Retaining students and supporting transition to Higher Education are key issues facing many Higher Education institutions. The recent study on progression in Irish Higher Education conducted by the HEA found that an average of 15% of new undergraduate entrants failed to progress into the second year of their programme. (HEA, 2010).

In Dublin Business School, a private higher education institution. Retention and progression of first year undergraduate Arts students was highlighted as an area of concern. In response to this, we identified two areas which could address retention and progression of first year undergraduates: induction & creating a first year experience.

Our approach was informed by research conducted by Cuseo(2002) on the roots of attrition, Tinto’s (1987) US based research which concluded that “students who do not feel that they belong both academically and socially are likely to leave”.  Finally the University of Ulster’s Student Transition and Retention project provided us with concrete guidelines for changing induction and our approach to first year students to promote student success.

This paper will outline how we introduced a first year approach designed to improve retention and progression and ease the transition to higher education for first year undergraduate Arts students in Dublin Business School.  Our first year approach included an enhanced induction, a student mentor system, increased student academic and personal support.

References

•       Student Transition & Retention Project (2009) Guidelines for the Management of Student Transition. University of Ulster. http://www.ulster.ac.uk/star/

•       Cook, A. & Rushton, B. (2009) How to Recruit & Retain Higher Education Students. London: Routledge.

•       Yorke, M. & Longden, B. (2004) Retention and Student Success in Higher Education. OUP.

•       Grosling, G. et al. (2008) Improving Student Retention in Higher Education. London: Routledge.

•       Brunton, J. (2009) Identity portfolio management: A Data Led Research Study of Organisational Entrant Engagement in Processes of Identity Creation and Identity Management. http://doras.dcu.ie/2359/

•       Tinto, V. (1987) Leaving College: Rethinking the Causes and Cures of Student Attrition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.