee income from

re-enrolments

Institutional attitudes

“The biggest barrier to increasing retention - is the institution itself”

- Johnston (Napier University 2002)

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Barriers to increasing retention

Attitudes to student retention 1

The ‘Darwinistas’Students drop out because they're not

intelligent enough, unmotivated or lazy.

“We’re here to weed out the unfit”

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Attitudes to student retention 2

The FatalistasStudents dropout for reasons beyond our

control

“Students are doomed to pass or fail and there’s not much we can do about it”

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Attitudes to student retention 3

The ‘Retentioneer’Students most often dropout because

of lack of proactive support.

“We should help students be as successful as they can be”

21

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‘Educational Passchendaelism’?

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'Supporting Students for Success in Online

and Distance Education' (2013) - now out with

Routledge

http://tinyurl.com/supporting-students

www.ormondsimpson.com