Sharon Waller - Head of Learning and Teaching, Anglia Ruskin University

1. Engaging Students in the
National Mixed Methodology
Learning Gain Project
(NMMLGP)
Sharon Waller
Head of Anglia Learning and Teaching

2. Our story …
• NMMLGP
• The ARU context
• Rounds (Waves?) 1 and 2
• Strategies
• Outcomes
• Challenges
• Looking ahead

3. NMMLGP: 2016-17 to 2018-19
• 10 participating institutions
• Track learning gain of first year, under 21 full-time, UK-
domiciled undergraduates
• 4 assessment points (T1 – T 4):
• Twice in 1st year
• Once in 2nd and 3rd year
• Students to receive individual reports
• HEIs to receive analysis of students’ progress,
disaggregated by students’ characteristics and course

4. Participating Institutions
• Anglia Ruskin University
• Bishop Grosseteste University
• University of Greenwich
• University of Hertfordshire
• University of Hull
• University of Kent
• University of Leicester
• University of Liverpool
• University of St Mark and St John
• University of Wolverhampton.

5. Learning Gain …
• Hefce working definition:
“is an attempt to measure the
improvement in knowledge, skills, work-
readiness and personal development
made by students during their time spent
in higher education.”

6. NMMLGP Components
Source: ARU HEFCE grant letter, August 2016
Assessment programme
Critical thinking and
problem solving test
Student self-reporting
survey questions
Selection of questions on
student engagement

7. ARU 2016-17
1,816 eligible
first years

8. Encouraging engagement
• Head of Learning and Teaching
email invitation
• Students’ Union emails & social
media
• VC reminder email
• ARU mobile app
• Info Screens
• Dedicated webpage
• Tutor briefing and slide
• VC email to Deans and blog post
• Personal Tutors, Study Skills
Coaches and Employability Advisers
• Free Drinks Card

10. Source: Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Red_Arrows_(20631632313).jpg
This image was originally posted to Flickr by markyharky at https://flickr.com/photos/41153475@N04/20631632313.
It was reviewed on 10 September 2015 by FlickreviewR and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-2.0.

11. ARU T1 Response rates
• full response: n = 133 (7%)
• partial response: n = 66
• 137 answered at least 10 of the 12 critical thinking
questions

12. T1 challenges
• Original timeframe:
• 30 Sept - 5 Oct : initial student email
• 27 Oct - 2 Dec: online questions
• mid-Dec: students’ results & institution
reports
• Actual Timeframe:
• 11 Oct - email alert
• 1st Nov – 23 Dec online questions
• 14 March 2017 – student feedback
• 22 May 2017 - institution reports
• Critical thinking questions first
• Student profile
• Split campus
• Communications overload
• Privacy notice

13. Focus Group Outcomes: June
2017
• Open up to all new 1st years and 1st years from previous
year
• Target 1st years in Freshers’ week
• Open URL
• Direct links to institutional support and guidance
• Immediate feedback to students
• Weekly institutional participation rate reports

14. From September 2017
T1 T2 T3 T4 T5
Autumn
2016
Autumn
2017
Autumn
2018
June
2019
Autumn
2019
Autumn 2016 starters A1 A2 A3 A3
Autumn 2017 starters B1 B2 B3
Autumn 2018 starters C1 C2
• T2 – all new 1st years (B1) and all 2nd years (A2)
• T3 – all new 1st years (C1) & all those who participated in T1 & T2
• T4 – 3rd years who participated in T3 (A3)
• T5 – 2nd & 3rd years who participated in T4 (C2 & B3)

15. T2 Engagement strategies: 1st
years
• Invitation email from ‘ARU Welcome’ on arrival (w/c 18 Sept)
• Welcome Week 2017 (Freshers)
• Promotional leaflets - multiple distribution points
• Timetabled sessions with Student Ambassadors, free
drinks vouchers on completion
• Digital Ambassador blog, twitter and Facebook
• Kiosks & information screens

16. T2 Engagement strategies:1st & 2nd
years
• Invitation email from ‘ARU Welcome’ on arrival
• Promotional materials
• Social media
• Pop-up events
• Teaching sessions & Personal Tutor meetings
• Study Skills Plus Coaches & faculty Employability Advisers
• SU emails/social media
• Student newsletter connected to social media
• Mobile App with direct link
• Webpage
• ARU KeepCups

17. T2 Response Rates
ARU Open
link
ARU
Individualised
link ARU Overall
Overall (all
institutions)
Students
contacted (est.) 5,127 204 5,391 75,546
Dropped out
before Q1 155 2 157 749
Partial 194 16 210 1,057
Completed 326 21 347 1,346
Total click
throughs 675 39 714 3,152
Response rate
(completes) 6.4% 10.3% 6.4% 1.8%
Source: IFF Research email, Thursday 2 November 2017

18. Concerns
• Data limitations
• Limited influence
• Student anonymity
• Communications overload
• Student motivation
• Staff awareness & buy-in
• Moral responsibility
• TEF …

19. How to make it work?
• Whole institution strategic
approach
• Defining Learning Gain within
our context at institutional and
subject levels
• Value to students
• Embedding within the
curriculum
• Course level approach
• Pilots
• ????

20. Learning Gain is …
… enabled through:
“close contact with teachers, collaborative
learning, good fast feedback, time on
task, clear and high expectation and
taking a deep approach to learning.”
(Gibbs, 2014)

21. Thank you

22. References
Gibbs, G. 2014. Good student performance is achieved in
different ways than good learning gains in 53 Powerful
Ideas All Teachers Should Know About SEDA series.
Available online at:
http://www.seda.ac.uk/resources/files/publications_148_4%
20Good%20student%20performance%20is%20achieved%
20in%20different%20ways%20than%20learning%20gains.
pdf
Hefce, 2017, Learning Gain Policy Guide
Available online at: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/lt/lg/