Transition and Retention at Western

Academic performance and adjustment to university life are the principal drivers of student success and retention, and the University recognises the significant challenges that our new students will face in their transition to Western Sydney University. Students must adapt to new expectations and ways of learning and writing to excel in their studies. The need to identify, support and retain students during their transition is essential to help the University achieve the goals of WESTERN 2030 (opens in a new window), and meet the Higher Education Standards.

Western Sydney is committed to ensuring equal access to education for all, and our evidence-based approach considers the particular circumstances of women, Indigenous Australians and those from low socioeconomic status or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds.

The majority of Western’s broad suite of curricular and co-curricular student-support services are inclusive and accessible to all students. Nevertheless, there are cohort-specific strategies to improve retention in identified at-risk cohorts. These may include scholarships, targeted workshops and professional development for staff.

Western supports the development and delivery of effective transition and retention initiatives and programs, and recognises the need to support staff to achieve these. Below you will find appropriate support resources at the University to address the academic factors to promote retention.

Connect and collaborate with Dr Colin Clark, Project Officer, Learning Futures.

Transition and Retention Documents

Transition and Retention Strategy

Transition and Retention Strategy - July 2021

Minutes of VC's Transition and Retention Taskforce meetings

Minutes of VC's T&R Taskforce 30 March 2021 (opens in new window)

Minutes of VC's T&R Taskforce 5 May 2021 (opens in new window)

Minutes of VC's T&R Taskforce 2 June 2021 (opens in new window)

Minutes of VC's T&R Taskforce 6 August 2021 (opens in a new window)

Minutes of VC's T&R Taskforce 16 September 2021 (opens in a new window)

Minutes of VC's T&R Taskforce 26 October 2021 (opens in a new window)

Minutes of VC's T&R Taskforce 01 December 2021 (opens in a new window)

Minutes of VC's T&R Taskforce 08 February 2022 (Opens in a new window)

Minutes of VC's T&R Taskforce 08 March 2022 (Opens in a new window)

Minutes of VC's T&R Taskforce 13 April 2022 (Opens in a new window)

Minutes of VC's T&R Taskforce 18 May 2022 (Opens in a new window)

Minutes of VC's T&R Taskforce 23 June 2022 (Opens in a new window)

Minutes of VC's T&R Taskforce 17 August 2022 (Opens in a new window)

Resources for Staff

STaRS coordinators

STaRS (opens in a new window) facilitates a number School-based transition and retention actions, in addition to coordinating a 'functional network' of STaRS Coordinators. Each School has Academic and Professional STaRS Coordinators who act as the conduit for the sharing of information between Schools and across the whole of the institution as well as fulfilling the 'touch point' for School staff regarding transition and retention.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI)

Generative AI news and resources (Learning Futures Sharepoint site)

Data and statistics

Snapshot of national survey for Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching 2020 (opens in a new window)
Attrition, success and retention - Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment (Opens in new window)
Characteristics of Australian higher education providers and their relation to first-year student attrition (TEQSA, 2017) (Opens in new window)

Learning analytics

Learning Analytics data available (opens in a new window)

Learning analytics dashboards: Program level

WSU Profile: Key WSU data, including student demographic data by school. (opens in new window)

Program Demographics: Student demographic data at a program level. (opens in new window)

Learning analytics dashboards: Subject level

Enrolment Flux: Enrolment patterns within a teaching session (opens in new window)

Subject Success: Enrolments and student demographic data at a subject level within a teaching session (opens in new window). See also Grade Distribution

SFS Student Feedback on Subjects (SFS) data: Available to all staff members at a school level. Deans, Deputy Deans, Assoc. Deans Learning & Teaching, DAPs and selected professional staff also have access to data for individual subjects. (opens in new window)

Subject Success Summary / Subject @ a Glance Provides a full breakdown of student demographics, grade distribution, vUWS and PASS participation at a subject level. De-identified student data allows for further investigation of links between student engagement and outcomes. (opens in new window)

Subject enrolments: Subject enrolments recorded on a daily basis

Learning Analytics: Tools to help analyse student behaviour in vUWS (opens in new window)

Tips for teaching and supporting students in transition

Evidence-based principles and tips for teaching and supporting first-in-family students (opens in a new window): The website content represents many years of research of first-in-family students in Australia.
STARS Toolkits for Teachers and Subject Coordinators

Curriculum design for transition and retention

Kift, Nelson & Clarke, Transition pedagogy: A third generation approach to FYE - A case study of policy and practice for the higher education sector (opens in a new window)
Kift, S, Transition Pedagogy Curriculum Principles, ALTC Senior Fellowship PDF, 2545.75 KB (opens in a new window)
Kift, S, Low risk, ‘do-able’ actions that would make a difference.., ALTC Senior Fellowship PDF, 2576.15 KB (opens in a new window)
Kift, S, Coordinator checklist, ALTC Senior Fellowship PDF, 87.76 KB (opens in a new window)

Research on transition and retention

Academic Research

STARS (Students, Transitions, Achievement, Retention & Success annual conference: Proceedings (opens in a new window)
This is the main conference on student transition and retention in Australia that provides various opportunities for networking and sharing ideas and innovations on transition strategies and pedagogies.
Krause, K.-L. & Armitage, L. Australian student engagement, belonging, retention and success: a synthesis of the literature, The Higher Education Academy. (opens in a new window)
This is a comprehensive literature review on student engagement and belonging in Australia with a focus on first-year student experiences. The study is a great introduction to the research area of transition and retention.

