tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca/topics/university-dropout-18997/articlesUniversity dropout – The Conversation2022-01-24T19:10:03Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1731392022-01-24T19:10:03Z2022-01-24T19:10:03ZHow unis can save millions by tackling the biggest causes of online students’ high dropout rates<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441865/original/file-20220120-9056-pvtzdl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=482%2C0%2C3207%2C2160&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The COVID-19 pandemic has simply added to the ever more <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08841241.2021.1949660">rapid growth in online learning</a> since 2005. Online education generates massive income, with the global e-learning market <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/08/12/2279766/0/en/Online-E-learning-Market-Size-Share-2021-Rise-at-14-6-CGAR-Will-Register-374-3-Bn-by-2026-According-to-FnF-Research.html">estimated at US$144 billion</a> in 2019 and predicted to reach US$374 billion by 2026. However, universities have struggled to reduce high online student dropout rates – online students are <a href="https://ajet.org.au/index.php/AJET/article/view/3913/1519">2.5 times more likely</a> than on-campus students to withdraw without a qualification.</p>
<p>Advances in online educational technology have helped universities tap new and lucrative markets. Students with complex lives who are unable to attend on-campus classes prefer online learning. Yet introductory online modules frequently have a dropout rate of <a href="https://search.informit.org/doi/epdf/10.3316/informit.935906696497074">more than one in five students</a>.</p>
<p>This high dropout rate costs universities millions in lost revenue every year. It also <a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1148193.pdf">creates a poor perception</a> of online education. Yet universities are still neglecting the main causes of dropout identified in our <a href="https://bera-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/bjet.13173">research</a>.</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/supporting-part-time-and-online-learners-is-key-to-reducing-university-dropout-rates-88082">Supporting part-time and online learners is key to reducing university dropout rates</a>
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<p>The scale of online dropouts means small improvements can be worth a lot to universities. As COVID-19 forced many programs online and reduced revenue from international students, universities have increased efforts to improve online retention. Current interventions include massive investment in learning technology. </p>
<p>However, these efforts are having little if any impact on the persistently high dropout rate.</p>
<p>There has been substantial research on this issue. Shallow understanding and universities not responding to the root dropout causes <a href="http://openaccess.uoc.edu/webapps/o2/bitstream/10609/114826/8/Dropout%20in%20Online%20Higher%20Education%20-%20Xavier%20%26%20Meneses%202020.pdf">have been identified</a> as the underlying problem. </p>
<p>Past online retention studies have often failed to provide insights into all drivers of dropout or ways to overcome them. The small samples often used in qualitative studies <a href="https://bmcmedresmethodol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12874-018-0594-7">have been identified</a> as a shortcoming that explains this deficiency. </p>
<p>Our <a href="https://bera-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/bjet.13173">research</a> on open online education dropout can help. </p>
<p>The study included 200 in-depth interviews with online dropout students. This sample is much larger than past qualitative retention studies. It enabled us to explore the full range of dropout reasons down to those that explain 5% of dropouts.</p>
<h2>What did the study reveal about causes?</h2>
<p>The CDU-led study identified more than 40 dropout causes within ten broad themes. Personal circumstances were the major drivers. Over 65% of the main dropout reasons fell into this category. </p>
<p>Personal circumstances include broad dropout themes relating to students’ employment, family and relationships, health, personal situation and location. We identified many subthemes that provide more detailed insights into each of these aspects.</p>
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<span class="caption">Some of the main reasons for dropping out of online courses are the demands of family and employment.</span>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/student-employment-and-inflexible-university-policies-drive-online-drop-out-79498">Student employment and inflexible university policies drive online drop out</a>
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<p>Learner context aspects accounted for almost one-quarter of the main dropout reasons. These include the students’ enrolment approach and motivation, study time management and learning resources and experience. </p>
<p>Only 10% of main dropout reasons related to administrative issues and module design and delivery. Yet universities’ retention efforts often focus primarily on these aspects.</p>
<h2>What did the study reveal about reducing dropout?</h2>
<p>To be effective, retention initiatives must respond to the major dropout causes. However, personal circumstance are often seen as being an “uncontrollable” dropout dimension and beyond universities’ ability to accommodate. </p>
<p>Our study sought students’ suggestions about how the university could have helped to prevent their dropout. We identified 19 dimensions within five dropout intervention themes. Many of these relate to the students’ personal struggles and study-life challenges, which retention initiatives often ignore.</p>
