Supporting, informing and
integrating students in their
first year.
Daniel Ashall
We are asking students
to become aware of, and
accustomed to, A LOT!
Previous & current attempts
• Performance in City Hall/Kings Hall
– Not interactive
– Costly
– Not enjoyed- patronising (?)
• Lectures
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Given by many services (drain on resources?)
Putting a face to different services.
Plethora of services- can’t all be promoted through the lecture.
Students “afraid to look interested”, “don’t want to think about
things going wrong”,
– Not interactive.
Opportunities and services for support not being heard.
Research strategy
Remit: to consider a new, more strategic way, of
communicating information about central services and
opportunities available to students.
Resources: student focus groups, staff in academic
departments and central services, conferences (good practice
in other institutions).
Questions:
• What and when?
• How?
• By Who?
Research highlights
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What and when?
Induction not achieved in one event (students feeling lost, apathetic)
Just in time approach? (Cure over prevention?, What do we want students to be
doing in their first year e.g. extra curricular activity?)
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How?
Enabling social integration is vital, not just responsibility of Students’ Union (Field
trips, away days). “get to know course mates and staff”
Engaging and contextualised- “how is this relevant to me?” and “How might it be”.
Accessing information needed to be simple.
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By who?
To meet the dual requirements of:
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An interactive, social introduction to services.
some method of clearly accessing information about different services in students own time.
The role of other students.
A central online resource for accessing information.
Recommendations (1)
• Mentor-led induction events:
- Providing the right conditions for the university
mentoring project to work- building relationships in the
first instance.
- Opportunity for social integration- suits those who
don’t enjoy “Freshers Week”.
- Campus tour- orienteering
- Activity days
- “Uni-cycle”…
- The authority of more experienced students.
- Effective training to fill gaps in knowledge, promoting right
messages (e.g. not being dismissive of services).
Recommendations (2)
• Developing and trialling ‘Uni-cycle’:
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From MMU’s “Staying the Course”
Contextualises information- raises awareness.
Social dimension
Gentle introduction to appropriate “ways of being
a student”- services for when things go wrong and
opportunities to make the most of experience.
– Currently being trialled across faculties within
Combined Honours, Biomedical Sciences and
Computing.
Recommendations (3)
• A student-written, central authority website:
- A “one stop shop” for students to access from preinduction and throughout the rest of their degrees.
- Current pre-arrival site- not inviting/interactive and
student homepage confusing with broken links- largely
accessed for blackboard and email.
- Main elements:
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Student testimonials
Talking heads from staff
Direct links and specifc details
Simple easy to digest info:
Who? What? Where? When?
Conclusion: highlights and
other things to consider.
• Current attempts to promote services are manifold but a
more cohesive, considered approach is needed.
• Information needs to be specific and contextualised- the
game & role of mentors.
• Social induction should, ultimately, be central.
• Reflecting different needs- opportunity to find out
information at any point- the website.
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Question: Does this meet the requirements of ALL students?
Personal tutoring?
Social Media? App?
Induction/Re-induction for other stages?