First Year Experience

UNIVERSITY-BASED MENTORING PROGRAMMES FOR HIGH-RISK FIRST YEAR STUDENTS: A CRITICAL LITERATURE REVIEW

by Alexis Pillay

Masters Research Report

The development, implementation and perpetuation of student development programmes have become an essential strategy... more The development, implementation and perpetuation of student development programmes have become an essential strategy at South African universities, to meet the increasing massification of higher education head on. As a result of the diversification of this sector, previously disadvantaged groupings now frequent campuses, many of whom are underprepared and therefore need additional support to enhance their chances of success. Based on these conditions universities are under increasing pressure to improve student outcomes such as retention, persistence and completion. Mentoring is one mechanism used by universities to foster those outcomes. Mentoring has received considerable exposure in recent decades and this is evident by the proliferation of research covering the topic. In this report the literature on this ubiquitous yet elusive concept is reviewed. Firstly, an orientation to the problem is outlined. Secondly, the methodology for excavating secondary data sources is summarised. Thirdly, a critical review of literature is mapped out with the aim of harvesting key tenets to enable a ‘best practice’ mentoring programme capable of addressing transitional challenges of high-risk underprepared students. As a result, the meaning of mentoring is explored; the roles, categories, and typologies are defined; and theories reinforcing mentoring impact are delineated. Research demonstrates that mentoring is associated with a wide range of favourable cognitive, conative and affective outcomes. However, although higher incidence of positive outcomes associated with mentoring is found, sufficient evidence suggests that the ‘dark side’ of mentoring does exist. Lastly, a research proposal will validate how research should be undertaken to enable the development of a mentoring programme in which greater adherence to guidelines for the design and implementation of effective mentoring programmes should to be included.


Keywords: Mentoring, student development, university, undergraduate, students, first-year, extended programme, foundation provision, academic support, social support, underprepared, at-risk, high-risk, transition, retention, persistence, throughput, attrition, dropout.

Classroom karaoke: a social and academic transition strategy to enhance the first-year experience of youth studies students.

by Sarah Baker

Published in Youth Studies Australia, 31(1), 2012., pp. 25-33.

An innovative ice-breaker initiative - 'classroom karaoke' - was deployed at the beginning of a first-year... more An innovative ice-breaker initiative - 'classroom karaoke' - was deployed at the beginning of a first-year undergraduate course in youth studies in an Australian university. The study used karaoke as a social and academic transition strategy to enhance students' first-year experience at university. Students responded positively to this lecture-based social integration tool and reported that it made the learning environment less threatening, reduced anxiety and encouraged student interaction.

Student Induction to E-Learning: A Progress report

by Celina McEwen

Engaging and retaining students online: a case study

by Celina McEwen

E-learning and the first year experience: A framework for best practice

by Celina McEwen

First year: a survival guide

by Marcia Devlin

A short newspaper article containing advice for first year students.

Give them what they want: A look at student directed curriculum revision in a summer bridge camp

by Erin Crede

Wilson, H. 2009. SFP for Access and Redress, Paper presented at the HELTASA 2009 Conference, Johannesburg.

by Hentie Wilson

Building bridges: Understanding student transition to university

by Jill Clark

Co-authored paper by Briggs A, Clark J, Hall I in the Journal: Quality in Higher Education, 2012, Volume 18, Issue 1.

This paper explores challenges in ensuring effective student transition from school or college to university. It... more This paper explores challenges in ensuring effective student transition from school or college to university. It considers the significant social displacement involved in students’ creation of new learner identities. It examines the complex liaison needed for students to progress to appropriate degree courses, settle in to university life and succeed as higher education learners. Secondary data are drawn from analysis and synthesis of international literature on transition to higher education and the formation of learner identity, to identify key concepts. Primary data are taken from two studies of student transition in North-East England using student and staff surveys, student focus groups, staff interviews, and staff/student conferences which discussed selected project data sets. The analyses of secondary and primary data are used to model the process of transition and the formation of learner identity. The modelling process identifies organizational influences from school, college and university which contribute positively to learner growth. These are: personal contact, multiple opportunities, clarity of structure, apposite information, accessibility of people and curriculum, purposeful liaison, and the awareness of the individual within the process. Research into the process of student transition to university is mainly small-scale and the field is under-conceptualised. This paper synthesizes issues from a number of studies, including longitudinal and meta-studies where available, to identify key concepts and issues. These issues are then modelled in relation to current empirical data. Through this approach, the paper seeks to enhance organisational learning about student transition and provide conceptual thinking for the field.

