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Adapting a first

Open professional development session

https://supportingstart.eu/

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INTERACT WITH THE CONTENT FOUND IN THESE SLIDES

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DO NOT FORGET THE “SPEAKER NOTES”

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Open professional development session for academics teaching first-year students

https://supportingstart.eu/

Open professional development

session

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  1. Introduction
  2. Challenges students experience in their transition to Higher Education
    • Focus group discussions with University of Groningen students, academic/study advisors, and those who teach first-year students
    • Findings from literature review

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STRUCTURE OF THE SESSION

  1. Why are we sharing this with you? Academics can have an impact
  2. Sharing experiences on supporting students in their transition
  3. Individual reflection and suggestions for the Awareness Raising Toolkit

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2.1 Focus group discussions with University of Groningen students, academic/study advisors, and those who teach first-year students

2.2 Findings from literature review

Please, take notes about challenges for the students you work with (worksheet)

2. Challenges students experience in their transition to Higher Education

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2. CHALLENGES STUDENTS EXPERIENCE IN THEIR TRANSITION TO HIGHER EDUCATION

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2.1 FOCUS GROUP: STUDENTS

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"The knowledge that I had in high school was nothing compared with the knowledge I am learning here." 

What you need to learn is harder, it’s different level of difficulty (at university compared to high school

    • You need to learn differently
    • There is a gap in other important skills/competences (what students come with and what they need)

2. CHALLENGES STUDENTS EXPERIENCE IN THEIR TRANSITION TO HIGHER EDUCATION

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2.1 FOCUS GROUP: STUDENTS

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"I was so overwhelmed by everything. And I thought – who do I even go to for anything – for what classes I can do, for what language I should take?”

  • This is not clear from the start - it takes time and unpleasant experience(s) to arrive at these conclusions:

    • Figuring out and navigating university (support) system(s)
    • You are away from parents
    • You do not always get the feeling that those teaching you want you to succeed
    • Nobody seems to care about you

2. CHALLENGES STUDENTS EXPERIENCE IN THEIR TRANSITION TO HIGHER EDUCATION

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2.1 FOCUS GROUP: STUDENTS

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“I felt VERY uninformed. I had no idea what was going on. I was constantly, like, ‘what do I do with this’. I had so many questions but I did not know whom to go to."

  • A consolidated approach at programme level does not seem to exist

    • Grasping for connections between different things being studied

2. CHALLENGES STUDENTS EXPERIENCE IN THEIR TRANSITION TO HIGHER EDUCATION

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2.1 FOCUS GROUP: STUDY ADVISORS AND ACADEMICS

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“It feels like that when you get a high school student, you have to re-educate them, to model them into a higher education student.”

Learning to learn - university teaching and learning + teacher and student roles and responsibilities:

    • Inaccurate expectations
    • Skills gap
    • Students need to find out what is expected of them
    • Unhelpful attitudes
    • Students are not ready to take responsibility for their learning

2. CHALLENGES STUDENTS EXPERIENCE IN THEIR TRANSITION TO HIGHER EDUCATION

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2.1 FOCUS GROUP: STUDY ADVISORS AND ACADEMICS

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“If you realice how much is happening in student lives in this period, you will be surprised at how many students actually succeed (and not drop out).”

Not all students believe they belong at the university:

    • Students might not be clear what they want to study and why
    • Mental health issues
    • Living on their own
    • Being in a new country
    • Making new friends/feeling isolated 

Students do not know how university system(s) work(s)

Balancing time for study versus life

2. CHALLENGES STUDENTS EXPERIENCE IN THEIR TRANSITION TO HIGHER EDUCATION

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2.2 FINDINGS FROM LITERATURE REVIEW

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2. CHALLENGES STUDENTS EXPERIENCE IN THEIR TRANSITION TO HIGHER EDUCATION

PERSONAL

UNIVERSITY

CULTURE

SOCIAL

ACADEMIC

ENGAGEMENT

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2.2 FINDINGS FROM LITERATURE REVIEW

