O1 - Supporting ransition · ABLE Project 2015-1-UK01-KA203-013767 O1 - Supporting ransition into...
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RESPONSIBLE PARTNER: KU LEUVEN
PARTICPATING PARTNERS: KU LEUVEN, UNIVERSITY LEIDEN
ABLE Project
2015-1-UK01-KA203-013767
O1 - Supporting
student transition
into Higher
Education
a summary of the current situation,
strengths, and challenges at the
partner institutions
Strategic Partnership: 2015-1-UK01-KA203-013767
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Output 1 – Supporting student transition into Higher Education
This baseline report will provide an overview of the current situation at the partner
The report will outline three areas. Firstly it will provide an overview of the challenges and priorities for the
partner institutions supporting student transition into higher education:
educational context and admission policies for the partner institutions
overview of existing initiatives in the transition from secondary education to higher education
including outreach, extended induction, the use of formative feedback practices and support within
the curriculum
current practices in student academic counselling
an overview of progression and attainment challenges for particular groups of students for example
widening participation students or students entering with non-traditional qualifications
Secondly, current data practices at the partner institutions that provide data to academics and support staff to
help them support student transition, including:
data collection and data management
algorithms for data analysis, reporting and visualization
existing processes for providing front line staff with data about individual students and student groups
Thirdly, the report will outline in detail the application of learning analytics to the context of the transition into
higher education. In particular special attention is given to the live project at Nottingham Trent University
where learning analytics is already in place for all NTU students.
"The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an
endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission
cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein."
This output is a result of the European Erasmus+ project ABLE (2015-1-UK01-KA203-013767)
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1 TABLE OF CONTENT
1 TABLE OF CONTENT......................................................................................................................................... 1
2 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................... 4
2.1 Description ............................................................................................................................................ 4
2.2 Different partners .................................................................................................................................. 4
2.2.1 Nottingham Trent University (NTU) .................................................................................................. 4
2.2.2 KU Leuven ......................................................................................................................................... 5
2.2.3 Leiden University ............................................................................................................................... 6
3 Educational context ........................................................................................................................................ 7
3.1 Organizational structure education systems ......................................................................................... 7
3.2 Admission ............................................................................................................................................ 11
3.3 Incoming – progression ....................................................................................................................... 12
3.3.1 KU Leuven ....................................................................................................................................... 12
3.3.2 Leiden University ............................................................................................................................. 16
3.3.3 Nottingham Trent University (NTU) ................................................................................................ 19
4 Student counselling ....................................................................................................................................... 21
4.1 Career guidance in secondary/upper secondary education ................................................................ 21
4.1.1 Flanders/ KU Leuven1 ...................................................................................................................... 21
4.1.2 The Netherlands/ Leiden University................................................................................................ 21
4.1.3 United Kingdom/ NTU ..................................................................................................................... 22
4.2 Student counselling in higher education ............................................................................................. 22
4.2.1 KU Leuven1 ...................................................................................................................................... 22
4.2.2 Leiden University ............................................................................................................................. 23
4.2.3 Nottingham Trent University (NTU) ................................................................................................ 23
5 Overview of existing guidance in the transition from secondary to higher education / intake guidance .... 25
5.1 KU Leuven ............................................................................................................................................ 26
5.1.1 LUCI platform .................................................................................................................................. 26
5.1.2 KU Leuven: study career guidance .................................................................................................. 26
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5.1.3 Positioning test – ijkingstoets ......................................................................................................... 26
5.1.4 Summer course ............................................................................................................................... 27
5.2 Leiden University ................................................................................................................................. 29
5.2.1 Matching: the right students in the right place............................................................................... 29
5.2.2 Leids studieplan - Leids studiesysteem ........................................................................................... 29
5.3 Nottingham Trent University (NTU) .................................................................................................... 30
6 Overview of existing guidance in the transition from secondary to higher education / progression guidance
32
6.1 KU Leuven ............................................................................................................................................ 32
6.1.1 Organization .................................................................................................................................... 32
6.1.2 Faculty Staff and research ............................................................................................................... 32
6.1.3 Implementation ............................................................................................................................... 33
6.2 Leiden University ................................................................................................................................. 34
6.2.1 Leids studieplan - Leids studiesysteem ........................................................................................... 34
6.3 Nottingham trent university ................................................................................................................ 35
6.3.1 Organization .................................................................................................................................... 35
6.3.2 Student dashboard .......................................................................................................................... 35
7 Data concerning the transition from SE to HE (academic analytics). ............................................................ 37
7.1 KU Leuven ............................................................................................................................................ 37
7.1.1 Student characteristics .................................................................................................................... 37
7.1.2 Prior education ................................................................................................................................ 37
7.1.3 Activities in transition...................................................................................................................... 37
7.1.4 Higher education ............................................................................................................................. 37
7.2 Leiden University ................................................................................................................................. 38
7.2.1 Student characteristics .................................................................................................................... 38
7.2.2 Prior education ................................................................................................................................ 38
7.2.3 Activities in transition...................................................................................................................... 38
7.2.4 Higher education ............................................................................................................................. 38
7.3 Nottingham Trent University (NTU) .................................................................................................... 39
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7.3.1 Student characteristics .................................................................................................................... 39
7.3.2 Prior education ................................................................................................................................ 39
7.3.3 Activities in transition...................................................................................................................... 39
7.3.4 Higher education ............................................................................................................................. 39
8 Three strengths and three weaknesses ........................................................................................................ 40
8.1 KU Leuven ............................................................................................................................................ 40
8.1.1 Three strenghts ............................................................................................................................... 40
8.1.2 Three weaknesses ........................................................................................................................... 40
8.2 Leiden University ................................................................................................................................. 41
8.2.1 Three strengths ............................................................................................................................... 41
8.2.2 Three weaknesses ........................................................................................................................... 41
8.3 Nottingham Trent University ............................................................................................................... 42
8.3.1 Three strengths ............................................................................................................................... 42
8.3.2 Three weaknesses ........................................................................................................................... 42
9 Current practices in the application of learning analytics ............................................................................. 43
9.1 KU Leuven ............................................................................................................................................ 43
9.2 Leiden University ................................................................................................................................. 43
9.3 Nottingham Trent University ............................................................................................................... 43
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2 INTRODUCTION
2.1 DESCRIPTION
This document is meant as a working document for creating finally the output O1 from A3: Literature
& Current Practices.
The report will include the facts and numbers relevant for the transition from secondary to higher
education:
educational context (admission policy),
overview of existing initiatives in the transition from secondary to higher education,
current practices in student counselling,
existing formative feedback initiatives in the transition from SE to HE,
data concerning the transition from SE to HE (academic analytics). This will at least include the retention and study success in general and for specific target groups (e.g. pioneer students or students with disadvantaged background), and
three strengths and three weaknesses concerning the transition per partner.
Furthermore current practices in learning analytics at the different partner institutes, with a focus to
the transition from SE TO HE, are summarized. In particular special attention is given to the running
project of Nottingham Trent University where learning analytics is already applied for starting
students.
2.2 DIFFERENT PARTNERS
2.2.1 NOTTINGHAM TRENT UNIVERSITY (NTU)
Nottingham Trent University (NTU) is mainly based in three sites in and around the City of Nottingham, in the
East Midlands region of the United Kingdom. It is one of the largest universities in the UK with approximately
26,000 students studying a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in a wide range of disciplines.
The University’s mission is to ‘deliver education and research that shape lives and society’. It has five strategic
aims include developing ‘confident and ambitious graduates equipped to shape society’, ‘to provide education
that promotes both intellectual initiative and the highest academic standards…’ and ‘to be recognized both
nationally and internationally for the effectiveness of our teaching and relevance of our research’.
The University’s origins stem from the creation of Nottingham Government School of Art & Design founded in
1843. Over the next 127 years the college evolved and joined with various other design, technical, and teaching
colleges. In 1970, they formally merged to form Trent Polytechnic. In 1992, following an act of Parliament,
Nottingham Trent University was formed.
Students learn in nine academic schools: Animal, Rural & Environmental Sciences, Architecture Design & the
Built Environment, Art & Design, Arts & Humanities, Education, Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Law
School, Social Sciences and Science & Technology. PhD students are taught in a separate graduate school. The
University has a strong focus on employability and links with employers. NTU has the fourth highest number of
students on work placement in the country and 94% of all graduates are in employment or further study within
6 months of graduation. The HIVE, NTU's enterprise and business development incubator has helped over 250
start-up companies.
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NTU has 37 research centres including the John Van Geest Cancer Research Centre, the International Gaming
Research Unit, the Centre for Research in Advanced Textiles and the Centre for Business Performance and Lean
Leadership. In the most recent UK Research Excellence Framework (REF), 100% of Nottingham Trent University
research submitted under biomedical sciences, business and management studies, and psychology was found
to have world-leading or internationally excellent impact.
In 2014 Complete University Rankings, Nottingham Trent University was ranked 61st of 121 UK Universities.
The University is frequently listed as one of the top 10 most environmentally friendly institutions in the
country, with 100% of its electricity generated from renewable resources since 2009.
2.2.2 KU LEUVEN1
KU Leuven is a university, located in the centre of the historic town of Leuven in the Flemish part of Belgium.
