Tadpoles, Boiled Frogs and Bullfrogs

Spring is with us in the UK and with it ponds and lakes teem with mating frogs (climbing on the lady frog to get a better view, as we eplained to our 6 year old grandson).  Soon spawn will.....well, spawn, tadpoles will emerge, sunshine will bring activity and the birds will swoop down to eat the unwary.

The few will survive to sink to the murky bottom of the water over the Winter only to emerge next Spring to re-start the cycle - Ahhhh the glories of nature.

One analogy used in Corporate Failure theory is that of the frog life cycle.  Firstly, the tadpole - the start-up business that never survived.  The Bullfrog - the business that lurched its way to failure, and the "boiled frog" that would jump out of the pan if the water was boliing but often failed to feel the water around it warming up until it was too late...

I re-purpose this analogy in terms of student progression and illustrate it below:

No frogs or students were harmed in the use of this analogy

TADPOLE students never really settle in Higher Education, they may be immature, ill prepared, wrongly advised or simply too hopeful that prior studies have given them the foundation needed for independent study.  Of course, properly guided, protected and supported the TADPOLE could continue on an upward trajectory.

BULLFROG students have a patchy performance at University, the causes can be the same as the TADPOLE but they operate at a level sufficient to survive each lurch of performance.  Good pastoral systems can revive flagging spirits, aid time management and encourage less partying.  Whilst the illustration shows the BULLFROG student at a high level of ultimate success it is equally likely that performance will plateau.

BOLIED FROG students also have a tipping point, they can crash and burn (if you can burn in boliing water that is) or can acclimitise themselves to the warmth and challenge of the hotter water and plough on to the highest performance.

The challenge for Universities, therefore, is to identify the different types of frog, guide, nurture and support them so that all fulfil their potential.  We cannot leave it to Darwin and nature to select the fittest.