<p>A common suggestion was to develop students’ study skills and build their resilience before they start their courses. This would help students set realistic study goals and develop strategies for coping with study-life challenges and personal commitments. </p>
<p>The students often mentioned that university policies and processes did not allow for their personal challenges. At the end of the day, even the best learning technologies can’t help a parent looking after a sick child, or an employee covering for a sick colleague. Universities need to pay much more attention to such issues.</p>
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<span class="caption">Even the best learning technologies can’t help a parent who has to care for a child while studying.</span>
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<p>Students with sudden temporary increases in personal demands need simpler processes for requesting extensions and adjusting hand-in dates.<br>
For longer-term disruptions, offering flexible semesters and micro-credentialling modules – breaking courses into smaller credit-bearing components – can help. This will allow students to drop out part-way in one semester and later resume study where they left off. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/microcredentials-what-are-they-and-will-they-really-revolutionise-education-and-improve-job-prospects-169265">Microcredentials: what are they, and will they really revolutionise education and improve job prospects?</a>
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<p>Students wanted such interventions to be made available without financial or academic penalty. They could then easily resume study once a personal challenge has subsided. </p>
<p>They also frequently mentioned assessment design and policies in relation to module completion. For example, providing alternative assessment options and more flexible submission dates would allow for students’ unpredictable changing personal circumstances. </p>
<h2>Unis need to rethink their approach</h2>
<p>Universities can do more to reduce the persistently high dropout rates that plague online education. First, however, they must recognise the shortcomings of their intervention strategies. Currently, their focus is mainly on “controllable” dropout dimensions and learning technology and design. </p>
<p>To reduce online dropout universities must respond to the main dropout causes, which relate to students’ personal circumstances. Universities need to appreciate dropout from the students’ perspective. They can then give priority to interventions that respond effectively to students’ complex life circumstances.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/173139/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nothing to disclose.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ninh Nguyen, Roopali Misra, and Steven Greenland do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>University efforts to retain online students neglect the main causes of most dropouts. They tend see these as beyond their control, but a new study shows why they need to rethink their approach.Steven Greenland, Professor in Marketing, Charles Darwin UniversityCatherine DT Moore, Masters Graduate, University of LiverpoolNinh Nguyen, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Charles Darwin UniversityRoopali Misra, Lecturer in Business and Accounting, Charles Darwin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/880822017-11-29T23:08:50Z2017-11-29T23:08:50ZSupporting part-time and online learners is key to reducing university dropout rates<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/196857/original/file-20171129-28899-16i080n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Attrition rates are high for part-time and online students, but it's important we keep providing these modes of study.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The most recent statistics show <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/node/45216">first-year attrition rates</a> in Australian universities are at 15%. This has caused the Minister for Education and Training, Simon Birmingham, to <a href="http://www.senatorbirmingham.com.au/new-figures-highlight-need-for-uni-performance-funding/">say</a> universities “need to be taking responsibility for the students they enrol.”</p>
<p>Attrition does not mean dropping out. It just means the student did not continue their study in the following year. For example, attrition includes students who suspend studies due to personal circumstances, but return to study a later year. However, the <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/completion-rates-cohort-analyses">evidence</a> is that most students who discontinue their studies do not end up completing. </p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/which-students-are-most-likely-to-drop-out-of-university-56276">Which students are most likely to drop out of university?</a>
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<h2>How does Australia compare to other countries?</h2>
<p>To analyse comparative performance, we looked at attrition rates in a number of countries, as well as regions within some countries. As with Australia, most countries focus their attention on nationals (that is, not international students) entering university for the first time. </p>
<p>Australia’s national attrition rate was 14.97%, with institutions ranging as low as 3.92% and as high as 38%. The best-performing state was New South Wales and the worst was Tasmania. Of 39 institutions, 12 had an attrition rate over 20%. </p>