With more than 55 000 students during the academic year of 2014-215
(http://www.kuleuven.be/prodstudinfo/50000050/dash.html), KU Leuven is the largest university in Belgium
and the low countries. KU Leuven has a very long tradition as a centre for learning. Today, it is Belgium's largest
and highest-ranked university and, founded in 1425, one of the oldest and most renowned universities in
Europe. As a leading European research university and co-founder of the League of European Research
Universities (LERU), KU Leuven offers a wide variety of international bachelor and master’s programmes, all
supported by high-quality, innovative, interdisciplinary research.
As of 2014, KU Leuven ranks as 55th globally according to Times Higher Education, 82nd according to QS World
University Rankings and 96th according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities. KU Leuven is
consistently considered to be within the top 100 universities of the world and considered as the best Belgian
university (together with UGent).
KU Leuven offers about 55 bachelor programs, 130 initial master programs, and 48 master after master
programmes in Dutch. Furthermore KU Leuven offers international programmes in both English, French, and
Spanish, and more than 2000 courses in English, including 8 Erasmus-Mundus programmes.
KU Leuven employs more than 11 000 persons: more than 1500 professors (ZAP), 5000 researchers (BAP), 1500
educational staff (AAP, OP1, OP2, OP3), and 3500 administrative and technical staff. In 2011 the research
expenses were 365 million euros, 635 PhDs were successfully obtained, and 98 spin-off companies were
created.
The numbers above show that KU Leuven is both a renowned research university and educational institute.
The faculties and centres of KU Leuven involved in the project are the Faculty of Engineering Science, the
Faculty of Science, the Faculty of Engineering Technology, the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Psychology
and Educational Sciences, the Faculty of Arts, and LESEC.
The Leuven Engineering and Science Education Centre LESEC (see http://set.kuleuven.be/LESEC), founded in
2009, is a centre specialized in the domain covered by the project. The overall objective of LESEC is to
contribute to the advancement of Engineering and Science education on the basis of research evidence. The
three main project promotors of KU Leuven Tinne De Laet (Faculty of Engineering Science), Greet Langie
(Faculty of Engineering Technology), Carolien Van Soom (Faculty of Science) lead the LESEC research team that
focuses on a better orientation of incoming students. Finally, Tinne De Laet is the chair of the centre.
1 This section contains duplicate information of the corresponding section of the report http://stela-project.eu/files/STELA-currentSituation.pdf. It is repeated for convenience. The actual writing and reporting was done for the STELA project. Small changes may have been done to optimize the coherence with the reporting of NTU and Leiden University.
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2.2.3 LEIDEN UNIVERSITY
Leiden University is one of Europe's foremost research universities. It is the oldest university in the
Netherlands, founded in February 1575, and currently ranks in the top 100 of most international rankings. The
university has approximately 23,000 students and 4,000 staff members. It consists of 7 faculties: Archaeology,
Humanities, Law, Medicine/LUMC (Leiden University Medical Center), Mathematics and Natural Sciences,
Social and Behavioural Sciences, and Governance and Global Affairs, which until recently was known as Campus
the Hague. The faculties offer a varied range of bachelor's, master's and PhD programmes. Most master
programmes are taught in English. In addition, two other units offer post-academic training: the Institute for
Environmental Sciences (CML), and the Graduate School for Teaching (ICLON).
As a European research university, Leiden University stands for high quality research and academic teaching.
Lecturers integrate their research in their teaching activities and the students perform in a challenging study
environment that is becoming increasingly international. The students prepare themselves for positions in
which they can put their academic knowledge and skills to good use. The research carried out in Leiden is of
the highest international standard and contributes to innovation centred on prosperity, wellbeing and culture
in a sustainable society. Leiden University focuses on pioneering scientific research and seek inspiration in the
scientific and societal challenges of the future.
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3 EDUCATIONAL CONTEXT
The presence of different educational contexts is required to guarantee the transferability of the projects’
results to other countries within Europe. As highlighted in the ATTRACT project (2012), the educational context
in the different countries in Europe is different in many aspects: the admission requirements for higher
education, the student fees, the organization of pre-university education, the university funding, etc. In this
report we use the comparison framework proposed by the ATTRACT project to compare the educational
contexts of the different partner countries and institutes.
3.1 ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE EDUCATION SYSTEMS
The table below gives an overview of the organisational structure of the education systems in the partner
countries.
age
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Belgium pre-school primary school
secondary
education
upper secondary
education
full-time compulsatory education part-time
the
Netherlands
pre-
school primary school secondary education
upper
secondary
education
full-time compulsatory education
United
Kingdom
pre-
school primary school secondary education
further
education
full-time compulsory education
As shown in the ATTRACT project, many European countries operate different categories of school in the
secondary and/or upper-secondary school systems. Often, students choose between a general/academic
strand of upper-secondary education, or a vocational one. This choice usually has implications for the subjects
the students would then study. In many cases, learners choose at a relatively early age (typically 15) which
pathway they will follow, and the choice they make can limit the fields of study open to them later on. The
table below shows the proportion of students following each of the main curriculum types in the partner
countries of secondary and upper secondary education.
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Belgium The Netherlands United Kingdom
academic 35% 16% 75.4%2
vocational TSO: 33%, BSO: 30% 25% 24.6%
other KSO: 2% 51%3 0%
The universities represented within the project differ in terms of size, programmes offered, etc. The table
below provides background information about the participating universities.
NTU KU Leuven Leiden University
country
United
Kingdom Belgium The Netherlands
university type
general general general
core funding sources government
70%
(tuition) 75%
54 %
10 % (tuition)
private sources/
contracted research 19% 15% 29%
other 11% 10% 7%
national ranking4 #74- #1 #4
World universty ranking4 #601-800 #35 #67
# full time students4 30.144 42.503 21.222
Student: staff ratio4 15 41.9 17.1
2These numbers relate to the 2009/10 academic year for key stage 4 qualifications (end of secondary education, prior to further education) https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/180504/DFE-00031-2011.pdf 3 Source: http://www.onderwijsincijfers.nl/kengetallen/sectoroverstijgend/nederlands-onderwijsstelsel/stromen-in-het-nederlandse-onderwijs 4 These numbers are according to the World University Rankings 2015-2016: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2016/world-ranking#!/page/0/length/25
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International students4 27% 18% 10%
Female: Male ratio4 54:46 54:46 59:41
Performance breakdown:
teaching 16.5 59.9 50.5
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August 2015
September 2015
October 2015
November 2015
December 2015
January 2016
February 2016
March 2016
April 2016
May 2016
June 2016
July 2016
August 2016
September 2016
KU Leuven
Leiden 5
NTU
start and end academic year
Exams
Resits
teaching period
dedicated study time
orientation initiative or summer course before the start of the academic year
Holidays
5 The organizational structure of the academic year of first-year students at Leiden University depends on the program. The common structure is that the academic year starts on August, 31th, the first semester runs from August, 31th to January 31th, and the second semester runs from February, 1st to June, 30th. (specific dates may vary). As an example: http://media.leidenuniv.nl/legacy/academische-jaarkalender-2015-2016.pdf. The table provides one example for geesteswetenschappen (http://www.hum.leidenuniv.nl/onderwijs/roosters/jaarindeling-voor-het-collegejaar-2015-2016.html).
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3.2 ADMISSION
The table below provides a comparison of the university admissions procedures and requirements in partner
institutes. Since admissions criteria represent a substantial formal barrier to higher education, it is important to
highlight these criteria across each of the countries within the project.
KU Leuven Leiden NTU
centralized admission
no (except central
admission test for
Medicine, involved in
project)
For some programmes yes
does university have power over
student selection? no In some programmes yes
alternative
routes of entry
to the
university
prior experience/
qualifications
(mature student
entry)
yes (for > 21s) Yes (for > 21s) yes
access for foundation
programme n/a n/a n/a
aptitude test EVC procedure6 colloquium doctum
7(>21s) n/a
other n/a n/a n/a
general
admission
requirements
school certificate
exams
yes (students with
belgian secondary
education diploma or
Dutch VWO diploma are
admitted)
yes, admissions are
administered by a
national body
www.studielink.nl
yes, admissions are
administered by a
national body
www.ucas.com
ongoing
performance at
secondary level
yes no no
entrance exams
(managed by
institution)
no
only for mature
students without
required diplomas
no
6 http://www.kuleuven.be/onderwijs/traject/vrijstelling/evc 7 http://www.aanstaande-studenten.leidenuniv.nl/info/colloquium-doctum/
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other
n/a
(Flemish entrance exam
for Medicine and
dentistry)
no
interviews for some
courses (primarily art &
design)
typical
university fees
typically € 8908 For ‘15/’16 €1951,- £9.000
3.3 INCOMING – PROGRESSION
3.3.1 KU LEUVEN9
At KU Leuven, the situation depends on the faculty. Here, the description focusses on the faculty of
engineering, such that enough level of detail can be provided. Whenever available, the global KU Leuven
numbers are provided.
3.3.1.1 INCOMING STUDENTS
Generation students are students that subscribe to the university for the first time. Since 2009, the number of
generation students for the bachelor of engineering science has been fluctuating around 450. The percentage
of girls is around 14%. The percentage of generation students with a non-Belgian nationality and migrant
background is around 3%. About 15% of the students have a study allowance. This shows that the programme
is mainly recruiting male, Belgian students with a non-migrant background.
The programme assumes students followed secondary education with more than 6 hours of mathematics in
their program. Typically, at least 95% of the generation students had 6 hours of math or more in their prior
education. The vast majority of the students followed prior education that prepares well for the bachelor of
engineering. Moreover the majority of incoming students took a program on science and mathematics (64%) or
in Latin-science (24%).
