Manual 4 Success : promoting students’ life success and resilience

Central Queensland University data reveals that almost 60% of the University’s domestic students study via distance education and in 2011 this cohort had one of the highest rates of attrition. Central Queensland University also supports a significant proportion of students from low socio-economic backgrounds with nearly one third of their students forming this cohort in 2011 – one of the highest rates of low socio-economic background students of any university in Australia. The Manual 4 Success, part of a proactive student retention program, is a concise, self-help manual outlining the processes, goals, and activities students need to succeed. The Manual 4 Success aims to encourage students to improve their overall resiliency and offers a toolbox of support around four key areas including: study success, core skills success, career success and personal development. This nuts and bolts paper provides an overview of the development and implementation of the Manual 4 Success.