Forging Connections: An Investigation of New Students' Perspectives of Their Transition to the University

2009 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adele Baruch-Runyon ◽  
Zark VanZandt ◽  
S. Auguste Elliott
Keyword(s):  
Minority Students ◽  
Practice Theory ◽  
First Year ◽  
Research Practice ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Competing Demands ◽  
Transitional Experience ◽  
University Life ◽  
New Students ◽  
The University

We studied first-year students through an integrated group workshop and longitudinal interviews that focused on students' transitional experience at the university as well as the strategies they developed to adjust to university life. Four themes emerged: the challenges of forming connections to other students with similar interests during the first few weeks on campus, the need to balance competing demands, varied experiences of connection with faculty and staff, and the need for translation of university life for minority students. To address the issues and concerns that emerged from our findings, we offer a number of advisory recommendations and programmatic initiatives. Relative Emphasis: research, practice, theory

scholarly journals First-year Students’ Adjustment to University Life: A Case Study of Implementing College Buddy Program

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 116
Author(s):  
Maryam Alharthi
Keyword(s):  
Childhood Studies ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
First Year ◽  
Present Program ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
University Life ◽  
New Students ◽  
The University ◽  
First Year University

Transitioning from secondary to higher education is not a natural step for many first-year university students. Most female students who join Taibah University did not have the chance to visit the university and get to know the programs offered there before they applied. Therefore, the Childhood Studies Department within the College of Family Sciences has initiated the present program – My Uni-Buddy. The program was applied on a small scale to create connection between first-year students and their fellow students in the third year. The aim of the program is to support new students and help them adjust quickly to their new life. The study employs a qualitative approach in which interviews were carried out to collect the relevant data. The findings show that first-year students hughly benefited from the program in the academic and social aspects.

scholarly journals A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Presentation Formats for Instruction: Teaching First-Year Students

2000 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Anne Germain ◽  
Trudi E. Jacobson ◽  
Sue A. Kaczor
Keyword(s):  
First Year Experience ◽  
First Year ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Class Session ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
New Students ◽  
Presentation Formats ◽  
The University

First-year experience (FYE) programs offer librarians opportunities to teach new students in a comprehensive fashion. However, large FYE programs can place demands on user education programs that are difficult to meet. Instruction librarians at the University at Albany sought to address this dilemma by developing a Web-based instructional module for one class session. The module was used by a segment of students in the Project Renaissance FYE program, whereas another segment received instruction by a librarian. The effectiveness of the two instructional methods was compared using pre- and post-tests, and was found to be equal. Analysis of the test scores also showed that instruction, regardless of format, makes a significant difference (p < .05) in the number of correct test answers.

scholarly journals Student Support and Transition Through a Buddy Programme to Foster Social Integration

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 47-63
Author(s):  
Ana Naidoo ◽  
Hestie Byles ◽  
Sindi Kwenaite
Keyword(s):  
Social Integration ◽  
Contact Point ◽  
Student Support ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
University Of Pretoria ◽  
University Life ◽  
Student Advisor ◽  
Peer Advisors ◽  
The University

The University of Pretoria (UP) began offering formal academic student support in 2011 when the first faculty student advisor (FSA) was appointed. Although many more FSAs were subsequently appointed, assistance to all the students in need of support remained insufficient. However, financial assistance through the collaboration grant received from the Department of Higher Education and Training in 2018 made it possible to explore new areas of support. The UP was able to pilot four innovations due to the availability of additional funds. These included generic workshops across faculties; the creation of a hub in the library, which served as a common contact point for students requiring assistance; the appointment of peer advisors; and a Buddy Programme for first-year students. This article explains the Buddy Programme as perceived by the senior students who mentored the first-year students. The mentors are known as “big buddies”. Our work on this programme is based on Tinto’s (1975) ideas about social integration. The Buddy Programme was introduced to assist first-year students in their transition from school to university life. This paper highlights the challenges that first-year students faced and it explains how the concepts could become institutionalised once university activities have been normalised in the post-pandemic future.

scholarly journals Students and Tutors’ Perceptions of the Use and Functioning of University Tutoring

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadia Soledad Peralta ◽  
María Antonella Klug
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Orientation ◽  
Private University ◽  
First Year ◽  
Listening Skills ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Perceptions Of Students ◽  
University Life ◽  
The University

