scholarly journals The spatial dynamics of race in the transition to university: Diverse cities and White campuses in U.K. higher education

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sol Gamsu ◽  
Michael Donnelly ◽  
Richard Harris
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Spatial Dynamics ◽  
Transition To University ◽  
White Campuses

scholarly journals Developing an 'outdoor inspired' indoor experiential mathematics activity

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 26
Author(s):  
Andrew Burrell ◽  
Jo McCready ◽  
Zainab Munshi ◽  
Davide Penazzi
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Study Skills ◽  
Transition To University ◽  
Theoretical Underpinning ◽  
University Campuses ◽  
Mathematics Departments ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Mathematics Community

The issue of poor retention and achievement rates is one that plagues many British universities. While well documented and researched, there is still need for innovative practices to address this problem. This article outlines the theoretical underpinning of the Activity Guide, a tool the authors developed to support mathematics departments in order to make the transition to university easier for students and thus increase retention and attainment. Some of the topics covered here include reflective practise, experiential learning and independence; topics adapted from an outdoor frontier education course that had been specifically tailored by the authors to target and develop study skills particularly important for mathematics subjects. To allow for transferability and use by the entire higher education mathematics community the Activity Guide was produced to bring a similar course on university campuses, or even in classrooms, to better cater for resources and the scale the institutions’ facilities allow. The Activity Guide contains all that lecturers will need to plan, set up and deliver a range of activities to their students.

Undergraduate Peer Mentoring: An Investigation into Processes, Activities and Outcomes

2007 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 98-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ros Hill ◽  
Peter Reddy
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Professional Identity ◽  
Peer Mentoring ◽  
Student Participation ◽  
First Year ◽  
Personal Integrity ◽  
Academic Values ◽  
Transition To University ◽  
Unique Part

Peer mentoring of undergraduates is increasingly being used in higher education to reduce first year attrition by aiding transition to university. We propose that peer mentoring may also be a means of transmitting the values and ethics which reflect academic and personal integrity and underpin graduate and professional identity. In a qualitative study, we examined students' expectations and subsequent experience of a psychology undergraduate pilot mentoring scheme, together with the process and content. Mentors and mentees felt that mentors had a unique part to play in aiding transition to university. Mentors' advice reflected implicit academic values rather than strategic short cuts and mentoring cued reflection on their own development. The implications for encouraging student participation in mentoring schemes are discussed.

Diversity leadership under race-neutral policies in higher education

2014 ◽  
Vol 33 (8) ◽  
pp. 708-720 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sosanya Marie Jones
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Underrepresented Students ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Bridge Program ◽  
The Usa ◽  
White Campuses ◽  
Qualitative Phenomenological ◽  
Diversity Leadership

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to gain insight about the experience of multicultural administrators who oversee bridge program designed to recruit and retain historically underrepresented students of color. The study was also designed to capture the experience of the multicultural administrator as well as what meaning they made of their role as a diversity leader, and the challenges they face as they try to meet diversity goals under the constraints of race neutrality. Design/methodology/approach – This is a descriptive qualitative multi-case study. In order to gain a better understanding of the experience of multicultural administrators as they try to enact diversity leadership under race-neutral policies a qualitative phenomenological multi-case designed was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with multicultural administrators from four institutions within a southern state of the USA. Findings – Data reveals that seeking to increase and foster diversity on predominantly white campuses under race neutrality is challenging. Many of the administrators expressed concern about how they would maintain and increase diversity and campus inclusiveness without specifically marketing and targeting to groups that are traditionally marginalized. Overall, they described the experience as one filled with heightened awareness of the social and political environment and how senior-level administrators and other offices on campus perceived them and their work. Research limitations/implications – Using a qualitative multi-case study limits generalizability. Also, there are many other factors such as institutional type, location, student population, and institutional capacity that may impact the institutional conditions in which each of these administrators work. Practical implications – The findings of this study can be used to inform institutional policy makers of these struggles as well as provide campus administrators and staff helpful recommendations for dealing with the politics of race neutrality as they continue to fulfill their responsibility to increase diversity on their campuses. Social implications – This paper may raise awareness about the challenges of employing race neutrality, particularly for states and institutions concerned with diversifying higher education. It also highlights the challenges leaders face when dealing with reduced funding and policies that do not support their work. Originality/value – The paper discusses an understudied and under-recognized group of diversity leaders dealing with a current race-neutral policies. It will be of interests to institutional leaders, multicultural administrators, and other types of diversity leaders in higher education.

