A holistic approach to the support and engagement of first year students: a retention strategy

There is consensus that the first of the series of transitions to higher education conceptualised by Bridges (2003) is critical and furthermore that a positive first year experience (FYE) is the foundation of student success at university. We recently focused on the international and seminal work (Tinto 1987; Pascarella and Terenzini 1991) in this area noting that multiple issues underpin students’ decisions to leave university before the completion of their course (Nelson, Duncan and Clarke, 2009) Institutions should enact holistic approaches that address students’ personal, social and academic engagement in the early weeks of first year to facilitate retention (Nelson, Kift & Clarke, 2008). This holistic approach is central to the FYE program at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), which was established to maximise learning engagement and hence positively influence the retention of commencing students. The program aims to • engage students in their learning through an intentionally designed and enacted curriculum (Kift, 2008) • facilitate timely access to life and learning support promote a sense of belonging to the discipline, cohort and profession. The FYE program’s aims are achieved by strategic alliances between academic and professional staff across the institution