Papers by Professor Liz Thomas
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Tertiary Education and Management
Improving the rates of continuation and completion of nursing students is a priority to ensure th... more Improving the rates of continuation and completion of nursing students is a priority to ensure there are sufficient qualified staff to deliver national healthcare services. In the literature, which is predominantly informed by research undertaken in traditional HE institutions with students studying conventional academic programmes, the development of a student identity and course commitment are identified as key components of persistence and success. This linear model assumes that student identity formation takes place during the transition into HE - and professional identities develop as graduates progress into the workplace. Qualitative research in the UK and Norway with nursing and midwifery students found that a strong desire to become a healthcare professional is often the starting point for enrolling in HE, rather than the culmination of the course. A strong future-facing professional identity and commitment sustain many students through the process of accessing and ‘enduring...
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Tertiary Education and Management
Tinto’s (1993) interactional model of student departure was initially developed for students in t... more Tinto’s (1993) interactional model of student departure was initially developed for students in traditional academic degrees, at residential colleges in the US. This paper takes up Tinto as a fruitful starting point for a critical review of the aspects of the model which are more and less suitable for professional degrees: integration and commitment. Since nursing degrees are quite different from traditional academic degrees, particularly when it comes to the structure of the programme, this calls for a rethink of how the concepts can be used. The paper suggests that a Tinto-type model could be adjusted to offer a valuable tool with which to inform institutional work on retention and completion in nursing programmes, and potentially in other short professional degrees. While we identified limitations in how integration functions in a nursing programme, the existing model could be adapted to account for professional commitment, which in turn may counteract the fragmented integration ...
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Tertiary Education and Management
There are widespread concerns about a shortage of nurses in society, making it vital to educate a... more There are widespread concerns about a shortage of nurses in society, making it vital to educate and retain as many nursing students as possible. This paper interrogates the fit and relevance of established models for student retention, particularly Tinto’s model of student departure and its central notion of ‘integration’. Early social and academic integration of students is generally important to promote persistence and prevent early departure. We consider how integration plays out in degrees with extensive practice placements in clinical settings and large degree programme cohorts, investigating the challenges for persistence. Additionally, we question how well Tinto’s understanding of integration fits with the structure and format of the nursing programme. Building on comparative interviews with 2nd and 3rd year nursing students in Norway and England, we argue that common understandings about how students are integrated into degree programmes are unlikely to fit the case of nursi...
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This research was commissioned by Health Education England (HEE) to inform their emerging widenin... more This research was commissioned by Health Education England (HEE) to inform their emerging widening participation (WP strategy). The objectives included: Investigate the experiences of students – identifying the enabling and challenging factors Explore the different types of strategies being employed by higher education providers We draw on Bourdieu's theoretical sensitizing tools to explore difference in the field of health care and its impact on health carers identity and trajectories
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SRHE and Open University Press Imprint Current titles include: Catherine Bargh et al.: University... more SRHE and Open University Press Imprint Current titles include: Catherine Bargh et al.: University Leadership Ronald Barnett: Beyond all Reason Ronald Barnett: Realizing the University in an age of supercomplexity Ronald Barnett & Kelly Coate: Engaging the Curriculum in Higher ...
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Widening participation and lifelong learning, 2019
As nursing continues to advance health care in the 21st century, the present change in demographi... more As nursing continues to advance health care in the 21st century, the present change in demographics, tied with the ongoing disparities in health care and health outcomes, will warrant our enduring attention and action. This paper argues that increasing the diversity of the workforce in professional healthcare roles is necessary to meet the demand for nurses, midwives and other health professionals. This drive includes recruiting and retaining a culturally diverse workforce that mirrors the United Kingdom’s change in demographics and to reduce health disparities. Our qualitative study in England recruited, trained and supported ten student-peer-researchers, who explored the experiences of 70 ‘non-traditional’ students and recent graduates in National Health Service (NHS)-funded higher education programmes. A key theme of the majority of participants was a powerful persistent passion to be healthcare professionals, which offered them resilience in addressing and overcoming the entry h...
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In 2006 the English higher education system will be facing the introduction of variable - albeit ... more In 2006 the English higher education system will be facing the introduction of variable - albeit capped - tuition fees, alongside a new system of government financial support for students and a market in institutional bursaries and scholarships. Concerns about the potential impact on different groups of students, and on efforts to widen participation in HE have led to the requirement for institutions to make Access agreements and to commit to certain levels of bursary and outreach support. This report of a study trip conducted in June 2005 looks at the US experience of fees, student support, student debt and the implications for access and admissions. It sets out the federal context then reports from the Illinois Student Financial Aid Commission, and two Illinois universities - one private (De Paul University in Chicago) and one public (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign). The US has always had a fee culture and a market driven economy in higher education, that includes privat...
