Abertay Discovery Tool: implementing educational diagnostics

Abertay University has a suite of 5 credit, mandatory microcredentials across the first-year curriculum known as the MySuccess Modules (Millard, Blackwell Young & Hogan, 2023). These microcredentials aim to enable students to build the foundations for student academic and social success. A core component of ABE101 Being Successful at Abertay is the Abertay Discovery Tool (Hogan & Millard, 2022).

The Abertay Discovery Tool is a formative assessment activity that supports students in deciding which other three MySuccess microcredentials to choose from. In taking a microcredential approach, Abertay University wanted to develop a framework which celebrated students' academic and social strengths when they arrived at university whilst identifying their areas for growth and creating an action plan for their success. Wilson et al. (2016) shares several concerns that students report early in their higher education experience. These concerns include how university study works such as finding resources, building relationships, and interacting with other students. Students reported that assessments, time management and study skills were the top three areas of concern.

The Abertay Discovery Tool was built to ensure students made informed personalised choices, controlling their learning journey and provide a data set of the perspectives of first-year students joining higher education. The questions are designed to be self-reflective which is an important attribute for university study (Trowler et al., 2022). The Abertay Discovery Tool was developed by Abertay University drawing on best practices and guidance from partner universities as part of the QAA Scotland Collaborative Cluster project Personalised Approaches to Resilience and Communities (QAA, 2023).

This show and tell will provide insight into the Abertay Discovery Tool sections, format, and report initial outcomes as part of a doctoral study currently being undertaken with the aim of identifying predictors for student success through educational diagnostics in considering the following questions:
• What are the key variables or factors that correlate with student academic success, as revealed by the data collected through the Abertay Discovery Tool?
• To what extent do these identified variables or factors predict student academic success, and how are they related (positively or negatively)?
• How do predictors differ across different student demographics (e.g., age, gender, admission grades) in their impact on academic success?
• What actionable insights and recommendations can be derived from the analysis to enhance student academic success and support mechanisms?

Hogan, J., Millard, L. (2022). Personalised Approaches to Resilience and Community (PARC) – Building Academic and Social Success: Abertay Discovery Tool. 1. https://www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk/resilient-learning-communities/flexible-and-accessible-learning/parc#.
Millard, L., Young, J. B., & Hogan, J. (2023). Designing Personalized Student Development Through Microcredentials: An Institutional Approach. In D. Willison & E. Henderson (Eds.), Perspectives on Enhancing Student Transition into Higher Education and Beyond (pp. 122-142). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-8198-1.ch006.
QAA (2023) Resilient learning communities. https://www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk/resilient-learning-communities.
Trowler et al. (2022) ‘Pathways to student engagement: beyond triggers and mechanisms at the engagement interface’ Higher Education, 84, 761-777, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-021-00798-1.
Wilson, K.L., Murphy, K.A., Pearson, A.G., Wallace, B.M., Reher, V.G.S., & Buys, N. (2016). Understanding the early transition needs of diverse commencing university students in a health faculty: Informing effective intervention practices. Studies in Higher Education, 41(6), 1023-1040. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2014.966070.