This article aims to study the functioning and perceptions of students and tutors of the university tutoring system in a private university institute in the city of Rosario. An exploratory-descriptive study was used, wich included a case study design. The university tutoring functioning was analized from the tutors’ perspective (with semi-structured interviews) and the first-year students’ perceptions (with the application of a questionnaire). The results indicate that, for tutors, the listening skills, the need for training, and the teamwork capacity are important. With regard to the students, it was found that more than half do not know about the tutoring, and that those who know about it manifest to have received the information from teachers and peers. Some of them consider that this space relates to the theoretical orientation and manifest preference toward the academic tutoring function, while others consider that tutoring enables them to carry out a comprehensive vision of university life.

scholarly journals Programa de orientación entre iguales en educación superior para la adquisición de competencias instrumentales

2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 132
Author(s):  
Noemí Merayo Álvarez ◽  
Inés Ruiz-Requies ◽  
Nicole Ávalos Díaz
Keyword(s):  
Academic Failure ◽  
High Rate ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Academic Difficulties ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
New Students ◽  
Mixed Approach ◽  
The University

RESUMENLas necesidades detectadas en los estudiantes de nuevo ingreso de las Escuelas Técnicas Superiores de Ingenieros de Telecomunicación han llevado a plantear iniciativas de mentoría formal en sus grados. Estas carencias están relacionadas con una escasa orientación previa a la Universidad, gran heterogeneidad del alumnado, alto índice de fracaso académico en el primer curso y falta de información acerca de la inserción laboral. Este artículo pretende dar a conocer el programa MENTUm cuya finalidad es que estudiantes de últimos cursos ofrezcan apoyo e incentiven el aprendizaje e integración de estudiantes de primero con el objetivo de detectar las dificultades personales y académicas que presentan y desarrollar competencias instrumentales. La metodología de investigación empleada consiste en un Estudio de Caso desde un enfoque mixto, empleando técnicas tanto cuantitativas como cualitativas con la finalidad de alcanzar la mayor comprensión del programa en una de sus cuatro dimensiones: dar respuesta a las necesidades del alumnado de nuevo ingreso. Para la recogida de información, se han empleado tres técnicas de recogida de datos: cuestionarios, observaciones y entrevistas. Los resultados muestran que las dificultades personales tienen que ver con la falta de concentración, planificación y organización del tiempo, mientras que las dificultades académicas tienen que ver más con la falta de conocimientos previos ante los contenidos de las asignaturas. Como conclusiones hemos constatado que los estudiantes son conscientes desde su ingreso a la Universidad de la importancia de desarrollar competencias instrumentales de aprendizaje autónomo y planificación a medida que transcurre el año académico.ABSTRACT The needs detected in the new students of the Higher Technical Schools of Telecommunication Engineers have led to propose initiatives of formal mentoring in their grades. These shortcomings are related to a poor orientation prior to the University, great heterogeneity of the students, high rate of academic failure in the first year and lack of information about the labor insertion. This article describes the MENTUm program, whose purpose is for senior students to support and encourage the learning and integration of first-year students with the aim of detecting the personal and academic difficulties they present and developing some instrumental skills. The research methodology used consists of a Case Study from a mixed approach, using both quantitative and qualitative techniques in order to achieve a greater understanding of the program in one of its four dimensions: respond to the needs of new students. For the collection of information, three data collection techniques have been used: questionnaires, observations and interviews. The results show that personal difficulties have to do with the lack of concentration, planning and organization of time, while academic difficulties have more to do with the lack of prior knowledge regarding the contents of the subjects. As conclusions, we have verified that the students are aware from their beginning at the University of the importance of developing instrumental skills of autonomous learning and planning as the academic year progresses.

ANALISIS READINESS MAHASISWA BARU DALAM PEMBELAJARAN DARING DI UIN SUNAN KALIJAGA YOGYAKARTA

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-188
Author(s):  
Aulia Faqih Rifa'i ◽  
Sumarsono Sumarsono
Keyword(s):  
Educational Institution ◽  
First Year ◽  
Learning Method ◽  
Learning Methods ◽  
Learning Readiness ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Online Lectures ◽  
E Learning ◽  
New Students ◽  
The University

As an impact of Covid-19, the learning methods is shifting from conventional into e-learning. Therefore, UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta as an educational institution have to implement online lectures for all students. This event causes the first year students to not having the opportunity to understand how lectures work. On the other hand, lecturers and the university did not yet have a picture of the readiness of new students to study with e-learning method. For that case, the university needs to know if the students are ready to be doing e-learning lectures. This descriptive quantitive research uses a questionnaire and e-learning readiness factors by Chapnik [1] to see the readiness of new students. As a result, the score of new students e-learning readiness is 45.09. Thus, new students of UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta are not ready enough for studying in e-learning methods. This research also provides suggestions about how e-learning methods should be done for the lecturers.

