Compendium of effective practice in higher education: Volume 2

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similar trend appears in subsequent years. Of the 2010 cohort (63) who attended Headstart week, to date 21% have left their courses before completion; therefore 79% have been retained. However of those who were invited to Headstart but who did not attend, to date 36% have left their courses. Initial data suggests that Headstart has an impact on attainment as well as retention. Of the 18 who graduated after three years of study, 28% gained a first-class honours degree. Given the positive outcomes and the relatively low running costs, the project represented an innovative and cost-effective way of enhancing the student experience at Brunel. The WP team at Brunel has long advocated that its work is about access and success. The HE sector as a whole has a duty of care to ensure that adequate and appropriate support is in place to enhance successful transition into, and progression through, university. In order to ensure that students were not deterred from attending due to the cost of travelling, all travel costs were reimbursed in full. With some students travelling for four hours and in excess of sixty miles to attend, it was important that we did this. An analysis of the 2012 cohort revealed that, although most of the students who attended would have done so had there been no financial reimbursement, 32% stated that they simply could not have afforded to. As a direct result of attending the week, many found cheaper ways of travelling and shorter routes while others decided during the pre-sessional week to apply for accommodation on campus. Students made a number of other sacrifices to attend this week which help to paint a richer picture of the WP cohort. In 2012, 18% of students resigned from their job a week early in order to attend and 25% had to make alternative provisions for childcare, for example making additional payments for breakfast and after-school clubs. Conclusion An evaluation report of the Headstart programme from Occupational Therapy (OT) students’ perspectives demonstrated clearly that all students valued the programme as it “provided a positive and good foundation on which to build their university life”. The week has been adopted by the OT staff in the School of Health Sciences and Social Care to ensure that students start their undergraduate studies with the required level of physiology. The findings also suggest that the week helped to develop good academic and time-management skills, supported engagement with the university and facilitated knowledge and understanding. The Headstart programme has extended the university’s concept of induction to include pre-entry events, a view supported by Tinto (2008) who states that access without support is not opportunity. Pre-sessional activities such as Headstart that focus on preparation and integration undoubtedly help students entering university for the first time. The message to the sector is clear: a small investment from the outset can help to reap rewards by retaining more students and improves their experience at university. Finally, it is hoped that programmes like this will cease to be the exception and become the norm. References Crooks, B. (2011) Was David Cameron right? Black Caribbean males in higher education: What are universities doing to widening participation? A university’s response. In P. Jones, J. Storan, A. Hudson and J. Braham (eds) Which way now to widen participation, lifelong learning, economy and society. London: FACE. Harvey, L. et al. (eds) (2006) The first year experience: A literature review for the Higher Education Academy. York: HEA. Tinto, V. (2008) Access without support is not opportunity. In: Keynote address at the 36th Annual Institute for Chief Academic Officers, The Council of Independent Colleges, Seattle, Washington, 1 November. Available from http://www.faculty.soe.syr.edu/vtinto/Files/CouncilofIndependentColleges2008Keynote.pdf [27 June 2012]. Yorke, M. and Longden, B., (2007) The first-year experience in higher education in the UK [online]. York: The Higher Education Academy. Available from: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/resources/.../FYEFinalReport.pdf [2 May 2012]. 24
Supporting the transition of foundation degree students from levels 4 to 5 Carol Wilson, Edge Hill University wilsonc@edgehill.ac.uk Faculty of Health and Social Care Applied Health and Social Care Team Edge Hill University St Helens Road Ormskirk, L39 4QP Keywords transition FE/HE interface progression retention support belonging Nature of intervention Foundation degree students experience a study day the aim of which is to assist their transition from level 4 study, delivered within a further education environment, to level 5 which is delivered in a higher education setting. Focus of intervention The aim of the day is to encourage a feeling of identity within the students, allay the fears and anxieties of those transferring to a higher education environment and prepare them for academic writing at level 5. Description of intervention The majority of foundation degree (FD) students come from backgrounds where higher education (HE) was not an expectation. These students require a flexible approach in order to achieve success, otherwise student engagement and retention can incur a risk to the individual programme and the institution (Rowley, 2005) Although well motivated, FD students, due to their non-traditional educational backgrounds, can be low in confidence (Tierney and Slack, 2005, Thurgate et al., 2007), especially regarding academic skills (Turner et al., 2009, Woolhouse et al., 2009). Schofield and Dismore (2010) agree with Rowley (2005) about the need for universities to be mindful of the pressures this particular group of students faces, therefore requiring a flexible approach to transition. Inadequate provision of student support can have a huge impact on quality risks and student satisfaction (Rowley, 2005; Bridge et al., 2003). This particular group of students values supportive, responsive and available tutors to enhance its progression (Tierney and Slack, 2005). The foundation degree in Integrated Practice (FDIP) is delivered at Edge Hill University (EHU) and two partner FE colleges. One partner college delivers only the first year of the programme; those students then join the EHU group for the second year. It was quickly established via initial student interviews by