Building success for all our students: enhancing the first year student experience

This paper focuses upon Middlesex University’s response (ISLER Project) to concerns regarding the widening participation agendas’ implication on retention. On-going institutional research in the form of the ISLER Project (Impact of the student learning experience on retention) has been instigated, to better understand the issues that affect our first year students, in particular academic related factors which contribute to student departure and/or persistence. Findings illustrated reasons for non-completion often consisted of a mixture of academic related factors coupled with factors external to academic issues. Factors influential to student departure included academic preparedness, staff/student and peer relationships, students’ concerns regarding aspects of learning and teaching. Factors that fostered persistence included institutional aspects of adopting active learning techniques, formative assessments, regular feedback, adopted techniques to make students feel a sense of belonging to the university and course, tied with personal traits of investment, self efficacy beliefs and motivation

A good start equals a good stay: providing a positive induction experience

Universities are only too aware of the ways in which their student profiles are changing, however it remains a challenge for staff to identify how they should respond to the increasing diversity resulting from widening participation. This paper aims to identify areas of the induction process that meets the needs of first year students in a pre and post 1992 higher education institutions, namely Brunel and Middlesex. These two London based universities have good performance indicators for widening participation holding positions one and two in the list of institutions that have expanded full time undergraduate numbers in HEFCE (2001), and have both developed Access Agreements to recruit the brightest and most disadvantaged students in 2006. The universities are geographical competitors; therefore strategies to attract and retain students are central to their existence. However, the universities represent different ends of the retention spectrum; one has a withdrawal rate of less than 7% while the other has a rate of 15%. Nevertheless, both universities recognise that the initial induction process has a significant impact upon a student's perceptions of the university and plays a vital role in a student's decision to either continue with their studies or withdraw as stated in their missions and visions. The current study reports on the collaborative findings of research during the first six weeks of the autumn term 2003. This paper reports on the joint findings of the students’ reflections on their induction experience with the particular emphasis on the students’ perception of the purpose of induction, their satisfaction with the this period and gives suggestions on developing effective induction strategies. The results reveal that although the institutions are vastly different, they face similar problem issues. The task of universities old and new is to recognise value and respond to these needs

Supporting the first year student experience through the use of learning technologies

This guide is based on discussion and contributions by the E-learning and the First Year Student Experience (ELFYSE) special interest group (SIG). ELFYSE SIG was supported by Middlesex University and the Higher Education Academy in 2009-10. It has provided a focus for practitioners involved in further and higher education as well as those who are interested in how learning technologies can support the first-year experience and the challenges which face institutions and students. Specifically, these are: transition, retention and progression. This guide will be of interest to both academic and support staff who contribute to the first year experience for students: e-learning managers, learning technologists, widening participation managers, induction leaders, student achievement advisors and those implementing enhancement initiatives for the student experience. Bringing together the areas of e-learning and student transition, retention and progression, this guide draws on both theory and practice to provide recommendations for and guidance to both academic and support staff on using learning technologies to support the first-year student experience. It is designed to help you think about ways of approaching and incorporating the use of learning technologies to support and enhance your students' first-year experience

An evaluation of the first year experience from the mature students' perspective; a multi-institutional comparison

This study investigates the experiences of mature students across three higher education institutions in the UK. The issues arising are of relevance to academics who are involved in widening participation and in evaluating support in their own programmes for the diversity of students. The sample includes mature students from programmes in Health, where mature students form a majority, and in Business, where mature students formed a minority. Focus groups were used to gain access to student perspectives on expectations, motivations, sacrifices, transitions, induction, programmes and assessment. The findings include misleading information that did not acknowledge the particular concerns and needs of mature students, induction processes that were not experienced as inclusive by mature students, and varying experiences of support but overall the institutional context was significant

Transforming e-assessment for learning: developing an institution wide scaffold

The aim of the workshop is to discuss the lessons learned from the institution wide approach to e-assessment currently adopted by Middlesex University. Specifically the workshop will engage participants to: • Explore and consider a variety of factors and needs in implementation of institution wide e assessment practices and processes from the perspective of the HEI, the staff and the students. • Discuss the implications of such change on strategy, regulation and policy. • Introduce the resources developed to aid institutional change (e-pedagogic tool (Epdt), institutional priorities map and an institutional framework (toolkit

Learning through research: the first year experience from the mature students perspective

This collaborative work from St Martin’s College, Salford and Middlesex Universities brings together experiences of mature students, (21+ years of age on entry), in a phenomenological piece of research identifying the different ways in which they feel supported in their undergraduate studies. There is particular value to the collaborative aspect of this research as it pulls together the differences in management and structures from a higher education college, a pre-1992 and post-1992 institutions. This paper aims to highlight the findings of the research at a point in time to feature the concerns of mature students on entering and the transition into HE, to demonstrate what mature students attribute to encouraging them to succeed and persist in their studies, learning ‘what works’ type strategies from the three institutions and devising new strategies to support not only this particular group of students, but all during their undergraduate studies

Empowering bioscience students to develop employability skills through volunteering – voices of experience

Gaining employment is a priority for the majority of students (CBI 2009) particularly with the downturn in the economy and saturated job markets for both graduates and experienced workers, candidates have to find new ways to distinguish themselves to potential employers. The change in employer focus from good degrees to good degrees plus additional, softer skills and attributes, means that Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are having to review their provision to students. Many HEIs have a diverse range of students from both the UK and overseas, all with varying needs and looking for careers in a range of sectors. With each career sector having its own individual expectations and requirements, developing a flexible yet structured approach to employability is pivotal to sustained success for all HEIs. With students recognising the competition in the workplace the desire to develop skills and gain practical experience is increasing. With limited placement positions this paper considers volunteering as a recognised as way to help to develop practical work experience and gain a step on the career ladder

1.55 μm direct bandgap electroluminescence from strained n-Ge quantum wells grown on Si substrates

Electroluminescence from strained n-Ge quantum well light emitting diodes grown on a silicon substrate are demonstrated at room temperature. Electroluminescence characterisation demonstrates two peaks around 1.55 μm and 1.8 μm, which correspond to recombination between the direct and indirect transitions, respectively. The emission wavelength can be tuned by around 4% through changing the current density through the device. The devices have potential applications in the fields of optical interconnects, gas sensing, and healthcare

Final report to the Higher Education Academy. managing connections: using e-learning tracking information to improve retention rates in higher education

The Final Report provides an outline of the research design, the findings and the recommendations which arose from the ‘Managing Connections: using e-learning tracking information to improve retention rates in higher education’ project, which was funded by the Higher Education Academy and Middlesex University between 2007 and 2008