Some slides to accompany participation on a panel at the 2013 HEA Social Mobility conference on using data to support student retention, attainment and progression

1. Using data to support student retention,
attainment and progression:
Informing Institutional Change
Manchester | Mar 2013
Professor Mark Stubbs
Head of Learning & Research Technologies
m.stubbs@mmu.ac.uk http://twitter.com/thestubbs
http://slideshare.net/markstubbs
Monday, March 25, 2013 1

2. Data-driven improvisational change
Appreciation of 2. Identify Student
1.Appreciate
relevant data
more and less the issue demographics
sources
successful VLE logs
patterns of VLE Exam board
use outcomes
Understanding
impacts of new 3.Summarise
6.Analyse &
individual
Interpret visualise VLE on student data sources Categorise
output of success VLE usage
statistical
& count hits
tests
by category
5 Prep the 4 Join on
data for common
Code missing analysis identifiers Join on
values, collapse student ID
categories…

3. 6.Analyse &
visualise
Patterns in the data
Visualising partial effects on successful progression
+ve
9am-9pm usage Last VLE access Tutors’ doc hits
- ve
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/sres.2130/abstract

4. Data driven institutional change (2010)
Careful diagnosis of (diverse) learning experiences
• Recurrent messages
– NSS analysis: course organisation determines Q22
– Focus groups: consistent, easy to find info
– Mobile surveys: deadlines, timetables… (m-admin)
• Great (and not-so great) expectations
– “engaging, well-organised courses”
– “tutors who know me” If things change
When’s my can you let me
What’s my
work due in ? know…
timetable?

5. MISSION:

6. Evaluating the impact of change
• Quartile improvements in NSS2012
– Course organisation, learning resources & Q22 overall
• Personalised online survey on portal homepage
– Nov 2011: 10,716 left 58,000+ comments
– Nov 2012: 10,186 left 48,000+ comments
– All data tagged with module / programme codes
• Module/Prog. leaders see their anonymised feedback
– Top 3 predictors of overall satisfaction…
The course helped me develop the confidence and skills to succeed
The course is well organised and running smoothly
Staff on my course are good at explaining things
– Next …adding engagement & attainment to the analysis