ON-BOARD: tackling dropout in higher education
The University of Coimbra launches a project to promote academic success and tackle student drop-out.
English version by Diana Taborda
ON-BOARD is a project of the University of Coimbra (UC) focused on an integrated and multidimensional approach to tackle academic failure and dropout.
Cristina Albuquerque, Vice-rector of the UC for Teaching and Student Attraction, admits that "the graduation rates of higher education within the expected time are fairly low", pointing out the figures released by by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in the report "Education at a Glance 2022". In Portugal, "only 39% of 1st cycle students complete their courses on time, a reality that needs to be understood and changed".
Consisting of seven activities, ON-BOARD focuses on mentoring processes (personal and digital) for students and teaching staff and the transformation of organisational conditions and academic performance. In addition to data collection and analysis to identify dropout predictive patterns, the project includes technological tools for adaptive teaching and personalised tutoring of students. Well-being and mental health are also considered, by promoting stress and anxiety management techniques to students and faculty.
The Rector of the UC, Amílcar Falcão, considers that ON-BOARD is "fundamental to reduce the dropout rate. It needs to be a collective process, everyone should want to be involved". Amílcar Falcão believes that the tools provided by the ON-BOARD programme will help to change the " mindset" in Higher Education.
The project is funded by the Human Capital Operational Programme.