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<p><a href="https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/overviews?keyword=All&&year=620&page=5">England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland</a> and Ireland all performed better than Australia.</p>
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<p><a href="http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/tertiary-education/retention_and_achievement">Aotearoa, New Zealand</a>, had an overall attrition rate of 16%, slightly higher than Australia’s. This was also the case with <a href="https://nscresearchcenter.org/snapshotreport28-first-year-persistence-and-retention/">US</a> public higher institutions offering four-year degrees, where the attrition rate was 17.7%. </p>
<p><a href="http://cou.on.ca/numbers/cudo/">Universities in Ontario</a>, which is 40% of Canada, had an average attrition rate of 12.8% for full time students. But the overall attrition rate (which includes part-time students) would likely place this figure even closer to Australia’s attrition rate, though we can’t say this for certain.</p>
<h2>What causes student attrition?</h2>
<p>Many things <a href="https://theconversation.com/which-students-are-most-likely-to-drop-out-of-university-56276">affect student attrition</a>, including age, socio-economic status, location and time on campus. Our study focused on three elements that have the potential to contribute to higher rates of attrition. The first is above-average student-to-staff ratios, as an indicator of student-lecturer interaction.</p>
<p>The second is above-average ratios of part-time enrolments, suggesting students are juggling study with work and personal commitments. The third is above-average ratios of external enrolments (such as students studying online), since these students have little or no access to the majority of on-campus support services. </p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/better-academic-support-for-students-may-help-lower-university-attrition-rates-66395">Better academic support for students may help lower university attrition rates</a>
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<p>The issues of part-time enrolments and external enrolments are closely related, as most students studying externally also study part-time. </p>
<p>We searched in the official higher education <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/higher-education-statistics">statistics</a> for relationships between attrition and these three elements. That is, were attrition rates higher for universities that had more students per lecturer, or higher part-time enrolments, or more students studying externally? </p>
<p>We found some links between attrition rates and student-to-staff ratios. Some 15 universities had higher than average attrition rates when they also had higher than average student to staff ratios.</p>
<p>And nine universities that had better than average student-to-staff ratios also had better than average attrition rates.</p>
<p>But that still meant 15 universities bucked the trend. They either had better attrition despite having worse student-to-staff ratios, or the opposite. </p>
<p>There was a much stronger relationship between attrition rates and external enrolment ratios. Some 20 universities had below average attrition and external enrolment rates, and ten had above average attrition and external enrolment rates. </p>
<p>The correlation was even stronger between attrition rates and part-time enrolments, with 31 universities displaying a direct relationship between the two factors. </p>
<p>Looking at our international comparisons, we saw similar trends. The overall attrition rate in the UK was 9.8%. But this hid an attrition rate of 35.5% for part-time students. For those studying through the UK Open Universities (so, externally), the attrition rate was even higher, at 43.5%. </p>
<p>In the US, the attrition rate for part-time students was 37.2%. In New Zealand, it was 26%.</p>
<h2>What type of higher education system do we want?</h2>
<p>Students who don’t complete their courses are not only missing out on a personal opportunity, there’s also lost potential to society. Students and universities must aim to further reduce attrition. Universities are changing their admission, teaching and student support to increase their students’ success. But completion rates also reflect what kind of higher education system we want.</p>
<p>That said, Australia’s attrition rates are not unusually high by these international comparisons. We should accept a modest level of attrition so we can keep providing opportunities for part-time students and others who don’t fit the conventional mould. Students studying part-time, especially those studying externally, need specialised support to help them balance their studies with their work and life commitments. But they don’t need to see their opportunities for flexible study reduced, just so an institution can improve its retention rate.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/88082/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>We should accept a modest level of attrition so we can keep providing opportunities for part-time and online students, who might not otherwise be able to study.Tim Pitman, Researcher in Higher Education Policy, Curtin UniversityGavin Moodie, Adjunct professor, RMIT UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/757602017-04-19T22:33:43Z2017-04-19T22:33:43ZThe myth of the college dropout<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/165910/original/file-20170419-2414-1uczzk8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C57%2C3208%2C1772&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Mark Zuckerberg is, quite famously, a college dropout. But his case is the exception – not the rule.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AP Photo/Paul Sakuma</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>When Facebook founder <a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/mark-zuckerberg/">Mark Zuckerberg</a> was asked to give this year’s commencement address at Harvard, he <a href="https://twitter.com/harvard/status/839184579340685312?lang=en">asked for advice</a> from <a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/bill-gates/">Bill Gates</a>.</p>
