STEM conference 2019: Increasing retention and progression rates for Open University Engineering students through curriculum renewal

This session will discuss how a significant uplift in both retention and progression has been achieved from the first cohort of Open University (OU) students to complete a reconfigured and more integrated first-year equivalent curriculum in general Engineering. The changes are designed to address sector-wide issues - difficulty with mathematical aspects of the subject reluctance to engage constructively with personal development planning and a lack of diversity in the student body – as well as OU specific issues arising from our open entry policy distance learning teaching model and particularly acute time pressures on mature students studying while working.