‘They were really understanding’

The Experience of Transition from FE to an Ancient, Research-Led

University

The research team

Viviene Cree Hazel Christie Lyn Tett Velda McCune Jenny Hounsell Main contact: viv.cree@ed.ac.uk

Aim of this paper

To explore the transition experiences of nine students who entered an ancient Scottish university in 2004 to study BSc (Hons) Social Work

To locate their experiences in the context of a wider study of FE to HE transition currently taking place at this university

UK context: good & bad news Rapid increase in participation in HE in

the UK during the 20th century But… socio-economic groups IIIm, IV and

V remain seriously under-represented FE colleges have been successful in

attracting students from a wide range of social backgrounds

But… transition to HE is far from automatic, and most students that move from FE into HE enter post-92 universities

Scottish context Over 50% of young people enter full-

time HE before they are 21 years of age, as compared with only 40% for the UK

But… 1/4 of all HE students in Scotland are studying Higher National courses in Further Education colleges

Universities (and some more than others) remain middle-class institutions

Our university is one such university!

Focus and aim of our study How do students who come from FE with

an HNC/HND qualification fare at this university?

What do their experiences have to tell us about Teaching, learning & assessment at FE and

HE? Formal and informal support at FE and HE? Managing competing demands of study and

home?

Methodology of the study Longitudinal study over 5 years In-depth, semi-structured interviews,

taped, transcribed and coded using N*Vivo qualitative analysis package

Standardised questionnaires, modified from questionnaires developed by the Enhancing Teaching-Learning Environments in Undergraduate Courses (ETL) project (www.ed.ac.uk/etl)

The sample 45 students, enrolled in a number of

degree programmes, but Childhood Studies and Social Work are the degrees with most FE entrants

Most are women (85%) and 63% are over 30

Most (85%) are ‘first generation’ to attend university

9 of the total sample are studying BSc Hons (Social Work)

The social work sample

Age Women Men

21-30 1 1

31-40 4 0

41-50Total

38

01

Findings 1: teaching, learning & assessment in FE Experiences positive overall Courses seen as interesting and relevant,

particularly the placements Some felt too many short courses Some unhappy with ‘spoon-feeding’: ‘like

a mother feeding a baby’ (26yr male sw) Little experience of exams Opportunities to resubmit assignments Students at 1st data point scored highly

on deep approach and organised effort

Findings 2: support in FE Lots of formal and informal support from the

colleges – from academics, IT staff, learning support, counselling, financial & child care help available too

‘They were absolutely brilliant. Anything you wanted to know, if the tutors were in the College, you could call them up or you could go in, you know. They were always available. You know, you weren’t sort of told, ‘go on away and get on with it and come back like two weeks on Tuesday and I’ll see you’. They were very good.’ (47yr female sw)

‘They were really understanding.’ (37yr female sw)

Findings 3: balancing study at FE and home Most women had caring responsibilities;

no single parent dads, tho some had p-t caring responsibilities for kids and parents

Most sw students continued some paid work while studying, often in the social care sector

Support of families is crucial for success – even when partners are not outright oppositional, they can make life difficult - ‘it’s difficult with a traditional husband and kids who are pampered poodles’ (47yr female sw)

Findings 1: teaching, learning & assessment in HE University is a ‘big shock, a roller-coaster’ (37yr

female sw) ‘It was the biggest library I ever saw’ (35yr,

female sw) ‘I felt like a headless chicken in the first few

weeks’ (47yr female sw) ‘It was a bigger step up than I expected’ (45yr

female sw) Of the 9 who started, only 5 stayed the course:

1 left during 1st year; 3 in or at the end of 2nd year; another repeated 1st year but is still on course

Findings 2: support in HE Independent study means just that! Tutors and tutorials are uneven – some

great, others not so ‘..we’ve got study groups going now

that we set up for ourselves… we just go away and look through stuff and write stuff up …. Then we read each others, just to get an idea.’ (47yr female sw)

Findings 3: balancing study at HE and home

‘It works best if you treat uni like a 9-5 job.’ (26yr male sw)

‘I’m really good at time management because you’ve got to be. I’ve got 3 children and I’m working so you have to set aside time and say “no, nothing else is getting done.” (35yr female sw)

Conclusions The transition from FE to HE is not a smooth one –

differences are great and support is variable The rate of withdrawal is higher than expected

tho numbers are small The sw students are older than other UG students

and older than the HN students in our sample; they share features with other mature students (ie complex lives, financial difficulties, health problems)

This suggests that measures to support FE transition may benefit all mature students – and all students

FE colleges also have a part to play in preparing students for more independent study

Thanks to all the students who are continuing to contribute to this study

Thanks to our university for supporting this study

Thanks for your attention