Try Before You Apply
Overview
Try Before You Apply is a project that will develop an online, pre-entry course test-drive area called OnCourse, to give prospective College students a flavour of the courses they are considering applying for, in terms of course content, possible assessment requirements and potential fellow students. From immersing themselves in College life, on a prospective course, they will be better able to make an informed decision on the course that suits them best, improving course selection decisions and increasing retention.
Aims and objectives
Try Before You Apply will aim to increase retention rates by addressing the issues students experience that provokes them to leave their chosen course prematurely. The project aims to address these issues by providing:
- an environment, where, they can experience a course sampler, so, they can better judge if this is the subject they would like to study
- samples of the quality and quantity of work involved, allowing the student to get some idea of what the course required of them
- information regarding career paths, addressing the issue of ‘dropping out’ because they have selected the incorrect course
- information concerning support form colleges, including learning support, financial and other support
Project methodology
- Form project team
- Establish information need
- Establish technical platform
- Assemble content
- Test
- Fully roll out OnCourse
- Monitor use of OnCourse and respond to users requests for support
- Gather views of students who use OnCourse, by:
- Online surveys
- Exit interviews for early leavers
- Student focus groups
- Fully evaluate the impact of OnCourse
- Develop full project report
- Disseminate project findings, on a rolling basis and at end
Anticipated outputs and outcomes
- To develop a system providing the student with all the information they require to ensure they have enrolled in a course that best suits their needs and expectations
- To provide project guidelines, so that other curriculum areas can develop a similar environment
- To provide real life testimonials from past students so that the students can be aware of the course expectations from the outset