{"id":283,"date":"2026-03-17T10:57:29","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T10:57:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/H890Conference\/?p=283"},"modified":"2026-03-17T10:57:29","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T10:57:29","slug":"can-low-risk-introductory-courses-help-solve-adult-learner-retention-problems-in-uk-further-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/H890Conference\/index.php\/2026\/03\/17\/can-low-risk-introductory-courses-help-solve-adult-learner-retention-problems-in-uk-further-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Can low-risk introductory courses help solve adult learner retention problems in UK Further Education?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Technology, and more recently, the rapid rise of artificial intelligence,\u00a0has prompted calls for an urgent need for adults\u00a0to engage in lifelong learning and reskill to keep pace with technological advancements\u00a0<\/span><span aria-label=\"Rich text content control\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u200b<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">(Husomanovic, 2025)<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u200b<\/span><\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">For adults in the UK,\u00a0the primary\u00a0avenues\u00a0used for\u00a0reskilling\u00a0are Further\u00a0Education\u00a0and Higher Education.\u00a0In the 2023\/24 academic year, Further Education had\u00a03,110,815\u00a0participants and Higher Education had\u00a02,991,100\u00a0participants\u00a0<\/span><span aria-label=\"Rich text content control\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u200b<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">(UK Government, 2025)<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u200b<\/span><\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Both sectors face significant challenges with learner retention and completion, particularly in part-time, distance learning contexts, where barriers\u00a0like finance and time\u00a0management are\u00a0frequently\u00a0cited as challenges. However, \u201ccourse mismatch\u201d is a\u00a0primary cause\u00a0of disengagement\u00a0and abandonment\u00a0across both sectors\u00a0<\/span><span aria-label=\"Rich text content control\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u200b<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">(Paul Hamlyn Foundation, 2012)<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u200b<\/span><\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span aria-label=\"Rich text content control\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u200b<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">(Kantar Public, 2019)<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u200b<\/span><\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The\u00a0research proposal focuses specifically on the\u00a0further education sector, which faces similar but distinct challenges\u00a0to higher education.\u00a0In Further Education,\u00a0providers in the sector are held to rigorous regulatory standards, which include\u00a0conducting robust\u00a0initial\u00a0assessment\u00a0through\u00a0\u201cearly and\u00a0accurate\u00a0assessment of learners\u2019 and apprentices\u2019 needs\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span aria-label=\"Rich text content control\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u200b<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">(Ofsted, 2025)<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u200b<\/span><\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Despite stringent regulatory oversight, provider practices for\u00a0initial\u00a0assessment vary significantly from institution\u00a0to institution.\u00a0The\u00a0research proposal\u00a0addresses\u00a0the \u201ccourse mismatch\u201d\u00a0challenge by\u00a0evaluating the efficacy of\u00a0implementing an optional\u00a0pre-enrolment \u201ctaster course\u201d\u00a0to help prospective applicants\u00a0determine\u00a0whether the qualification pathway is for them or not.\u00a0Three research questions\u00a0are investigated as part of the intervention:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"46\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&#8220;If used in Initial Assessment, can\u00a0taster courses enhance retention and achievement rates for adult learners on online software development pathways in\u00a0Further Education?&#8221;<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"46\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cWhat impact does participation in an online\u00a0taster course\u00a0have on conversion from application to enrolment in online software development courses for adult learners in\u00a0Further Education?\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"46\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cHow does participation in an online\u00a0taster course\u00a0influence participant decision-making about their selected programme pathway?\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The purpose of the taster course is to provide learners with a\u00a0low-risk\u00a0means of evaluating whether the learning pathway is for them or not by providing them with an experience that reflects the learning design, pedagogy, delivery mode and support model that would be\u00a0provided on the full qualification pathway. On completion, they are provided with a short, reflective survey where\u00a0they\u00a0consider whether they enjoyed the course or not, whether their confidence has increased and what their intentions are for further study.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">To measure the impact of the intervention,\u00a0this research would span more than a full academic year,\u00a0with learners from multiple Further Education Colleges\u00a0participating.\u00a0The study will use\u00a0a\u00a0quantitative approach to data analysis,\u00a0drawing on retention, achievement, and conversion data from participating colleges.\u00a0It is\u00a0anticipated\u00a0that the proposed intervention should result in participants having more insight\u00a0into\u00a0the programme of training and more confidence in whether they should\u00a0proceed\u00a0with their application or choose an alternative pathway. In practice, this should mean that retention and achievement rates improve for the full qualification pathway.