<p>Zuckerberg said, “They know we didn’t actually graduate, right?”</p>
<p>To which Gates replied, “Oh, that is the best part! They actually give you a degree!”</p>
<p>This recent exchange between two famous Harvard dropouts might lead you to think college doesn’t matter. Numerous media stories and even famous billionaires are <a href="http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1988080_1988093_1988082,00.htm">glamorizing dropouts</a> or encouraging kids to <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/2017/03/03/peter-thiel-fellowship-college-higher-education-559261.html">skip college entirely</a>.</p>
<p>While it’s true there are successful college dropouts, statistically speaking, they are not the norm. As researchers in education and talent, we found that the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13598139.2017.1302874">vast majority</a> of the country’s success stories are college graduates, such as <a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/sheryl-sandberg/">Sheryl Sandberg</a> (Harvard), <a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/jeff-bezos/">Jeff Bezos</a> (Princeton) and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/marissa-mayer/">Marissa Mayer</a> (Stanford).</p>
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<h2>The myth of the mega-successful college dropout</h2>
<p>In a <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13598139.2017.1302874">recent study</a>, we investigated how many of the wealthiest and most influential people graduated college. We studied 11,745 U.S. leaders, including CEOs, federal judges, politicians, multi-millionaires and billionaires, business leaders and the most globally powerful men and women.</p>
<p>We also examined how many people graduated from an “elite school.” (<a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160289613000263">Our definition</a> included the eight Ivy League schools, plus many of the top national universities and liberal arts colleges consistently high in the <a href="https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges">U.S. News rankings</a> for both undergraduate and graduate education.)</p>
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<p>We found about 94 percent of these U.S. leaders attended college, and about 50 percent attended an elite school. Though almost everyone went to college, elite school attendance varied widely. For instance, only 20.6 percent of House members and 33.8 percent of 30-millionaires attended an elite school, but over 80 percent of <a href="https://www.forbes.com/powerful-people/list/">Forbes’ most powerful people</a> did. For whatever reason, about twice as many senators – 41 percent – as House members went to elite schools.</p>
<p>For comparison, based on census and college data, we estimate that only about 2 to 5 percent of all U.S. undergraduates went to one of the elite schools in our study. The people from our study attended elite schools at rates well above typical expectations.</p>
<h2>Do elite schools matter?</h2>
<p>This year, elite schools saw an <a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ivy-league-schools-have-gotten-even-more-selective-2017-04-01">increase</a> in applications and selectivity. <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3386/w17159">Research</a> suggests there is <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/04/what-is-an-elite-college-really-worth/521577/">no difference in adult income</a> between students who attended highly selective schools and students with similar SAT scores who attended less selective schools. At least for long-term earnings, where you go may not be critical, as long as you attend and graduate.</p>
<p>Yet, our data show that for students with talent and motivation to make it to the top of U.S. society, an elite college might just help you get there – whether it’s the networks you acquire or the brand on your resume.</p>
<p>While looking at over 11,000 successful leaders, we rarely encountered people who came from extremely poor or disadvantaged backgrounds. Helping <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2372732215621310">disadvantaged talented students</a> enter elite schools could promote <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-nation-at-risk-how-gifted-low-income-kids-are-left-behind-56119">diversity</a> among future leaders.</p>
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<span class="caption">Princeton University had a record-setting number of applicants for its class of 2021.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://flic.kr/p/3gmYy">Sindy Lee / flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
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<h2>College matters</h2>
<p>Admittedly, the educational path of the cream of the crop may not apply to most people. So, going to college <a href="https://qz.com/367077/frank-bruni-is-wrong-about-ivy-league-schools/">may not be the right or even the best path</a> for everyone. However, if you’re a student thinking about not going to college or considering dropping out, remember that even Gates and Zuckerberg got into college. Even if you’re not aiming for mega success, doing the work to get into and graduate from college today may <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13598139.2017.1302874">open important doors</a>.</p>