3.3.1.2 PROGRESSION (FOR ALL PROGRAMMES AT KU LEUVEN)
3.3.1.2.1 SITUATION
When analysing progression and drop-out it is important to take into account the specific situation of the
bachelor of engineering science at KU Leuven. The most important characteristics are:
Open access: all students with a secondary education diploma can enter. There is neither a
requirement on prior education nor on prior achievement.
The subscription fee for the bachelor programs in Flanders is around 890 euro per academic year
(2015-2016).
KU Leuven has binding conditions after the first (only introduced recently in 2015-2016) and second
year.
8 http://www.kuleuven.be/studentenadministratie/inschrijvingen/studiegelden 9 This section is a duplicate of the corresponding section of the report http://stela-project.eu/files/STELA-currentSituation.pdf. It is repeated for convenience. The actual writing and reporting was done for the STELA project.
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3.3.1.2.2 STUDY PROGRESS MEASURES
Students that show insufficient study progress, can be refused enrolment as a measure of progression
monitoring. The size of the refusal can vary but in any case it applies to all contract types, so for registrations
with a degree contract, credit contract, and examination contract.
KU Leuven uses three types of refusals which can also occur as mutual combinations.
Refusal on the basis of a very low study efficiency (only introduced in 2015-2016)
Starting Bachelor's and bridging programme students who have a very low CSE after one year (<30%)
cannot continue with the same programme.
Refusal after unmet binding conditions
Starting Bachelor's or bridging programme students who have a relatively low CSE after one year
(<50%) are given binding conditions in accordance with the CSE. After the second year within the same
programme, a refusal to register ensues if the CSE is still too low (<50%). This refusal applies to all
undergraduate programs and transitional programs at KU Leuven.
Refusal after sufficient examination opportunities for the same course
Students who repeatedly fail the same course, receive a refusal to register for the programmes
containing that course. In some cases this happens after two years, in other cases after three years.
The scope of the refusal of registration is for all programmes in which the course is included and for all
continuous programmes to those programmes and for all separate registrations for courses occurring
in those refused programmes. The refusal applies to all contract types.
o Refusal after two years of examination opportunities
If the student is registered with a credit contract, the refused registration will be for one year
after two years of failing the same course.
If the student is registered for a Bachelor's, bridging or Initial Master's programme the
refused registration will be for one year after two years of failing unless your cumulative
study efficiency (CSE) is at least 50%. In that case you will get another third year to pass the
course, or if possible to take another elective.
In the other programmes the student will not yet be refused after two years.
o Refusal after three years of examination opportunities
If the student has been able to include the course in his study program for three years and if
the student has not passed after those three years (and also cannot use a tolerance), then the
student will be refused registration for the next five academic years.
Additionally, students also get a refusal if they do not have learning account (Flemish measure). If a student’s
learning account is less than or equal to 0, the student cannot register with for credit contract at the KU
Leuven. Furthermore, the student cannot register for a diploma contract or exam contract for the programs
that work with study credit, unless the student already has a Master's diploma.
3.3.1.2.3 ADDITIONAL IMPORTANT REGULATIONS FOR STUDY PROGRESS (FOR ALL
PROGRAMMES AT KU LEUVEN)
3.3.1.2.3.1 TOLERENCES
Under certain conditions, in a Bachelor's programme students can use tolerance credits for courses which they
failed. Using a tolerance credit is a way of furthering the study progress.
Each student gets a tolerance entitlement of 10% of the number of credits which they effectively have to take
within a programme. It follows that the tolerance entitlement in a Bachelor's programme of 180 credits,
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without exemptions, amounts to 18 credits. If a Bachelor's student has to obtain more than 120 credits in order
to graduate, then at this point he/she can use no more than 12 credits of the remaining tolerance entitlement.
Using a tolerance is subject to multiple conditions:
The students has a cumulative study efficiency (CSE) of at least 50%
The fail mark is a 8/20 or 9/20
The student has sufficient remaining tolerance entitlement
The course is tolerable.
If courses are not tolerable or if there are restrictions, then this is stated in the faculty education and
examination regulations or in the programme catalogue of the study programme:
Sometimes only a restricted number of credits is tolerable within a specific group of courses. This is for instance
the case for the programme: Bachelor of Engineering Science: architecture.
More info on: https://www.kuleuven.be/english/education/studyprogress/monitoring-
studyprogress/tolerances.
3.3.1.2.3.2 ORDER OF ENROLMENT – PREREQUISITES
Each course can specify binding prerequisites, i.e. other courses that you have been taking or have passed
before you can subscribe to the considered course. Different type of “order of enrolment specifications exist”:
STRICT: You may only take this course if you have passed or applied tolerance for the courses for
which this condition is set.
FLEXIBEL: You may only take this course if you have previously taken the courses for which this
condition is set.
SIMULTANEOUS: You may only take this course if you also take the courses for which this condition is
set (or have taken them previously).
DEGREE: You may only take this course if you have obtained this degree level.
These specifications originate from content-related matters and have as the final goal to ensure that a student
has the proper prior knowledge before subscribing to a course. On the other hand, these specifications might
have an impact on the study progress of students.
3.3.1.2.4 DROP-OUT AND STUDY DURATION
Almost 60% of incoming students obtains a bachelor diploma of engineering science, resulting in a drop-out of
about 40%. The percentage of students obtaining a diploma has increased steadily increase over the last years
(2009-2010 +7.1% with respect to 2005-2006). Similarly the drop out has steadily decreased over the last years
(2009-2010 -10% with respect to 2005-2006). Despite the increase of student obtaining a bachelor diploma, the
study duration has not increased significantly. Around 11% of the incoming students obtain a bachelor degree
with one year delay and 2.5% with two year delay. Despite the lack of binding requirements before the end of
the second year (kick out) until 2015-2016, 71% of the drop-outs already drop out before the start of the
second year (and even 21% during the first year). This is a result of the efforts of the Faculty to give early data-
based feedback to students. As the KU Leuven has binding requirements after the second year (see
introduction), the drop-out after the second year is, as desired, very low: only 4.31%.
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Figure 1: Study duration of cohort 2009-2010.
Globally, for KU Leuven, 45% of the new students in a bachelor programme, drop out within 5 years. 53% of the
new students obtains the bachelor diploma after maximum 5 years.
At KU Leuven, 70% of the bachelor students that obtain the bachelor degree do this within the nominal study
duration (3 years) and 21% obtains it within extra year (4 years).
Of the students that drop out, 71% drops out during or after the first year. 26 % drops out during or after the
second year.
3.3.1.2.5 STUDY EFFICIENCY FIRST YEAR
Another important measure for study success, especially in the case of open access to the bachelor program, is
the study efficiency of students, expressed as the percentage of the credits obtained.
Over the last five years about 45% of the students obtain a very high study efficiency (>90%) after the first year.
A longitudinal analysis shows that about 91 % of these students obtain their bachelor degree within the
nominal duration. Around 20% of the students obtains a very low study efficiency (<30%). The longitudinal
analysis shows that none of these students obtained a bachelor diploma in the past. Around 16% of the
students have a study-efficiency between 60 and 90% and 18% between 30 and 60%. The longitudinal analysis
shows that these students are at risk of study delay or drop out.
Globally, for KU Leuven, 30% of the new students obtains a study efficiency lower than 30% after the first year.
41% of the new students has a study efficiency lower than 41% after the first year. 28% of the new students
has a study efficiency of 28% at the end of the first year.
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Figure 2: Flow diagram showing the results of a longitudinal analysis on the relation between the study efficiency after the first year (3rd
examination period September) and the years needed to obtain the bachelor degree for the generation students of cohort 2009-2010.
3.3.1.3 OUTGOING GRADUATES
3.3.1.3.1 BACHELOR AND MASTER
Around 60% of the students that started the bachelor program obtain a master degree. Around 35% of the
students do not obtain a bachelor degree. Only a minority of less than 5% obtain a bachelor degree but not a
master degree. This low number is not unexpected nor undesired since the bachelor degree of engineering
science is not considered as finality, but as a preparation for the master of engineering science.
3.3.2 LEIDEN UNIVERSITY
3.3.2.1 INCOMING STUDENTS
Approximately 5000 new students enrolled in the university in September 2014. Students with a diploma from
university preparatory education (VWO) are entitled to a place in a university of their choice, if they have taken
the right ‘profile’, which is a pre-defined combination of courses, and if they are not enrolling in a programme
with a numerus clausus, for which students are selected. In the university preparatory education students
choose a profile at the start of their fourth year. These profiles focus on arts and humanities, economics and
society, natural sciences and health and natural sciences and technology. Depending on the school, students
can take additional courses in math or any other course offered at the school.
The percentages of male and female students varies strongly between the programmes. Overall, 60 per cent of
the students in Leiden are female and 40 per cent are male.
3.3.2.2 PROGRESSION
3.3.2.2.1 SITUATION
When analysing progression and drop out it is important to take into account the specific situation of university
education in the Netherlands and in particular, Leiden University. The most important characteristics are:
17
Students can enter if they comply with requirements concerning their prior education: a diploma from
university preparatory education, a first year diploma of a university of applied science or a
colloquium doctum exam for students of 21 and over, which is administered by the university.
The tuition fee for the bachelor programmes in the Netherlands is a flat rate for all students and was
€1951 for the academic year of 2015-2016.
Leiden University has a binding recommendation regarding the continuation of studies in the first
year: students are required to obtain at least 45 out of 60 credits in their first year. Currently there is a
pilot in Leiden: it is the only university in the country that has binding conditions in the second year
too. Students need to have passed all first year exams and obtained at least 30 credits at the end of
the second year.
