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Approach

Enhancing the First Year Transitional Experience Nicola Ayre, Peter Nicholl, Paul Hanna School of Computing and Mathematics University of Ulster. Approach. Multi-faceted solution to promoting student engagement student transition attendance inverted curriculum assessment. Student transition.

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Approach

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  1. Enhancing the First YearTransitional ExperienceNicola Ayre, Peter Nicholl, Paul HannaSchool of Computing and MathematicsUniversity of Ulster

  2. Approach Multi-faceted solution to promoting student engagement • student transition • attendance • inverted curriculum • assessment

  3. Student transition • Approach to transition developed in context of Ulster's WP initiatives. • Dual focus – transition into Subject and University. • Strategy based upon local and national best practice. Three aspects to student transition • pre-entry induction • at-entry induction • post-entry induction

  4. Pre-entry induction • Traditional prospectus. • Information evening. • One-to-one information sessions. 70% of all Early Leavers who were invited to attend the Information Evenings, failed to attend

  5. At-entry induction • Full-day interactive event. meet and greet seek and find labs and facilities groupdiscussions "mixing" • Isolation and loneliness.

  6. Post-entry induction • Encourage students to reflect on their existing skills. • Identify areas where they require further development: • online tool - Wheel of Life. • Captures a student’s thoughts on their strengths and weaknesses and the level of satisfaction they have for each.

  7. Studies Advice: • summary • starting point. • Challenge / Encourage.

  8. Enhanced studies advice - attendance • Attendance monitoring system: • all classes monitored electronically • apologies recorded. • Immediate follow-up – 1 hour – by phone: • first absence : explanation / all ok? • second absence : request meeting. • Allows early and supportive action to be taken for students identified as most at risk.

  9. Inverted curriculum • A variation on the inverted curriculum: • using everyday examples of hardware and software technology to introduce computing science concepts • e.g. • search engines to introduce indexes and sorting • markup languages to introduce syntax, parsing and tree structures • mobile phones to introduce shrinking of technology.

  10. Inverted curriculum • Inverted curriculum a key mechanism to help students contextualise theory: • Requires extensive planning and support from course team. “engagement and enthusiasm are higher” “stimulate interest and motivation”

  11. Assessment strategy • Encourage students to take a more lateral view of modules: • developing skills applied in concurrent / consecutive modules • Non-threatening environments. • Cross-modular assessment: • week 4 (S1) : integrated coursework • semester 2 : poster presentation at information evening.

  12. Evaluation • At-entry induction a key mechanism for establishing group cohesion: • Requires extensive planning and support from course team. "make new friends" “settling in” "good way to get involved”

  13. Evaluation • +ve • pre and at-entry induction • attendance monitoring • cross-modular interaction • early assessment • -ve • feedback • timing of reflection • group cohesion

  14. Conclusion • Many of our students are “first generation”. • Retains and prepares. • Delivers a positive educational experience. • Cross-modular themes a particular strength. • Resource / Staff intensive but results show our multi-faceted approach does help to retain students.

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