Parallel Session Round #1

Workshop Session B

Training modules for staff: The importance of developing students’ sense of belonging”

Keywords: Beginners, Diversity and Inclusion, Orientation and Induction

Silke Preymann, Johanna Paar, Victoria Rammer, Elke Welp-Park
Fachhochschule Oberösterreich, Austria

The workshop aims to provide some insights that will help participants to create an inclusive learning atmosphere where all students feel that their contributions are valued and welcome. The workshop sheds some light on the crippling role of stereotype threat and othering mechanisms and how they may affect the progression of non-traditional student groups.

In an interactive setting and based on their own experiences, participants will then explore existing and potential barriers to both academic and social integration of beginner students. The discussion will revolve around one central question, namely ‘How to make it easier for students to settle in at their respective higher education institution?’

 

Paper Sessions A

Pedagogic Practice to Support Student Transition and Engagement in Your Classroom

Keywords: Teaching Staff, Student Engagement, Transition

Dr Kerry Gough
Nottingham Trent University, England

At Nottingham Trent University (NTU), student transition is managed by our Centre for Student and Community Engagement who support Schools in the management and delivery of their first-year induction programmes, while the Centre for Academic Development and Quality look after ongoing staff development for those who teach and support learning. This session offers insight into our jointly-designed staff development programme in support of student transition and engagement.

Never has the student experience been so fragmented than it has across the last three years. Early indications at NTU, show first-year students facing high levels of anxiety and less engaged than we would expect them to be, both on campus and online. Student behaviours have changed, with many students choosing to come on campus for their learning only. This maps differently to pre-pandemic behaviour, where students would stay on campus longer, engaging in a wider range of activity, both social and academic. This session outlines the staff development package that we have developed to support staff at NTU in supporting our students, with a view to enhancing student academic progress and sense of belonging at NTU.

Pause! Stop! Rewind! SIMON and the study choice process

Keywords: Prospective Students, Orientation and Induction, Support Services

Lot Fonteyne
Ghent University, Belgium

How can we get the right student in the right place? One way of doing this is to provide prospective students with valid instruments that support their study choice process. In this paper we introduce one such instrument, SIMON (Study Skills and Interests MONitor). Although this project initially targeted prospective students, SIMON is now also being used post-enrolment.

As such, SIMON aims to promote success and retention both pre- and post-enrollment. The validity of this instrument and its matching algorithms has been supported by data from 50.000 students and over 35.000 secondary education users. In the current paper we focus on the validity of the prediction of success, on how the instrument promotes diversity and we illustrate the several applications.

We also highlight the effects of the pre- and post-enrolment applications on the re-enrolment and re-orientation of unsuccessful students. The aim is to be thought-provoking and leave the audience inspired and with concrete ideas to implement similar projects.

 

Paper Sessions B

UP Readiness Survey (UPRS) for first year student success

Keywords: Beginners, Academic / Learning Analytics, Orientation and Induction

Juan-Claude Lemmens
University of Pretoria, Southafrica

The UP Readiness Survey (UPRS) is a survey targeted at first time entering first year students. This survey focuses on various background and socio-economic factors, such as high school‐related characteristics, financial considerations, accommodation and the transport needs of first year students. The UPRS was implemented in 2020 for the first time and 7375 students completed the UPRS in 2020 and 7706 in 2021 during the orientation programme at a large research-intensive university in South Africa. The information of the UPRS is typically used by staff from the Department of Student Affairs (mentorship programme and student disability unit), the Department of Enrolment and Student Administration (bursaries and loans), the Department of Residence Affairs (student accommodation), the Center for Teaching and Learning (academic advising) and the Department of Institutional Planning (institutional report). IT devices and data needs were included in the survey in 2021. 358 students indicated insufficient data and 720 of the students indicated not have a device (e.g. laptop or tablet) that is usable for their studies. Uptake of the interventions will be presented during the presentation.

Study/Life Check in: Digital nudges to promote a positive learning culture

Keywords: Beginners, Mental Health and Well-being, Diversity and Inclusion

Rune Mastrup Lauridsen and Tine Waast Nielsen
University of Southern Denmark

Inspired by both young people’s digital habits, as well as psychological research on wellbeing (e.g. PERMA Theory), learning approaches (e.g. Mindset Theory) and motivation (e.g. Self-determination Theory), we have developed a series of digital interventions: Study/Life Check Ins.

Study/Life Check In is 9 digital nudges during the bachelor students’ 1st semester at two faculties at University of Southern Denmark. Each check in (digital nudge) consists of one quick question relating to student life, respond options and feedback. The feedback is text bits, short youtube videos, gifs or similar.

The Aims of the Study/Life Check In

• To prompt first year students to talk to each other about being a university student in a supportive, inclusive, and positive way.
• To create proactive reflections on relevant factors of well-being at eye level and why it is worth prioritising
• To influence the language, the discourse, and the learning culture among first year students in a direction that is conductive for well-being

Preliminary findings show high activity in the check ins, and interviews with participants suggest that students find the check ins both inspiring and fun.