Exploring transition: the experiences of students at Newcastle University in their first year

by Jill Clark

This report was co-authored by Jill Clark and Ian Hall in 2010

The Research Centre for Learning and Teaching (CfLaT) was commissioned by the Student Opinion and Survey Group (SOSG)... more The Research Centre for Learning and Teaching (CfLaT) was commissioned by the Student Opinion and Survey Group (SOSG) at Newcastle University to conduct a survey of all first year undergraduate students at Newcastle University in March 2010. The purpose of the survey was to gain some insight into the transition experiences of first year students at Newcastle University including their pre-arrival and induction experiences. Additionally, students were asked to assess their overall first year experiences so far and their experiences of teaching and learning and engagement.

Transition from school to University and experiences in the first year. What do we know about expectations, experiences and the ways of being a learner?

by Jill Clark

Conference paper presented at the Systematic Enhancement of Learning & Teaching: Innovation, Research and Development
Conference at Edge Hill University, 2 June 2010

Transition is a bridge between the security and structure offered by the school and the risks of life. (Will, 1984, p.... more Transition is a bridge between the security and structure offered by the school and the risks of life. (Will, 1984, p. 2) Transition issues, with the resultant satisfaction and retention of students, are not necessarily limited to what schools and Local Authorities can do, however, and there is an emerging body of evidence which explores transition process, to support and encourage students going into higher education, e.g. Yorke and Longden (2007) and Harvey and Drew (2006). Some research places itself within the Widening Participation agenda and explores the experiences of working class students (Crozier et al., 2008). Transition (and successful transition at that) is a current focus across Newcastle University, which has recently funded several projects through strategic funds to explore what it is that Universities need to do and what it is that students need and want. This paper brings together the findings from three research projects which focus on transition and induction from school to University.

Using SMS and other Interactive Technologies to Foster Student Study Skills in the Transition Phase

by Elaine Huber

Huber, E., Handal, B., Dutch, J. & Nixon, M. (2010). Using SMS and other Interactive Technologies to Foster Student Study Skills in the Transition Phase. In Z. Abas et al. (Eds.), Proceedings of Global Learn Asia Pacific 2010 (pp. 3318-3323). AACE.

In an attempt to reduce the high attrition rates in a department within the Faculty of Business and Economics, one... more In an attempt to reduce the high attrition rates in a department within the Faculty of Business and Economics, one particular unit containing over 1200 students, many of them determined ‘at-risk’, was targeted. A study skills framework has been created to support students in times of transition. The perceived and actual benefits to these students will be investigated by embedding the use of an SMS service inside their online unit, along with a web-based interactive calendar set up to remind students of assignment task deadlines and study tips. This paper outlines the first cycle of an action research project which aims to show that correlations can be drawn between integrated, personalised and technology-based support mechanisms and perceived success.

Status of Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) at the University of Kentucky for 2008 & 2009 Official Cohorts

by Randolph Hollingsworth

Engaging and empowering first-year students through curriculum design: perspectives from the literature

by Catherine Bovill

Curriculum design for the first year

by Catherine Bovill

" I think you are doing a good job, but…" Initial Thoughts on First Year-Responses from Students and Implications for the University

by Evonne Miller

Dive In 2005: A CD-ROM in “Student Speak” for First Year Students

by Russell Walton

The journey to Blended Learning… from Paper to Pebbles. Using an eportfolio to support the transformation of a PDP and study skills in the School of Computing and Information Technology.

by Lynda Holland

Co-authored with Penfold, B and Purnell, E. (2009) Efye Conference, 13-15 May, University of Groningen, Netherlands

Should students participate in curriculum design? Discussion arising from a first year curriculum design project and

by Catherine Bovill

Course-Embedded Mentoring for First-Year Students: Melding Academic Subject Support with Role Modeling, Psycho-Social Support, and Goal Setting

by Jennifer Sano-Franchini

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, July 2011
Co-authored with Jim Henry and Holly Huff Bruland

This article examines a mentoring initiative that embedded advanced students in first-year composition courses to... more This article examines a mentoring initiative that embedded advanced students in first-year composition courses to mentor students to excel to the best of their abilities. Mentors attended all classes along with students and conducted many out-of-class individual conferences, documenting each of them using program-implemented work logs. Four hundred four first-year students provided end-of-term anonymous feedback on standardized forms, which were transcribed, digitized, and tabulated for analysis. Analysis showed that the mentoring was effective in providing the four constructs key to mentoring as identified by Nora and Crisp (2008): psychological/emotional support; support for setting goals and choosing a career path; academic subject knowledge support aimed at advancing a student's knowledge relevant to his or her chosen field; specification of a role model. Analysis also revealed a key construct not mentioned by Nora and Crisp: the mentee’s predisposition. Recommendations for implementing embedded mentoring for first-year students in other contexts follow the Discussion.