Leiden University offers a matching activity to all incoming students, which consists of an online survey
on topics related to the programme students selected in Studielink and students receive automated
feedback on their scores. Students who are flagged because they may be at risk are invited for an
interview on campus. These activities are not mandatory.
Every university in the Netherlands has an agreement with the department of education on a number
of ‘achievement indicators’: these are measures of student success such as progression rates, drop-
out rates, and so on. If universities do not meet the agreed thresholds, it may have financial
consequences.
3.3.2.2.2 STUDY PROGRESS MEASURES
Leiden University uses the Binding Study Advice at the end of the first year.
3.3.2.2.3 BSA-REQUIREMENTS
The first year has 60 credits, the overall bachelor has 180 points. At the end of the first year, a student must
have obtained at least 45 points in the first year. If they do not comply, they may not continue these studies at
Leiden University. They may or choose another program at Leiden University.
3.3.2.2.4 EXCEPTIONS
Excluded from these rules are the following (mostly unique) programs: African languages and cultures; China
Studies; Japan Studies; Korea Studies; South and Southeast Asian Studies; Life Science & Technology (LST);
Molecular Science & Technology (MST); Mathematics. Students of these programs do not meet the
requirement to achieve the first two years of 90 credits. If students of other courses have a study delay due to
personal circumstances, the Board of Examiners obviously takes this into account when giving its
recommendation. The condition is that students who have conditions reported this immediately to the
program.
3.3.2.2.5 DROP-OUT AND STUDY DURATION
The binding recommendation for continuation of studies was introduced in 2009 as a measure to increase
student success and encourage students to reflect on their choice of programme early on. If students unenrol
before February 1, they do not lose any rights to student aid. If students have doubts about their programme
for whatever reason, it is beneficial if they leave early.
Drop out for the university was 15.3 per cent in 2014. This was within the margins of the achievement
indicators for that year. This was slightly higher than previous years.
18
3.3.2.2.6 STUDY EFFICIENCY FIRST YEAR
In the graph below the study efficiency of the first year is presented. The blue bar on the right indicates the
percentage of students that obtained 60 or more credits, the blue bar on the left indicates the percentage of
students who obtained 9 or fewer credits in their first year. In the year of ‘13/’14 79 per cent of the first year
students obtained a positive recommendation on continuation of their studies based on their achievements
alone.
The table below contains some more indicators of the efficiency in the first year. It shows that the percentage
of non negative binding recommendations has increased since 2009 when it was introduced. It also shows a
slight decrease of drop out after the first year of studies. The reenrolment in four years is also increasing.
Student success 2009/2010 2010/2011 2011/2012 2012/2013 2013/2014
Non negative binding recommendation 81% 85% 86% 84% 84%
Drop out after 1 year 17% 15,1% 14,9% 14,3% 15,3%
Switch after 1 year 7,6% 7,3% 8,1% 6,8% 7,7%
Bachelor efficiency 2006/2007 2007/2008 2008/2009 2009/2010 2010/2011
Reenrolment in four years 57,5% 62,8% 66,6% 70,1% 70,2%
Source: Jaarverslag Universiteit Leiden 2014: http://media.leidenuniv.nl/legacy/jaarverslag-2014-universiteit-
leiden.pdf
3.3.2.3 OUTGOING GRADUATES
3.3.2.3.1 BACHELOR AND MASTER
The number of bachelor students who obtain their diplomas in four years after first enrolment rose slightly in
2014 to 70,3 %. The number of students who obtain their master diploma within the set time frame, was 65
per cent for the one-year programmes and 71 per cent for the two-year programmes in 2014.
19
3.3.3 NOTTINGHAM TRENT UNIVERSITY (NTU)
3.3.3.1 INCOMING STUDENTS
In 2013/14, there were 7,116 students studying on the first year of undergraduate courses at Nottingham Trent
University. The majority were new to the University, however, 563 were repeating their first year after failing
to pass all the required assessments the year before. Approximately 93% of these students were from the UK,
the remainder from within the EU (2%) or international (5%). The vast majority of students were studying on
full time or sandwich courses (courses that include a compulsory year work experience). UK students currently
pay £9,000 per year in tuition fees, paid for in most instances by students taking out loans from the
Government.
UK students commence their courses through two main routes. They firstly apply through the University &
Colleges Admissions Scheme (UCAS). Each university sets a tariff for their courses, in order to be accepted onto
that course, the university assesses whether or not the student is likely to achieve that tariff based on feedback
from the student and their teachers. Students can choose up to five different courses, these can be at the same
or different universities. In most instances the University makes an offer based purely on the strength of the
written application. In some cases, for example highly competitive art & design courses, students are required
to attend an interview and present a portfolio of work. Because students make their applications before they
know their college results, the offers are conditional on them achieving the qualifications that they and their
teachers believe that they are going to achieve. This situation creates the second route, known as clearing. As
the students may not achieve the grades that their teachers expect, they may fail or do considerably better
than expected, there is a second process that takes place in the third week of August. Universities will seek to
fill their courses with students and so there is a frantic period where universities seek to fill these empty
spaces. Students are often accepted onto degree programmes with lower entry qualifications or have a weaker
set of reasons for studying on that course. There is some evidence that students entering through this route
are more at risk of withdrawing early.
3.3.3.2 PROGRESSION
In 2013/14, 83% of students progressed from the first to the second year. Of those who did not, approximately
half had transferred to other courses or were repeating their first year. The remainder withdrew from
University for a range of reasons or failed their courses.
3.3.3.2.1 SITUATION
There are a number of studies in the UK that demonstrate how student progression is shaped by factors such
as socio-economic factors (Cousin & Cureton, 2014) and entry qualifications (NAO, 2007). This situation is also
the case for students at NTU. Male students, Black & Minority Ethnic (BME) students, international students,
mature students, students from poorer socio-economic backgrounds all tend to progress at a lower rate, tend
to achieve lower final degree classifications and in most instances are less likely to be in graduate
employment10.
Researchers at the University have conducted an analysis of the relationship between student engagement
measured in the NTU Student Dashboard and progression. There is a strong correlation between engagement
and both progression from the first year and final degree attainment. This outweighs demographic factors and
entry qualifications.
10 Male students are more likely to be in graduate employment.
20
The University is required to plan strategies for reducing early student departure by the Office For Fair Access
(OFFA). The access agreements are funded from the tuition fees paid by students. The University has in place a
Success for All strategy to reduce the attainment gaps between different student groups.
3.3.3.2.2 DROP-OUT AND STUDY DURATION
Approximately 7% of students drop out during the first year. The same proportion change degree programmes,
or have to repeat the first year.
In the UK, the normal qualification is a Bachelor’s degree. Relatively few students complete a Masters or higher
programme. Those that do, tend to come back to study after a period away from the University, and are often
funded by an employer.
Undergraduate degrees normally last for three or four years. At NTU, 2/3 of degrees are 3 years long, 1/3 of
students participate in a year in employment and so take 4 years to complete. Students are entitled to receive
a loan for one extra year (for example if they fail their first year or want to change course after completing a
year of study). There are also exceptional cases where students can receive funding for an additional year.
3.3.3.2.3 STUDY EFFICIENCY FIRST YEAR
The UK does not use study efficiency as a measure. Undergraduate students are normally expected to
complete all 120 credits per year for each of the three years of their degree. Around 7-8% of students transfer
courses or repeat the first year. They are not normally able to take credits from one degree programme to
another unless the subjects are very closely related. Full time students must normally complete their degree
within five years, funding is only available beyond this time in exceptional circumstances.
3.3.3.3 OUTGOING GRADUATES
3.3.3.3.1 BACHELOR AND MASTER
The UK Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) report (2014/15) states that 81.6% of NTU full time
undergraduate students are expected to complete their undergraduate degrees, slightly ahead of the
benchmark target of 80.7%. This target is based on the demographic and entry qualification data for the
University. The average completion rate for the whole of the UK higher education sector is 81.3%. There is no
comparable data for postgraduate students.
21
4 STUDENT COUNSELLING
4.1 CAREER GUIDANCE IN SECONDARY/UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION
Belgium The Netherlands United Kingdom
Standardized counselling system No No No
Qualifications required to become a
guidance counsellor
Master in psychology,
pedagogy, or educational
sciences No NA
Primary background humanities Not known NA
Below, each of the partners describes in more detail the career guidance in their country.
4.1.1 FLANDERS/ KU LEUVEN1
The central Flemish agency that handles the career guidance in secondary education is the “Centrum voor
leerlingenbegeleiding (CLB)”. They help individual students and assist schools in providing career guidance to
students.
The Flemish government also provides an online platform to assist the career guidance:
http://www.onderwijskiezer.be/v2/hoger/index.php. It includes information on all types of education,
programmes offered, etc. Furthermore it provides information on the study efficiency of particular
combinations of secondary education program and higher education program. Also tests to assess the areas of
interest (I-prefer: http://www.onderwijskiezer.be/iprefer/index.php) and study attitude (I-study:
http://www.onderwijskiezer.be/istudy/index.php) are available.
The Flemish government organized career information fairs (SID-ins), where students can explore future career
possibilities: both including the possibility of continuing education or for making the transition to professional
employment (http://onderwijs.vlaanderen.be/sidin).
