A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Enhancing academic and Practice

118 ❘
Teaching, supervising, learning
• be an integrated whole
• be part of an ongoing extended programme
• be evaluated with outcomes and actions communicated to relevant
stakeholders.
(QAA Enhancement Themes: Responding to Student Needs
(http://www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk/documents/studentneeds/student_
needs_A5_booklet.pdf) (accessed 28 January 2008))
As has been argued above, it can no longer be assumed that students have a full
understanding of the nature of higher education, the demands tutors expect to make on
them, and the requirements of the subject they are studying. It is therefore necessary to
be explicit about all these matters and take nothing for granted. Early tasks should induct
students into processes of enquiry, searching for information, working in groups and
using the VLE. Subject-specific projects should be set early to engage students and
establish high expectations of them.
Furthermore, the importance of the emotional state that many students are in when
they enter higher education needs to be recognised. Typically they are anxious, they lack
confidence in their own ability to cope, they are full of uncertainty about what will be
expected of them, and nervous about their relationships with other students as well as
with staff. One survey reported that 58 per cent of students claimed that ‘since being a
student I feel under a lot more stress than before’ (MORI, 2005).
Students typically ask themselves many questions when they enter higher education
– as illustrated in Table 9.1. Rather than ignore students’ self-doubt and uncertainty, it is
better to address these legitimate questions in induction and throughout the first year.
Questions
How do I know ...
What to do?
If I’m doing it right?
How well I’m doing?
If I’m studying the right
modules/courses?
What I’ve learnt?
Where I’m going?
Table 9.1 Questions students ask themselves
Learning support
Response
Information to allow students to plan
Clarification of expectations
Skills development
Feedback on work in progress
Feedback on assessed work
Academic advice
Records of achievement
Career information and personal development planning (PDP)