1. Student Induction Programmes Key Contacts Conference 2011 Alison Wride University of Exeter Business School GES Senior Academic Advisor

2. UK Higher Education in 2011 …a model of Higher Education as an engaged partnership and shared responsibility between academics and students, rather than a simple service model 1 If they didnt think of themselves as consumers before they were paying £9k, they certainly will now 2

3. Arriving at University What it means Different types of students Different backgrounds academically Ages/nationalities

4. The 1989 Model Freshers week –settling into halls –physical registration –grant cheques –societies –making friends

5. In the last 5-10 years A different approach with freshers week commonly now known as induction/ welcome week At Exeter driven by Recognition that we didnt do enough Recognition that what we did wasnt done well enough Recognition that welcome week is both an induction and an attraction

6. Sector-wide drivers for change Students as consumers –Fees, but also cultural change League tables –Progression/retention Media interest Role of parents Increasing internationalisation

7. Drivers for change within faculties Drive from above –Senior teams Drive from alongside –Professional service staff –Academics Drive from below –Students

8. Different Approaches University level vs School/Faculty/College level Online/ pre-arrival induction First week sessions Ongoing sessions Roles of academics/professional services/other students

9. Specific Examples University of the Arts http://www.arts.ac.uk/induction/http://www.arts.ac.uk/induction/ Northumbria- see online induction for EU/International –http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/sd/central/stud_serv/sws/ int_adviser/isi/http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/sd/central/stud_serv/sws/ int_adviser/isi/ plus sessions Northumbria SASS Nottingham Trent http://www.ntu.ac.uk/cadq/welcome_week_student_transition /index.html

10. Common content Information- major component Module/Option choices- more information Using IT/library- more information Study advice Employability advice Team building/ ice breaking sessions Subject specific lectures- often by stars

11. Variability across sector Pre 92 / post 92 –Casual empiricism HE in FE International students Content Philosophy

12. Research An evaluation of student induction in higher education by Ahmed Hassanien and Alison Barber. International Journal of Management Education 2008 (Evaluates students perceptions of induction process) The first year experience of higher education in the UK by Mantz Yorke and Bernard Longden. Final Report for HEA Project 2008 (Analyses the survey of students who leave during year 1 i.e. year 2 non-returners)

13. Yorke and Longden find that the literature on student experience suggests a number of broad areas of institutional activity through which student success can be influenced: an institutional commitment to student learning, and hence to student engagement proactive management of student transition treating the curriculum as an academic milieu, and also one in which social engagement is fostered

14. choosing curricular structures that increase the chances of student success placing an emphasis on the first-year experience (including the provision of resources) systematically monitoring and evaluating student achievement, and acting on the evidence thereby collected academic leadership (although in some of the cited sources this is implicit rather than explicit).

15. Why socialisation matters It Was Nothing to Do with the University, It Was Just the People Wilcox at al Studies in Higher Education Dec 2005 This article argues that to understand higher education student retention, equal emphasis needs to be placed on successful integration into the social world of the university as into the academic world. The concept of "social support" is used to analyse interviews with 34 first-year students, investigating the processes through which social integration (or lack of it) influenced their decision as to whether or not to leave university.

16. The authors find that making compatible friends is essential to retention, and that students' living arrangements are central to this process. Such friends provide direct emotional support, equivalent to family relationships, as well as buffering support in stressful situations. Course friendships and relationships with personal tutors are important but less significant, providing primarily instrumental, informational and appraisive support

17. Its not just about dropping out Oxford study of suicide rates among students recommended careful induction upon arrival at university

18. Good Practice Guidelines Opportunities for student communication and socialisation Activities to support the transition process Academic and course related information Details of formal registration Tutor support Orientation programme A sense of belonging Early personal tutor identification

19. Forward thinking practice Follow up to welcome week with an extended induction, with touch points throughout the year Building relationships Extending academic groups to social networks- for example making use of subject focused societies

20. Devising an induction programme Get a good mix of information, guidance and activities Give information in a format that can be checked afterwards and demonstrate how to access it Run as much as possible at faculty/school/department level

21. Involve academic and professional service staff Involve 2 nd /final year students Invoke competitive instinct, for example running business games This week is key to building relationships, between you and the students and amongst students, put time and effort into it Follow up throughout year 1

22. Points made by groups Administration –Horrible admin PowerPoints Games Lectures Engaging with students Orientation sessions Departmental slot in general induction programme Social event Role of mentors Formal meeting with tutors Issues Student motivation Purposes of university education Managing student expectations