CRICOS No. 00213J ATEM (SA) Conference 26 July 2006 CRICOS No. 00213J ATEM South Australia Branch Conference A Blueprint for Transition Success Dr Karen

CRICOS No. 00213J

ATEM (SA) Conference 26 July 2006CRICOS No. 00213J

ATEM South Australia Branch Conference

A Blueprint for Transition Success

Dr Karen [email protected] of Information TechnologyQueensland University of Technology

26 July 2006

CRICOS No. 00213J

ATEM (SA) Conference 26 July 2006

Topics

• The transition experience & why it deserves attention.

• Key transition issues.• Need for a “blueprint”.• A blueprint for transition success.

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Students in Transition

• Students in transition are special– Expectations– Work commitments– Preparation for study

• There is not a typical “student-in-transition” – Generation X, Y & Zers– Course choice issues

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Why are they so special?• Diversity – for example:

– Demographics (inc. equity groups); – Preparedness for higher education; – Baggage & expectations; – Doubts; – Not familiar or completely ill-informed about what

might be encountered in chosen course (James, 2001)

• These and many other factors impact on – Retention, progression and – Ability of each student to achieve their best.

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No typical “student-in-transition”

Commencing Students

First time to University

First time to Faculty

Undergraduate Undergraduate Post-graduate

Interfaculty transfer

Inter –Uni transfer

Other Discipline

Same UG DisciplineG

.

- Different university to QUT

- ENG to IT - BUS to IT - CI to Law - Humanities to Law

- Under- graduate degree completed

- Formal or RPL

From TAFE or College

From High School

Mature Age

- with a break - without a break

- DiplomaI or other RTO

- International College QUT ~ direct ~ advanced scholarship

-no previous tertiary study - work experience - no work experience

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Technology

What is the need …

New Financial Pressures

Course Enrolment

Student UnionInternational

Student

OrientationStudent ID Card

User Name & Password

Pre-Orientation

L & T

ClassAllocations

FacultyOrientation

Library

StudentServices

New Friends

New Intellectual

Environment

New Physical

Environment

Faculty Processes

Units & unit outlines

Timetable

Classes Who’s who in the zoo

Curriculum

Week 1 Documents

Discipline Terminology

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Key Transition Issue

• Students to encounter curriculum that is sensitive to their realities, that provides access to: – Adequate and timely support

services, – Opportunities to become part of a

learning community.

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Transition Objectives

The day-to-day transactions between learners & the various aspects of their learning need to be seamless so they can focus energy on learning.

Learningengagement

Sense of

belonging

Timely service

provision

Transition student

Academic support

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Challenges for universities

• Transition is a responsibility that must be shared and understood by all areas of the university – academic and professional, senior management, student services, administrators and learning environmental support.

• Achieving this holistic collaborative environment requires systematizing transition philosophy within the elements of strategic infrastructure and practical activities across all traditional silos between faculties and divisions.

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How can this objective be achieved?

• “bridging the gaps between academic, administrative and support programs” (McInnis 2003, p.13).

• By orienting all processes and orienting the planning about FY towards the classroom.

• By creating process bridges for all activities that are encountered by first year students.

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A Transition Blueprint?

• Professional staff and academics working together have a great capacity to transform transition by proactively mediating our students’ experience with all aspects of their learning.

• The ET@QUT project aims to embed transition philosophy, and the processes that underpin it, across traditional ‘silos’.

• The blueprint is the platform used to communicate how a transition philosophy can be embedded.

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A systems view of the Blueprint• People - students, teachers, professional and

administrative support; • Processes - learning, learning administration and

learning support; • Information and data - learning materials, support

materials and data required by students to monitor and administer their learning;

• Systems - e.g. a virtual learning environment (VLE), other learning software and systems providing access to resources;

• Information and communication technologies (ICTs) -the hardware and networks required to support learning and communication processes, information storage and access.

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A Blueprint for Transition• Curriculum - scaffolded for both content and skills

development, to be harnessed to mediate as many institutional interactions as possible.

• A seamless, one-world view of their institutional engagement - support both their learning and the admin of their learning.

• Student-centred systems of information dissemination tailored to individual needs. Information overload is inexcusable!

• Active interventions that prevent predictable issues becoming problems.

• Pro-active, timely and tailored assistance for specific cohorts with particular needs.

• Time and workload management resources. • Personal interactions – with peers and with teachers. • Technologies that our students (the Y generation) have

so readily embraced as an integral part their lives.

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The “blueprint” is the plan that enables a systematic

institutional-wide approach to transition.

It provides a common language and way of communicating

Transition across the institution.

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Visualising the Blueprint

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Trial Projects within the Blueprint

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Purpose of the Projects

• To determine the usefulness of initiatives for students & the impact on their learning.

• To identify and document the cross-institutional MLE elements required.

• To show how to implement the most critical elements of the blueprint.

• To provide resources (templates, supporting materials, staff roles & responsibilities …) to support deployment of elements.

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Achievements

• All projects at least once. • Evaluation data collected and currently

being analysed.• Some outstanding results

– Reduction in combined attrition and failure rates in one unit from 49 27% after one semester.

– Overwhelming support for VLE.– University wide support for the teamwork

protocol.

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Conclusions & Recommendations

• Align transition activities throughout the institutional hierarchy for a student focused approach.

• Ensure that learning and the administration of learning should be seamless for students.

• Manage transition through appropriately designed curriculum.

• Focus on collaborative processes.• Design appropriate staff development programs. • Make First Year “resources” available to staff and

students.

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Thank-you for listening

Questions and Comments

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ATEM (SA) Conference 26 July 2006CRICOS No. 00213J

ATEM South Australia Branch Conference

A Blueprint for Transition Success

Dr Karen NelsonFaculty of Information TechnologyQueensland University of Technology

26 July 2006