 

Paper Sessions C

Columbus: An online self-assessment tool to support higher education study choice

Keywords: Prospective Students, Orientation and Induction, Transition

Sofie Van Cauwenberghe (1), Nicolas Dirix (1), Jonas Willems (2), Vincent Donche (2), Lien Demulder (2, 3), Jordi Heeren (3), Karine Verschueren (3), Lieve De Wachter (3), Veerle Vanoverberghe (4)
Ghent University (1), University of Antwerp (2), KU Leuven (3), Artevelde University of Applied Sciences (4); Belgium

Choosing a suitable study program is a challenging process for prospective students. This is especially true in Flanders, where there is an open access policy in most study programmes for students coming from secondary education. The majority of these students does not manage to pass all courses in the first year of tertiary education. The Columbus tool, a large scale online assessment and feedback instrument commissioned by the Flemish government, therefore attempts to improve study orientation from secondary education towards higher education.

In this presentation we will introduce the different measurement instruments used in Columbus. Moreover, we will show how the Columbus data of over 10,000 Flemish last-year secondary school students was related to their achievement one year later in higher education. Using these data, an empirically grounded overarching feedback module was developed that maps students’ likelihood of success in the first year of higher education given their scores on the different measures in Columbus. We will give a demonstration of this module and discuss how decisions regarding the feedback format and lay-out were made based on user feedback.

Shaping, enabling and accompanying educational transitions

Keywords: Prospective Students, Orientation and Induction, Transition

Helena Nekola, Ute Steffl-Wais
Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU), Austria

Nowadays HEIs operate in a highly competitive field in terms of attracting students, but also regarding student retention and graduation rates. WU Vienna traditionally suffers from high rates of early dropouts. Building relations to schools and supporting prospective students in their decision-making seems to be one lever to work on this. In 2015, WU participated in an official call by the Federal Ministery for Education, Science and
Research for cooperation projects aiming to achieve structural developments in the education sector. The project based on three core elements: personal relations, early information including campus experience and recognition. The project ran from 2016 to 2018 in cooperation with the
Viennese City School Board and 8 secondary schools. The session puts the focus on the project’s goals, activities, outcomes as well as the lessons
learned and presents the results of the evaluation process. Based on this, WU Vienna initiated a range of activities and offers for prospective students in order to improve the expectation management, information base and starting conditions. We present the follow-up project and illustrate data based the developments at WU within the last years in the respective topics. Finally, we discuss the transferability of the project to other HEIs.

 

Show & Tell Session A

What about soft skills!?

Keywords: Teaching Staff, Mental Health and Well-being, Technology Enhanced Learning

Herman Van de Mosselaer, Amber Hoefkens, Peter David
AP University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Belgium

In many higher education programmes we only pay attention to soft skills in the graduation year, in preparation for the entry into the labour market. That is a pity because then there is not much time left to coach its development. Moreover, several soft skills, such as communication, empathy, planning & organising, analyzing, self-reflection and result orientation are very important for a smooth social and academic integration in higher education. The sooner students are aware of their qualities with regard to their soft skills, the sooner they can develop them further.

After years of experience with Lemo, a feedback tool for learning competences and learning motivation, AP Educational Research Unit developed a feedback tool for soft skills. The tool starts from a self-assessment questionnaire about at least 8 and maximum all 16 soft skills available, and provides immediately an individual feedback report with score-specific feedback and tips to strengthen the chosen soft skills. We present an overview of the tool with the questionnaire, the individual feedback report, a group feedback report and support materials for coaching. Participants can also experience the tool themselves.

Cooperation as a strategy for an inclusive learning environment

Keywords: Prospective Students, Diversity and Inclusion, Support Service

Liesbeth Huybens, Diane Maes
Thomas More, Belgium

We present a model of a support continuum where inclusion takes the lead and students are fully supported from the start. We optimize the learning process of every student and recognize all students in their uniqueness and offer customized services.

We provide a good basic service for every student where diversity thinking is supported by everyone.  We provide only specific support when necessary.  Furthermore we try to give as much specific support to every student. For example all students, also those without a diagnose, get extra time to make exams. To achieve this, every program has its own disability officer. He pleads for every student  and implements the principles of Design for All.

We evaluate and adjust continuously. Confirmation that our system works is provided by research and students indicate that they are satisfied with the accessible support. Not only specific help is provided but a simple “how do you do?” also goes a long way. A good basic service, provided by inclusive thinking, gives most students all the help they need.

This only has a chance of success if students take a responsible attitude towards their own learning process and if all employees see the student as an equal partner.

InteresTinder: a tool to help prospective students discover their interests, values, talents…

Keywords: Prospective Students, Orientation and Induction, Support Services

Lieselot Buyle, Delphine Goethals
Artevelde University of Applied Sciences, Belgium