The Big Shift

SUNATA 2

THE Kelly Alford Director - Durack College BIG

SHIFT

Receiving the news that you have been accepted into university is typically a very exciting time. For some it is affirmation that one’s hard work and dedication throughout secondary schooling, particularly Year 12, has paid dividends, while for others it is sheer relief that there is something concrete about one’s immediate future. They can now answer the dreaded question: ‘What are you doing next year?’ Starting university means new beginnings and marks a significant milestone in a young person’s life. Such milestones are bound to present challenges for some students and their families but for most it is an intimidating leap into the unknown. The abrupt shift from the controlled environment of school and family to an environment in which students are expected to accept personal responsibility for both academic and social aspects of their lives can create anxiety and distress, undermining their normal coping mechanisms. It is this dramatic departure from the familiar and comfortable that plays a significant role in a school leaver’s ability to transition to a new educational landscape.

As such, there are some startling statistics around university course completion. According to Universities Australia’s July 2019 report, Higher Education: Facts and Figures, presently, the attrition rates for Australian public universities is 15 per cent but the ‘drop out’ rate for school-leavers in their first year of tertiary study is close to 20 per cent. They report the latest research that a current student has just a 42 per cent chance of completing their bachelor’s degree within four years, a 64 per cent chance of completion if one increases their time to six years and better again (74 per cent) if one wants to be at uni for nine years to complete a bachelor’s degree! With just shy of 99 per cent of Year 12 St Margaret’s applicants receiving a university offer, the need to prepare them for a new and vastly different stage in their educational journey is real. Considering both this data and the current research regarding attrition and course completion rates, St Margaret’s has introduced some innovative programs and initiatives to assist girls prepare for the transition to tertiary education and to succeed with their chosen studies. Programs commence long before Year 12 and focus upon academic and social skills, both of which are known to be contributing factors in the successful transition to tertiary education. With the highly successful implementation of the innovative and award-winning Academic Advising Program, students across the secondary school are not only learning how to receive and apply feedback for their current learning, they are honing critical life-long learning skills such as selfawareness and self-regulation. Like a university model, when girls are not with their advisor, they have a block of time to use appropriately. It provides them with the responsibility and freedom to practise skills of self-monitoring and selfregulation. One of the key differences between high school and university is the amount of independent learning required in higher education. Many subjects have minimal contact hours; one or two hourly lectures per day makes a marked change to having an eight-hour pre-organised school day. The problem of students being unprepared for the required level of autonomy has been highlighted in other countries. In the UK, 62 per cent of universities believe the ability to think and learn independently is missing from students, according to an annual admissions survey (2017) conducted by ACS International Schools, the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IB), and International Baccalaureate Schools and Colleges Association (IBSCA). When learning at school is so heavily structured, students can struggle with the unstructured, highly independent nature of university. Many degrees require students to find their own reading material or other sources to complete assignments, and, in general, young people are expected to take much more control over their own learning. Effective time-management, motivation and the ability to transfer their knowledge are examples of skills that girls are developing and refining throughout the academic advising process, setting them up to become effective and independent learners and better prepared to navigate life at university. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the reliance on routine, face to face contact with educators and peers, and the compulsory attendance of some classes were illuminated. With much of the structure surrounding university studies eroded by the crisis, students reported heightened difficulties in sustaining levels of motivation, and maintaining important connections with their lecturers and tutors as well as their classmates. A realisation that nothing substitutes for a face-to-face learning environment became glaringly apparent. Universities reported

an influx of requests by students to defer studies until teaching and learning resumed face-to-face, while others (many firstyear students) have dropped out altogether, struggling to cope with the demands of the online learning model that requires an acute level of independence. Another factor contributing to the high number of first year students dropping out of university is the lack of certainty over course selection. Many students find that they simply do not like the course they are studying, or it is not what they thought it was going to be. Choosing the ‘right’ course can be daunting. The Grattan report (2018) argues that ‘incomplete degrees are an inevitable cost of trying to match people with courses and careers’. It is thought that a student’s main sources of influence in course selection are parents and careers teachers. The Foundation for Young Australians (2018) argues that ‘today’s 15 year-olds will likely navigate 17 changes in employer across five different careers’ in their lifetime and that young people are bearing the burden of an increasingly complex transition to adulthood and are struggling to navigate a career path in a rapidly changing world (pp. 5, 8, 9). Due to these significant changes, there is a growing demand for high quality career education programs to be initiated in schools across Australia and a radical rethink in the ways that schools ensure the preparedness of young people for the future of work and

