scholarly journals Moving Beyond First Year: An Exploration of Staff and Student Experience

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-92
Author(s):  
David Birbeck ◽  
Lois McKellar ◽  
Kat Kenyon
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
First Year Experience ◽  
First Year ◽  
Student Survey ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Study Staff ◽  
University Life ◽  
Second Year ◽  
The University ◽  
Support Students

Transition pedagogy has had a major impact on the first year experience for higher education students in Australia. Similarly, there has been a significant focus on transitioning students from their final year of study to employment. Considerably fewer studies have sought to understand the “middle child”; the years in between the first and final year of study. Staff at a metropolitan Australian university noticed an increase in students struggling with university life after the first year of their program, with students purposefully withdrawing from courses or their program entirely. This article reports on focus groups held with staff and feedback via a student survey. Findings suggest the challenges faced by students in second year are multi-faceted, and curriculum and delivery should be intentionally designed to support students through a series of transitions throughout the university journey.

scholarly journals Selective Planning of the First Year Experience in Higher Education: A Sweden-Australia Comparative Study of Support

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 128
Author(s):  
Michael Christie ◽  
Sorrel Penn-Edwards ◽  
Sharn Donnison ◽  
Ruth Greenaway
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
First Year Experience ◽  
Fourth Generation ◽  
First Year ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Satellite Campus ◽  
First Case ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
The University

Literature on the support of the First Year Experience (FYE) in institutions of Higher Education provides a range of modelled approaches. However, we argue that institutions still need to selectively plan which approach/es and attendant strategies are best suited to their particular contexts and institutional policy and practice frameworks and how their FYE is to be presented for their particular student cohort. This paper compares different ways of supporting students in their first year in two contrasting universities. The first case study focuses on a first year course at Stockholm University (SU), Sweden, a large, metropolitan, single campus institution, while the second investigates a strategy for supporting first year students using a community of practice at a satellite campus of the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC), a small regional university in South-East Queensland, Australia. The research contrasts a formal, first generation support approach versus a fourth generation support approach which seeks to involve a wider range of stakeholders in supporting first year students. The research findings draw conclusions about how effective the interventions were for the students and provide clear illustrations that selective planning in considering the institution’s strategic priorities and human, physical, and resource contexts was instrumental in providing a distinctive experience which complemented the institute and the student cohort. (212 words)

scholarly journals A comparative study of home educated students and traditionally educated students after completion of a Midwestern university first-year experience program

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Jeremey David Wolfe
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Practical Knowledge ◽  
Self Report ◽  
First Year Experience ◽  
First Year ◽  
Student Survey ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Midwestern University ◽  
The Impact

The purpose of this study was to assist educational leaders in developing policy to better understand the home educated students and aspects of their first-year experience. This was achieved using a quantitative approach to gather information from three different student population groups, traditionally educated students, home educated students, and privately educated students. This information was gathered from a Midwestern university using a self-report student survey after the students had completed a first-year experience program. This quantitative study had 251 respondents, primarily from one Midwestern university. The study utilized the Knowledge, Attitude and Behavior Items Survey. The survey contained 39 items separated into a demographic section and three subscales: (a) knowledge, (b) attitudes, and (c) behavior. The survey was adapted from The University Experience Battery Items (Schrader and Brown, 2008) by eliminating questions, focusing the language and adding a demographic section. This study has implications both theoretically and practically. For home educated students the study provides insight into how this specific population compares to other student groups. The data from this study shows home educated students self-reported the practical knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors for a successful transition into higher education. This may encourage home educated students to engage and enroll in first-year experience programs when entering higher education. This study suggests students finish these programs with those necessary qualities for student success. The primary recommendation for further study was there was not a significant difference in survey answers for the three student populations. Further examination should be performed on other students groups, pertaining to first-year experience programs. This research only separated the results by the model of education used before entering higher education. Additional investigation on the impact of first-year experience programs with minority groups, socio-economic status, gender, and other demographic categories would lead further development of these programs. Replication of this study to a broader range of universities and higher education institutions would allow for a more diverse population, allowing for improved generalizability.

scholarly journals Cost-Sharing in Higher Education in Tanzania: The Experiences of the 1990s and One Decade Later

2009 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace Puja
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Cost Sharing ◽  
Dar Es Salaam ◽  
First Year ◽  
Education Students ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Premier Cycle ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The University

This article discusses the cost- sharing experiences of 73 Tanzanian female undergraduates who took part in a 1997 study. It also integrated views and suggestions of the 2007 students from the University of Dar es Salaam and Sokoine University of Agriculture, Mazimbu campus. The University of Dar es Salaam was closed in 2007 because First Year students boycotted classes to protest the government’s policy that required them to pay 40% for their higher education. I advocate for partnership in student financing and the introduction of graduate tax for recovering higher education students’ loans. Cet article traite les expériences du partage des coûts de 73 tanzaniennes du premier cycle qui ont pris part à une étude en 1997. Il a également intégré les avis et les suggestions des étudiants de 2007 venant de l’Université de Dar es Salaam et de l’Université d’agriculture Sokoine du campus de Mazimbu. L’Université de Dar es Salaam a été fermée en 2007 car les étudiants de première année ont boycotté les cours afin de protester contre la politique du gouvernement qui leur a exigé de payer 40 % des frais pour l’enseignement supérieur. Je préconise un partenariat de financement des étudiants ainsi que l’introduction d’un impôt gradué afin de recouvrir les prêts des étudiants de l’enseignement supérieur.

