Attainment and transition experiences of students progressing from an evening access programme to undergraduate study

The under-representation of particular sections of society in Higher Education (HE) is a driver for the current widening participation agenda. The Scottish Government has an ambition that ‘by 2030 students from the 20 per cent most deprived backgrounds should represent 20 per cent of entrants to higher education’ (COWA, 2016). However, there is recognition that in order to achieve this target there may need to be a range of entry routes and contextual offers available. According to Scottish government figures, Abertay is one of Scotland’sleading HE centres for wider access (SFC, 2016). The university has offered a free part-time evening access course (Access to Higher Education Abertay Dundee (AHEAD) for a number of years but it underwent significant restructuring in 2012. This study considers the progression, attainment and experiences of students transitioning from the revised access route to their chosen undergraduate degree programme and through subsequent stages of study

The informed study project: An innovative online self evaluation of fitness to practise within a professional higher education degree programme

Pre-entry information and transitional support are identified as key factors promoting student success and retention, encouraging a pro-active approach to entry into Higher Education. Furthermore the Equality Act, in terms of anticipatory duty, emphasises this. However, some student groups studying for professional degrees, such as physiotherapy, need additional information in terms of responsibilities related with fitness to practise. These drivers initiated the development of the Informed Study Project (ISP), a bespoke on-line self-evaluation of fitness to practise. The ISP has successfully been embedded into the admissions process for BSc (Hons) physiotherapy students for 7 years. Evaluation using a Bristol Online Survey for the most recent cohort (respondents = 34) showed that 100% of students felt that the material was well presented and useful; 79% stated it positively affected the likelihood of them choosing to study physiotherapy at Cardiff University; 100% stated that they felt excited about studying at Cardiff