1. FYE at UTS Dr Kathy Egea FYE coordinator
University of technology Sydney
June 28th 2016

2. UTS First Year Experience (FYE) program
an institution-wide, systematic approach to supporting transition, retention and success for first year students from low socio-economic status backgrounds, within a philosophy that good practice for these students is good practice for all students.
The program design was informed by third generation first year policy and practice (Kift, Nelson, & Clarke, 2010), including the ideas of transition pedagogy (Kift, 2009; 2015).

3. FYE community and forums
UTS FYE program
FYE community and forums
Central
coordination
University
FYTE coordinators
Faculties
FYE Faculty CoPs
FYE grants

4. FYE forum

5. Success: Headcount and pass rate

6. Underpinnings of FYE practice: Sally Kift’s Transition Pedagogy
The intentional design of learning, teaching and assessment approaches forms an integral part of any successful transition pedagogy (Kift, 2009, p. 9)
First year Curriculum Principles (FYCPs)
Transition
Diversity
Design
Engagement
Assessment
Monitoring and Evaluation

7. FYE grant applications
Brief description of the aims and rationale for the project
 Select the 1-2 strongest Transition Pedagogy principles that you are addressing. Provide detail of how the selected principle(s) is (are) addressed in your project.
 Other University/Faculty/Course/Subject priorities addressed (optional)
Key project activities and timeline, including appropriate activities that engage the overall teaching team (if applicable)
Your evaluation strategy ie how you will know that the project has been successful, with particular focus on the transition pedagogies that you have chosen, and how will you collect information to improve the outcomes?
Project Budget and budget justification

8. Transition FYCP
Transition from their previous educational experience to the nature of learning in higher education and learning in their discipline as part of lifelong learning
FY curriculum to be
consistent and explicit in assisting students’ transition
mediate and support transition as a process that occurs over time
Enable transition as ongoing process

9. Video: Messages from Survivors The move from structured independent learning in year 12 to open-ended group creativity in first year university

10. Professional Practice Points Rationale
Aim: to get students to think about what does it mean to be a scientist
How do scientists act?
What skills are important for your future subjects and future years at university but also in your future careers?
Ideas of professional skills and their application were embedded from week 1 in the very first semester and then throughout the years.

11. Practice
Not evident
Developing
Competent
Exemplary
Organisational Skills
Time management
Task focus
Preparedness to learn
Disorganised.
Poor attention to task.
Not prepared for lab session.
Reasonably well-organised in the lab.
Not always attentive to task.
Had prepared to some extent for the lab session.
Used time in the lab effectively.
Kept on-task during the session.
Had read background material.
Well-organised in the lab session.
Very purposeful, strongly on-task.
Had read and fully understood background material.
Interpersonal Skills
Acts on instructions
Communicates ideas and asks questions
Courteous to peers
Does not follow instructions.
Not contributing effectively to discussion.
Dealt poorly with others.
Needed direct guidance in following instructions.
Sometimes offered ideas. Communication good.
Some lapses in relations with others.
Acts on instructions, seeking clarification when necessary.
Offered ideas and communicated effectively.
Dealt courteously with peers and staff.
Acted on instructions promptly.
Proactive in offering ideas, communicated well.
Worked well with others in the lab.
Work-based skills
Contributes effectively to the team
Ability to work independently
Ability to work safely in the laboratory
Disruptive in teamwork. Non-contributor.
Unable to work independently without considerable guidance.
Not working safely
Contributed to some extent to teamwork.
Some initiative shown in working independently.
Needed guidance in working safely.
Was an effective member of a team.
Largely self-reliant in directing own work.
Worked safely in the laboratory.
Offered some leadership in team situations.
Self-starter, self-reliant.
Always worked safely with proper concern for others.

12. Survey Results – What did you like?
After looking at the feedback from the lab assistant, they gave me a bit more confidence.
Being able to record down what went wrong or what you did good as a form of solidified self reflection
It enabled me to critique my 'performance' in the lab for each practical experiment, and to receive feedback from my lab demonstrator as to how they think I performed.
They allowed me to focus on my actions during prac classes and evaluate them. This helped me improve.

