A Springboard into an Ocean of Potential

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A Springboard into an Ocean of Potential
Redesigning the First Year Julia Braham Senior
Academic Skills AdviserYing Ye Head of First
Year - Accounting and FinanceCathy Dolan Head
of First Year - Economics

• The Eighth University of Leeds Learning and
  Teaching Conference 2011

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Outline of Workshop

• Introduction
• Issues from transition to HE
• Model developed in LUBS
• How to adapt LUBSs model to other disciplines
• Evaluation of the model
• Future challenges

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Activity One

• Group one Julia, Gareth, Elizabeth, Tess,
  Alistair
• Martin, Anthea
• Group two John, Lisa, Dan, Martin, Anne,
  Lorraine
• Discussion
• What do you see as being the main issues and
• challenges in the first year transition within
  your
• discipline or from your perspective?

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Activity One Results from LUBS Survey

• LUBS first year students what areas caused most
  
• difficulties coping with the transition to
  university study ?
• Adjusting to style of teaching
• Trouble understanding course material
• Confidence in my own abilities

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Transition to Higher Education How LUBS
Responded to the Issues
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Head of First Year

• Three Heads of First Year
• Accounting
• Economics
• Management HRM
• Personal tutor
• Tailored one-to-one support and guidance
• Minimum of 3 individual meetings
• Lecturer for at least two compulsory modules in
  the first year
• Work together to oversee and develop the first
  year experience

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Year 1 Personal Tutorial Module
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A co-ordinated approach
Leeds for Life
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Academic skills in the discipline
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Academic practice and assessment

• Induction assignment feedback week
  6
• Academic Practice Workshops weeks
  7- 9
• Self generated feedback
  week 10
• Collaborative activity
  posting in vle
• Dialogic tutor feedback
  semester two

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Week 7
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Our practice essay title is...
Using theories of motivation, evaluate whether
lecturers pay should be contingent on their
performance.
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Unpicking an essay title
Steps Example
Essay title Using theories of motivation, evaluate whether lecturers pay should be contingent on their performance.
Turn it into a debate statement Lecturers pay should be contingent on their performance
Opposing Lecturers pay should not be contingent on their performance.
Add expressions of degree and qualification Under what circumstances may it be appropriate to pay lecturers based on their performance?
Different perspectives Students Parent Academics School or Faculty Management Employers Higher Education Funding Council
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Activity
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(No Transcript)
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Week 8
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Cornell Note-taking
5 Rs Record, Reduce, Recite, Reflect, Review

• Use the right hand side for notes - Record
• Use the left hand column cues - Reduce
• 
  - Recite (what can
• you
  remember?)
• Use the lower part to summarise - Reflect
• Only use one sided paper. Why? - Review
• Vrooms Expectancy Theory v highlighter pen
• http//eleven21.com/notetaker/

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Week 9
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Writing in paragraphs

• Paragraphs are styled around a controlling idea,
  which is expressed in the first sentence. Support
  sentences then explain, illustrate, explore or
  restate this. The last sentence should either
  pave the way for the next paragraph or reinforce
  the controlling idea.
• Assertion Evidence Reasoning
• Example

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Activity Proof Reading
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Summary of weeks 7-9
Planning Understanding an essay title Identifying arguments and assumptions Mapping techniques Reading Importance of wider reading Making wider reading effective Relevance and credibility of sources
Using notes Making effective notes Cornell method Structure Introduction-main body-conclusion Paragraph structure
Reasoning critical analysis Assertion-evidence-reasoning Identifying flaws and omissions Collaborative group work In-class activities (e.g. debates) Wiki
Proof reading Referencing Importance of setting aside time to check your work Practising Harvard style in the wiki Proof reading Referencing Importance of setting aside time to check your work Practising Harvard style in the wiki
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Week 10 Self Reflection AER

• Select one paragraph that shows good
  assertion-evidence-reasoning. In the RIGHT HAND
  SIDE margin, make some notes to say why.
• Select one paragraph which you think needs better
  assertion-evidence-reasoning Say how you would
  improve it by adding notes to the RIGHT HAND SIDE
  margin.
• Use a large asterisk () to identify any critical
  points that you have made. In the RIGHT HAND SIDE
  margin, note why they are critical.

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Assessment, feedbackand evidencing learning

• Practice essay submitted at end of week 9.
• Personal tutor reviews a selection for feedback
  and monitoring
• Practice essay returned in week 10 for student
  self marking and reflection
• Reasoning and critical analysis
• Evaluation of sources
• Action planning and priorities

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Activity Two

• Discussion (5 minutes)
• What subject specific skills do you feel that
  your
• students need to develop? How have you
  approached
• skills development in your school/faculty?

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Outcome and Evaluation

• Undergraduate Programme Survey 2010 v 2009
  (Change in agree between 2009 and 2010
  expressed as percentile points)

Programme Academic Support Personal Development
Accounting Management 6 11
Accounting Finance 3 10
Economics 10 25
Economics Management 21 21
Human Resource management 11 10
Management 20 36
Management w Marketing 8 26
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Outcome and Evaluation Cont

• Undergraduate Programme Survey 2010 (Year 1)

Programme Academic Support Personal Development
University of Leeds 70 64
LUBS 77 83
LUBS ranking 2010 6 1
LUBS ranking for positive change 3 2
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Outcome and Evaluation Cont

• Module Reviews 2009/10(Year 1)
• Top 5 modules (out of 40) ranked by responses to
  the question I have been able to develop skills
  useful to my career were all personal tutorial
  modules
• Largest improvement (22) by question was
  students feeling part of the School community
• 49 increase, on one programme, of students
  obtaining a 1 or 2.1 average

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Outcome and Evaluation Cont

• EQUIS focus group
• Majority of students felt that their experience
  exceeded their expectations
• students reported that their programme allows
  them to improve their capability for independent
  learning
• the personal tutorial module was cited as a good
  opportunity for personal development

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Reflecting back on the module

• I enjoy working in a team I recognise myself
  as a shaper
• I have identified a number of companies that
  offer summer work experience to Level 1 students
  and already contacted them.
• there has been a significant shift to
  independent learning the transition took some
  getting used to, but the help provided,
  especially from seminar teachers and tutors has
  made it manageable
• I am still struggling with the research and
  finding information. I need to attend some of the
  workshops next semester
• I didnt take A level Maths and am finding
  some of the statistics difficult. I will attend
  the Skills_at_Library drop in sessions before my
  exams
• I lack confidence when presenting to large
  groups. I need to work on projecting my voice and
  controlling nerves

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Moving Forward

• PASS
• Appointment of International Tutor
• Appointment of Heads of second and third years
• Continue developing the modules and embedding
  within discipline

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• Any questions?