CRICOS No. 00213J

1. ATEM South Australia Branch Conference A Blueprint for Transition Success Dr Karen Nelson kj.nelson@qut.edu.au Faculty of Information Technology Queensland University of Technology 26 July 2006 CRICOS No. 00213J

2. Topics • The transition experience & why it deserves attention. • Key transition issues. • Need for a “blueprint”. • A blueprint for transition success.

3. Students in Transition • Students in transition are special • Expectations • Work commitments • Preparation for study • There is not a typical “student-in-transition” • Generation X, Y & Zers • Course choice issues

4. 0 Why are they so special? • Diversity – for example: • Demographics (inc. equity groups); • Preparedness for higher education; • Baggage & expectations; • Doubts; • Not familiar or completely ill-informed about what might be encountered in chosen course (James, 2001) • These and many other factors impact on • Retention, progression and • Ability of each student to achieve their best.

5. No typical “student-in-transition”

6. What is the need … Class Allocations Orientation Student ID Card Pre- Orientation Course Enrolment New Financial Pressures Discipline Terminology Curriculum Technology New Friends Units & unit outlines User Name & Password New Physical Environment Faculty Processes New Intellectual Environment Timetable L & T Student Services Classes Who’s who in the zoo Week 1 Documents Student Union Library Faculty Orientation International Student

7. Key Transition Issue • Students to encounter curriculum that is sensitive to their realities, that provides access to: • Adequate and timely support services, • Opportunities to become part of a learning community.

8. 0 Transition Objectives The day-to-day transactions between learners & the various aspects of their learning need to be seamless so they can focus energy on learning. Criticality of holisitic transition approach

9. Challenges for universities • Transition is a responsibility that must be shared and understood by all areas of the university – academic and professional, senior management, student services, administrators and learning environmental support. • Achieving this holistic collaborative environment requires systematizing transition philosophy within the elements of strategic infrastructure andpractical activities across all traditional silos between faculties and divisions.

10. How can this objective be achieved? • “bridging the gaps between academic, administrative and support programs” (McInnis 2003, p.13). • By orienting all processes andorienting the planning about FY towards the classroom. • By creating process bridges for all activities that are encountered by first year students.

11. A Transition Blueprint? • Professional staff and academics working together have a great capacity to transform transition by proactively mediating our students’ experience with all aspects of their learning. • The ET@QUT project aims to embed transition philosophy, and the processes that underpin it, across traditional ‘silos’. • The blueprint is the platform used to communicate how a transition philosophy can be embedded.

12. A systems view of the Blueprint • People - students, teachers, professional and administrative support; • Processes - learning, learning administration and learning support; • Information and data - learning materials, support materials and data required by students to monitor and administer their learning; • Systems - e.g. a virtual learning environment (VLE), other learning software and systems providing access to resources; • Information and communication technologies (ICTs) -the hardware and networks required to support learning and communication processes, information storage and access.

13. A Blueprint for Transition • Curriculum - scaffolded for both content and skills development, to be harnessed to mediate as many institutional interactions as possible. • A seamless, one-world view of their institutional engagement - support both their learning and the admin of their learning. • Student-centred systems of information dissemination tailored to individual needs. Information overload is inexcusable! • Active interventions that prevent predictable issues becoming problems. • Pro-active, timely and tailored assistance for specific cohorts with particular needs. • Time and workload management resources. • Personal interactions – with peers and with teachers. • Technologies that our students (the Y generation) have so readily embraced as an integral part their lives.

14. 0 The “blueprint” is the plan that enables a systematic institutional-wide approach to transition.It provides a common language and way of communicating Transition across the institution.

15. Visualising the Blueprint

16. Trial Projects within the Blueprint

17. Purpose of the Projects • To determine the usefulness of initiatives for students & the impact on their learning. • To identify and document the cross-institutional MLE elements required. • To show how to implement the most critical elements of the blueprint. • To provide resources (templates, supporting materials, staff roles & responsibilities …) to support deployment of elements.

18. Achievements • All projects at least once. • Evaluation data collected and currently being analysed. • Some outstanding results • Reduction in combined attrition and failure rates in one unit from 49 27% after one semester. • Overwhelming support for VLE. • University wide support for the teamwork protocol.

19. Conclusions & Recommendations • Align transition activities throughout the institutional hierarchy for a student focused approach. • Ensure that learning and the administration of learning should be seamless for students. • Manage transition through appropriately designed curriculum. • Focus on collaborative processes. • Design appropriate staff development programs. • Make First Year “resources” available to staff and students.

20. 0 Thank-you for listening Questions and Comments

21. ATEM South Australia Branch Conference A Blueprint for Transition Success Dr Karen Nelson Faculty of Information Technology Queensland University of Technology 26 July 2006 CRICOS No. 00213J