O'Shea, S & Delahunty, J 2018 Getting through the day and still having a smile on my face! How do students define success in the university learning environment? Higher Education Research & Development, Vol. 37, n 5 (opens in a new window) This study is based on student interviews who are first in family to attend a university and focuses on their understanding of the notion of success in education settings. The study invites us to think about success from students’ perspectives and to support them in achieving success as they understand it.

O'Shea, S. et al, 2017, First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life: Motivations, Transitions and Participation, London: Palgrave Macmillan UK. (opens in a new window) (opens in a new window) A comprehensive monograph based on many years of research of first-in-family students. The study uses biographical and interview narratives as well as statistics to reveal the university experiences of FiF cohort of students. The book discusses the key sources of motivation of FiF students, relationship impact of their education on families and communities, online FiF student experiences, mature age FiF students and students-parents, transition to a university as a gendered experience, strength-based approach to interpreting FiF student experiences, etc.

O’Shea, S, 2016, Avoiding the manufacture of ‘sameness’: first-in-family students, cultural capital and the higher education environment, Higher Education, Vol.72 (1), pp.59-78
The article provides an alternative to the deficit model of conceptualising FiF students as individuals who lack cultural capital. Instead, O’Shea adopts strength-based approach (Yosso 2005) to highlight the wealth of various types of social capital and experiences that FiF students possess and bring along to education settings. Through the lens of the strength-based approach, several FiF student interviews are analysed, which allows the author to show student strengths in terms of their aspirational capital, resistant capital, familial capital, and experiential capital.

Meer, N. M., Chapman, A. 2014 Assessment for confidence: Exploring the impact that low-stakes assessment design has on student retention, International Journal of Management Education, July, Vol.12(2), pp.186-192 (opens in a new window). This article explores the principles of assessment design to improve transition and retention

Webb, O. J. & Cotton, D. R. E. 2018, Early withdrawal from higher education: a focus on academic experiences, Teaching in Higher Education, February, p.1-18. This is a recent study of factors of early withdrawal of students based on a large data sample from a university in UK (opens in a new window).

Government reports & statistics

TEQSA Good Practice Note: Improving retention and completion of students in Australian Higher Education. Available online: https://www.teqsa.gov.au/latest-news/publications/good-practice-note-improving-retention-and-completion-students-australian
FINAL REPORT - Improving retention, completion and success in higher education, Higher Education Standards Panel, 2018, Available online: https://www.education.gov.au/higher-education-statistics/resources/higher-education-standards-panel-final-report-improving-retention-completion-and-success-higher (opens in a new window)
Selected Higher Education Statistics – 2021 Student data: https://www.education.gov.au/higher-education-statistics/student-data/selected-higher-education-statistics-2021-student-data

Support Services for Students

Mathematics Education Support Hub (MESH)

MESH (opens in a new window) provides Western Sydney University students at all stages in their programs of study, with mathematics and statistics support. Students can build confidence in using mathematics by engaging with high quality online resources, attending workshops and talking one-on-one with the MESH team during Library roving sessions.

Connect and collaborate with Merryn Horrocks, Lead Learning Advisor.

Study Smart

Study Smart (opens in a new window) is a service offered by the Library (opens in a new window) to support the development of students' academic literacy and study skills. Study Smart Advisors both online and F-2-F can assist students to find and appropriately use resources for assignments, and work with students to improve study skills and academic communication skills. The Library also provides a team of Academic Literacy Advisors assigned to each school to work directly with students and staff in the Schools on embedded academic literacy support.

Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS)

PASS (opens in a new window) is a free and voluntary student-centred learning program offered face to face or online. In PASS, students can meet and work collaboratively with other students from your subject to understand the subject content and develop study strategies to help improve your academic performance. Through actively working together with other students, students become more engaged and develop a deeper understanding of the subject content. PASS and PASSOnline sessions are facilitated by a senior student who has successfully completed the subject and who has been trained in collaborative learning techniques.

Connect and collaborate with PASS Coordinator Safa Chmait

Mentoring & Transition Equals Success (MATES)

MATES (opens in a new window) is a mentoring program for new students. MATES stands for Mentoring and Transition Equals Success. MATES provides first year students with an opportunity to connect with other new students and mentors in later years of study. This helps new students meet other students, network with other students and gain knowledge and skills to settle into life at university.
Connect and collaborate with Michelle Gillard , MATES Program Coordinator.

Workshops, programs and online study resources

Students can access free workshops, programs and online study resources (opens in a new window) to improve their skills in academic literacy, maths and statistics, information technologies for learning, public speaking, and much more. Life skills and career related workshops are also available.

Counselling

Students are encouraged to access free, confidential counselling services (opens in a new window) as early as possible before their studies are affected. Students are able to use the free Western Sydney University Counselling Service face-to-face sessions. In situations where face-to-face counselling is difficult for students, the service also offers Skype counselling, phone counselling, or eCounselling services (opens in a new window) In general, particularly for more sensitive or complex matters, students are recommended to make a personal appointment at one of the counselling offices.
Website: westernsydney.edu.au/counselling
Email: counselling@westernsydney.edu.au
Phone: 1300 668 370

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