<p>Perhaps in the future, college may not be as important to employers. But for now, college dropouts who rule the world are rare exceptions – not the rule.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/75760/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>While the media glamorizes famous college dropouts like Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, the reality is that most successful people in the U.S. went to – and finished – college.Jonathan Wai, Research Scientist, Duke UniversityHeiner Rindermann, Professor of Educational and Developmental Psychology, Chemnitz University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/562762016-03-22T19:37:55Z2016-03-22T19:37:55ZWhich students are most likely to drop out of university?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/115760/original/image-20160321-30917-3m4qd6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Students aged 25 and over are twice as likely to drop out than students aged 19 and under.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Almost since taking office, Education Minister Simon Birmingham has reiterated the Coalition’s commitment to allowing universities to recruit as many students as they wish. It is what the higher education sector has called “the demand driven system”.</p>
<p>Birmingham has, however, emphasised that universities should not admit students who are unlikely to complete their program. University <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/node/38149">attrition rates</a> have increased from 12.5% in 2009 before the demand driven system was phased in to 14.8% in 2014. </p>
<p>Universities have been increasing enrolments to bolster revenue but some haven’t selected students with enough care and provided them with enough support to ensure they succeed.</p>
<p>According to at least one <a href="http://campusmorningmail.com.au/student-fees-rise-10-per-cent/">report,</a> the forthcoming budget on <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-21/malcolm-turnbull-brings-budget-forward-threatens-election/7262898">3 May</a> will include “penalties for institutions with high attrition rates”. </p>
<p>Just how that will be done is not entirely clear since attrition rates depend on numerous factors, <a href="http://www.voced.edu.au/content/ngv%3A11782">only a minority</a> of which can be influenced by institutions.</p>
<p>So what do we know about who is likely to dropout and why? And what can universities do to reduce dropout rates?</p>
<h2>Who’s most at risk?</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.ncsehe.edu.au/publications/completing-university-in-a-growing-sector-is-equity-an-issue/">Latest research</a> published in 2015 found that completion rates were lower for Indigenous students, part-time students, external students, students over 25 years, remote students and students from low socio and economic backgrounds.</p>
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<span class="attribution"><a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
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<p>It also found that students’ dropout rate was increased by being members of multiple risk groups. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/115053/original/image-20160315-17783-tx6hkw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/115053/original/image-20160315-17783-tx6hkw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/115053/original/image-20160315-17783-tx6hkw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=930&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/115053/original/image-20160315-17783-tx6hkw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=930&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/115053/original/image-20160315-17783-tx6hkw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=930&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/115053/original/image-20160315-17783-tx6hkw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1169&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/115053/original/image-20160315-17783-tx6hkw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1169&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/115053/original/image-20160315-17783-tx6hkw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1169&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<p>If universities were penalised simply for having an unusually high dropout rate their rational response would be to admit only young, full time, metropolitan and non Indigenous students from high socio-economic backgrounds. </p>
<p>So presumably the government will follow its previous practice of adjusting financial penalties and rewards for universities by students’ type of attendance, age, location, socio-economic status, ethnicity, field of study and other characteristics.</p>
<p>All this is deeply unhelpful if the aim is to reduce student attrition and increase completion rates as it focuses attention on students, who are surely the victims of attrition in their lost potential, lost fees, lost earnings and loss of confidence in their learning. </p>
<p>And it ignores the big majority of variance in student attrition which is either not explained by the statistical data that is available or is not due to students’ demographics.</p>
<p>It is far better to concentrate on what governments, institutions, faculties, departments and teachers can do to reduce attrition. </p>
<p>The literature is vast and what works depend very much on each subject, program, institution, attendance type and study mode. But here are four actions which are useful generally.</p>
<h2>1. Develop students’ involvement and sense of belonging</h2>
