Polytech, drop-outs asked for reasons

Press, 14 August 1984, Page 9

Polytech, drop-outs asked for reasons

Almost 30 per cent of students doing voluntary, part-time courses at Christchurch Polytechnic drop out of their courses, a recent survey has found. This drop-out rate was similar to that found through other research. However, it highlighted some areas where changes could be made at the polytechnic, the survey organiser, Dr Marjorie Manthei, told a meeting of the polytechnic council last evening. “We looked at three main areas,” said Dr Manthei, who is also head of the department of art and community studies at the polytechnic. “These were the over-all drop out rate found from class registers, what factors contributed to this rate, and what changes could be made to improve the situation.”

All the information in the survey was based on courses in the first two terms of last year. Results were collected and the report written during the third term, she said.

It was part of the “Polyview Project” launched at Christchurch Polytechnic

early last year to try to find ways of doing things better, what the polytechnic did well, and where there was room for improvement. From a total of 7254 people enrolled for parttime, voluntary courses, 2054 dropped out, it was found.

However, the rate differed markedly between departments and individual classes.

“The range by department was from 17 per cent to 41 per cent, while the range by class went from nought per cent to 85 per cent,” said Dr Manthei. “Longer classes and evening classes were found to have a higher drop-out rate.”

Reasons given for discontinuing in a course were found through a postal questionnaire sent to 1000 of the 2000 total people who dropped out.

Personal circumstances, such as transport, health, shift work, and problems at home accounted for 53 per cent it was found.

Teaching processes such as course content, teaching quality and class level were given by 37 per cent of the respondents and 10 per cent

gave reasons related to the polytechnic itself. “These results split the reasons for dropping out just about half and half between external reasons that we cannot change and internal reasons that we can try to change,” said Dr Manthei.

Seven recommendations were made in the report These included more precourse information on-going evaluation by teachers of the course and their students, and more group building to create a friendly and open atmosphere in classes.

The questionnaires had been sent back to each of the departments concerned and it was up to individual departments to decide how to use the information and the recommendations, she said.

“One interesting result was that the weather made no difference whatever. That is an excuse tutors often use to explain a high drop-out rate, but the survey puts that huge myth to rest

“I think that one of the best things that could be done with it would be simply to let all tutors read

the questionnaires and see the areas where they could improve their classes,” said Dr Manthei.

Construction Lump-sum grants for building construction, known as “cash constraint” projects, would speed up the building process quite •dramatically, said the director, Mr John Hercus.

A remit to this year’s Technical Institutes’ Association that it recommend to the Government the approval of some pilot programmes for cash constraint projects was approved by the council.

“The current term for any building construction is about 10 years. Under the lump sum grant system we would get a round sum of money and be able to use it to plan, equip, and furnish a building,” said Mr Hercus.

The polytechnic wanted to get a better-quality building faster, said the chairman, Mr Peter Mills. This system would also allow the polytechnic to decide on its own plans, rather than having to" take plans from the Ministry of Works, he said. New courses New courses in a trade training scheme for the building industry, jewellery and metalsmithing, and the performing arts were the polytechnic’s first three priorities for next year, said the directors’ report.

Applications for 25 new courses had been submitted to the Education Department to be started in 1985. In all cases courses reB- d could be linked v to at least one or several of the priorities outlined by the Government. However, the polytechnic’s order of priority did not necessarily match the Government’s stated priorities, said Mr Hercus.

“It is quite possible that some courses near the bottom of our list might get approved, while some near the top of our list do not,” he said.