The school of secondary education have a big responsibility in the career guidance. Often they offer different
opportunities for students to explore possibilities, make a self-reflection, etc. Moreover, the school provides
the student with a recommendation at graduation time, which is supported by a commission of school
teachers.
The universities and university colleges also share responsibility in informing students. Different universities
offer different opportunities including: program information days, online platforms for study choice
(https://www.kuleuven.be/luci/ and https://vraaghetaansimon.be/registreer), “trial” lectures, individual
counselling, etc.
4.1.2 THE NETHERLANDS/ LEIDEN UNIVERSITY
Career guidance in the Netherlands is a responsibility of the parents and het secondary schools. How they
organise this and what kinds of support they offer, is up to them. All secondary schools have a dean who is well
versed in the options for continuing education and this person is available to help students make decisions.
22
Schools tend to encourage their students to participate in campus visits and more intensive forms of career
orientation, such as ‘student for a day’ programmes.
The universities offer all kind of activities to future students. Open days and campus visits are open to
everyone, but Leiden also offers ambitious secondary school students opportunities to come to the university
to fulfill the university preparatory education mandatory ‘profile research project’, or to participate in junior
college and take selected courses from the university curriculum.
4.1.3 UNITED KINGDOM/ NTU
In the UK, careers advice is normally delivered by the individual educational institution (school, college or
university). There are qualifications in careers advice available, but not all advisers have them. As part of the
recruitment process, NTU provides student open days throughout the year. On these days, students are invited
to attend guest lectures and explore the accommodation, facilities and Students’ Union. Once students start at
NTU, careers advice is delivered through the NTU Employability team.
4.2 STUDENT COUNSELLING IN HIGHER EDUCATION
This section describes how the student counselling (ranging from mental health, housing, etc. up to course-
specific guidance) is organized at the different partner universities, with a special focus to the first year of
higher education.
KU Leuven Leiden University NTU
kind of tutors professional
Student mentors and
student counsellors. In
some programmes there
are academic tutors
(teachers)
Primarily staff
tutors with some
limited student-
student mentoring/
buddying
tutorial services
at faculty yes
Student counsellors at
faculty
In a minority of
faculties
central student
counselling
services
yes (study advice, student
health centre, social)
Yes, these include student
dean, mental health and
disability services.
Yes. Study support
offered through the
library and a wide
range of student
support offered
through student
support (mental
health, financial
support, etc.
Below, each of the partners describes in more detail the student counselling at their institute.
4.2.1 KU LEUVEN1
KU Leuven works with three levels of student counselling
23
1. Academic advisors: The academic advisors are located at the different faculties. The organization
might differ for the different faculties. All faculties however provide study pathway guidance. The
main task of counsellors for study pathway guidance is to help student in making decisions concerning
their study pathway and study program. Typically, students can use these counsellors for all questions
having an impact on their study, ranging from personal problems to course related questions.
Depending on the question, the student is guided to the right branches of study support. Additionally,
most faculties are offering Tutorial services, which focus on helping students in the first year with
course related question, study methodology, etc.
2. Study advice centre: The Study Advice Service is located at university level and provides advice and
support for both national and international students on study-related matters. Students can consult
the study advice centre at any point in their study career: before you enter the university, while you
are studying at KU Leuven and after you have graduated. They organize private consultations and
workshop on specific themes such as “planning”.
3. Student services: The Student Services are located at university level. Different services are available:
social service, service for students with disabilities, student employment service, student legal
services, religion and philosophical diversity contact point, housing service, and the student health
centre.
4.2.2 LEIDEN UNIVERSITY
Every programme has an officer for student counselling. These persons do not need specific qualifications for
this position. Often they are alumni from the programme. They advise students with issues in their
programmes and their private situation. On average there is one counsellor for approximately 1200 students. If
problems are too complex, they may refer students to other branches of student support, such as the student
psychologists. Some of the student counsellors also act as ‘vertrouwenspersoon’, a person to discuss issues of
conflict, discrimination or sexual intimidation with. This person can aid in solving these issues.
The student psychologists serve students from all the faculties and help students with all kinds of counselling.
They can also give students a certificate of dyslexia which entitles students to extra time on the exams.
In 2009 the university founded an organisation to aid students with impairments and disabilities. This
organisation is called Fenestra and works to increase the awareness of these issues in the university. The
universities need to make sure that students with disabilities can study without any barriers and have the same
opportunities to study. Fenestra helps students and programme coordinators to provide these opportunities
and they monitor how well disabled students are served on an annual basis.
There is also a student dean who can support students with conflicts or academic issues. There is also an
ombudsperson for the university who can help solve a wide range of issues in the university.
4.2.3 NOTTINGHAM TRENT UNIVERSITY (NTU)
Student Support Services
Nottingham Trent University has a long-established Student Support Services department. The department
offers advice, guidance and practical support to students. Services include:
Financial support – money advice service, financial guidance and bursaries/ loans to students
Mental health support – practical advice for students facing mental health problems
Counselling – person-centred counselling for students
Disability support – a range of support for the different needs faced by students. For example, note
takers for students with physical impairments and writing support for students with dyslexia
24
Support for particular student groups – for example for international students
Advice for students regarding accommodation or problems with the University is provided by the Students’
Union Information & Advice Service.
Study support
Study support is primarily offered through the Library. One to one advice, workshops and drop ins are offered
to students to help them develop skills and confidence in academic writing, maths and information literacy.
Some faculties have also chosen to provide study support in particular areas of high perceived need.
25
5 OVERVIEW OF EXISTING GUIDANCE IN THE TRANSITION FROM SECONDARY TO
HIGHER EDUCATION / INTAKE GUIDANCE
The use of preparatory courses, tutoring and/or student counsellors during the transition from
secondary to higher education is very different among the partner universities. The table below
sheds a first light on these differences.
KU Leuven Leiden University NTU
preparatory
courses
yes (summer + online
SPOCs) ?
Only for
international
students to help
boost their
academic English
positioning test
yes (except for Medicine
with admission test) Yes, but is not binding no
kind of tutors professional student mentors
student mentors
and academic
tutors (teachers)
use of learning
analytics in
transition n/a n/a yes
tutorial services
at faculty yes No no
central student
counselling
services
yes (study advice, student
health centre, social)
Local study counsellors
and central disability
services, including mental
health services
yes (both study
support and
student services)
Finally, the table below provides the opportunity to highlight one of the initiatives per project partner taken to
support the student in the transition from secondary to higher education.
Tutoring practice in the picture
KU Leuven tutorial services of faculties e.g. http://eng.kuleuven.be/studenten/studentenbegeleiding
Leiden University http://www.studereninleiden.nl/universiteit/matching/
Nottingham Trent University
Student dashboard http://www.ntu.ac.uk/current_students/studying/student_dashboard/index.html
Below, each of the partners describes in more detail the initiatives at their institute concerning the transition
from secondary to higher education.
26
5.1 KU LEUVEN
At KU Leuven, the structure of guidance is different depending on the faculty and program. This document will
provide more details on the programmes and faculties involved in the ABLE project, all STEM faculties.
Whenever applicable, the global KU Leuven context is provided.
5.1.1 LUCI PLATFORM
The LUCI platform of KU Leuven (https://www.kuleuven.be/luci/), launched in 2014, is an online platform that
helps future students to create a realistic image of themselves, the expectations of higher education, the
programmes offered by KU Leuven, and their future. The overall goal is to support the study choice of future
students with an online tool. It includes different test that allow the students to explore themselves: academic
literacy, a preference test (I-Prefer), a study skills test (I-Study), a learning and study strategy test (LASSI), and a
study choice progress check (VST). Next, more programme-specific information is provided. This may include
dedicated tests (e.g. a demo of the positioning test – see Section 5.1.2) and online lectures. Moreover, for all
combinations of prior education and the targeted programme, numbers showing the study success (in terms of
study efficiency) of previous cohorts of students are provided.
5.1.2 KU LEUVEN: STUDY CAREER GUIDANCE
During the academic year of 2015-2016, KU Leuven has worked on a new vision related to study guidance,
which has resulted in a Vison “Study career guidance at KU Leuven” (“Studieloopbaanbgeleiding aan de KU
Leuven”). Starting from this vision, a mapping that makes an inventory of current practices at KU Leuven is
started. The mapping clearly shows the differences of the study career guidance inside different faculties.
KU Leuven distinguishes between two types of study career guidance: study-choice guidance and learning-
process guidance. Study-choice guidance aims at supporting the students in the process of making choices that
allow to develop their study career in connection with their “disciplinary future self”. Learning-process
guidance is the process that leads to a change in knowledge, skills, or attitudes. The process help a student to
connect with the disciplinary community, and to acquire the academic discourse that will help them to take
societal responsibility.
5.1.3 POSITIONING TEST – IJKINGSTOETS
The positioning test – ijkingstoets is a non-obligatory and non-binding test organized by different Flemish
institutes KU Leuven, UGent, UAntwerpen, VUB), that tests the prior knowledge and competences of future
students before the start of a STEM bachelor. An overview of the available positioning tests is available at
https://www.ijkingstoets.be/. How are the prior knowledge and competences with respect to the expectation
of the program and with respect to the other participants? The test serves three purposes. First for the
students that succeed (60%) in the test, it gives confidence in their abilities for the engineering program.
Second for the students that nearly failed the test, it is a stimulus to make extra efforts, take a summer course,
or an individual study program. Third for the students that badly failed the test, it encourages them to analyse
their performance, and if they do not expect to be able to do better, to stimulate to choose another study
program.