<p>One of the most frequently cited factors supporting retention is developing <a href="http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/L/bo3630345.html">students’ involvement in and sense of belonging</a> to their institution, faculty or department. </p>
<p>Students “belong” to their university <a href="https://vtinto.expressions.syr.edu/?page_id=36">in different ways</a>. Some students associate with a specific place on campus where they and their fellow students congregate, such as a common room for economics freshers or a “safe space” for minority students. </p>
<p>Many students develop their institutional belonging from <a href="https://www.tru.ca/__shared/assets/Grayson_2003_research_on_retention_and_attrition23683.pdf">participating in extra curricular activities</a> such as sport, religion, debating and political activism on campus which advocates of so-called “voluntary student unionism” keep trying to close down. </p>
<h2>2. Support student transition and interaction</h2>
<p>Students are better integrated into their studies if they get a <a href="http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ864028.pdf">comprehensive orientation and induction into their studies</a>. </p>
<p>A diversity of good teaching-learning methods is central to engaging students. Student success and thus retention is supported by promoting interaction between <a href="http://web.iaincirebon.ac.id/ebook/Indrya/Retention/stu%20retention.pdf">teachers, students and fellow students</a>. </p>
<h2>3. Give early and frequent feedback on progress</h2>
<p>Students need a clear understanding of what is expected of them, an early indication of their capacity to meet those expectations, and encouragement and support if they are not meeting learning goals. </p>
<p>Constructive and supportive <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0268051042000177827">formative assessment should be administered early in each subject</a>. Students are more likely to persist if they are given <a href="http://gaia.flemingc.on.ca/%7Ejmior/EDu705Humber/Articles/Tinto%20Retention.pdf">frequent feedback on their progress</a>.</p>
<h2>4. Improve student funding and support</h2>
<p>Disadvantaged students are more <a href="https://www.ncsehe.edu.au/publications/completing-university-in-a-growing-sector-is-equity-an-issue/">likely to drop out</a> because of pressures of finance, family obligations, health or stress and “getting by”. </p>
<p>This suggests completion rates would be increased by the government improving its weak student income support and increasing support for child care, health and other student services.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/56276/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gavin Moodie does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>There are some factors which make students more likely to drop out of university than others. Here are four ways universities can help boost retention.Gavin Moodie, Adjunct professor, RMIT UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/445492015-07-30T05:17:11Z2015-07-30T05:17:11ZHigher tuition fees reduce the risk of students dropping out of university<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/89898/original/image-20150728-11549-ltrm7n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">With more at stake, there's less risk of dropping out. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Leaving via Terence/www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>No student takes the decision lightly to drop out of university before completing their course – particularly if they’ve taken out large loans to pay for the tuition fees. My new research <a href="http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/media/lancaster-university/content-assets/documents/lums/economics/working-papers/LancasterWP2015_016.pdf">shows</a> that when tuition fees go up, it actually decreases the risk of students dropping-out. The higher the student fees, the less likely a student is to be at a university in the first place – but, once there, they are also less likely to leave without completing their course. </p>
<p>In recent years, successive UK governments have reduced the public subsidy to higher education and have pushed more of the costs on to students through tuition fees. The <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/8/contents">2004 Higher Education Act</a> raised the cap on fees from £1,000 to £3,000 a year from the 2006-7 academic year, but students could defer the payment of fees by taking an income-contingent loan to cover the cost of their fees. A further tuition fee increase was introduced in 2012-13 meaning universities can currently charge a maximum of £9,000 per year. Students receive financial support to pay these fees and their living costs through both loans and maintenance grants, although all these grants <a href="https://theconversation.com/abolishing-student-grants-and-raising-fees-above-9-000-heaps-more-debt-on-poorest-students-44485">were scrapped</a> and turned into loans in the latest budget. </p>
<p>Calculations in my <a href="http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/media/lancaster-university/content-assets/documents/lums/economics/working-papers/LancasterWP2015_016.pdf">recent working paper</a> looked at whether the increase in tuition fees and the introduction of loans in 2006 affected how many students dropped out from their courses before finishing them. Using a dataset provided to us by the Higher Education Statistics Agency on the population of students enrolled at university between 2003 and 2010, my colleague Steve Bradley and I created a model that estimates the policy reforms reduced the estimated risk of dropping-out during their course by 16%. Our model calculated the probability to drop out each month, based on to the fact that a student had not dropped out the month before.</p>
