Preparing Pre-Arrival Students for the Warwick Student Experience
This project aims to improve the student induction experience and prepare students for their academic studies through the development of e-learning resources for pre-arrival students.
This project is aimed at improving student engagement and experience before arrival at University and supporting a student’s academic induction. This e-learning intervention will seek to provide pre-arrival students with reassurance about coming to University and help them prepare for Welcome Week and start to their academic studies.
By working with current students - learning from and incorporating their insights, experiences, ideas and voices - this project aims to develop an online e-learning Moodle resource and supporting content (videos, interactive activities, quizzes, and forums) to enhance the student induction experience and to create a sense of a learning community pre-arrival. By completing the e-learning module it is intended that pre-arrival students will feel ready and prepared for student life and learning at Warwick, and that this will help offset some of the anxieties around the ‘un-known’ when starting their studies.
Such an intervention is important because students, regardless of background and with a range of life experiences, can feel apprehensive before arriving at University. This is especially true if students don’t have a family member or friend who has been to University, or have been unable to attend open or pre-arrival days before they start their studies. It is anticipated that international students coming to live and study in the UK for the first time might also find this a helpful resource.
Project Aims
- To enhance the experience of pre-arrival students, especially from widening participation backgrounds, for a successful arrival, Welcome Week, and integration into the student community at the University of Warwick;
- Develop a better understanding of the student pre-arrival and induction experience;
- Co-produce a sustainable, engaging and interactive e-learning module in Moodle and resources in collaboration with current students to prepare pre-arrival students for University, to support academic induction, and create a sense of learning community pre-arrival.
- To promote and share the project and its outputs with WIHEA members, the broader University learning community, and externally.
Project Activity
Phase 1 (April 2019)
We will advertise and hold focus groups with students to discuss their experiences pre-arrival and during induction.
Phase 2 (May – July 2019)
The project leads and the student group will focus on developing video podcasts and e-learning resources for pre-arrival students. The team will direct videos and design interactive e-learning activities in Moodle to encourage and help pre-arrival students engage with each other through forum and on-line group activities.
Phase 3 (August 2019)
Editing and beta testing of the resource(s) and getting feedback from stakeholders.
Phase 4 (September – October 2019)
Launch of the resource and monitoring from the project leads. During this phase we will also ask the student co-producers to make themselves available for periods on the online forums to talk with pre-arrival students.
Phase 5 (November – December)
We will evaluate the project through interviews with the student co-producers and stakeholders, and by adding a reflective survey for the students to complete at the end of their interaction with the resource.