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2. CHALLENGES STUDENTS EXPERIENCE IN THEIR TRANSITION TO HIGHER EDUCATION

PERSONAL

UNIVERSITY

CULTURE

SOCIAL

ACADEMIC

ENGAGEMET

Appropriation of cultural codes based on knowledge from research instead of knowledge as a fact

Adjusting to a new education format

Adapting to new space time boudaries

Taking responsibility for administrative formalities

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2.2 FINDINGS FROM LITERATURE REVIEW

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2. CHALLENGES STUDENTS EXPERIENCE IN THEIR TRANSITION TO HIGHER EDUCATION

PERSONAL

UNIVERSITY

CULTURE

SOCIAL

ACADEMIC

ENGAGEMET

Developing new study strategies

Dealing with expectations and reality after program

Organising studies autonomously

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2.2 FINDINGS FROM LITERATURE REVIEW

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2. CHALLENGES STUDENTS EXPERIENCE IN THEIR TRANSITION TO HIGHER EDUCATION

PERSONAL

UNIVERSITY

CULTURE

SOCIAL

ACADEMIC

ENGAGEMET

Finding balance between new demands

Embracing new identity

Building a support network (intercultural, emotional, etc)

Searching for belonging and being included

Engaging with the new community

Build a strong support system

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PERSONAL

UNIVERSITY

CULTURE

SOCIAL

ACADEMIC

ENGAGEMET

Appropriation of cultural codes based on knowledge from research instead of knowledge as a fact

Adjusting to a new education format

Adapting to new space time boudaries

Taking responsibility for administrative formalities

Developing new study strategies

Dealing with expectations and reality after program

Organising studies autonomously

Finding balance between new demands

Embracing new identity

Building a support network (intercultural, emotional, etc)

Searching for belonging and being included

Engaging with the new community

Build a strong support system

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ACADEMICS CAN HAVE AN IMPACT

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3. WHY ARE WE SHARING THIS WITH YOU? ACADEMICS CAN HAVE AN IMPACT

Academics CAN support student transition to HE

Academics CAN

What Academics DO has a strong influence on students

  • Create Sense of Belonging
  • Promote Resilience and Engagement
  • Build Community
  • Navigate ‘Unspoken Rules’
  • Be Approachable

  • Explicit Rules
  • Transition Pedagogy (UDL)
  • Supportive Environment
  • Timely Feedback
  • Signposting Supports

  • Direct Contact
  • Meaningful Interactions
  • Positive Relationships
  • Structured contact out of class
  • ‘with great power… comes great responsibility’ (P. Parker)

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ACADEMICS CAN HAVE AN IMPACT

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3. WHY ARE WE SHARING THIS WITH YOU? ACADEMICS CAN HAVE AN IMPACT

Academics CAN support student transition to HE

Academics CAN

What Academics DO has a strong influence on students

  • Create Sense of Belonging
  • Promote Resilience and Engagement
  • Build Community
  • Navigate ‘Unspoken Rules’
  • Be Approachable

  • Explicit Rules
  • Transition Pedagogy (UDL)
  • Supportive Environment
  • Timely Feedback
  • Signposting Supports

  • Direct Contact
  • Meaningful Interactions
  • Positive Relationships
  • Structured contact out of class
  • ‘with great power… comes great responsibility’ (P. Parker)

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ACADEMICS CAN HAVE AN IMPACT

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3. WHY ARE WE SHARING THIS WITH YOU? ACADEMICS CAN HAVE AN IMPACT

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Identify challenges you want to discuss

Share good practices and possible solutions

4. SHARING EXPERIENCES ON SUPPORTING STUDENTS IN THEIR TRANSITION

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Please, use the link to give input into the Awareness Raising Toolkit

What does this session mean to you? What should you continue doing, do more of and/or strive to avoid doing? (worksheet)

Please, take a photograph of your notes and send to [...]

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5. INDIVIDUAL REFLECTION AND SUGGESTIONS

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Open professional development session for academics teaching first-year students

https://supportingstart.eu/

Thank you