Quality measures in a modular qualification system and its impact on students at risk

Abstract

Success in tertiary studies is often measured using quality indicators (e.g. grade point average) and completion rates. These measures are particularly difficult to use in many non-degree programmes where completion can be very low (often due to high levels of mobility across institutions and in and out of the workforce). This study uses student achievement and demographic data from a large New Zealand polytechnic to provide an alternative method for determining success, which then allows comparisons across programmes and institutions regardless of differences in grading scales and completion rates. Furthermore, by instituting this new method it is possible to identify more precisely the gro..