Academic failure and persistence: Seminar – 12 June 2018
15 May 2018
Academic failure is a common event in the life of a university student, so what leads failing students to persist? Join CRADLE’s Dr Rola Ajjawi as she shares key insights and strategies from a study about why students fail, how failure impacts attrition, and how students who fail persist.
| When? | 2.00 pm to 3.00 pm, Tuesday 12 June 2018 |
| Where? | Deakin Downtown – Level 12, Tower 2, 727 Collins Street, Melbourne (Collins Square). VMP and on-campus options are also available |
| Catering? | Afternoon tea will be provided |
| Cost? | This is a free event |
| Register? | Register here! |
Academic failure is common amongst university students and is thought to contribute to attrition. This study, conducted at Deakin, sought to understand the contribution of academic failure to attrition, to better understand why students fail and the strategies they invoke to persist. The study included three phases: quantitative analysis of institutional data, an online survey of undergraduate students in professional courses who failed at least one unit but persisted, and in-depth interviews.
We found that academic failure was common and increased attrition by at least fourfold. A confluence of dispositional, situational and organisational factors led to failure. However, those who persisted utilised a range of strategies to help them get back on track. This presentation will highlight key findings of each stage of the research and open up discussion regarding strategies to prevent failure and to support those students who fail.
Rola is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Research in Assessment and Digital Learning, Deakin University. She has a Bachelors Honours degree in physiotherapy and worked as a physiotherapist and clinical educator before moving into academia full-time with the completion of her PhD in 2007. Since then, she has led a programme of research centred on workplace learning, with an interest in assessment and feedback in the workplace. Rola has over 70 publications including peer-review journal articles, book chapters and books.
