Direct Entrant Induction at QMU: nurturing successful students online and in person What Works? Student Retention and Success: Final Conference 2017 Karl Johnson WISeR Coordinator & Lecturer in Sociology Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh kjohnson@qmu.ac.uk @karlpjohnson

Direct Entrant Induction/Transitions Direct Entrants (e.g., students who progress to level 2 or above in HE, from college courses or other pathways) make up significant proportion of student pop. in many post-1992 institutions. Intake of 27 across Psych/Soc for 2016/17 (25 out of approx. 80 at level 2). DE students may feel under-prepared and/or have difficulty adjusting to learning & teaching at university. Concern for successful transition and retention of DEs. Tailored induction practices which start early, and continue past the first week into the semester and beyond, are beneficial to DEs and indeed all students at all levels. Incorporating video feedback can help enhance student experience. Jones (2008); Briggs, Clark and Hall (2012); Crook et al. (2012); Thomas (2012); Thompson and Lee (2012); Christie, Barron and D’Annunzio-Green (2013); Whittle (2015)

Welcome End & Thank You Psychology Degree questions [Anxious/Prepared] Joint Psych/Soc Degree questions [Anxious/Prepared] End & Thank You Public Sociology Degree questions [Anxious/Prepared] Anticipation for University Life [Anxious/Prepared] Academic Skills [Anxious/Prepared]

Sessions and Early Feedback Taught Induction classes 2hr ‘Meet the Academics’ drop-in Introduction to Key Support Services Presentation Skills and Confidence Boosting Support sessions inaccessible for some students because of timetable clashes, workload and deadlines in semester 1.

Evaluation and Development Questionnaires and Focus Groups with DE students from QMU divisions of Business & Management, Psychology & Sociology, currently ongoing. Anecdotal evidence and early stats suggest positive effect on transitional experience and engagement of DEs joining QMU degree courses. More substantial evidence required, however. Efforts are underway by academic staff, support services and learning & teaching staff to improve induction initiative – and expand to all students across QMU School of Arts, Social Sciences and Management. Psychology & Sociology Focus Group returned the following…

“I only came back after Christmas because of SAAS funding!” “…after the induction week I was still like, I don’t know what to fully expect, I know in theory, but not in practice, like how do you take notes and things like that?” “…we only had three lecturers at college, so we had the same person the whole way through, we got to know their style from the beginning…” [and it was really easy to ask them questions, or say if you didn’t understand] “The thing I most remember from induction week is being told that if you don’t get your commas in exactly the right place then you’ll fail” “I only came back after Christmas because of SAAS funding!” “People are scared to come and see [lecturers] because then you’ll know they’re not coping. If I make it look like I can’t do this then they’re going to kick me out” “…like even with [lecture content] there’s a lot of ‘oh yeah we’re not going to cover this because you did it last year’ and I was sat there going, yeah no we didn’t, I have no idea what you’re talking about right now”

Managing Expectations Key differences in teaching style and assessment compared to college experiences. Learning outcomes, grading, feedback. Simple, practical issues; can be addressed at institutional level? Campus orientation, timetabling, signposting services, etc. Small problems exacerbate feelings of uncertainty, ‘out of place-ness’. DE students unaware of 1st year content – Staff unclear on what’s been covered at college or elsewhere. (Regarding the ‘Academic Skills’ online quiz section) “I remember thinking [at induction], that my academic writing was fine, thing is, two months down the line, I totally would have changed my answers to that”

Positive Outcomes this year Longitudinal induction has gone some way towards de-mystifying lived reality of university. Respectful, honest and reciprocal dialogue between students and project staff. Creating a relaxed environment for new students; getting to know staff and feel more comfortable talking to them. More questions (!), but more constructive interactions. On the whole transitioning to university has been a positive experience for these students, but with significant issues and challenges that could likely be minimised/avoided completely. Noted uptake of QMU Effective Learning Service this year, among Psychology & Sociology students. But more work to be done!

Suggestions and Reflections Need for more substantive, embedded, ‘joined up’ support provision for DE (and all) students, across Division/School/Institution. Earlier – as well as longitudinal – induction (a summer school?!) Earlier access to reading lists, key texts, summary syllabi, etc. ‘Don’t panic’ student-led guides for each year transitions. (Christie and Johnson, Forthcoming) Responsibility to de-mystify higher education for new students and early- career staff alike. Academic labour of widening access, participation, and retention; who does the work? Thank you for your attention