19th International Conference on The First-Year Experience, - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

19th International Conference on The First-Year Experience, Toronto, July 2006 Helen Corkill Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning , University of Luton, UK

‘Semester 1 of Year 1 is critical to student ‘settling’, retention and success. How do we ensure that the transition from school / college / work to higher education study is managed successfully, given the additional challenges of working within a collaborative partnership?’

Higher Education in the UK: Government priorities from the 2003 White Paper  Government aspiration of 50% of 18-30 year olds in HE by 2010  Widening Participation agenda  Undergraduates to pay up to £3,000 pa from September 2006  Concern with fair access to HE  Development of 2 year Foundation Degrees  Emphasis on: • Enhancement of teaching quality • Partnership and collaboration • Building networks to facilitate lifelong progression • Delivery of HE in an FE setting

UK HE participation rates

The class of 2006  89% of those with 2+ ‘A’ levels progress to HE  50% with equivalent vocational qualifications progress to HE  55% new undergraduates – 21+  45% new undergraduates part-time  61% new undergraduates female  50% of UK population in lower socio- economic groups - 28% HE population

University of Luton (August 1 st 1993 – July 31 st 2006)  University of Luton: 2 central University campuses, 4 local partner colleges (one on 6 sites), 4 UK based institutes, 6 nursing sites, several overseas partner institutions  ‘Widening Participation university’  Largest provider of Foundation Degrees in East of England  c 40% overseas students

University of Bedfordshire (August 1 st 2006 - )  University of Bedfordshire, 2 central campuses, 2 further campuses 20 miles away, 12 partner colleges covering central half of England, 4 UK based institutes, 6 nursing sites, several overseas partner institutions, new postgraduate medical school opening September 2006  Will become Widening Participation university  Largest provider of Foundation Degrees in East of England  Largest provider of undergraduate and postgraduate education qualifications in area  c 35 % overseas students

Off-campus / partner institution students  Where are they? What are they doing there?   Who are they? Why?  Focus on non-traditional students:  first generation, mature, part-time, ethnic minority, with disabilities, from low participation neighbourhoods ( European Social Fund Project: Retaining Non-traditional Students) Mayhew,K, Deer, C & Dua M (2004) 

Maslow: student / staff identity  ‘ Hierarchy of Needs’ : belongingness Maslow, AH (1987) Motivation and Personality 2nd edn (London: Longman)  ‘ Becoming a student is about constructing a new identity and a sense of belongingness’  ‘Finding a place between old and new social contexts’ Wilcox, P, Winn, S, Fyvie-Gauld ‘‘ It was nothing to do with the university, it was just the people’ : the role of social support in the first-year experience of higher education ” (ILTHE Studies in Higher Education, Vol.30, No 6, December 2005, pp. 707-722)

First impressions last  Web information pre-entry: accurate? accessible? impression?  Literature: synchronous?  Education Champions: work with schools; colleges and people working  Open Days: parity between main campus and off campus students  Communication  Transition  Application processes: full-time, part-time

Welcome to the Big Brother House? welcome? Partner Colleges Barnfield College The largest college in Bedfordshire, Barnfield operates higher education programmes at three Luton locations. All are served by public transport from the town centre, have on-site facilities and free parking for students. Subject to available space, two centres also have daycare nursery facilities. W: www.barnfield.ac.uk The Union welcomes students from the University’s Partner Colleges T: +44 (0)1582 569 500 Dunstable College Students’ Union The Union welcomes you as students from our Partner Colleges and invites you to come along and join in! You can join the clubs and attend all the events that are organised by the University Students’ Union and a big bonus of NUS membership is being able to take advantage of all the discounts and services available nationally. Make sure you get your NUS Card so you can make the most of being a student

First experiences: first confusions or a settling experience?  Application (x 2?)  Joining instructions (x2?)  ID numbers (x2?)  VLE/s (x2?)  Residence  Enrolment/s / registration/s (x2?)  Induction/s (x2?)  Freshers events: or not? (x2?)  Students Union/s: or not? (x2?)  First meetings with tutors (x2?)  First taught sessions (x2?)

Joining instructions and registration  University of Luton  Partner College Information was received well in I did not receive any information   advance, was clear and helpful  Information was incorrect and Very straightforward for both told me to turn up on the wrong  information and registration day, wrong week and at the wrong place  Registration OK Registration complicated – got  Registration quite simple  sent from pillar to post  Very flexible when helping with Nightmare!  last minute course change Took 6 months to get ID card  No problems   It was OK if you had all the right documentation, but people didn’t always read the list of what they had to bring with them

The development of the social network: ‘ people make it for you ’*  ‘ Equal emphasis needs to be placed on successful integration into the social world of the university as into the academic world’ ‘Making compatible friends is essential to retention... and students  living arrangements are central to this process’  ‘Accommodation is also important for students who live with their parents and mature students…difficulties in having a social life at university’ ‘Meaningful membership of the academic and social worlds of the  university’ ‘Whilst all aspects of the first-year experience were explored,  social support emerged as a significant theme’ (Wilcox, P, Winn, S, Fyvie-Gauld “‘It was nothing to do with the university, it was just the people’ : the role of social support in the first-year experience of higher education” Studies in Higher Education, Vol.30, No 6, December 2005, pp. 707-722) * Year 1 BA(Hons) Psychology student, University of Luton, July 2006

The role of the Student Union in the initial weeks  University of Luton  Partner College Freshers Week was great! Only went to Freshers Fair – was   there anything else?  Can’t wait for this year’s one Do we have a Union?  Am going to pretend I’m a fresher  Where is it?  all over again Do we belong?   Students took new students all over Luton – really helpful The SU was really helpful –  Freshers Week was cool!  Wall to wall party  The SU really helped me to feel SU really great - have  like a proper student volunteered to help with new students this year I am a mature student and too  old for the SU SU helped me with all sorts of  things when I was settling in to It made me feel very old  the University and to life in I’m not interested in anything like  England (Slovak student) that

Induction: a good introduction to the university community?  ‘the induction crisis’ (Frame, 2001)  ‘ Low progression rates and voluntary student withdrawal are increasingly a concern as participation rates in the tertiary sector rise. Models of departure stress the importance of transition mechanisms in obtaining the commitment which ensures persistence.’  ‘Induction is the first contact the undergraduates have with the university and forms their impressions’  ‘To succeed in their studies students must be motivated, accustomed to the university culture and feel part of the university community. Induction must effectively lead in ’ Edward, N ‘ First Impressions Last: an innovative approach to induction’ (ILTHE Studies in Higher Education, Vol.4, No 3, November 2003)  Luton: divide / on-campus / off-campus / token gestures?

Induction  University of Luton  Partner College  POINTLESS!!!  Induction at college was boring but set scene for the course Tutors pointed out the obvious  Learned to use referencing and  Waste of an afternoon  to write a bibliography  Made no difference if there or not Had lots of talks  Could have been much better   Had two inductions – one at the  Irrelevant University and one at College, I I do remember the afternoon  think – can’t remember drinks in the department Joined the sports students for a  Brilliant – had a party!  fun day at the University – great! Fantastic – had fun day,   What’s Induction? barbeque, party, really set scene Still waiting for the one at the  Really established staff/student  University! relations When’s it going to happen?  (June)