Attracting, engaging and retaining: new conversations about learning

Abstract

Australian and New Zealand tertiary students are less engaged with their universities than their North American counterparts, according to this report. More than 9000 students from 25 Australian and New Zealand universities participated in the survey in 2007. Results reveal that, on average, Australian and New Zealand students find their study slightly less academically challenging than students in the US. They report lower levels of contact with teaching staff and are less likely to have participated in activities described as ‘enriching educational experiences.’ For instance, while 53 per cent of later-year US students had participated in a practicum, internship, fieldwork or clinical placement, only 28 per cent of Australasian students had taken part in such an experience. Generally, the responses of Australian and New Zealand students became more positive between first year and later years of study. However, students believed they received less support from their universities over time. Students in Education and Health fields reported the highest levels of engagement and students in the Information Technology field reported the lowest. Students who work between one and 30 hours tended to report higher levels of engagement than students who do not work and those who work for more than 30 hours per week