Induction: Once more With Gusto

Brian Mathews, Elizabeth Parkin, Derek Barnsley, Lorraine Lee.

University of Bedfordshire Business School,

What this presentation is about

• How we used to do induction• Why we changed it• What we do now• Whether it worked

How we used to do it

• Welcome from the Dean/HoDWelcome from the Dean/HoD• Intro to modular schemeIntro to modular scheme• Course structuresCourse structures• Degree ClassificationsDegree Classifications• Progression rulesProgression rules• Academic advisorsAcademic advisors• Learning resourcesLearning resources• Students unionStudents union

Why we changed it• Old approach efficient but boringAND• Development of a new first year integrated

Business curriculum – Cohorts of 50 max– 90 credits– Emphasis on teams– Constructivist learning via projects– New ‘Pod’ learning space

• So old approach not ‘fit for purpose’

Literature

• Very few journal articles focus on induction but:– First impressions do last, and– Transition to higher education is critical

• Links to the retention literature– Social and academic integration are key – so why

not start off with induction

Revised approach (5 groups)

  9   10   11   12   1   2   3   4   5   6

Mon    Student reception Pod Introduction*                      

Tues Vauxhall ‘Outdoor’ activity                

Weds            Registration - Uni and Doctor   BS Faculty Surgery          

ThursCommunication Activity - Towers                            

Fri Freshers Fair BS buffet and Prize-giving

  Optional BS activities

  Compulsory sessions in Pod cohorts

  University requirements on individual basis

* Treasure hunt distributed

Student Reception

• Welcome from the Dean/HoDWelcome from the Dean/HoD• Break in to Pod groups

Pod introduction• Students Put into groups of 5 • Welcome and introduction to the idea of the pod, the times of their

sessions and which pod– Cohorts last the whole year and current groups last for the first few

weeks– Role of pod staff – boss, mentor, support, guide, teacher etc for whole

year– First contact for anything academic

• Ice-breaker - name the team• Introduce the point of induction week

– not academic but a lot to be done– getting to know each other– getting to know the university

• Ice-breaker – ‘plane crash’ • Schedule for the week distributed & treasure hunt

Vauxhall ‘outdoor’ activities

Communication activity

Treasure hunt• Questions about:• The University

– If you needed to get an assignment photocopied and bound, where would you go?

– What do the initials CAAS stand for, and where might they be found?

• The town– What date is shown on the Town Hall Clock?– What did Arnold Hagenbach and Sam Chippendale bring to

Luton?• The staff

– According to the AA, what is the distance between this person’s name and the person’s name in picture 19?

– This person sounds like a Luton river, what is her name and what is the name of the river?

Data Gathering

• Personal Learning Logs (PLLOGS) – these are personal and we don’t dictate the content– Many quite short

• 40 contained references to induction (c30%)• Nvivo used for content analysis

Main themes

Enjoyment

• Covered activities, the learning space and University life– I also enjoyed activities we did throughout the week such as Vauxhall, the

treasure hunt, the tower building,.. Vauxhall was kinda like an icebreaker for me, and moreover, we were actually pretty good at exercises.

– I really like the learning place, because it doesn't look like a classroom, it's like an office. it's interesting and exciting, I feel like being at work and I really enjoy it!

– I've just got back from work, well an hour ago and I’m very tired so i should really go to bed. But i just wanted to say, I'm loving university at the moment.

• Only one negative comment

Worry & Fear• To do with anxiety before starting, how the course will pan out and self

doubt– Week 0 was not as difficult and scary as I thought it would be– Prior to fresher’s week (week zero) I was highly sceptical, nervous, and, it goes

without saying, uncertain. However, the activities carefully and strategically put together by my Pod leaders, A and B, came to pass one at a time and slowly I opened up, became less and less nervous and I am certain that this is the course I’d like to excel at.

