Abstract
The School of Human Services and Social Work at Griffith University (Brisbane, Australia) developed the Common Time program in 2002 for its first year undergraduate students to increase student success in academic learning and to facilitate student engagement with staff and fellow students. Common Time consists of a series of facilitated forums during the initial weeks of each semester, where the first year cohort meet weekly to discuss general first year issues and receive information relevant to the first year university experience. As the program underwent changes in 2013, this paper discusses the findings of an evaluative research initiative. The results indicate that the revised 2013 Common Time program was, for the most part, effective in orientating and engaging these first year students during their transition into university study. However, further revisions to the program are needed to improve students’ opportunities to build meaningful social networks in particular.
Highlights
A substantial body of literature focusing on the most effective ways of improving retention rates and the engagement of first year students in higher education exists
Within the current Australian context, first year students come from diverse cultural backgrounds with a significant population comprising individuals who are first in their families to enter higher education (Luzeckyj, King, Scutter, & Brinkworth, 2011; Meuleman, Garrett, Wrench, & King, 2015; O’Shea, 2015a, 2015b)
Given that the engagement and retention of first year students is a significant issue in higher education, the present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the revised Human Services and Social Work (HSV) CTP in supporting students during their transition to university
Summary
A substantial body of literature focusing on the most effective ways of improving retention rates and the engagement of first year students in higher education exists. Within the current Australian context, first year students come from diverse cultural backgrounds with a significant population comprising individuals who are first in their families to enter higher education (Luzeckyj, King, Scutter, & Brinkworth, 2011; Meuleman, Garrett, Wrench, & King, 2015; O’Shea, 2015a, 2015b) Such students often lack prior knowledge of academic processes, or access to academic or personal support from within their own social networks, placing them at higher risk of failure and attrition from university (Luzeckyj et al, 2011; Meuleman et al, 2015; O’Shea, 2015a, 2015b; Tinto, 2011). Ongoing cuts to funding (along with a widening participation agenda) for higher education, and government funding models that reward retention over time emphasise the importance of this issue for academic institutions (Australian Government, 2011; GU, 2012) The combination of these factors has produced a current climate where universities have a higher number of students who require intensive support to succeed, paired with increasing pressure on institutions to retain such students, often with fewer resources to do so (Hinton, Herring, Garrison, & Marshall, 2013).
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