Supporting Student Transition Throughout Their Academic Careers
Overview
Mx Aimee-Leigh Youngson works at a university in the North West of England within the People Management department. She delivers with a focus on student development, encompassing academic skills and the application of Generative AI for academic and professional purposes. She engages with students across all levels, from Foundation to Postgraduate. Her current project involves facilitating students' transition at various stages of their academic journey, which has become the inspiration for this recipe.
Staff feedback indicates frustrations with students lacking core academic skills. This recipe aims to identify and address skill gaps in new Level 4 students; and at each following level. The goal is to support students in developing essential skills appropriately at each transition point in their university journey.
Methodology: An initial skills gap analysis was conducted during the welcome week, two weeks before the course starts, to identify and address skill gaps before course delivery. Students then focus solely on one module for the first four weeks of their course which can help to validate findings before going to their separate pathways. Students will periodically self-assess to measure improvements, declines, and areas of focus. There are concurrent staff assessments to align student and staff perceptions and identify training needs for academic staff. Findings are shared with all directly involved parties. The study is supported over a span of three years with interim interventions and support materials created based on findings.
Learning outcomes: This improved core skills, such as time management, organization, and research skills among students. There was better alignment between student and staff perceptions of skill gaps and targeted support materials and interventions could be developed based on ongoing assessments. There was also a case for a credited academic skills module to be implemented.
This project is subject to approval for the research data, but within your teaching area, you can gather information to monitor student progression, which will sit outside the ethical approval remit (check your policies).
Contributor
Mx Aimee-Leigh Youngson (she/her)Link opens in a new window, University of Salford
Module: People ManagementLink opens in a new window (2024)
Lesson plan
- Create the skills gap analysis form using feedback from staff/journals/existing sources (the library skills form in my case). My institution uses MS Forms – use your preferred/institutional format. Using the form, create a separate student and staff version. Deliver at the following time points to both staff and students:
• Year 1: Before the start of the course at level 4
• At the end of the immersive module
• At end of of trimester one
• At the end of trimester 2 - At each of the time points, disseminate all information gathered to the directly involved parties in order to offer online support (quick fix); amend support materials delivered through the student success programme (trimester length); and utilise the support staff to provide focused interventions based on the specific programme pathway gaps identified (ongoing).
- At the end of trimester 2, disseminate all information, alongside the staff results to identify what training gaps (if any) have been identified from the academic side. These can implemented into targeted training sessions over trimester 3, ready for use in trimester one in the academic year.
- Year 2: Repeat for new level 4s, new level 5s.
- Year 3: Repeat for new level 4s, new level 5s and new level 6s.
- Use the data to: Present a business case for a credited academic skills module (ideal outcome); develop appropriate interventions at each level, for students and staff; and/or plan for specific support at each level, for students and staff.
Tutor's observations
This project can be reduced or widened quite easily. Consistency needs to be thorough for comparable results. The data gathering mechanism and the dissemination tools can reduce the analysis time and can provide results quickly and allow for deep diving for wider discussion and intervention planning when required.
Skills to be assessed will be selected from credible sources regarding the graduate skills gap as well as internal data.
Reflections:
- Supporting the student transition should be a stepped approach for all levels beyond the initial induction period.
- Contextual study (UK external factors)
Anticipated responses from students and staff:
- Explaining relevance of the project
- Doing the survey on top of the day to day requirements
- Survey fatigue, how consistent are survey submissions
Benefits:
- More targeted use of resources
- Can anticipate needs at each level based on study data
- Credited skills module at all levels to run concurrently with pathway modules
Anticipated Pain Points:
- Low response rate from students and staff
- Time to turn around findings into actions
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Student testimonies
These pieces of feedback were part of the module review on the immersive module. This review had a very small response rate. The survey will be replicated more thoroughly in the next iteration with a pre-course survey and the other surveys as outlined in the lesson plan section. Week 4 in this iteration suggested improvements in all areas, but there was nothing to compare the data to.
Links to more like this
Categories: dpl_categories
Tools: dpl_tools
Departments: University of Salford