Identifying university students who may be at greater risk of dropping out or changing their courses of study: The POT 2018/19 project. In Badino M. (Ed.) Beyond the two Cultures. Experiences from a POT Project: Erickson: 187-210.

This study aims to provide insights into the characteristics of student mobility at university as it pertains to students changing their courses of study and the conditions that favor ≪successful transitions≫ thus lowering the risk of dropout. The starting hypothesis is that a greater focus on students’ distress and difficulties during their academic careers can translate into new and better support services, together with new forms of more participatory and engaging guidance, which in turn, if well-designed, can help to create favorable conditions that reduce the risk of dropout and improve the overall quality of academic life of university students. The initiative was one of the activities promoted as part of the Orientation and Tutoring Project (POT – Piano di Orientamento e Tutorato), which the University of Urbino Carlo Bo joined in 2020. POT activities aimed at improving the quality of orientation/guidance and tutoring services by providing support to both young university graduates in choosing a university program to continue their studies as well as university students in their first years of study to reduce drop-out rates and disorientation, and to increase the percentage of students who complete their studies successfully on schedule. Specifically, we investigated particular cohorts of students enrolled in a three-year first level university degree program to identify possible signs that a student may be at greater risk of dropping out or changing his or her course of study. Raising our awareness of these signs can enhance our ability to plan and activate particular educational support programs targeting at-risk students.