How are we progressing with academic numeracy at regional universities? Perspectives from first-year undergraduate studies

Abstract

This study provides an overview of the support provided for academic numeracy for first-year students across six Australian regional universities. Survey analysis of university academics provided an overview of the approaches used in academic numeracy in diverse cohorts. Further investigations via semi-structured interviews and secondary data were performed, providing details of the level of academic numeracy required in the subjects offered, identification of at-risk students and strategies for student support, and student responses to service provision. A case study at one university provided a more detailed view of the factors influencing attrition in first-year academic numeracy subjects. This case study highlighted issues related to a one-size-fits-all approach and findings argue for a more nuanced cohort-based approach that combines conventional statistical analysis with analysis that provides a more detailed view of complex scenarios. The study suggests that while support services are not responding well to the issue of attrition, better targeting individual student support may lead to improvements.