Enhancing the First Year Experience

1
Enhancing the First Year Experience

• Clare Carter
• University of Ulster

2
Widening Participation

• UU committed to widening participation
• HEFCE benchmark is 28 participation from social
  classes IIIM, IV and V (1999-2000 intake)
• UU rate was 39
• Students must also be retained and progress
• One initiative is Step-Up programme

3
UU retention

• Benchmark for 1999-2000 entry was 10, 8 for
  young entrants and 15 for mature entrants
• Actual rate that year was 11, 10 for young
  entrants and 13 for mature entrants

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Reasons given for withdrawal
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UU project

• Collate good practice within the university
• Collect information on aspects of 1st year
  experience
• Collect information on first year student opinion
• Collect good practice from elsewhere
• Construct programme relating good practice to
  identified student needs
• Pilot and evaluate in year 2
• Finalise and disseminate

6
Initiatives already on-going in some faculties

• Review of Induction
• Review of first year curriculum
• Enhancing role of studies advisor
• Enhancing subject support
• Enhancing study skills support
• Monitoring of attendance with follow-up

7
What happens to first year students

• Collection of information relating to
• pre-entry provision of information to prospective
  and incoming students
• induction
• curriculum
• studies support
• assessment

8
Student Characteristics

• Most students are from Ireland?
• Working part-time?
• Many are first in family to go into higher
  education?
• Many are not confident about their study skills
  when they come to university?
• Evidence is needed

9
Student diversity

• We know
• how many ages qualifications ethnicity
  disability
• We dont know
• family experience of HE extent of outside
  employment incoming student expectations about
  study in HE

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Questionnaires

• On entry
• Later first semester
• Withdrawing students

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Outcomes

• Profile of first year students
• Expectations of university
• family experience of HE
• accommodation
• employment
• travel times
• Do students withdrawing show particular risk
  factors?

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Outcomes (2)

• Handbook of recommendations of good practice for
  enhancing retention
• Piloting of recommendations next year
• Roll-out across University 2005-06