13. Your task (1 minute) FYCP: Transition
Reflect on this principle and how it might apply to your teaching
Write comments on sheet provided and focus on
What you are doing now to address student transition?

14. Diversity principle
FY curriculum account for students’ backgrounds, needs, experiences and patterns of study
students have special learning needs by reason of their social, cultural and academic transition
few if any assumptions should be made about existing skills and knowledge.

15. Maths Project FYE Grant (2012): Chemistry 1
Bridging the Gap between Chemistry and Maths
Materials Developed:
Questionnaire to identify background knowledge and diversity of the first year cohort
Chemistry and Mathematics background
Completion of Bridging Courses
Results from Diagnostic test

16. Maths Project - Demographics
FYE Project: Chemistry 1
Maths Project - Demographics
Highest Level of Chemistry %
Year 10 28
HSC Chemistry 50
HSC Senior Science 4
TAFE 6
Chemistry at Another University
None
Highest Level of Maths %
Year 10 5
HSC General Maths 27
HSC Mathematics 39
HSC Extension 1 or 2 23
Maths at Another University
None 1

17. Maths Project FYE Project: Chemistry 1
Bridging the Gap between Chemistry and Maths
Materials Developed:
Online quizzes with extensive formative feedback

18. Maths Project FYE Project: Chemistry 1
Bridging the Gap between Chemistry and Maths
Materials Developed:
Support booklet
43 pages of material covering topics such as algebra, logarithms, graphing skills and unit derivation

19. FYE Project: Chemistry 1 - Outcomes 2011 (before) (n = 649)
Subject Statistics
2011 (before) (n = 649)
Average Mark (%)
54%
Fail (X and Z)
41% P
30% C
14% D 9% H 6%
2012 (after)
(n = 797)
62%
16%
40%
24% 5%

20. Your task (1 minute) Look at Adam’s survey: ‘Getting to know you’
Reflect your own way of managing student diversity…in your class and write the comments on the handout FYCP: Diversity
What you are doing now to understand the diversity in your class?

21. Design principle FY curriculum design and delivery
student-focused
explicit and relevant
Provides the foundation and scaffolding necessary for FY learning success.
FY curriculum must be designed to assist student development and to support their engagement with learning environments through the intentional integration and sequencing of knowledge, skills, and attitudes.

22. Construction FY subject
Challengers
First of the four Cost Management subjects
Large amount of curriculum material & heavy emphasis on numeracy
Largely digital and practice-based
Large class size
Weekly tutorial, less individual support
Students not engaged in the subject and high failure rates

23. FYE grant - Builders’ transition: Peer-demonstrator program and careers assignment design & implementation
Implemented peer demonstrators (successful higher year students or immediate graduates) to provide tutorial support to students in order to increase the ratio of teaching assistants to students.
Developed training manual in how to encourage FY students in developing their learning skills and confidence in the subject.
Collated past student feedback results (with T&L staff )
Developed a practice-based career assessment for the subject with T&L and Career staff.
The group assignment required students to interview an industry expert to find out the role and challenges of cost management in the construction industry.
Develop a student workshop for the career assignment (interviewing practices with career services).
Develop screencasts for the subject (with academics from another school and faculty) -

25. Outcomes
Peer-demonstrator program : The student feedback from focus group discussion and SFS was positive and students were happier with more tutors assisting the tutorial session.
Good tutorial sessions and the extra tutors were needed
Yes the tutors were great and very helpful. I literally relied on them to re-learn the content the lecture
The tutors were great, very helpful and happy to answer any questions
Good to have extra students - for continuous week to week support, patience and tolerance to my questions and learning in this subject
The evaluation/observation forms completed by peer tutors have also provided positive feedback on the changes of subject delivery and overall students’ learning situation.
Career bases assignment: The student feedback on the group practice-based career assignment was also well received by students.

26. Your task (1 minute) FYCP: Design
Reflect on this principle and how it might apply to your teaching
Write comments on sheet provided and focus on
What you are doing now to address the design principle?

27. Engagement principle Engaging and involving curriculum pedagogy
Active and collaborative learning
Learning communities
active and interactive learning opportunities
peer-to-peer collaboration
teacher-student interaction

28. Involving curriculum pedagogy

30. Involving curriculum pedagogy

31. Engagement through collaboration

32. Your task (1 minute) FYCP: Engagement
Reflect on this principle and how it might apply to your teaching
Write comments on sheet provided and focus on
What you are doing now to address the engagement principle?