The positioning test started in 2013 for the Bachelor of Engineering Science, but since then has been developed
for different STEM programs. In 2015 the minister of Higher Education of Flanders has initiated a working group
supported by project money to more strongly develop the positioning tests and to evolve to an obligatory, but
still non-binding, test.
27
The guidance for students related to the positioning test is organized by the different institutes and the
different faculties inside the institutes. For the STEM faculties involved in the ABLE project, the guidance is
done by the Tutorial Services (Science and Engineering Science) or the study advisors in the campuses
(Engineering Technology). In general, this guidance (except for a summer course, see below) is free. During or
after the positioning test, all students receive information listing all possibilities for guidance and feedback.
To prepare for the positioning test the student can consult the website (www.ijkingtoets.be) containing
example questions and/or questions answers of previous sessions. After the positioning test, every participant
receives his/her result and personalized feedback. In recent years this feedback also incorporates the
importance of the signals obtained from secondary education (study-choice advice received at school, and
study results in secondary school), and the expected impact of the result of the positioning test on the study
pathway (for an example, see Figure 3) .
Figure 3: Student flow of the participants of the engineering positioning test in 2013 until the June examinations of 2014 for the
bachelor of engineering science and the bachelor of engineering science: architecture at KU Leuven.
During the positioning test, the Tutorial Services of Science and Engineering Science organize information
sessions for parents where questions like “Which guidance is available at the university?” “What is tolerating a
course?”. Student scan meet the tutors and study counsellors and ask questions informally.
5.1.4 SUMMER COURSE
In the months before start of higher education (July, August, September), KU Leuven offers summer course that
support students in preparing for higher education
(http://www.kuleuven.be/toekomstigestudenten/voorbereidende-cursussen.php). Most summer courses focus
on refreshing and improving language skills (but Dutch and foreign languages), science, and math. Furthermore
some faculties offer courses on particular skills that are important for the programmes they offer (such as a
first introduction to architectural assignments).
The STEM faculties involved in the ABLE project have a strong tradition of summer course in mathematics and
chemistry (http://set.kuleuven.be/zomercursus). This is not surprising as mathematics is an essential
prerequisite for the STEM programs. The Faculty of Engineering Science organizes in cooperation with the
Faculty of Science a summer course on mathematics
(http://set.kuleuven.be/apps/zomercursus/inschrijven/modules_wiskunde.php). During five full days the students
repeat theory and make exercises. The summer course is targeting all students, not only the students that did
28
not pass the positioning test. The Faculty of Engineering Technology offers different summer courses on the
different campuses throughout Flanders (http://iiw.kuleuven.be/toekomstigestudenten/zomercursussen). +
29
5.2 LEIDEN UNIVERSITY
5.2.1 MATCHING: THE RIGHT STUDENTS IN THE RIGHT PLACE.
Recently the Dutch government found that one of the reasons for drop out in the first year of university was
that students were ill prepared for their choice of programme. Universities were required to improve this
match between student and the programmes. At the same time, the enrolment date before which students
need to register their choice of studies in the online system Studielink was moved back. It would be up to the
universities to decide to turn this into a hard deadline or not. For the numerus clausus programmes this date
was already hard, for all other programmes students could enrol whenever it pleased them.
Leiden University chose not to enforce a hard deadline and to develop an online survey containing 80 some
questions on topics related to student behaviour, orientation towards the programme, prior achievement, etc.
Students receive automated feedback on this survey containing information on the perceived match between
the student and the programme. This feedback could reflect a positive, doubtful or negative match. In the
latter two cases the students would receive advice to reconsider their choice of studies. All the results of the
students would be forwarded to the study counsellors who would flag the at risk students based on their
answers. From experience they know a lot about what constitutes at risk students. These usually are students
who come in with credentials other than a VWO-diploma, students who are not used to put in a lot of effort in
their studies, and students who have not been to many (or sometimes any) orientation activities, such as
‘student for a day’ or campus visits. Based on the flags, students would be invited for an interview with the
student counsellor. The survey had been under development for quite some time. It was developed by a group
of researchers in the psychology department and had been piloted with two student cohorts before it became
the official matching tool early 2013 when the law on matching went into effect.
In Leiden it was up to the faculties to organise their additional activities based on the survey outcomes. Some
programmes invited everybody and organised an afternoon with activities related to studying and the
programme. Other programmes only invited at-risk students. When the matching tool and procedures were
evaluated late 2014 students counsellors confided that few of the at risk students turned up, while the
activities had taken a lot of time to prepare. They also shared that they needed more tools and research to help
them use the outcomes of the survey, and that the outcomes are already outdated by the time the students
come to university: they fill the survey in when they still need to sit their final secondary school exams, after
they do, they have a three month break in which they work or travel or do both. By the time they start at
university on September 1, the survey is already ancient history to them.
5.2.2 LEIDS STUDIEPLAN - LEIDS STUDIESYSTEEM
Leiden University has the Leiden Study System, which at some faculties starts with a (personal) talk between
student and student counsellor at the start of the study. As a student progresses, the Leids studieplan is
continued (Section 6.2.1).
30
5.3 NOTTINGHAM TRENT UNIVERSITY (NTU)
Widening Participation and outreach work
NTU’S Schools, Colleges and Community Outreach (SCCO) department organise and coordinate a range of
activities with schools and colleges. They promote awareness of the opportunities available in higher
education. The department raises students’ awareness of the options when it comes to higher education by
offering a range of programmes for schools and colleges to help pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds access
and succeed at university. SCCO provide advice to students to help them understand higher education and The
Universities and Colleges Admissions Services (UCAS, see section ‘choosing a course’ for more information) and
student finance to help them prepare for university. They put on a range of talks and workshops for students in
further education, and sixth form and colleges covering a range of subjects such as UCAS, finance, personal
statement (see next section for more information) in help as well as choosing your university options and
course.
Choosing a course
When deciding on what course to study at university students tend to look at university prospectuses both
online and paper. They may also visit university open days where they have the opportunity to view facilities on
offer as well as gather information about the course which they are wanting to study.
Students apply for university courses via the UCAS (University and Colleges Admissions Service) website.
Students usually apply for more than one university place at a time. The process is governed by a series of strict
deadlines. Student applications include information about their predicted grades at the college level education
(A levels and BTECs). Many courses also require lower qualifications in English, maths and science. Students are
also required to complete a personal statement detailing their interests in the subject, personal experiences
and skills relevant to the course. Students track their progress via the UCAS site.
At NTU, most students are offered a place at university primarily on whether or not they meet the minimum
qualifications required to get onto the course. On highly competitive, or specialist courses, for example in Art &
Design they are also required to submit a portfolio of work and attend an interview.
Pre-arrival support
Prior to their arrival at the start of the academic year, students from particular groups (including mature
students, students with disabilities and international students) are invited to attend bridging events. The events
give students the opportunity to meet other students from similar backgrounds. Current students also attend
giving new students the opportunity to hear about their experiences and can help with planning their life at
university.
Starting at NTU
Once students have confirmed that they are joining NTU and prior to arriving on campus, the University targets
a series of communications at them encouraging them to log on to the Starting at NTU site. The website
contains a series of resources to help students to plan starting their studies including information about logging
in to the VLE, finance, timetables and other university processes. The site also provides key information for
international students informing them about what travel documents they must bring when enrolling. Contact
details for NTU’s international support service are also provided.
Before students arrive at NTU the University requires students to complete a pre-entry course induction task.
The tasks themselves are fairly straight forward however it is important that students complete the induction
task as they may be needed in discussions and activities in Welcome Week.
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NTU also produce a Starting at NTU guide for students who have been offered a place providing them with a
step by step guide. This explains what they need to do before joining as well as what to do when arriving as
well as providing information on welcome week and settling into to university. The guide offers students with a
checklist of tasks and are broken down into three categories: Before arriving, when students arrive and settling
into life at NTU.
Welcome Week
Welcome Week takes place at the start of the academic year. NTU hosts a range of varied activities and events
designed to welcome new students to NTU. The week gives students the opportunity to make friends with
people who are similar as well as meet and learn from those of other backgrounds and cultures. There is a
website dedicated to welcome week providing information on all activities on offer enabling students to plan
which events they may want to attend pre arrival to NTU. The website also contains details in their location,
meeting points as well as travel information.
Programme induction
New student course inductions take place during Welcome Week and offers students a programme of activities
designed to help students orientate themselves to their new course. Students meet their personal tutors as
well as other students on their course and in their seminar groups. Students are also given the opportunity to
explore the campus as well as being introduced to the services and facilities on offer such as the library. The
structure of the year is explained as well as what modules they will take. On most courses, students don’t have
any module options for first year. There is more choice in the second year when there are opportunities to
specialise and in the final year where they choose their dissertation/ final year topic.
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6 OVERVIEW OF EXISTING GUIDANCE IN THE TRANSITION FROM SECONDARY TO
HIGHER EDUCATION / PROGRESSION GUIDANCE
6.1 KU LEUVEN
At KU Leuven, the structure of guidance is different depending on the faculty and program. This document will
provide more detail on the STEM programs that are part of the ABLE project. This guidance during the STEM
bachelor consists of three pillars subject-related and learning process guidance, study-choice guidance, and
ombudsman service. Only the first two pillars are relevant for this project.