the management of their careers (FYA 2017, p. 2). It is therefore imperative that student skills and capabilities are built for the future ‘through a planned program of learning to prepare them for a life beyond school’ (Australian Government, Department of Education and Training 2019, p. 7). St Margaret’s provides the services of full time careers specialists, who work with individual students to guide them in subject selection and career choices, and with year level groups to keep the students informed about opportunities that exist within their areas of interest and about trends within a broad range of industries. The Senior Education and Training (SET) Plan is a key component of the Queensland Government's Education and Training Reforms for the Future initiative and comprises an important process for futures planning. Year 10 students engage in a comprehensive program in readiness for their SET Plan interview. The SET Plan initiative formalises good career planning practices, with each student responsible for creating and updating her own SET Plan which maps out how she intends to work towards her future educational and career goals. Complementary programs and opportunities run parallel to the curriculum to assist girls in making informed choices about tertiary study and future careers. A key feature of the programs is the partnerships between the school and wider SUNATA 3

SUNATA 4

community. Such partnerships support and encourage students to engage in lifelong learning and to make connections from the classroom to life, and to further enhance exposure to careers and the acquisition of 21st century skills; all activities pivotal to successful career management (McMahon, Patton & Tatham 2003, p. 5). A variety of learning approaches are incorporated into the careers program, including interactive lessons and the use of online programs underpinned by an inquiry-based model. Learning and information opportunities include the incorporation of explicit teaching, excursions, case study discussions, and, most importantly, as much exposure to the ‘real world’ as possible. These occur by way of a careers fair, panel presentations, alumni visits, networking events and presentations from TAFE and universities. By exposing students to mentors who share their backgrounds and experiences, students can better picture the same kind of possibilities for themselves. Easily the most significant development by St Margaret’s to assist with the transition of young women from school to university is the establishment of Durack College; a unique tertiary residence for females studying in Brisbane. Residents come to Durack College from all over the country, from a range of schools, and study at a variety of tertiary institutions across Brisbane. The focus is on helping students get the most out of their tertiary education, as well as having a positive and memorable residential college experience. Each resident is supported and mentored by the College Director and other professionals to assist them with negotiating all aspects of post-school life, in a nurturing and positive environment. The small but vibrant community of learners is offered a tailored living environment, making the transition to new routines easier and more rewarding. There are only 25 residency places, allowing Durack College to be both a private sanctuary and a busy and exciting community. One of the many benefits of life at Durack College is access to the Student Success Program, which opens doors to leading industry mentors, provides skills-based leadership development opportunities, academic support, grows civically engaged global citizens and provides potential employment opportunities at St Margaret’s. Regular tutoring and study skill sessions occur and there is a dedicated on-site Academic Advisor and Co-ordinator of Academics and Wellbeing, who work together to provide support, advice and skills to all residents in the comfort of their ‘home’. Additionally, there is a robust social program that aims to introduce residents to regular, safe and fun activities on and off college campus that cater to all interests. Durack College’s success as a living and learning community is based on its ability to work with individual students to assess what they need to transition to the next phase of their education and personal development. The college enhances each residents’ ability to adjust to their new environment while also increasing the likelihood of them excelling in their academic studies. Life is full of change and transitions and moving on from high school is often one of the first ‘great shifts’. When I picture a St Margaret’s Year 12 student approaching the end of her time at school, I envisage the statue of ‘Maggie’ on Circular Drive; standing with confidence, looking to the future.

References

Department of Education, Skills and Employment 2020, School to work transitions, viewed 3 April 2020, https://www.education.gov.au/ school-work-transitions Foundation for Young Australians 2018, The New Work Reality, viewed 3 April 2020, https://www.fya.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/ FYA_TheNewWorkReality_sml.pdf Grattan Institute 2018, Dropping out: the benefits and costs of trying university, viewed 13 March 2020, https://grattan.edu.au/wp-content/ uploads/2018/04/904-dropping-out-the-benefits-and-costs-of-tryinguniversity.pdf IB Schools and Colleges Association 2017, The University Admissions Officers Report 2017, viewed 13 March 2020, http://www.ibsca.org.uk/ wp-content/uploads/IB-IBSCA-Report-2017-V02.pdf McMahon, M, Patton, W & Tatham, P 2003, Managing life, learning and work in the 21st century. Issues Informing the Design of an Australian Blueprint for Career Development, viewed April 15 2020, https://cica.org. au/wp-content/uploads/Managing-Life-Learning-and-Work-in-the-21Century-MMcM_WP_PT.pdf Universities Australia 2019, Higher Education: Facts and Figures, viewed 12 February 2020, https://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/wpcontent/uploads/2019/08/190716-Facts-and-Figures-2019-Final-v2.pdf

Acknowledgements

Some material in this document has been adapted, with permission of the authors, from the following publications: St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School 2018, ‘The introduction of academic advising’, Flyer, vol. 16, p. 10. Holley, N 2019, Careers & Portfolio Pathways 2020 Proposal, St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School, Brisbane.