Student Induction is a critical point in the academic experience of a student and should be viewed as a process which spans 'pre-arrival' to the end of the first year of study (and arguably, beyond). Effective management of the student transition from prior studies into University life can aid in the retention of students and make the first-year experience on a University course more enjoyable and successful. This is becoming increasingly important, particularly in the context of increased tuition fees, the marketization of HE, league tables and the NSS.

The national student induction workshop brought together academics and support staff from Warwick and 19 other institutions to a one-day workshop which focused on student induction. The event comprised of a number of presentations which shared innovative practice, and some interactive workshops which explored key induction themes. As a result of the workshop, a JISC email list (STUDENTINDUCTION at jiscmail dot ac dot uk) was established and the organising team has been encouraged to begin organising the second national student induction workshop which will take place at the University of Warwick on 2nd July, 2014.

The event was co-funded by IATL and the HEA and organised by Harjinder Singh Lallie (WMG), Lisa Field (Induction Manager at Student Careers and Skills - SCS) and Joanne Ramsey (SCS).

Harjinder Singh Lallie is a senior teaching fellow in Cybersecurity at the University of Warwick (WMG). He teaches three modules on the programme. He has developed and led a number of very successful University courses in Digital Forensics and Security at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. Harjinder has been involved in induction activities for 15 years and has excellent experience in managing the student induction experience.

Lisa Field is the University's Induction Manager and her team leads on all central induction activities and project manages the University-wide 'Transition to Warwick' project to support academic departments in enhancing their student transition/ induction provision.