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The Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success acknowledges Indigenous peoples across Australia as the Traditional Owners of the lands on which the nation’s campuses are situated. With a history spanning more than 60,000 years as the original educators, Indigenous peoples hold a unique place in our nation. We recognise the importance of their knowledge and culture, and reflect the principles of participation, equity, and cultural respect in our work. We pay our respects to Elders past, present, and future, and consider it an honour to learn from our Indigenous colleagues, partners, and friends.

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You are reading: Supporting academically at-risk Bachelor of Commerce students: A randomised controlled trial with second- and third-year students at Curtin University

Trial overview

Registered
Users Priority Students: Identifies with at least one equity category
Academic Cap Stage of Intervention: During Higher Education
Chart Line Outcomes: Engagement, Progression

What was trialed

Curtin University’s Academically At-Risk Student Management (AARSM) is delivered by the student support team, who first identify students who are likely to be academically at-risk as those on a weak academic trajectory, and specifically as those interacting with the online learning platform Blackboard fewer than 15 times in any of their unit enrolments in the first three weeks of the Semester, as well as students on Conditional Academic Status, those with any prior Fail (F) or Fail-Incomplete (F-IN) results, and anyone enrolling in a unit for a second or subsequent enrolment.

After identification of academically at-risk students, the student support team engages these students to provide support. The support focuses initially on encouraging engagement and options to withdraw prior to incurring any university fees, followed by supporting these students towards successfully completing the unit assignments.

The support is delivered through digital channels (e.g. email, texts) and/or phone calls. One group receives only general guidance, while a second group receives general guidance and academic support, and the final group received general guidance, academic support, and tailored support for their academic needs.

The AARSM expects to improve assignment submission rates, pass rates, and increased engagement in the learning management system (Blackboard) within students’ enrolled units. It is also expected that students on a weak academic trajectory will withdraw from the unit before incurring university fees.

What was found

The results will be available in February 2025.

How the trial was delivered

A parallel randomised controlled trial (RCT) is being used to estimate the differential benefits of three levels of support provided to identified academically at-risk students: (1) digital communication support; (2) digital communication and academic support; and (3) digital communications, academic support, and tailored support.

The RCT targets academically as-risk students, specifically those who are second- and third- year Bachelor of Commerce students studying in Semesters 1 and 2, 2024 at Curtin University, Bentley campus, Western Australia.

After identification as academically at-risk, the students are randomised into one of four groups: those receiving one of the three levels of support, and those who do not receive the interventions (one control group).

Curtin University administrative data is being used to determine the impact of the intervention on retention and withdrawals (enrolment data), participation and engagement (Blackboard engagement frequency), and assignment completion and grades (Blackboard Grade Centre).