<p>In 2003 there were 28,412 students who dropped out during the first year of their undergraduate degree – or 9.7% of the total 289,922 who started; whereas in 2010 there were 15,949, who dropped out, 5.5% of the 289,994 who started. </p>
<h2>Lower risk of dropping out</h2>
<p>Both students from high and low-income backgrounds were less likely to drop out following the reform, but the fall was smaller for low-income groups. Students who attended elite, Russell Group universities, experienced a substantial decrease in the risk of drop out – around 32% – and this was particularly pronounced among men. However, students at these universities are likely to be those with higher prior attainment from higher-income backgrounds. </p>
<p>Tuition fees didn’t affect all students’ risk of dropping out in the same way during the period we looked at. Students who started university in 2006 and in 2007, the first two years after the initial fee reforms, experienced a small reduction in the risk of drop out, but by the third year – those who started in 2008 – the risk of dropping out was substantially less. </p>
<p>However, this third group, who studied between 2008 and 2010, overlapped their time at university with the financial crisis. Our model estimated that the crisis caused a 25% reduction in the risk of drop out for those students. This is a large contribution, but does not account for all of the reduction in the risk of dropping out. So we argue that the effect of tuition fee reform on lowering drop-out rates persisted beyond three years. </p>
<p>In general, we think there are three broad explanations for this reduced likelihood to drop out. First, students may be reluctant to borrow in the first place, either because they fear potential credit constraints after graduation or because they are debt averse. Those students that are debt averse tend not to enrol if fees go up, so it’s possible there is a more selected sample of enrolled students with a lower probability of dropping out. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/89900/original/image-20150728-7662-ysyv26.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/89900/original/image-20150728-7662-ysyv26.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=589&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/89900/original/image-20150728-7662-ysyv26.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=589&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/89900/original/image-20150728-7662-ysyv26.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=589&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/89900/original/image-20150728-7662-ysyv26.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=740&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/89900/original/image-20150728-7662-ysyv26.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=740&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/89900/original/image-20150728-7662-ysyv26.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=740&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">You have to be prepared to carry the burden.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mantle of debt via Aleutie/www.shutterstock.com</span></span>
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<p>Second, low-ability students may also be discouraged from applying to university because the increased costs of a university education are perceived to be higher than the expected benefits. Previous <a href="http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/26478/">research</a> has shown that students who did less well at school are more likely to drop out of university because of a higher probability of academic failure. And third, the tuition fee reform was quickly followed in 2008 by the global financial crisis. As the labour market for young people became tighter, job opportunities declined too. This changed the opportunity costs of remaining at university, so drop-out rates fell.</p>
<h2>The point when debt changes behaviour</h2>
<p>It is clear that the 2006 tuition reforms decreased the likelihood of students dropping out of university. Yet the build-up of student debt does not appear to have played a major role in this. We saw no increase in drop out in the first three months of the academic year, before which point students did not have to pay anything if they dropped out. But we believe there may be a threshold above which the level of debt a student starts to accumulate starts to significantly affect their decisions to enrol and to drop out. </p>
<p>We don’t have any data yet on drop-out rates among the cohort of students who started their undergraduate courses in 2012 under the £9,000-a-year fee regime. But we think that such a large increase could have led to a higher reluctance to borrow among students, thereby increasing drop-out rates. </p>
<p>In contrast, the recent removal of maintenance grants for students from low-income backgrounds is certain to increase the magnitude of debt accumulation – with the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-33595267">Institute of Fiscal Studies warning</a> that the poorest students will graduate with £43,000 of debt. This may reduce students’ likelihood of enrolling at university in the first place, and so could potentially drive down aggregate drop-out rates.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/44549/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Giuseppe Migali does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>New research shows the risk that students’ won’t complete their course goes down if they have to pay more for it.Giuseppe Migali, Assistant Professor in Economics, Lancaster University Management School, Lancaster UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.