Abstract:

Higher education in Flanders is characterised by free entrance. The selection process takes place in the first year which results in low success rates (1). To tackle this low throughput , the Faculty of Applied Economics of the University of Antwerp developed a diagnostic assessment. This assessment consists of a logical reasoning test, a Dutch proficiency test and a mathematics test.

In our presentation we will focus on the design and validation of the different parts of the assessment and of the predictability of the tests with relation to success rates and the different factors influencing the results, a.o. degree programme, gender, socio-economic background and type of prior education (2). Furthermore, we will elucidate how the results of the assessment were used to remediate knowledge of students as to maximise their probabilities of success and the effectiveness of the remedial activities. Finally, we investigated on the timing of drop-out of students throughout their first year at university and the possible correlation with the variables mentioned above.

References:
[1] The Faculty of Applied Economics is AACSB-accredited for its management degree programmes and EPAS-accredited for the AES-Business Economics and AES-Business Engineering programme. During their visit in 2015, the EPAS peer review team advised the faculty to improve its success rates.
[2] The definition and classification of the variables is partly based on that of the article ‘(Un)desirable effects of output funding for Flemish universities’, B. Cantillon, A. De Ridder, E. Vanhaecht, G. Verbist, Economics of Education Review, 30 (2011), 1059-1072.

Keywords:

Success rates, drop-out, first year students, remedial activities, diagnostic assessment.