Perceived Stress and Perceived Lack of Control of Spanish Education-Degree University Students: Differences Dependent on Degree Year, Basis for Admission and Gender

2021 ◽  
pp. 003329412110060
Author(s):  
Inmaculada Martínez-García ◽  
Tine Nielsen ◽  
Enrique Alastor
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
University Education ◽  
First Year ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Lack Of Control ◽  
Education Degree ◽  
Second Year ◽  
And Gender

Stress in higher education students is an issue of growing concern, as stress impacts quality of life and has been linked to drop-out from higher education. The aim was to investigate how stress was related to how far along students were in their degree program, using the Spanish Perceived Stress Scale (PSS10). We expected 1) first-year education students to experience more perceived lack of control than second-year students, 2) second-year students to experience more perceived stress than first-year students. Participants were students in three university education-degree programs (N = 399). The psychometric properties of the Perceived Stress (PS) and Perceived Lack of Control (PLC) subscales were investigated using Rasch models. One item was eliminated from each subscale. The estimated interval-level Rasch scores were utilized for testing hypotheses with general linear models. Results showed a somewhat more complex pattern than predicted as interaction effects between degree year and gender and between degree year and basis for admission were found.

scholarly journals First year student expectations: Results from a university-wide student survey

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey Crisp ◽  
◽  
Edward Palmer ◽  
Deborah Turnbull ◽  
Ted Nettelbeck ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
First Year Experience ◽  
First Year ◽  
Student Survey ◽  
Student Expectations ◽  
Constructive Dialogue ◽  
First Time ◽  
First Year Student

Although much has been written on the first-year experience of students at higher education institutions, less attention has been directed to the expectations of students when they enter an institution for the first time. This paper provides additional insights into the expectations of students at an Australian university and highlights areas in which students’ expectations may not necessarily align with the realities of common university practices. By providing opportunities for students to articulate their expectations, staff are able to use the responses for a constructive dialogue and work towards a more positive alignment between perceived expectations and levels of student satisfaction with their experience.

Graduates giving back – a mentoring program for MBA students

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 200-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Darwin
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Master Of Business Administration ◽  
Mentoring Program ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mba Students ◽  
A Value ◽  
The University

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the challenges and obstacles encountered in the implementation of a mentoring program for Master of Business Administration (MBA) students at the University of South Australia (UniSA) Business School. The paper starts with an exploration into the need for a mentoring program, the trial and subsequent four years of implementation. The paper also explores the network model of mentoring and the reasons why this, rather than a more traditional model, was chosen for the program’s implementation. Design/methodology/approach – This exploratory case study uses data from over 600 students and their alumni mentors over a five-year period to evaluate and improve the program as well as cultivating a critical community of adult learners. Findings – Feedback from students indicates that the mentoring program is regarded by most as a value-added feature of their early learning as it offers support, if and when it is required, from those who have been there before. Research limitations/implications – Results are limited to one institution. However, as research into mentoring for higher education students is thin on the ground, this study contributes to our understanding of the positive impacts of mentoring on student success. Practical implications – This paper emphasizes the importance of business leaders giving back to their alma mater through mentoring current MBA students. It shows how mentoring can support learning and management development. Originality/value – This is an original study which explores ways to increase the learning of higher education students for positive social outcomes.

Overconfidence of vocational education students when entering higher education

2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 429-447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark P. Bowden ◽  
Subhash Abhayawansa ◽  
John Bahtsevanoglou
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Further Education ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
First Year ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – There is evidence that students who attend Technical and Further Education (TAFE) prior to entering higher education underperform in their first year of study. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of self-efficacy in understanding the performance of students who completed TAFE in the previous year in a first year subject of microeconomics in a dual sector university in Melbourne, Australia. Design/methodology/approach – The study utilises data collected by surveys of 151 students. Findings – A student’s self-efficacy is positively associated with their marks in a first year subject of microeconomics. However, the relationship between final marks and self-efficacy is negative for those students who attended TAFE in the previous year suggesting that they suffer from the problem of overconfidence. When holding self-efficacy constant, using econometric techniques, TAFE attendance is found to be positively related to final marks. Research limitations/implications – The findings are exploratory (based on a small sample) and lead to a need to conduct cross institutional studies. Practical implications – The research points to the need for early interventions so that TAFE students perform well in their first year of higher education. It also points to potential issues in the development of Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) programs. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to examine the inter-related impact of attendance at TAFE in the previous year and self-efficacy on the subsequent academic performance of TAFE students.

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