Retention and Student Services at Open Universiteit – Nanda Boers

EADTU Staff Week

1. Measures in distance education for
successful student retention at the
Open University of the Netherlands
(Faculty of Psychology
)
Preventing student dropout with measures that
promote progression before, during and after courses

2. Central office is locatedinHeerlen(South of the Netherlands)
6 faculties: EducationalSciences, Humanities, Law, Managementsciences,
Psychology, Science(bètasciences)
About19000 activecourse enrollments(OU-total).
7800psychologyandhealth sciencesenrollments(studentscando more than
oneenrollment)
900employees(academic and non academic staff) and 150 at faculty of PSY
PSYworks closely together with Marketing and Relationship management and
ECO(center for expertise in education)
OUhascourseincome and government subsidies, research projects mostly
external resources (ZonMW for Psychology)
pagina 2
INTRODUCTION: ORGANIZATION OF THE OU
Faculty of Psychology – May 2024

4. Study centers are locations for
studentmeetings, small group activities,
exams and all sorts of festivities. There
are 11 study centers in the Nederlands
en 6 in Belgium. The central office of the
OU is located in Heerlen.
ou.nl/studiecentra
Study centers

5. Some definitions
Reasons for (temporary) discontinuation of study
New educational model
Perspective of teachers/study advisors/ faculty of psychology
ECO’s analysis of annual data –2023
Faculty Focus 2024
Marketing and Relationship management
Recommendations for reducing dropout
pagina 5
CONTENT: MEASURES IN DISTANT EDUCATION
Faculty of Psychology – May 2024

6. pagina 6Faculty of Psychology – May 2024
SOME DEFINITIONS
"Student retention" refers to the ability of an educational institution to attract and retain
students throughout their period of study, with the aim of enabling them to graduate
successfully.
"Progression" (throughput) relates to the successful completion of a particular level or phase
of education, such as completing a study year or program and then moving on to a higher level
or the next phase.
Coöperation between academic staff, management en support.

7. 1. The study is not what I expected (too much theory, distance learning doesn't suit me, less
student contact, too difficult, workload per course too high).
2. After studying a few courses, I need a break (many students reported they took a break and
never returned).
3. My home and/or work situation has changed and I no longer have time for the study (e.g., job
changes/family composition changes, relocation, caregiving, health reasons).
pagina 7Faculty of Psychology – May 2024
REASONS FOR (TEMPORARY) DISCONTINUATION OF STUDY (1)

8. 4. Distance learning requires (too much) self-discipline. Due to the limited amount of guidance
and little contact with teachers and fellow students, it's difficult to find sufficient motivation.
5. I know enough about psychology; I don't need more.
6. I prefer another education because the career prospects in Mental Health Care in the
Netherlands are unclear.
pagina 8Faculty of Psychology – May 2024
REASONS FOR (TEMPORARY) DISCONTINUATION OF STUDY (2)

9. 1.Both bachelor and master with fixed and variable courses
(fixed course in 11 weeks, exam in week 12)
2.Increase of study advisors
3.Increase of online structured course elements (online
classes, self tests, weekly summary, feedback moments,
exam training)
4.Increase of tutorscapacity
5.Emphasis on course enrollment
NEW EDUCATIONAL MODEL 2014
pagina 9Faculty of Psychology – May 2024

10. pagina 10Faculty of Psychology – May 2024
EXAMPLE BACHELOR'S YEAR SCHEDULE

11. 1.Additional resources to increase tutoring capacity
2.Increase of monitoring capacity study advisors
3.In the mastersprogram additional variable courses
4.Developing community tool (during the course/program)
5.Student Wellbeing and Student Psychologists
6.Focus on data from ECO and M&R
PERSPECTIVE OF TEACHERS/STUDY ADVISORS/FACULTY OF PSYCHOLOGY
pagina 11Faculty of Psychology – May 2024

12. 1.In the bachelor's program, fixed courses, especially for a student's initial purchase,
show higher course success rates compared to variable courses. Fixed courses are
also completed significantly faster.
2.Passing the first course strongly determines whether or nota subsequent purchase is
made. If a student passes the first course, 71% make another purchase. However, if
they fail the first course, only 22% make another purchase.
3.In the master's program, dropout during the thesis phase is particularly concerning.
This aspect is currently being addressed in a project, which seeks to identify the main
causes of dropout and implement appropriate interventions.
ECO’S ANALYSIS OF ANNUAL DATA - 2023
pagina 12Faculty of Psychology – May 2024

13. 1.The tutor pool is creating a new plan to reduce dropout rates in terms of guidance
(individual/group) and scheduling (fixed/variable), to determine the most effective
strategy during the course.
2.Study advisors have defined target groups to monitor more specific. They will use
intelligent agents within an overall studentseducational portal to engage students in
the program.
3.In collaboration with ECO, research has begun into dropouts in the master's thesis
phase. Why do students drop out while they have started the thesis process? Results
are expected by the end of 2024.
FACULTY FOCUS 2024
pagina 13Faculty of Psychology – May 2024

14. 1.Improved accessibility on student data –necessary for monitoring student progress in
terms of communication and purchase behavior.
2.Mapping the study intentions and motivation of the students who enroll. Based on
this research, the maximum percentage of transition can be calculated. Then, we can
determine an acceptable percentage of transition to be included in subsequent
projects and research.
3.Updating Study Coach module (study skills modules, use of AI in studies and student
well-being). Collect data on the use of Study Coach and its impact on academic
success.
MARKETING AND RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
pagina 14Faculty of Psychology – May 2024

15. Employ a tutor pool to support teachers in student engagement and monitoring within courses,
particularly in courses with large student numbers.
Optimizing intelligent agent function in Brightspace or other learning systems.
Provide example schedules for all courses, indicate pass rates, suggest most logical follow-up courses,
alert students to enroll in time, refer to website Wellbeing and Study coach.
Invest in an integrated (monitoring) tool, offering study paths, study plans, annual schedules, and prompts
for timely registration (exam, follow-up course).
Work throughout the program with faculty study advisors who are available to students by phone, video
call or face-to-face. Highlight engagement activities and the program's structure.
pagina 15
Faculty of Psychology – May 2024
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR REDUCING DROPOUT

16. Questions?