Support and Retention for Part 1 Chemists Elizabeth Page Department of Chemistry

Background Support programme established in late nineties HEA funding to produce materials in – major project funding from RSC for ‘new ways to enhance the first year curriculum’  Transition mentoring  Personal response systems

Transition Mentoring Part 1 students linked with a volunteer older student mentor before start of term. Mentors provide an informal, supportive and guiding relationship. Mentors provide help and support  Practical advice  Social support  Academic support

Who’s involved in the scheme?  Students mentors All volunteersAll volunteers 2 nd, 3 rd and 4 th year students and postgrads2 nd, 3 rd and 4 th year students and postgrads  The mentees All Part 1 students including retaking students All Part 1 students including retaking students Some straight from school/college, some have had gap years and some been in employmentSome straight from school/college, some have had gap years and some been in employment All face similar challengesAll face similar challenges  Coordinators – in department and Counselling and Psychological Services Coordinate recruitment and trainingCoordinate recruitment and training Arrange regular meetingsArrange regular meetings Gather feedback and form point of contact Gather feedback and form point of contact

Key stages for a successful scheme 5 1. Finding volunteer s 2. Training volunteer s 3. Introducing mentors and mentees 4. Regular contact, meetings or events – supported by departmental co-ordinator 5. Gathering feedback from mentors and mentees

What’s in it for Mentees? Practical and academic advice about their new surroundings and course Increased confidence from knowing older students and other mentees They learn supportive relationships are enabling and not a sign of weakness – it’s OK to ask for help They learn they are not expected to know everything immediately

What’s in it for Mentors? Mentoring helps students recognise how much they have developed – good for self-esteem Personal satisfaction from knowing they have helped a new student at a difficult time The opportunity to develop transferable skills, such as: social, leadership, communication skills Valuable experiential evidence for cv’s and interviews

What’s in it for the Department? Cross-year relationships establish a sense of community Team building within mentor/mentee groups – helps with first year assignments. Mentors provide help with module selection at enrolment in Freshers Week New students become more familiar with departmental processes more rapidly Mentor team quiz – Freshers’ Week

Electronic Voting Systems for Supporting Student Engagement Hand-held devices which allow an individual response Who Wants to be a Millionnaire? type questions Can be used anonymously or in the ‘known mode’

How do electronic voting systems support new undergraduates? Increase student engagement Provide a break in lectures Encourage peer learning via discussion Provide instant feedback to lecturer Provide instant feedback to students in class Responses can be anonymous Individual performance can be downloaded to Blackboard Can be used to monitor attendance

Are they Effective? Module marks increased significantly in the main Part 1 module in which they were used – compared with other Part 1 modules (blue bar)

Are they Effective? Module marks increased significantly in the main Part 1 module in which they were used – compared with other Part 1 modules 66% Part 1 chemists found them enjoyable or very enjoyable to use 63% Part 1 chemists found them useful or very useful for helping learning. 96% Foundation Year students and Part 1 non-chemists found them enjoyable or very enjoyable to use 87% Foundation Year students found them useful or very useful for helping learning

Positive Student Comments “Breaks up the lecture and helps me put my knowledge in to practice” – Part 1 Chemist “You get feedback straight away” Part 1 chemist “Helps you understand there are others the same level as you” – Part 1 non-chemist “Make you think but you’re not embarrassed if you’re wrong” - Foundation Year Science student “They are fun to use so able to learn while having fun”- Foundation Year Science student

and some negative ones… “they took too long” “just waste a bit of time – but good to do as a class though” Both from Part 1 chemists

Conclusions Transition mentoring and use of electronic voting in lectures have been successful in developing sense of community and greater integration with learning Retention rates improved over last year Support programme ensures success for those who participate