NTU First Year Tutorial Initiative Student Writing In Transition Symposium September 2011 Helen Puntha, Centre for Academic Development and Quality

Theoretical Underpinnings Transition 1st year students require time and support to succeed in new learning environment and begin acculturation into discipline/profession Social transition is as important as academic transition Engagement Engagement is the next most important factor for predicting student progression and achievement after prior qualifications For students with lower entry qualifications the effect is increased (Kuh 2008) Active participation in ‘educationally purposeful activity’ (Hu and Ku 2001) Learning as Participation ‘Communities of practice’(Lave and Wenger 1991)

Principles CohesionRelationships between students and student-tutor relationships IdentityDisciplinary / professional identity Purposeful activity Educational tasks with ongoing feedback built-in feedback Focus on process Supporting students with learning processes, not content Programmed and distinctive Distinctive system with a programme of activities to encourage effectiveness

System Requirements Full tutorial system will be implemented in Interim position for is as follows: All first year undergraduates to receive, in Welcome Week, the names of a personal/academic tutor and the members of their tutorial group. Each tutorial group (of 8-12 students) to meet twice in the first term and three more times, across terms 2 and 3.

Guidance on Tutorial Session Content TimingTasks which encompass the following – Induction weekStudents are provided with the names of their tutor and of other members of their tutor group 1 Term 1 (early) Getting to know peers and tutor Expectations about learning at university; future goals Reassurance about fitting in and being in the right place How learning at NTU will be different/similar to previous learning context (school/FE college), the importance of dialogue for effective learning 2 Term 1 (mid-term, before major assessment deadlines) Understanding the curriculum – a sense of connectedness Assessment and feedback in HE, including expectations for the programme, foregrounding of development across years Progress so far 3 Term 2 (early) Learning from and working with feedback: engaging with the feedback that students will have encountered to this point 4 Term 2 A short task based around what it means to be a member of the disciplinary/professional community, eg profiling an expert practitioner 5 Term 3 Review of the year, including: o Identifying/revisiting future goals o strategies of an effective learner (lessons learnt) Looking forward to Level 2

References Hu, S. and Kuh, G.D. Being (dis)engaged in educationally purposeful activities: the influences of student and institutional characteristics. Research in Higher Education 43(5) pp Kuh, G.D. et al. Unmasking the effects of student engagement on first-year college grades and persistence. Journal of Higher Education. 79(5) pp Lave, J. and Wenger, E. Situated learning: legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press