scholarly journals MySci Advisors: Establishing a Peer-Mentoring Program for First Year Science Student Support

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten Poling
Keyword(s):  
Peer Mentoring ◽  
First Year ◽  
Mentoring Program ◽  
Science Student ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Early Evidence ◽  
University Life ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The University ◽  
Early Establishment

Would you like to help your students adjust to university life? Perhaps you are simply interested in allowing them to feel more integrated into a department right from the start of their first year? These were the types of issues that we were hoping to address when we founded the MySci Advisors Program, a peer-mentoring group for first year students in the Faculty of Science at the University of Windsor. This program is run entirely on a volunteer basis with no working budget, so if you were considering starting a mentoring program but have been concerned about the cost of doing so, this essay may be of particular interest to you. MySci Advisors is only in its third year currently, so this essay is meant to focus on the lessons we have learned in the early establishment of the program. I outline some of the practices we have adopted for the program, some of the changes we have had to make along the way and provide some early evidence of success. It is my hope that others may be motivated to also form such a program or use this information to assist in their own early endeavours.

They’re Here, Now How Do You Keep Them?

2013 ◽  
pp. 84-102
Author(s):  
Ruth Gannon Cook
Keyword(s):  
Time Management ◽  
Student Attitudes ◽  
Good Time ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
First Semester ◽  
College Age ◽  
New Students ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
The University

This is a case study of a class of first year traditional college-age students enrolled in a class that assessed measures to orient new students and enlist them in becoming committed to completing their degrees. The motivation of the university that designed the course was two-fold: to help students develop good time management and study skills; and to nurture student loyalty to retain them through graduation at this university. The study followed a small class of 18-20 year old first year students through their first semester at a mid-sized western public university. The results of the study indicated that while many factors affect students’ attitudes and retention throughout their college years, simple measures of enlistment and peer-mentoring fared best to positively influence student attitudes and responses in the college-orientation class; and, peer involvement offered the most promise of future brand commitment to student retention at the university.

They’re Here, Now How Do You Keep Them?

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 25-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth Gannon Cook
Keyword(s):  
Time Management ◽  
Student Attitudes ◽  
Good Time ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
First Semester ◽  
College Age ◽  
New Students ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
The University

This is a case study of a class of first year traditional college-age students enrolled in a class that assessed measures to orient new students and enlist them in becoming committed to completing their degrees. The motivation of the university that designed the course was two-fold: to help students develop good time management and study skills; and to nurture student loyalty to retain them through graduation at this university. The study followed a small class of 18-20 year old first year students through their first semester at a mid-sized western public university. The results of the study indicated that while many factors affect students’ attitudes and retention throughout their college years, simple measures of enlistment and peer-mentoring fared best to positively influence student attitudes and responses in the college-orientation class; and, peer involvement offered the most promise of future brand commitment to student retention at the university.

Refining Contrapuntal Pedagogy: Reflections on Teaching Warsan Shire’s “Home” and W.H. Auden’s “Refugee Blues” to First-Year Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bridget Grogan
Keyword(s):  
Racial Identity ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Human Experience ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Poetic Voice ◽  
Teaching Poetry ◽  
Approach To Teaching ◽  
The University ◽  
The Way

This article reports on and discusses the experience of a contrapuntal approach to teaching poetry, explored during 2016 and 2017 in a series of introductory poetry lectures in the English 1 course at the University of Johannesburg. Drawing together two poems—Warsan Shire’s “Home” and W.H. Auden’s “Refugee Blues”—in a week of teaching in each year provided an opportunity for a comparison that encouraged students’ observations on poetic voice, racial identity, transhistorical and transcultural human experience, trauma and empathy. It also provided an opportunity to reflect on teaching practice within the context of decoloniality and to acknowledge the need for ongoing change and review in relation to it. In describing the contrapuntal teaching and study of these poems, and the different methods employed in the respective years of teaching them, I tentatively suggest that canonical Western and contemporary postcolonial poems may reflect on each other in unique and transformative ways. I further posit that poets and poems that engage students may open the way into initially “less relevant” yet ultimately rewarding poems, while remaining important objects of study in themselves.

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