– I’m feeling quite nervous and also very confused to what is happening , maybe because it is all new at the moment for me , however i am excited to learn more to what i will be learning about, the pods in which we are in i feel are warm and inviting which i feel is helping me to relax a bit more each time we go in there

– I am also a little be nervous and anxious about the grades and how I will perform now that I am in a new country and that the learning is on a different language that I am used to

• Only one comment expressed ‘calmness’– I felt quite comfortable when I arrived as well as in my first class. Everything

was well-organised. I had no problems with finding places and classrooms

Team building• Some mixed results but recognition of the positive side

– Now that week zero is over, I am sure that I am a stronger team member. I am looking forward to what week one holds for me and the remainder of my pod

– I think Week 0 was a success in making our group a team. In my opinion it would have been a lot harder to get working together on 'real' tasks without this week

– I was very nervous starting university. On the first day my group was very quiet with each other, and it was worrying as to how well we were going to work together. Our first group activity, the lego task, really brought us all out of our shells and got us communicating with each other.

– The second activity was up at Vauxhall recreation Centre. I simply could not get my head round the 'crossing the lagoon with carpet squares' rules, but my group really managed to just do it for me!

– The activities taught us a lot about team building and trust and responsibility to our group members.

– Again, my group just didn’t seem to be working well together today at all, so we weren’t really much help to each other. However, I hope we can try again on Monday!

Excitement• Covered the course, induction, the learning space but

sometimes linked to worry– my mood now is a mixture of excitement and something else i

can't really describe– I am feeling excited about the new course. I like the look of the

new pod rooms as i am aware that these rooms will benefit me in the future. I am ready to take on any challenge that is thrown at me.

– I’m feeling quite nervous and also very confused to what is happening , maybe because it is all new at the moment for me , however i am excited to learn more to what i will be learning about, the pods in which we are in i feel are warm and inviting …

– At the end of the first week I feel excided to face future tasks and see if I am good enough to not be fired from the pods

Support• Staff singled out as being approachable and supportive

– Then we met certain Lecturers who were gonna be involved with the teaching of our course like A & B … i felt like they were not just teaching but they seem to be my Educational Parents meaning if i had an issue or if i could not understand something i would feel cool to approach either one of them for advice or for help. But even though i felt cool with the lecturers i wont so comfortable to open up to students

– Also C & D were excellent at making everyone feel at ease– I was pleasantly amazed by tutors, because I had other

expectations

Impact of induction on phase 1• The follow-through to the course was not mentioned by

many– We have just completed induction week and our first tasks as a

group. Although we didn't win … (we) … are starting to settle into our group after the exercises. The more we work together closely, as this is only the first week, the more we can bond and take natural roles within the groups

– This was a challenging exercise which, we as a group were not very successful in, but I'm quiet sure that should we attempt this activity again our results would the opposite

– At the end of the first week I feel excited to face future tasks …– right now, after the first week I feel more confident. the reason

for this is that I was concerned about my group members: "are we actually the team..."?

Friendship & Expectations• Friendship – induction seems to have facilitated making friends, but

also ‘friendly’ peers– At first i didn’t like it purely because i didn’t have ANY friends but no

I’ve made friends with two people who are really making me feel welcome, …. so they've kind of taken me under their wing.

– … very positive as i have made new friends and I am looking forward in having a successful time here.

– … the students are friendly which eased tension and lightened the atmosphere

• Expectations – few mentions, but met or exceeded– … all expectations were met in terms of what i thought about

university– … it was what i was expecting– Bedfordshire has already exceeded my expectation!

Conclusions• Much more coherent link to year one activities• Generally very well received• Largely successful in starting to develop teams• Induction eased the fears/worries of many but

not all• Successful in ‘personalising’ tutors (part of

academic integration)• Helped in developing social relationships among

students (part of social integration)• Still capable of improvements!

What about Learning Resources

• Information literacy central to the educational strategy but they were not part of induction:

SO

We integrated them in the curriculum

They reported their experiences at the They reported their experiences at the The Librarians The Librarians Information Literacy Annual Conference this yearInformation Literacy Annual Conference this year