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Working towards Course Completions. Working towards Course Completions. Presented by Andy Jenkinson I spend my TAFE time attempting to be a head teacher That includes encouraging students to get all of their course work done Then they will pass… Everyone will be happy.
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Working towards Course Completions • Presented by Andy Jenkinson • I spend my TAFE time attempting to be a head teacher • That includes encouraging students to get all of their course work done • Then they will pass… • Everyone will be happy Lunch Bytes June 2012
Working towards Course Completions • We offer courses in music performance, sound production, music business and performing arts • Delivering training and assessment for any creative activity is challenging • Creating fair assessments for creative activities is challenging • Our assessment strategy can be divided into two styles • individual assignments or examinations • group based activities Lunch Bytes June 2012
Working towards Course Completions So… What did we do about our low completion rate? Lunch Bytes June 2012
Working towards Course Completions • Research • We conducted exit surveys • we found out that our courses were very well liked • but many students do not complete the course…? • but they enjoyed themselves while they were doing it • many did not seem to care that they had not completed the course – they had found out what they needed to know anyway Lunch Bytes June 2012
Working towards Course Completions • Research • we called students who had left during the course and asked them why they left? • we found out that there were lots of reasons for leaving the course: • life pressures, needing to get paid work, follow other opportunities, family pressures • but they enjoyed the course that they were doing… Lunch Bytes June 2012
Working towards Course Completions • Research • we asked students who were still attending at the end of their course why they hadn’t done all of their course work? • many said that they were busy and couldn’t get the work done • … we had a good look at our course content and assessment activities • … we “dumbed it down”, made it more holistic, less writing, more practical work • … many still didn’t pass Lunch Bytes June 2012
Working towards Course Completions • Strategy • Call up the students who were still with us at the end of the course and encourage them to get the last bits of work done • … many still didn’t care, or get themselves organised • … some did care and promised to bring in the missing work • Some got it together by the end of February (stats deadline) • We didn’t chase the AWOL students • … some re-enrolled later… most didn’t Lunch Bytes June 2012
Working towards Course Completions • Strategy • Graduation “round up” • We call many students who could pass and push them really hard to get us the work • … many do and we have more course completes! • We discover some administrative oversights: • RPL’s missing, auto-credits not applied due to duplicate student numbers, some mysterious “open” students who should be “complete”… and more Lunch Bytes June 2012
Working towards Course Completions • Data • We looked at our completion rate data and found Warehousesaid 26% (not very good) • … but we were suspicious that this data didn’t fit well with our casual observations • … we know that completion rate numbers in Warehouse are a snapshot of completions at the end of February the year following • So: • Steve Bull (my fellow HT) and Lauren (our DSO) did lots of gathering of numbers… Lunch Bytes June 2012
Working towards Course Completions • Data • Questions that needed answers: • what % of students dropped out during the course • what % of students who attended the full course did not complete • what is our actual pass % of completing students • increase in pass % driven by graduation roundup? Lunch Bytes June 2012
Working towards Course Completions • What we found: • Here is an example of how we put information together: Lunch Bytes June 2012
Working towards Course Completions • What we found: • This example shows a large increase in completions prior to graduation • (in this case it was incomplete auto-credit forms combined with small numbers of missing course work) Lunch Bytes June 2012
Working towards Course Completions Outcomes of data analysis Lunch Bytes June 2012
Working towards Course Completions • Summary • A large drop out rate… but the drop outs were happy with the part of the course that they did • Drop outs are included in the completion rate data on warehouse • Analysis of course completion rates with the drop outs removed yields a more positive outcome • A significant number of course completions occur after the completion census date. This is stimulated by an intensive pre-graduation drive to course complete students. • It is easier for staff to follow up on students or respond to students late submissions of work after the intense beginning a new semester is over. Lunch Bytes June 2012