Project R-11515

Competence-development of students: The use of technology enhanced collaborative learning and automated feedback as academic interventions to increase success rates for first-generation first year students at university. (Research)

Previous research focused on identifying variables that contribute positively or negatively to students' academic success. This type of research showed that students' social background influences the chances of academic success. Students with a low SES or firstgeneration first-year students have a higher chance of leaving higher education without a diploma and score lower on average. The variable social background is difficult to influence, but research has shown that several other variables can positively impact academic success. One of these variables is the degree of self-regulation in students. In order to increase the self-regulation capacity of students, specific didactic interventions can be used, such as online self-testing with automatic feedback or interventions within the spectrum of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL). Within CSCL, students will appeal to the process of self-regulation and also to the processes of shared-selfregulation and co-regulation. All of these processes can again influence the academic outcome of students in a positive way. Although research points to the positive effects of self-testing with automatic feedback and CSCL on students' academic outcomes, very little research has been conducted into the effect of these interventions within a particular student population. It is unclear how self-testing with automatic feedback and CSCL affects the academic performance of students with a low SES or first-generation first-year students. More in-depth research into the effect of these two didactic interventions with this student population is therefore needed. This will be further investigated based on four studies. In the first part of this research, an in-depth study is conducted into the use of self-testing among students and professors. The goal is to gain more insight into the elements that make self-testing effective. This is primarily a descriptive study based on semi-structured interviews. In the next phase of the study, a quasi-experimental research design is set up to map the effect of self-testing on the students' academic results. This mainly takes into account how self-testing can support first-generation first-year students. In a final phase, a quasi-experimental design is set up again. Elements from technology-enhanced collaborative learning are combined with self-testing to determine the effect of this didactic intervention on students' academic performance. This research is carried out at the School for Educational Studies and contributes to Hasselt University's goals to be an excellent inclusive university.

01 January 2020 - 31 December 2024