6.1.1 ORGANIZATION
The faculties involved in the ABLE project, all related to STEM – Science Technology Engineering and
Mathematics - have a strong tradition of subject-related guidance for first-year students, the so-called
“monitoraat” or “Tutorial Services”. This subject-related guidance supports first-year students in learning of the
often challenging mathematical and scientific subjects in the first year of the academic bachelors. This subject-
related guidance matches closely with the learning-process guidance as stipulated in the KU Leuven vision. The
Faculty of Science, Engineering Science, and Bio-Engineering Science use the dedicated Tutorial Services to
provide this support. On the other hand, the Faculty of Engineering Technology uses a campus-dependent
organization where often the lectures are responsible for this support. For non-first year students lectures and
teaching assistants are responsible for the learning-process guidance.
Due to the increased flexibility in higher education and the plethora of choices offered to students, the need
for study-choice guidance has increased heavily in the last 10 years. For the Faculty of Science and Engineering
Science, that already offered dedicated subject-related guidance, the study-choice guidance for first-year
students have been mainly integrated in the Tutorial Services. In the Faculty of Engineering Technology and
Bio-Engineering dedicated persons are assigned for the study-choice guidance. As the need for study-choice
guidance decreases for second year students and beyond, some programs and faculties assign the study-choice
guidance to teacher or program directors for these non-first-year students.
6.1.2 FACULTY STAFF AND RESEARCH
The members of faculties that are responsible for supporting first-year students are highly qualified. For
instance, the staff of the Tutorial Services of the Faculty of Science and Engineering Science provide a high-
quality service thanks to its highly qualified staff. The staff members all have a master diploma in Engineering
Science, Bio-Engineering Science or Science rendering them subject-experts. Furthermore, they have excellent
coaching skills, such that they can provide the students with personalized coaching on top of the subject-
related support. The training workshops and information sessions offered by the central Study Advice service of
KU Leuven supports their professional development. The faculty student support services are continuously
aiming at optimizing its service and adapting to new trends in student counselling. To this end, they actively
participate in conferences such as the European First Year Experience Conference
(http://www.uib.no/en/efye_2015). Notably, the faculties are also involved in research on first-year student
support, as the presence of the head of these faculty services and some staff members in the LESEC’s (Leuven
Engineering and Science Education Centre) research team on “incoming students and first-year experience”
shows (http://set.kuleuven.be/LESEC/structure-lesec/research-teams).
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6.1.3 IMPLEMENTATION
The main format for supporting students, both subject-related as study-choice-related, are personal
appointments between a study advisor and a student. Additionally, group sessions in a variety of formats and
electronic online support (question forum) is provided. In the recent years the STEM faculties involved in the
project have started with a data-based feedback approach, that informs students on the progress of their study
career. More and more students receive information on their position with respect to peer students and the
possibly impact on their study career (shown by the study duration of students that had similar results in the
past).
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6.2 LEIDEN UNIVERSITY
6.2.1 LEIDS STUDIEPLAN - LEIDS STUDIESYSTEEM
Students studying in Leiden have a right to good education and proper guidance. For their part, students must
meet certain requirements in order to progress through their studies smoothly and successfully complete the
program.
Leiden University has the Leiden Study System. This means that students receive additional guidance on the
progress of their studies. Part of this guidance consists of a (personal) talk between student and student
counselor at the start of the programme. There are also plenty of teaching hours, (small) mentoring groups and
academic discussions. In their second year, students have to construct a plan that helps them to graduate on
time and get their points. In the first year of university applies - in addition to the extra supervision - a Binding
Study Advice (BSA), as explained in Section 3.3.2.2.2). Between 2014 and 2016 Leiden University participated in
a pilot to enforce a BSA in the second year, but after evaluation this pilot was abandoned: the costs
outweighed the benefits for the university and a national board determined that such a BSA could not be
upheld in the light of the law on higher education.
6.2.1.1 STUDY PLAN
At the end of the first year students make a study plan. This encourages them to plan the study also in the
second year and further progress in their study program. Adequate feedback from a study advisor helps
students to study as successfully as possible. The overall goal is that students obtain their bachelor degree after
three years and progress to the master.
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6.3 NOTTINGHAM TRENT UNIVERSITY
6.3.1 ORGANIZATION
Most transition advice at NTU is offered through the personal tutor. There is no single model across the
University for two reasons: firstly, responsibility is delegated to the faculties and secondly the courses are often
very different in size. The personal tutor role is therefore filled by a personal tutor, year tutor or, on small
courses, the course leader.
The University currently offers a system of group academic tutorials. The tutorials offer support and
opportunities for students to explore their personal goals, approaches to study and understand the core
elements of becoming a student in their discipline. In addition, all teaching staff are expected to provide office
hours where students can speak to their tutor about problems with their studies. Ideally, students will use
these opportunities to discuss their feedback with their tutors. In reality, only a relatively small number of
students do so, and these are often those students who are strongly motivated or confident to ask for help.
At the time of writing, the University is reviewing this model. It is expected that over the next few years,
courses will offer a mixture of 1-1 and group tutorials. These are likely to include both academic and pastoral
elements.
Where students face more complex challenges, they are referred onwards to specialist help, usually Student
Support Services or the Library.
6.3.2 STUDENT DASHBOARD
Nottingham Trent University has developed a Student Dashboard in partnership with the technology company
Solutionpath. Solutionpath provide the core analytical algorithm and have built the Dashboard after
consultation with the project team at NTU. The Dashboard analyses the student’s engagement with their
studies. This is currently done by analysing the student’s electronic footprint. The Dashboard uses the following
data sources:
Card entry to buildings
VLE use
Coursework submitted through the VLE
Library use
In 2015-16, two new data sources were added: access to electronic resources and attendance. In future years,
these will be added to the algorithm. Based on this data, the Dashboard assigns students one of the following
engagement ratings:
High
Good
Partial
Low
Not Fully Enrolled (students who either never completed enrolment at the start of the year or who
have withdrawn since the start of the academic year)
Researchers at the University have analysed the data from the 2013-14 academic year. There is a strong
association between average engagement and both progression from the first year and final degree outcomes.
When tested against other factors, for example demographics or entry qualifications, student engagement was
a more important predictor of success.
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So far the Dashboard development has been through the following phases.
1. Pilot phase (2013-14) – testing with four first year courses
2. Phase 1 (2014-15) – initial roll out across the institution, large scale problem solving and development
3. Phase 2 (early 2015-16) – adding data sources and snagging
4. Phase 3 (from Easter 2016 – summer 2017) – trialling the use of the Dashboard with pilots and tests in
each School. This phase will focus on looking at what works. For example, trialling the use of notes,
alerts or follow-up and referral work with students.
In the upcoming phases each faculty will trial different aspects of the Dashboard. At the same time, different
aspects of the University’s tutoring system and student support will be explored.
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7 DATA CONCERNING THE TRANSITION FROM SE TO HE (ACADEMIC ANALYTICS)
This section contains an overview of the data available at the different partner institutes that can be potentially
used for the project. So far, include all the data that is available, even if it might not be used for the purpose of
the project.
7.1 KU LEUVEN
7.1.1 Student characteristics
gender
date of birth
place of birth
7.1.2 Prior education
program in secondary education
school of secondary education
% in secondary (self-reported) (for Faculty of Engineering Science, Science, Engineering Technology)
7.1.3 ACTIVITIES IN TRANSITION
Participation to summer course on mathematics (for Faculty of Engineering Science, Science,
Engineering Technology)
Participation to online preparatory course on complex numbers (for Faculty of Engineering Science,
Science)
Activities in online preparatory course on complex numbers (edge-EdX) (for Faculty of Engineering
Science, Science)
Participation to positioning test (for Faculty of Engineering Science, Science, Engineering Technology)
Result on positioning test (for Faculty of Engineering Science, Science, Engineering Technology)
7.1.4 HIGHER EDUCATION
All information on programme of study: courses subscribed to
Results on mid-term trials (mock-exams)
All summative evaluation: all grades on the different courses
Activities on the learning platform Toledo
Appointments made with the Tutorial Services (for Faculty of Engineering Science, Science)
Information on the order of enrolment specifications (see Section 3.3.1.2.3.2, available from central
KU Leuven database)
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7.2 LEIDEN UNIVERSITY
7.2.1 Student characteristics
Age
Gender
7.2.2 Prior education
Diploma granting access to university
Subject profile if students enrol based on a VWO-diploma. There are four profiles: Arts and
Humanities, Economics and Humanities, Science and Health nad Science and Technology
Extra subjects in VWO-exams
VWO grades obtained in year 5 and 6
School
7.2.3 ACTIVITIES IN TRANSITION
The university offers open campus days and more intensive and specific activities where students take
classes and spend a day on the faculty.
For talented students there are options to start taking special classes before they graduate from
secondary education
Matching tool described above.
7.2.4 HIGHER EDUCATION
All summative evaluation: all grades on the different courses. Some programmes also register partial
exams
There is some information available on the use of the online learning platform Blackboard.
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7.3 NOTTINGHAM TRENT UNIVERSITY (NTU)
7.3.1 Student characteristics
Date of birth
Gender
Ethnicity
Disability status
Socio-economic background
Nationality
7.3.2 Prior education
Secondary and college level qualifications
Mature students can enter via access courses designed to help them develop the skills to cope with
learning in higher education
International students are required to possess qualifications equivalent to the UK courses and must
possess a suitable level of English language competency
7.3.3 ACTIVITIES IN TRANSITION
A significant programme of targeted outreach work aimed at students from socio-economically
disadvantaged backgrounds is delivered by the University’s Schools, Colleges and Community
Outreach team.