the EHU programme leader, module evaluations (ME) and student/staff consultative forums (SSCF) that the partner college students joining EHU for the second year felt ‘scared’, ‘disadvantaged’ and ‘out of their comfort zone’. Some felt that the sometimes prescriptive and directive, supportive and nurturing approach of the FE college had not prepared them for the independent learning expected in the HE environment. They also stated that they did not ‘feel’ like a university student, partly because of spending their first year in the FE college and partly because they were only actually in university for one day per week. Bliuc et al. (2011) reflect the findings of Thomas (2002) and discuss the importance of nurturing a sense of identity and how this can link to deep approaches to learning and student success. The importance of developing this sense of belonging is stressed in the What Works? publication of 2012. How the intervention engages students In order to try to enhance this sense of identity and belonging, increase academic confidence and student satisfaction and allay anxiety regarding the next level of academic writing (from 4 to 5) and thus, ultimately, ease transition, all FDIP students were invited to a Transition Day in early June 2010. Content was decided upon by analysing the perceived barriers students had discussed verbally, or documented in ME and SSCFs. 25
Page 1 and 2: Compendium of effective practice in
Page 3 and 4: Contents Section Page Contents Fore
Page 5 and 6: Introduction The UK higher educatio
Page 7 and 8: ‘Academic and social survival gui
Page 9 and 10: Evaluations of the pre-arrival guid
Page 11 and 12: Information about Startonline is di
Page 13 and 14: Lowe, H. and Cook, A. (2003) Mind t
Page 15 and 16: university email accounts. The grou
Page 17 and 18: Thomas, L. (2011) Do pre-entry inte
Page 19 and 20: The sessions themselves combine tra
Page 21 and 22: References Boyle, A. et al. (2011)
Page 23: The majority of the week consists o
Page 27 and 28: As a team, we have been able to fee
Page 29 and 30: Links are made with staff to suppor
Page 31 and 32: The opportunity to communicate priv
Page 33 and 34: Figure 2: ‘Snakes’ cards Each g
Page 35 and 36: The workshop reflects a constructiv
Page 37 and 38: Enhancing the induction period thro
Page 39 and 40: together. This information will now
Page 41 and 42: Moving Forward showcases taking res
Page 43 and 44: Although this only provides a snaps
Page 45 and 46: Research methods teaching in the so
Page 47 and 48: Student evaluation of the modules h
Page 49 and 50: How the intervention engages studen
Page 51 and 52: Enhancing the quantitative skills o
Page 53 and 54: X1 The chart shows that the majorit
Page 55 and 56: An inquiry-based approach to teachi
Page 57 and 58: ecommend them to other students. Th
Page 59 and 60: Description of intervention Aimed a
Page 61 and 62: Using role emerging placements to e
Page 63 and 64: Theme Category Codes Professional d
Page 65 and 66: Thomas, Y. et al. (2005) Australian
Page 67 and 68: Self assessment Tutor assessment De
Page 69 and 70: 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 1
Page 71 and 72: Swansea University Department of Cr
Page 73 and 74: processes such as the SSC, the Stud
Page 75 and 76:
Lecture recordings support student
Page 77 and 78:
comprehensively throughout the prog
Page 79 and 80:
Phillips, R. et al. (2007) Staff an
Page 81 and 82:
were difficulties for staff in meet
Page 83 and 84:
Conclusion Formative feedback forms
Page 85 and 86:
Neutral facilitator The facilitator
Page 87 and 88:
Conclusion The examples described (
Page 89 and 90:
Have academic conventions been cons
Page 91 and 92:
Section 3: Supporting students In t
Page 93 and 94:
How the intervention engages studen
Page 95 and 96:
The impact of Academic Skills Centr
Page 97 and 98:
Students Attendance at Business and
Page 99 and 100:
End-of-week reflective meetings to
Page 101 and 102:
Informal learning outcomes Students
Page 103 and 104:
How the intervention engages studen
Page 105 and 106:
Retaining non-standard students in
Page 107 and 108:
ecause until needed, they are unkno
Page 109 and 110:
Supporting “complicated” traine
Page 111 and 112:
This first group continues to flour
Page 113 and 114:
Curtin University mentor programme:
Page 115 and 116:
My Mentor. . . Strongly Agree Agree
Page 117 and 118:
Engaging with students as partners
Page 119 and 120:
However, as noted in the report its
Page 121 and 122:
The impact of a robust peer mentori
Page 123 and 124:
Of the total 29 mentees who took pa
Page 125 and 126:
Section 4: Participation and belong
Page 127 and 128:
needs that students brought to us,
Page 129 and 130:
Embedding mandatory personal tutori
Page 131 and 132:
Conclusion The previous personal tu
Page 133 and 134:
In Civil Engineering and various bu
Page 135 and 136:
helped to further illuminate “wha
Page 137 and 138:
Whatever challenges are presented t
Page 139 and 140:
Using Twitter to increase engagemen
Page 141 and 142:
Well-timed and appropriate media: T
Page 143 and 144:
Engaging students to engage the cam
Page 145 and 146:
Evidence of effectiveness/impact Si
Page 147 and 148:
Section 5: Utilisation of data and
Page 149 and 150:
Key recommendations made by student
Page 151 and 152:
use of available online/VLE resourc
Page 153 and 154:
An academic mentoring pilot scheme
Page 155 and 156:
HERE project toolkit: A resource fo
Page 157 and 158:
Students ranked their response to f
Page 159 and 160:
References Lane, P. L. et al. (2002
Page 161 and 162:
using appropriate technologies crea
Page 163 and 164:
Higher Education Funding Council fo
Page 165 and 166:
The strategies introduced were in a
Page 167 and 168:
Conclusion The success of this inte
Page 169 and 170:
Senior Academic Support Tutors: Fos
Page 171 and 172:
Service use SAST continues to exper
Page 173 and 174:
Thomas, L. (2011) Do pre-entry inte
Page 175 and 176:
assessment using volunteer members
Page 177 and 178:
References General Pharmaceutical C
Page 179 and 180:
student volunteering on a number of
Page 181 and 182:
The Recruit, Retain, Employ group:
Page 183 and 184:
Evidence of effectiveness/impact Co
Page 185 and 186:
Developing staff capacity for stude
Page 187 and 188:
“Yes, wide range from understandi
Page 189 and 190:
Synergy, variety and relationships:
Page 191 and 192:
needed to be put into place - with
Page 193 and 194:
Concluding Remarks Following the su
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