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The design of this intervention is rooted in authentic learning theory and\u00a0interpretivism, focusing\u00a0on providing learners with an\u00a0experience\u00a0that mirrors the realities of the learning experience\u00a0in the full programme and actively prompting\u00a0reflection to empower learners to make more informed decisions about their\u00a0learning pathway.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u200b<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u200b<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">References<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245418&quot;:true,&quot;134245529&quot;:true,&quot;335559738&quot;:360,&quot;335559739&quot;:80}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u200b<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u200b<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Husomanovic, D. (2025)\u00a0<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">AI and a changing working life: What do adults need to learn now?<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0Available at:\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/epale.ec.europa.eu\/en\/blog\/ai-and-changing-working-life-what-do-adults-need-learn-now\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">https:\/\/epale.ec.europa.eu\/en\/blog\/ai-and-changing-working-life-what-do-adults-need-learn-now<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0(Accessed: 15 Mar 2026).<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u200b<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Kantar Public (2019)\u00a0<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">DfE Learners and Apprentices Study: Reasons for non-completion<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. Available at:\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/assets.publishing.service.gov.uk\/media\/5f478d288fa8f5362d6059d7\/DfE_Learners_and_apprentices-Reasons_for_non-completion.pdf\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">https:\/\/assets.publishing.service.gov.uk\/media\/5f478d288fa8f5362d6059d7\/DfE_Learners_and_apprentices-Reasons_for_non-completion.pdf<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0(Accessed: 15 Mar 2026)<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u200b<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Ofsted (2025)\u00a0<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Further education<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. Available at:\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/assets.publishing.service.gov.uk\/media\/68b975aa3f3e5483efdba9c3\/Further_education_and_skills_inspection_toolkit.pdf\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">https:\/\/assets.publishing.service.gov.uk\/media\/68b975aa3f3e5483efdba9c3\/Further_education_and_skills_inspection_toolkit.pdf<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0(Accessed: 23 Nov 2025).<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u200b<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Paul Hamlyn Foundation (2012)\u00a0<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">What Works? Student Retention &amp; Success<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. Available at:\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com\/assets.creode.advancehe-document-manager\/documents\/hea\/private\/what_works_final_report_1568036657.pdf\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">https:\/\/s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com\/assets.creode.advancehe-document-manager\/documents\/hea\/private\/what_works_final_report_1568036657.pdf<\/span><\/a><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u200b<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">UK Government (2025)\u00a0<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Education and training statistics for the UK<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. Available at:\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk\/find-statistics\/education-and-training-statistics-for-the-uk\/2025\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">https:\/\/explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk\/find-statistics\/education-and-training-statistics-for-the-uk\/2025<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0(Accessed: 15 Mar 2026).<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u200b<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u200b<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u200b<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Technology, and more recently, the rapid rise of artificial intelligence,\u00a0has prompted calls for an urgent need for adults\u00a0to engage in lifelong learning and reskill to keep pace with technological advancements\u00a0\u200b(Husomanovic, 2025)\u200b.\u00a0 For adults in the UK,\u00a0the primary\u00a0avenues\u00a0used for\u00a0reskilling\u00a0are Further\u00a0Education\u00a0and Higher Education.\u00a0In the 2023\/24 academic year, Further Education had\u00a03,110,815\u00a0participants and Higher Education had\u00a02,991,100\u00a0participants\u00a0\u200b(UK Government, 2025)\u200b.\u00a0 Both [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[186,187,184,188,182,114,185,183],"class_list":["post-283","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorised","tag-adult-learning","tag-completion","tag-initial-assessment","tag-learner-conversion","tag-learner-retention","tag-retention","tag-taster-courses","tag-uk-further-education"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/H890Conference\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/H890Conference\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/H890Conference\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/H890Conference\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/H890Conference\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=283"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/H890Conference\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":284,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/H890Conference\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283\/revisions\/284"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/H890Conference\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=283"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/H890Conference\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=283"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/H890Conference\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=283"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}