First Impressions:
Student Induction
Warwick Network 2007
Catherine Thomson
Induction Officer
Purpose and direction
• To provide an insight into current inductionrelated activities at Warwick
• To explore the notion and purpose of induction
• To share practice and develop ideas
• To engender a culture of shared ownership of
induction
The best years of your life?
What do new students bring?
• Expectations of course and institution
• Ideas about the campus culture
• Sense of pressure / apprehension
• Varying amounts of financial freedom
• Excitement
• Variable skills for HE
• Personal ambition
• Helicopter parents
The Warwick Welcome:
Autumn 2007
• Enrolment
• Arrivals weekend
– Residences
– Registration
– VC’s addresses
• Students’ Union
• Orientation
• Academic departments
So, why is the first year so important?
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Last things first - graduation
The undergraduate environment
What do we want from our students?
Employability
Rites of passage
Benefits for all
Induction at Warwick: The Story So Far
November 2005 – June 2006: QUAD Research
report:
Exploring student retention and the student
experience at the University of Warwick
February 2006: Student and Ancillary Services
Consultation on induction (departmental)
Late 2006: HEFCE TQEF funding allocated for
induction (2007-2009)
March 2007: Students’ Union paper on
induction
May 2007: Induction Officer appointed
Where is Induction Situated?
Induction Officer
Students’ Union
CSDE
Student Development and Diversity
Campus Affairs
Academic Departments
Administrative and support services
International Office
Residences
What is induction?
The purpose of induction
For students
For universities
What do we think students need?
• Clarity of communication (enrolment; where to
get support; degree information)
• Community (academic and social integration; course
identity; learning and virtual communities)
• Activity (subject engagement as well as information)
• Certainty (enrolment, timetables and unit information)
• Accessibility (IT, library, student support)
• Security (where to go and who to go to)
•Inclusivity (being able to access central services in ways
which minimise fears about being stigmatised).
How do we find out more about students’
needs?
• Talking to - and listening to students
• Working with their
preferred communication
methods
• Monitoring service usage
• Sharing experience
• Building collaboration
among staff
Focus Group Exercise 1
1. What is induction made of?
2. When should induction start –
and end?
What is induction made of?
Academic
Administrative and support
Residential
The international factor
Students’ Union
When should induction start –
and end?
What is induction made of?
When should it start – and end?
Five groups
1. Academic
2. Administrative and
support
3. Residential
4. The international factor
5. Students’ Union
Focus Group Exercise 2:
Delivery Options
No induction week
Induction week
Consider…
•When are students in a position to be introduced to the university?
•What can we do pre-arrival?
•Staff resources
•Current initiatives: orientation, arrivals weekend
•Work / life balance
•The role of technology/ fact to face contact
What happens without effective
induction?
• Little opportunity for students to
understand the institution or their
role in it.
• Poor integration
• Low morale
• Risk to productivity
• Failure to work to highest potential
• Withdrawal
• Impact on institution’s reputation
(consider revenue)
Do these
issues affect
you?
In what
ways?
Whose responsibility is it?
Induction Officer
Students’ Union
CSDE
Campus Affairs
Administrative and support services
Academic Departments
Residences
International Office
What Next?
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Current activities
Working with new students
Building and strengthening links
Providing centralised support and guidance
Developing inclusive policy
Generating buy-in, ideas and enthusiasm
Collaboration is key
The best years of our life?
Contact Details
Catherine Thomson
Induction Officer
Centre for Student Development and Enterprise
Campus Affairs
Email: C.V.Thomson@warwick.ac.uk
Telephone: 024 761 50482
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