33. Assessment principle
The first year curriculum aids transition to higher education assessment through
a range of appropriate assessment practices
provision of early feedback on student progress to students and staff
increases in complexity from first to later years.

34. Benchmarking with technology
Tutors and students

35. Benchmarking with technology

36. Benchmarking evaluation

37. Benchmarking without technology Team discussing and agreeing on criteria

38. Benchmarking without technology Checking requirements for referencing criteria and yellow grading cards

39. Benchmarking without technology Class discusses how the report could have been improved

40. Reflections from academic
Tutors should be trained and work collaboratively
Criteria needs to be specific “Excellent” too vague
Great way to combine multiple classes
What is the best group size?
Consider time and timing
Range of standards - students want HD examples
Real examples of student’s work or compilation?
Students love the competition and excitement of the reveal
High energy and complete involvement
Great feedback from tutors and students

41. Your task (1 minute) FYCP: Assessment
Reflect on this principle and how it might apply to your teaching
Write comments on sheet provided and focus on
What you are doing now to address the assessment principle?

42. Evaluation and monitoring principle
Monitor all students’ engagement in their learning
Identify and intervene in a timely way with students at risk
Evaluate your own practice
Plus (at UTS)
“Get student to monitor their own practice”

43. Ethics Law & Justice Reflective Practice (classroom and assessment)
Part 1: Self-Management Plan & Reflection
early low risk (due beginning of week 4, worth 10%)
Part 1 SM plan and reflection
Part 2: Journal (week 13, worth 20%)
based on weekly posts
How do you think the learning in Ethics, Law and Justice will impact on your future as a reflective and ethical practitioner?
In your final post, discuss one issue that we looked at this semester. How you would respond to the issue as a reflective and ethical practitioner?

44. Sample of reflective task in law
Assessment task 1: Reflective Journal
Developing the UTS: Law graduate attribute of self-management in this subject ‘Ethics, Law and Justice’ will enable you to:
Demonstrate a developing capacity to reflect on, and assess capabilities, wellbeing and performance
Demonstrate a developing capacity to make use of feedback as appropriate
Identify, access and utilise appropriate resources and assistance to develop resilience.
Your development of Self-Management will be assessed as part of your Reflective Journal.

45. Student comments Self-management plan Reflective writing
  The transfer from high school to uni was all very new and initially very clueless to what is going on. But it helped me to keep on track with all work and assignments.
Reflective writing
The blog posts really made me reflect and re-evaluate my opinion weekly. The final reflection helped me to see how far I’d come from the start.

46. Your task (1 minute) FYCP: Evaluation and monitoring
Reflect on this principle and how it might apply to your teaching
Write comments on sheet provided and focus on
What could be done to improve both students and academic reflection on “Evaluation and Monitoring”?

47. Example of FYE grant application: Selected Principles and justification
Provide detail of how the selected principle(s) is (are) addressed in your project.
Transition
The first year curriculum explicitly assists transition academically and socially into learning in higher education and the new discipline.
This project will assist transition into first year through:
engaging students in a flipped learning approach early in their Science course,
carefully scaffolded resources that promote self-efficacy and confidence in mastering threshold concepts
This project will also assist student transition through to later years by developing independent learning skills to thrive in a flipped learning environment that is UTS learning.futures

48. Example of FYE grant application: Selected Principles and justification
Provide detail of how the selected principle(s) is (are) addressed in your project.
Design
The first year curriculum is designed intentionally for commencing students, based on evidence from practice and research.
We will implement a systematic flipped learning framework (Reyna et al 2015) to ensure we are addressing the needs of our commencing students in achieving the subject learning outcomes. In particular, we will concentrate on the content that have been identified as threshold concepts by Ross et al. (2010) and identified as ‘troublesome’ from past quizzes and exam papers in Biocomplexity.

49. Thank you…
Any questions?

50. Next task: world cafe 40 minutes 6 principles
what works, what is challenging
One principle with faciliator
7 minutes to talk and one minute to change
After round 1, facilator will summarise past groups discussion