Some taster sessions are delivered as part of the Open Day programmes
All students are required to complete pre-entry induction activities in the summer before the
commence their studies. These are usually small scale research activities designed to introduce
students to research and independent learning.
7.3.4 HIGHER EDUCATION
Grades achieved
Attendance
Student engagement (measured in the Dashboard)
Library use
Card swipes to enter particular buildings
Use of electronic resources
Feedback through the VLE and whether they have read it or not
Disciplinary judgements
Time off sick
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8 THREE STRENGTHS AND THREE WEAKNESSES
8.1 KU LEUVEN
8.1.1 THREE STRENGHTS
Availability of data: KU Leuven has a well-organized data warehouse where the students’ academic
data is stored. Moreover, the data is available through standard reports to a selected group of faculty
staff.
The willingness to use data for data-supported student counselling: KU Leuven, and the Faculty of
Engineering Science in particular has in the recent two years demonstrated that the data available in
the data warehouse can be used for providing feedback to students. In particular they have showed
that the data allows to position a student with respect to his/her pears and to provide a student with
an idea of the impact of the current situation on the future study pathway (by showing how students
in a similar situation did in the past).
In-house expertise and experience on both learning analytics, student support and counselling: KU
Leuven is a research-based university with research expertise in learning analytics, student support,
and student counselling. Moreover, KU Leuven tries to use this research expertise to influence the
daily practice of student support and counselling, as is demonstrated by this project.
8.1.2 THREE WEAKNESSES
Availability of data for student counsellors and tutors: While the KU Leuven has a well-organized data
warehouse and standard reports for selected group of faculty staff, the data has so far been mainly
targeted to policy makers, deans and vice-deans, and program-directors. Therefore, most reports
concern data of the overall student population, rather than on the individual student. Moreover, the
data is not available for student counsellors and tutors that could potentially use this for providing
data-supported advice to students.
Limited man-power for supporting students: As most universities, KU Leuven has limited resources
that have an impact on how students can be supported. Typically, for a group of more than 200
freshman students, there is only one student counsellor, who often still has other responsibilities too.
Therefore, the time that can be spend in individual counselling is limited. Counselling is freely available
for all students, so upon request, a student will always be able to speak to a student counsellor.
Special target groups are often invited for a conversation. However, the student counsellors typically
don’t have the time to meet all students individually at the start of the academic year, when exam
results have become available, etc.
Drop-out: As the Flemish University can’t select students, a lot of students enter programs without the
right motivation or qualifications. This typically results in a drop-out of about 40% in the bachelor
program. Therefore, during the first year at university, a lot of students in the program are not in the
right place. This results in a challenge for the student counsellors, and for the program as a whole.
Timely feedback and guidance are a result greatly needed at the university.
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8.2 LEIDEN UNIVERSITY
8.2.1 THREE STRENGTHS
Availability of data: University Leiden has a centralized database (uSis) where the students’ academic
data is stored.
The willingness to use data for data-supported student counselling: Leiden university KU Leuven, and
the Faculty of Engineering Science in particular has in the recent two years demonstrated that the
data available in the data warehouse can be used for providing feedback to students. In particular they
have showed that the data allows to position a student with respect to his/her pears and to provide a
student with an idea of the impact of the current situation on the future study pathway (by showing
how students in a similar situation did in the past).
In-house expertise and experience on student success: Leiden University is a research-based
university with research expertise in student success. A particular strength is the in-house expertise on
factors influencing student success and the research around the SKC (study choice check).
8.2.2 THREE WEAKNESSES
Availability of data for student counsellors and tutors: While Leiden University has a centralized
database (called uSis), only a limited set of people have the expertise to construct queries on the
database and to use these queries. Therefore, study advisors typically depend on experts to get
relevant data. As a consequence, the fact if data from the data base is used by student counsellors
depends on the particular faculty or program. Moreover, it has been noticed that the data in the
centralized database is not always easy to interpret and that different programs use the centralized
database differently.
Limited man-power for supporting students: As most universities, Leiden University has limited
resources that have an impact on how students can be supported. Typically, for a group of more than
200 freshman students, there is only one student advisor. Therefore, the time that can be spend in
individual counselling is limited. Counselling is freely available for all students, so upon request, a
student will always be able to speak to a student counsellor. Special target groups are often invited for
a conversation. However, the student counsellors typically don’t have the time to meet all students
individually at the start of the academic year, when exam results have become available, etc.
Study progress: In the Netherlands, few additional progress measures exist after the first year. While
the Binding Study Advice (BSA) drives students for good study progress in the first year, progress often
slows down in the subsequent years. Moreover, the Netherlands has a liberal educational system
where students can freely combine different study programs (without spending extra subscription
money). As a result, many students combine different study programs and take more years than the
nominal study time to complete their program. This situation makes it on the one hand hard to track
study progress and on the other hander to find incentives to stimulate good study progress .
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8.3 NOTTINGHAM TRENT UNIVERSITY
8.3.1 THREE STRENGTHS
Use of data to underpin retention and progression activity. NTU has been commended for its use of
data in supporting student retention (National Audit Office, 2007). The University has gradually
increased the availability of data to managers and academics to support their roles. This includes a
Cognos central student planning database providing management information about recruitment,
progression and attainment and more recently (2013-14 onwards) the Student Dashboard learning
analytics resource.
Strong focus on outreach and supporting students from historically disadvantaged backgrounds.
NTU recruits students from a diverse range of socio-economic backgrounds. Although disparities of
attainment do exist, the University has invested time and staff resource to better understand these
differences and implement strategies to reduce them. This includes 3 years of School/Faculty based
action research projects and a series of interventions such as unconscious bias training.
Expertise in transition into the first year. The University has a 10-year history of delivering a
centralized Welcome Week programme to build up students’ confidence and provide a diverse range
of activities to help them cope with the early transition into higher education.
8.3.2 THREE WEAKNESSES
Reducing existing attainment gaps. Whilst the University has an in-depth understanding of the
progression and attainment gaps between different student groups, it has proven far more difficult to
reduce these disparities.
Busy staff & competing priorities. Whilst there is great interest in reducing disparities and improving
the student learning experience, staff are faced with a range of competing priorities: research,
management, entrepreneurship etc. These often mean that adopting changes to improve the student
experience can be frustratingly slow.
Exploiting the data provided by the Dashboard. The Dashboard project team has found that whilst
there is strong interest in the Dashboard learning analytics resource, there is still considerable work
required to actually exploit this intelligence. The Dashboard is therefore potentially transformative,
however we expect considerable work is required to actually bring about changes that significantly
improve the student experience.
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9 CURRENT PRACTICES IN THE APPLICATION OF LEARNING ANALYTICS
This section focuses on the current practices at the different institutes where learning analytics is applied to the
context of the transition from secondary to higher education.
9.1 KU LEUVEN
Firstly, KU Leuven has a research team that focuses on learning analytics. An overview of the learning analytics
applications that have been done in the recent years can be found in http://stela-project.eu/files/STELA-
currentSituation.pdf, section 7. None of the developed tools and interventions where specifically targeting
students in the transition from secondary to higher education, and additionally, none of the development have
progressed beyond a research status. However, the underlying expertise can and will be useful for the project.
Secondly, the data ware house of KU Leuven, and the reports originating from it, can be interpreted as learning
analytics. In particular they provide data visualisations of the academic data of student cohorts. The well-
established data warehouse is used over the entire university. The learning analytics report mostly focus on
policy, ranging from institution-wide to programme-specific. Additionally, subset of the data is available to
selected staff within faculties, such that data, also in individual student level, can be retrieved. The Faculty of
Engineering Science is the first that has been using these data to inform first-year students on their progress,
and the impact on their future study pathway (see Section Error! Reference source not found.).
So far, beside the large efforts on academic data and the KU Leuven warehouse, learning analytics is not placed
high on the KU Leuven’s policy agenda.
9.2 LEIDEN UNIVERSITY
Similar to KU Leuven, Leiden University does not have a full-scale learning analytics implementation. The Web
Information Systems research group and the Extension school have however an active interest in learning
analytics. Moreover, the Leiden University is centrally exploring possibilities for collaboration with external
learning analytics providers that can provide learning analytics solutions that can support students and staff in
order to improve student success. Additionally, Leiden University believes that the MOOC platforms, and
Coursera in particular, provides an excellent opportunity to gain valuable experience with learning analytics.
9.3 NOTTINGHAM TRENT UNIVERSITY
During the 2013-14 academic year, NTU piloted the use of learning analytics using the NTU Student Dashboard.
The pilot was conducted with four courses, twenty-two staff and 400 first year students. The overall pilot was a
success, staff reported that the information provided had helped them in their interactions with students. It
was agreed that that Dashboard would be rolled out to all courses for the 2014-15 academic year. The
University moved from a pilot project to a business as usual structure. The Dashboard’s management was
integrated into the NTU academic governance structure, formally reporting the University’s Academic
Standards & Quality Committee.
In September 2014, academic colleagues were briefed on how to use the Dashboard in a series of roadshows.
These were supported by workshops and briefings throughout the year. In December 2014, researchers
analysed the progression and attainment data from 2013-14. As might be expected, there was a strong
association between student engagement measured by the Student Dashboard and both progression from the
first year and final degree attainment. Moreover, the findings also appeared to show that engagement was a
more important predictor of success than demographic factors and entry qualifications.
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The greatest challenge remains the problem of operationalizing the information provided by the Dashboard
into actions for ordinary staff to take to support their students. We believe that the ABLE Project will give the
University the opportunity to explore these themes in more detail.