Gifted students’ transition to university

2012 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sal Mendaglio
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Gifted Students ◽  
First Year ◽  
Transition To University ◽  
First Year University ◽  
Lack Of Knowledge

The transition from school to university presents novel demands for all students. Although this educational milestone has been addressed by scholars, particularly those interested in the study of higher education, there is a dearth of literature regarding gifted students’ experience of their handling demands of first-year university. In the absence of research on the topic, the article explores two themes that emerged from counselling experience with gifted students who were unsuccessful in making the transition, namely lack of knowledge of the reality of first-year university and factors unique to giftedness.

scholarly journals Understanding the different challenges facing students in transitioning to university particularly with a focus on ethnicity

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Parker ◽  
Annie Hughes ◽  
Caleb Marsh ◽  
Sadia Ahmed ◽  
James Cannon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Secondary Education ◽  
Undergraduate Student ◽  
Further Education ◽  
First Year ◽  
Widening Participation ◽  
Student Body ◽  
Transition To University ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Minority Ethnic

A positive and successful transition into University is crucial if students are to stay the course in higher education and experience successful outcomes. However, challenges exist in ensuring a connected transition from secondary and further education to higher education that is inclusive and supports the diversity in our current undergraduate student body. We set out to explore the diverse experiences that first year students report about their recent transition to a post-1992 University. We were particularly interested in how these experiences and challenges differed by ethnicity. This is incredibly important given the disparity, recognised in the sector, in the attainment of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) students compared to their White counterparts and particularly pertinent that this trend reverses attainment patterns in secondary education. This paper summarises some of our key findings in determining the challenges facing students from different backgrounds in their transition to university. It argues that Universities will have to change their transition and wider offer to ensure that diverse students feel welcomed and develop a sense belonging in Higher Education in order for them to achieve successful outcomes.Keywords: Transition, widening participation, ethnicity

scholarly journals Towards an inclusive classroom psycho-geography: why it matters where students choose to sit

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Henry Reynolds
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Group Work ◽  
Spatial Dynamics ◽  
Education Level ◽  
Inclusive Classroom ◽  
Classroom Interventions ◽  
Learning Spaces ◽  
Student Interactions ◽  
Peer Dynamics ◽  
Masters Students

This paper is based on my own experiences of classroom psychogeography, as experienced through working with a group of around 50 Masters students at Central Saint Martins over a period of more than ten years. Much has been written and published about the design of learning spaces, as well as the dynamics of group work, but relatively littlehas been published about the psychogeography of learning, especially at the higher education level. Space is never neutral. It separates or it includes. It can be used to reinforce or challenge power-based relationships. Students express their feelings about learning by their mode of occupation of learning spaces, but these choices can also influence peer dynamics and students' subsequent levels of engagement.I began my research as a passive observer, by noticing how certain student interactions tended to take place in certain parts of a classroom, irrespective of the individuals involved. I subsequently devised various interventions in classroom psychogeography, designed to facilitate the most effective mixing of students in group work. The outcomes of these interventions were recorded through questionnaires given to my students after participating in various classroom interventions, as well as through granular evidence, assembled through both formal and informal interviews. My conclusions reflect on my attempts to intervene in the spatial dynamics of learning, in order to facilitate a more inclusive psychogeography.

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