Session 43: Exploring the impact that UCAS entry grades and attendance have on first-year assessment performance

Abstract

Session overview:

The LL.B (law undergraduate) degree at LJMU typically requires students to attain 120-128 UCAS points in order to be offered a place on the course. However, the 2024/25 recruitment cycle saw a high proportion of our current level four students joining via clearing, when this requirement was lowered significantly. As lecturers and student retention co-ordinators, we wanted to track whether this would impact upon academic achievement and gauge whether additional support was necessary for these students. We therefore opted to map the mark achieved at the point of the students’ first written assessment against their UCAS entry points, and then mapped this against Canvas usage and attendance at scheduled teaching sessions. This presentation will explore our preliminary findings.

Key learning points from this session:

Attendees will come away from this session with a better understanding of the potential correlation between entry grades, Canvas engagement, and attendance at teaching sessions (e.g. seminars and lectures), and a students performance in their first written assessment at university. This will help us to better understand our newly arrived students academic needs, and determine the appropriate support we should be giving them, and when we should be giving it.

Exploring the impact that UCAS entry grades and attendance have on first-year assessment performance PowerPoint. Only LJMU staff and students have access to this resource.