The role of full cohort, small group and individual meetings in Undergraduate transition to university.
Monday, April 7, 2025 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM
MEANING
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Session Outline
Over six years, we have fully redesigned induction activity for incoming undergraduates. This session explores the process of designing and delivering full cohort, small group and individual support sessions for incoming undergraduates and reflects on improvements and feedback as well as future considerations.
The importance of support through the transitional period at the start of university is well recognised (Student Experience Survey, 2023, Thompson, Pawson, Evans, 2021). It is noted as a time of practical and psychological change (Thompson, Pawson, Evans, 2021) and of wildly varying expectations and levels of pre-preparedness (Money, Nixon, Graham, 2019). Personal Tutors and similar support roles are recognised as a potentially pivotal figure in smooth transition and student success (Yale 2017).
Within this context, recognising changes in cohorts over the period, including rising levels of reported mental health diagnoses, increased societal and financial pressures to obtain top grades (Thorley 2017), growth in the sector (Thomas 2006) and the ongoing impact of the pandemic on students (ONS report, 2021), each aspect of the pre-arrival, Welcome and settling in period that can be supported by the department’s Student Advice and Support Managers has been carefully considered and designed. This has been supported by enhanced peer support activity and communications plans. We have worked with students, Faculty members, wider Professional Services colleagues and teams across the institution to explore the balance of our offering of one to one, small group and cohort support over the first key term.
Since 2018, workshops open to all incoming students have evolved from responsive and planned in-year to scheduled, announced and contextualised ahead of students' arrival. Small group sessions have moved from informal check-ins, to briefings on systems led by staff and then again to peer-led activities. Guidance on how to use one to one meetings has been amended based on student feedback and different ways of accessing these have been explored. Students have been consulted on their experience throughout. We have drawn on recommendations from students doing their own research on the experience of Widening Participation entrants, focus groups, surveys and student reps. Continuous review of 'what works' within our department and the wider sector has allowed us to better understand and define the purpose of Welcome and early transition and create a clear framework for entrants engage in as they ‘become’ students.
Key learnings include: developing an understanding of common misconceptions that slow down or prevent smooth transitions, the importance of personalising interactions between the Student Advice and Support Managers and both the cohort as a whole and as individuals, the need to continue responding to new cohorts of students as they change over time and a better conception of the diverse needs of any incoming cohort.
Learning Outcomes
Attendees will be able to recognise opportunities to work with students as partners and incorporate different forms of student feedback to develop induction programmes.
Bibliography
Neves, J., & Stephenson, R., (2023) Student Academic Experience Survey 2023, Higher Education Policy Institute, https://www.hepi.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Student-Academic-Experience-Survey-2023.pdf (13/12/24)
Money, J., Nixon, S., & Graham, L. (2019), ‘Do educational experiences in school prepare students for university? A teachers’ perspective’ Journal of Further and Higher Education, 44(4), pp.554–567
Office for National Statistics (2020), ‘Coronavirus and the impact on students in higher education in England: September to December 2020’, https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/educationandchildcare/articles/coronavirusandtheimpactonstudentsinhighereducationinenglandseptembertodecember2020/2020-12-21 (13/12/24)
Thorley, C., ‘Not by degrees. Improving Student Mental Health in the UK’s Universities’ (2017), Institute for Public Policy Research, https://ippr-org.files.svdcdn.com/production/Downloads/1504645674_not-by-degrees-170905.pdf (13/12/24)
Yale, A., (2017) ‘The personal tutor- student relationship: student expectations and experiences of personal tutoring in higher education’, Journal of Further and Higher Education 43(4), pp.1-12
Competencies
This session addresses the following competencies of the UKAT Professional Framework for Advising and Tutoring