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Policies to widen access to students from ‘non-traditional’ backgrounds and promote equality to g... more Policies to widen access to students from ‘non-traditional’ backgrounds and promote equality to groups who face discrimination, and increased international student recruitment have resulted in a significantly more diverse student body. These changes have been accompanied by rising concerns about the quality of the higher education experience and the retention and success of all students. These developments have led to increased pressures on both academic and professional staff in institutions. 'Inclusive learning’ is an effective professional response to diversity and mass higher education, but requires moving from more traditional approaches to learning and teaching to a curriculum for diversity has significant implications for academic members of staff and to their professional identity. There are increasing pressures on staff to to change their pedagogies, including the introduction of higher tuition fees and the increased powers of the Office for Fair Access. May and Bridger...
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Student Retention and Success in Higher Education, 2021
Twenty-first century students have different expectations of higher education, partly as a result... more Twenty-first century students have different expectations of higher education, partly as a result of greater student diversity, and also as changed funding regimes force students to combine studying with full- or part-time employment. Consequently, many students require greater flexibility within their higher education experience, and a more relevant curriculum that relates to their own experiences and future aspirations, and which provides clarity about how to be successful in higher education. Curricular, pedagogical and assessment strategies need to be overhauled to engage and enable a more diverse student population, juggling complex lives, to maximise the value of contact time and succeed in their higher education and beyond. The chapter is informed by the philosophy of the book which seeks to assure equity of opportunity for all twenty-first century students through institutional transformation, rather than the notion that students need to change to fit into and benefit from an outmoded higher education system. The chapter discusses the need to improve student engagement and belonging through transforming the higher education experience, and argues for a whole institution approach to change, involving partnerships within and across the institutions and sectors in order to make and sustain this transformation.
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Student Success, 2020
This article is about improving student retention and success to achieve excellent outcomes for a... more This article is about improving student retention and success to achieve excellent outcomes for all students. It draws on research undertaken by the author about student engagement and belonging; differential engagement and success, with a particular focus on commuter students, who experience intersectional disadvantage; and the development of a whole institution approach (WIA) to widening participation and student success. The research has been undertaken in England, and is situated within this policy context, in particular two national policy tools: Access and Participation Plans (APP) and the Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF), which all higher education providers are required to engage with if they wish to charge fees above certain thresholds. The article demonstrates how in England both the policy framework and higher education institutions are working towards a system-wide approach to achieve excellent outcomes for all students, irrespective of their back...
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Research in Post-Compulsory Education, 2016
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Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning, 2021
#Ibelong is an Erasmus+ project delivering a suite of evidence-informed interventions to improve ... more #Ibelong is an Erasmus+ project delivering a suite of evidence-informed interventions to improve the belonging and success of students who are first-generation entrants, from ethnic minorities or have a ‘migrant background’. The activities operate at course or programme level and involve working with both staff and students. This article provides a rationale for the #Ibelong programme of activities by drawing on relevant research and describing the three interconnected interventions: Dialogue Days, Team Teacher Reflection and Community Mentoring. The interventions were evaluated using Programme Theory evaluation tools: theory of change and logic chains. The descriptions highlight activities that have worked well, how delivery has been adapted from in-person to online delivery, and evidence of short-term benefits and medium-term outcomes. The article concludes by reflecting on how this suite of interventions could be used by other courses, universities and sectors, to improve the belonging and success of diverse students and staff.
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Encyclopedia of International Higher Education Systems and Institutions, 2017
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Purpose – This chapter provides an overview of the book and discusses student diversity and insti... more Purpose – This chapter provides an overview of the book and discusses student diversity and institutional responses. Methodology/approach – The chapter draws together literature and conceptual thinking about what student diversity is. It then analyses the drivers for increased diversity within higher education in the case studies in this book. Alternative approaches to diversity are presented, drawing on a synthesis of approaches identified in the literature. Finally, the chapter provides a summary of the other chapters and the associated case studies. Findings – The chapter finds that diversity incorporates difference across a number of dimensions: education, personal disposition, current circumstances and cultural heritage. There are a wide range of reasons prompting institutions to recruit a diverse student population: a commitment to social justice, expansion and access to new markets, tapping the pool of talent, enhancing the student experience, national and/or regional policy,...
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Papers by Professor Liz Thomas