1. Student Engagement Project Samantha Daniels, Adeline Houghton, Kimberley Pilgrim, Jaki Lilly and Mark Warnes

2. Introduction To better understand the situations, experiences and motivations affecting the attendance of students. To explore anecdotal evidence from teaching staff. To provide recommendations to improve student attendance.

3. Literature Review No causal relationship has been found between attendance and performance. Previous studies have pointed to single factors as causes for non-attendance. The literature highlighted a number of factors influencing student attendance: student based factors and institution based factors.

4. Methodology Mixed methodology of a survey followed by interviews and focus groups. Survey: conducted using a tablet computer equipped with an online survey. Interviews: based on trigger categories. Focus groups: to further explore responses in depth.

5. Limitations Sampling method: convenience. Sample size: influenced by campus sizes. Timing of data collection. Nature of study. Lack of part-time students and distance learners.

6. Demographics Overall %Cambridge %Chelmsford %Peterborough % Gender Female58565466 Male42444634 Age 18 – 2161626555 22 – 3433 2738 35 +6587 First in Family Yes49445452 No51564648 Faculty ALSS2826850 FHSCE1512277 FST42523829 LAIBS15102714 Year of Study Foundation61300 1 st 2427836 2 nd 34315421 3 rd 35293843 Mode of Study Full-time981009697 Part-time2043

7. Findings Survey quantitativeSurvey qualitativeInterviewFocus group Cambridge  Sickness  Couldn’t be bothered  Boring lectures  Lack of discipline  Commuting  VLE  Boring Lectures  Lecture vs seminar  VLE  Social spaces  Consequences for non-attendance  Timetabling Chelmsford  Sickness  Couldn’t be bothered  Other external commitments  Timetabling  Parking  Travel  VLE  Boring lectures  Timetabling  Boring lectures  Timetabling  VLE Peterborough  Boring lectures  Sickness  Couldn’t be bothered  Better teaching experiences  Timetabling  Childcare  VLE  Commitment to course  Boring lectures  Relevance to assignment  Boring lectures  Seminar structure

8. Myths Not employment Not fees Not tap system Not the VLE

9. Boring Lectures “Depends on the lecturer… some can be mundane… tedious” “Can’t understand what they are saying” “Not interesting or relevant” “Very passive, reading from slides… that doesn’t engage” “Boring lecturers, more interactive and engaging” “More interesting lecturers going more in depth to subject” “In some places it’s the actual content itself… I don't want to come in for this” “Some lecturers don’t put their full effort in teaching. So it does become boring, because you’re just going through power point slides and explaining, and that can be quite boring. Like why did I come, I can look on the VLE” “I think it works both way; if you expect students to attend, you have to expect the lecturer to put in the same amount of effort and make the actual lectures stimulating… So what’s the point in turning up?” “More involved and full seminars, to apply theory”

10. Work “As a student you don’t tend to have much money, so if you have a chance to make some money, you think well I’ll go make some money” “Let’s be realistic- Most students have part-time jobs where you have to be flexible and work hours which are sometimes ridiculous, like we both work in the cinema and we’ll be working till half two in the morning, then by the time we get home it’s 3 o’clock then you have to wake up for a 9 o’clock lecture that’s just not gonna happen. Whereas if the lectures are together, in a more ordered fashion, you could maybe work that afternoon and not have to take that really rubbish shift which you didn’t want to do in the first place.” “You know, you've got conflicting demands on time and something has to take priority - and food on the table is usually the main priority”

11. Other External Commitments Childcare for children of all ages – not just nursery: –“I need 2-3 hours maximum… my children are at school but have half terms that we don’t have… I am unable to find Ofsted registered childcare that will do 10 days a year” –“It’s finding someone to look after the children while they’re not in school for those four hours… No matter what you pay, the nurseries have set standard times… Now if you’re at a lecture here till 5 o’clock, you’ve only got an hour to get to where I need to be. It takes an hour and a half. You then get charged extra money and staff aren’t happy as they have families they need to get home to. So it’s just not worth going there. And it’s in such high demand, that if you have missed a few sessions, they’ll write to you to say we’ve got a waiting list of people if you’re not gonna use it, we’ll give it to others” “Conflicting social engagements” “Mainly to do with sort of family commitments and work”

12. VLE “It lets me know what I am going to be doing” “Can access the information but lose the personal touch” “I guess it kind of helps if it’s on the VLE if I do miss a lecture, but then again you do miss a lot of stuff if you don't go to a lecture” “A lot of lecturers read from slides anyway so reading on VLE is as useful” “Because the lecture content is no different to the stuff on VLE”

13. Complexity “There’s no place to park for free… when I’m in four days a week it adds up” “I pay rent and need to earn money… to pay bills… if I get the opportunity to work a full day and have a lecture for one hour it’s a no brainer” “I live a long way away… traffic is crazy… I miss early lectures… I often look online to see what the lecture’s going to be about and if it’s something I don’t think I’m going to get much out of I don’t come in” “Can look at the slides… sometimes look and there’s no point… I could do it at home and the cost of petrol, parking… so can’t be bothered to deal with it all” “Three hour round trip so one lecture in the middle of the day and I find it more useful to stay at home and study” “There are others that just can't be bothered to get out of bed - normally our younger colleagues!”

14. Campus Differences Cambridge –Social spaces –Employment Chelmsford –Travel/parking –Childcare Peterborough –Childcare

15. Recommendations Lectures / Lecturers Timetabling Childcare Social spaces Parking

16. Conclusion / Summary Anecdotal evidence equating non-attendance with VLE, employment, fees and the tap system is not supported by the student voice. It is clear that students decisions for non- attendance are based on a complex set of inter-relating factors. This shows that the literature stating one simple reason for non-attendance is inaccurate.

17. Conclusion / Summary Nevertheless, the most frequently cited reason for non-attendance is boring lectures. Complexity not withstanding, fractured distribution of timetabled sessions is the underlying cause of non-attendance for unmotivated students.

18. Thank you for listening! Any questions?