The stepping stones project

Widening participation in higher education institutions is bringing about major changes to the student profile. New universities, especially, have found that a higher proportion of students now come from non-traditional backgrounds. Since there is seen to be a correlation between increasing access to students from non-traditional backgrounds and higher drop-out rates [1] this trend presents problems in terms of achievement, progression and retention.Meeting the diverse needs of students will accelerate changes already underway to enhance teaching and learning in universities, but there are obstacles, particularly the reluctance to bring about changes to the curriculum design and delivery in case standards should become diluted.In line with results obtained nationally, statistical examination of our first-year database showed that students with a GNVQ background had an enhanced risk of non-completion. The learning styles and strategies adopted by students and the particular further education institution where they previously studied are also thought to be influential in determining a student's chance of success. It is therefore vital that changes to curriculum, delivery, assessment and support are underpinned by detailed knowledge of the approaches to learning adopted by our students, and those factors which enable and encourage students to adopt a deep approach to learning, since a student's approach to a given learning activitiy depends upon his or her perception of the requirements of the task [2].A longitudinal study is underway to investigate the influence of entrance qualification, feeder institution, learning styles and achievement at level one. The research aims to enable early detection of students at risk of being unsuccessful and to identify the factors within the further education environment that lead to successful learning in higher education. The poster will outline the underlying issues, the rationale and the approach being taken.