Fs limerick
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Transcript of Fs limerick
o What is Flying Start?
o What have we found out
about student transition?
o What are the key
findings for all of us
supporting transition?
o What we are doing next
and why.
Flying Start
Aims to raise undergraduate student awareness of the importance of
building a foundation of academic skills to enhance their studies and
improve their grades and employability
An online interactive resource for students making the transition to
University, available prior to their arrival
Includes general content on independent learning, as well as School-
specific information: a set of webpages for each school.
• Pilot year: 11 schools
• 2,417 visits (no pageview data)2011
• Rolled-out: 34 schools
• 49,624 unique pageviews2012
• Repeated: 34 schools
• 35,254 unique pageviews2013
• Repeated: 34 schools
• 34,590 unique pageviews2014
Our findings about student transition to University
• Pre-development research
oSurvey and focus groups with year 12/13 students
oSurvey of first year undergraduate students
• Feedback from users
What is your biggest concern about going to university?
Finance: “not having enough money” 44%
Meeting new people
/ fitting in:
“not getting along with people I’m living with” 15%
Not doing well: “failing”, “it being too hard” 15%
Lack of ability / not
coping:
“struggling academically” 34%
Meeting new people
/ fitting in:
“being able to find myself comfortable there” 27%
Financial worries: “my finances and expenses” 7%
Year 12 /13 students
UG students with no FS
What is the biggest difference between study at school & university?
Independent learning: “I will be expected to organise myself” 53%
Greater volume of
work:
“the amount of work required outside lessons
/ lectures”
15%
Style of teaching: “the amount of contact time & how it is used” 15%
Independent learning: “the expectation to know where and how to
find relevant info and resources”
34%
Self-motivation & time
management:
“lots of free time for me to manage” 14%
Writing, reading &
critical thinking skills:
“the need for strong essay responses,
nuanced arguments, originality, referencing”
10%
Year 12 /13 students
UG students with no FS
What 3 things would be useful to know before you arrive?
Course format: Structure, timetables, assessment 43%
Finance: Budgeting, fees, debt 41%
How to succeed: Support on offer, how to develop skills, avoiding
plagiarism
30%
The need to be an
independent learner:
“how much work you have to do by yourself” 14%
How to make the most of
resources (VLE, Library):
“the basic skills to study such as how to use
the Library”
13%
How to make the most of
time here (study / social):
“you need to actively learn from lectures and
for this you need certain skills”
11%
Year 12 /13 students
UG students with no FS
What do you wish you had known?
Meeting people, conversation skills
Time management, online resources, reading lists
Feedback, assessment, groupwork, exams
Research skills, using the Library
What is referencing, and avoiding plagiarism
Types of contact, lectures, note-taking
Being an effective learner, reflection
Our findings about student transition to University
• Pre-development research
• Feedback from users
o4 surveys (immediately after use)
o1 post-use survey (Easter)
o1 non-user focus group
What did you find most useful?
Independent learning &
study skills, esp.
referencing & plagiarism
Making the grade:
feedback &
assessment
Student videos:
hearing directly about
their experiences
Contact time & making
most of lectures
What did you find most useful?
“being an independent learner at
Leeds because the change from
school / college to university is
so humongous”
Making the grade:
feedback &
assessment
Student videos:
hearing directly about
their experiences
Contact time & making
most of lectures
What did you find most useful?
“being an independent learner at
Leeds because the change from
school / college to university is
so humongous”
Making the grade:
feedback &
assessment
“the videos give you
an opinion from a
‘real’ student”
Contact time & making
most of lectures
What did you find most useful?
“being an independent learner at
Leeds because the change from
school / college to university is
so humongous”
Making the grade:
feedback &
assessment
“the videos give you
an opinion from a
‘real’ student”
“it helped having a breakdown
of what each kind of contact
time meant and what you
should expect of it”
What did you find most useful?
“being an independent learner at
Leeds because the change from
school / college to university is
so humongous”
“explanation of the types of
assessment and marking and
things, and how to learn
effectively :)”
“the videos give you
an opinion from a
‘real’ student”
“it helped having a breakdown
of what each kind of contact
time meant and what you
should expect of it”
What did you think was missing?
Practical info: what to bring, issues
around accommodation,
money & budgeting
Local info: life in Leeds- the city,
University, buildings,
setting
Experiences & examples: students sharing their typical
week; a sample of work
More promotion and
reminders to use it
Lectures & note-taking:
more on the style and
structure of lectures and
how to take notes
Would you recommend we produce a similar
resource for next year’s students?
96.8%2011
98.5%2012
98.3%2013
99.2%2014
“I felt I was at an advantage over those who had not accessed it. I had a headstart in understanding referencing, plagiarism, using the Library etc.” (Healthcare student, 2013 survey)
“It made me feel a lot more confident about the transition to University and how to apply myself for studying, time management. etc.” (Law student, 2014 survey)
“It contained a lot of useful and important information and allowed me to feel more comfortable (and less nervous) about going to university.” (Medicine student, 2014 survey)
“I think you need something like this to encourage people to get into their studies and to reassure anyone with social or academic concerns.” (English student, 2014 survey)
“It's a brilliant way to update yourself with the new life at uni, introducing you to the new way of learning as well as good tips to help you get a head start.” (French student, 2014 survey)
Students get an overwhelming amount of information during
transition and induction- they will miss things
Getting information beforehand is reassuring and prepares
them
Too much information is off-putting
Drip-feeding is good if you can
Promote resources through all channels, incl. social media
Content which is new to students is the most useful
Content related to the step up to studying at the HE level
was the most popular
Explain unfamiliar terms / phrases or those used
differently in the HE context
Students sharing their own experiences gets the
message across
Resources which are too basic or patronising are off-
putting
Content in transition resources can be useful through the year
Keep content available for students after they arrive at
University
Attitudes and priorities change as they settle in and
understand the context better
Students report that they will return to a resource later
Transition resources should be engaging
Visual images help students know what to expect
Videos are generally popular
Hearing from other students is very popular
Content shouldn’t feel heavy but fun!
Settling in generally (not just in terms of study) is important
Use examples / images of social aspects and local
settings
These can support learning or study-related content
Collaborate with other University sections engaging with
students during transition – check who’s doing what
New! Flying Start 2015
Resource will be totally updated, due to:
– Institutional changes
–Scalability issues
–Need to improve content and ‘look’, based on feedback received
over last 4 years
–Wish to link closer with our face-to-face offer
–Need to provide all-year round access, including pre-transition
and open days
Flying Start 2015 will highlight:
• differences between study at HE level and school / college
• key academic skills which support independent learning at Leeds
The first year
• What to expect
• Major HE differences
• Types of learning experience
Independent Learning
• Top study tips
• Managing your workload
• Planning your semester
Academic skills
• Referencing & research skills
• Types of assessment
Taking it further
• Your School
• Skills@Librarysupport
• Signposting to other help
Questions or Comments?
Skills@Library
http://library.leeds.ac.uk/skills
Click new students tab for list
of all Flying Start sites