Induction and Transition

This blog is brought to you by Phil O’Brien, an Academic and Study Skills Tutor at Manchester Metropolitan University, who discusses and reflects on a collaboration between Learner Developers and Widening Participation colleagues on a programme of events to support first generation students manage the transition to university. Introduction Going to university as an undergraduate can be both exhilarating and overwhelming. For those who are the first in their families to do so, there are also a range of more pronounced challenges and perceptions to overcome. These often relate to not knowing what to expect from a university life and […]

Abstract: Bridging the Gap was a student-led, collaborative project run by Newcastle University Library from September 2022 to July 2024, culminating a brand-new suite of study skills resources to support prospective A-Level students and new Stage 1 undergraduate students. Now that the resources have been live for a year and we prepare for a new cohort of students to join us in September, in this session we’ll reflect on what we learned through the project, share insights from our independent evaluation, and showcase how we’ve strengthened the transition support we offer at Newcastle. Presenters:  Liv Jonassen, Academic Skills Manager and […]

This ALDinHE Take 5 post comes from Leeds’ Paul Cave and Angela Newton reflecting on ten years of the paradigmatic Flying Start resource. Many of us in the LD community have viewed this Leeds ‘Welcome’ resource as a leader in the field and we are really happy to get this insider look at how it came about – and to see what we can learn from the originators of this wonderful resource. 10 years of Flying Start: what have we learned about transition to university and where next? Transition to studying at university can be both daunting and exciting in […]

This #Take5 is brought to you from Luke Basford a student at Portsmouth University who delivered a riveting keynote at #ALDcone23 online in June last year. We were so impressed with Luke that we asked him for this blog also. In this #Take5 Luke shares his journey to Learning Development and support as a mature student. Who, me? At first, I never believed that I would be able to attend university. It seemed like something that was expected of me by those around me, rather than a personal aspiration. I vividly remember the eulogy at my grandad’s funeral, where each […]

This #Take5 blog is brought to you from Julie Nolan, Student Engagement Manager | Student Communications Project Manager. Julie is reflecting on work she has undertaken to align sustainability with student engagement activities within Library and Learning Services at Edge Hill University. How can we inform students of our presence and entice them in, in ways that are not wasteful and pointless? Plastic Fantastic Library and Learning Services (LS) at Edge Hill University (EHU) have historically purchased promotional merchandise to give away to students during welcome events, tours, open days and other celebratory activities on campus. Over the years this […]

A case study from the adult nursing course at the University of Bedfordshire.  Happy new academic year! Yes – it’s a bit late – but #Take5 seems to have caught as many colds and been caught up in as many institutional shake ups as everybody else! So – belated – but welcome – this blog post is brought to us by Anna Judd-Yelland, University of Bedfordshire  The problem In our role, working with the nursing lecturers, we noticed many students struggled with the jump from level 4 to level 5 and did not feel equipped to deal with the demands […]