supporting students in the transition to university alinka greasley – keele university kim...

Supporting students in the transition to university

Alinka Greasley – Keele University

Kim Manderson – University of York

Vanessa Parson – Aston University

Pete Reddy – Aston University

Katherine Harrington – London Metropolitan University

PLAT2008, University of Bath, 1-3 July

http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/


• Overview of workshop

– Outline of academic skills programme at Aston University • Demonstration of key activities included

– Brief presentation of 3 years action research into Aston programme

– Outline of scientific skills course at the University of York• Demonstration of key activities included

– Brief outline of the areas in which the two courses overlap

– Group discussion of 1st year 1st term study skills courses


• Academic Skills Programme – Aston University

– Assessment Plus (A+)

www.writenow.ac.uk/assessmentplus/

– Voluntary seminars

– Compulsory seminars – 3 years action research

– Programme as it stands today*


• 7 + 1 design

– Week 1 Introduction to seminars – Week 2 Introduction to Assessment Criteria

Referencing and Plagiarism– Week 3 Addressing the Question

Structuring the Answer– Week 4 Demonstrating understanding

Developing an argument – Week 5 Use of evidence

Evaluation– Week 6 Experimental Session

Introduction to Psychology Lab Report writing– Week 7 Applying assessment criteria to your own work

Summary– Week 8 “Top-up” seminar in semester 2


• Week 1 – Introduction to seminars

– Outline main aims:• to help students make the transition from college/school to

university• to help students stay on the course (retention) and to

succeed on the course (achievement)• to facilitate the building of relationships between the students• to give them an idea of the level and nature of work expected

– Advise students to read 1st year handbook thoroughly

– Outline sources of support (e.g. personal tutor, student advice centre, careers service, health centre, residential services, etc.)


• Week 1 contd. – ‘Fact Sheet’ given to students

– Location of Psychology office (e.g. pigeon holes, how and where to submit coursework, notice boards)

– The Library (and printing facilities)– WebCT (advise students to check regularly)– Journal access (ATHENS, PsychINFO, Science Direct, Google

Scholar)– Outline role of BPS and explain how to join– Explain student’s role and emphasise they are now responsible for

their own learning

– ACTVITIES: Speed dating– HOMEWORK: Referencing homework 1 : single authored & edited

book


• Week 2 – Introduction to assessment criteria

– Outline aims of assessment criteria• To determine whether you may progress to the next level of

study• To work out your degree classification• To provide feedback on your level of achievement to date• To provide directions as to how you might gain higher marks

– ACTIVITY 1: Generating assessment criteria (groups of 3-4)

– ACTVITY 2: Asking students about their perceptions of what constitutes a good answer to an essay question (individually)


Week 2 contd. – comparing students’ and tutors’ perceptions (p. 2)

Rank Students’ criteria Rank Tutors’ criteria

1 Answer the question 1 Answer the question

2 Content/Knowledge 2 Understanding

3 Relevant information 3 Argument

4 Understanding 4 Relevant information

5 Wide reading 5 Structure/Organisation

6 Structure/Organisation 6= Evaluation/Own Views

7 Argument 6= Presentation/Style

8 Evaluation/Own views 8 Wide reading

9 Presentation/Style 9 English/Spelling

10 English/Spelling - -

Norton (1990). Essay writing: What really counts? Higher Education, 20 (4),411-442)


• Week 2 contd.

– ACTIVITY 3: Explaining ‘Core’ Criteria for essays (p.3)• commonly accepted ‘core’ assessment criteria • not discrete elements of a piece of writing – assessment

criteria overlap conceptually • Qs to keep in mind every time you are writing an essay• Specific criteria for specific assignments

– Explaining referencing / plagiarism / collusion• Acknowledging sources correctly is essential for good grades

– HOMEWORK: Go through last week’s homework– Wk 2: Referencing articles provided in WebCT


• Week 3 – addressing the question & structuring an answer

– Main aim:• to convey the importance of addressing the question and

structuring the answer when writing psychology essays

– Longhurst & Norton (1997) – 3rd yr students have clear understanding of the relationship between answering the question and obtaining a high mark

– In the 1st yr, students often fail to understand what a question is asking them to do or ignore the specific question and write more generally on the topic as a whole


• Week 3 contd.– addressing the question and structuring answer inextricably linked

• ACTVITY 1: answering the question– 3 different essay questions on same topic (students to consider

what each essay is asking of them)

• ACTVITY 2: common ‘instruction’ words in essay titles with definitions (p. 4)– ask students to define the four instruction words on the OHP

(Analyse, Assess, Examine, To what extent) – in small groups

• ACTIVITY 3: brainstorm a plan for the essay title (small group work)– Students are asked to swap with another group and to write

supportive feedback on another group’s plan– Does the plan show evidence of addressing the question?– Importance of introduction and conclusion


• Week 3 contd.

• ACTIVITY 4: assessing strengths/weaknesses of sample introductions– students to assess the strengths and weaknesses of three sample

introductions – how would they correct these? (p. 6)

• ACTIVITY 5: assessing strengths/weaknesses of sample conclusions– students to assess the strengths and weaknesses of three sample

conclusions – how would they correct these? (p. 7)

• HOMEWORK: Go through following week’s referencing homework

Wk 3 - List of references to correct (p. 8)


• Week 4 – demonstrating understanding / developing an argument

– Main aims:• how to show you understand what you are writing about • how to develop an argument • rather than stating rules, aim is to provide you with tools that

help you learn how to do this in your own style of writing • demonstrate how understanding is linked to plagiarism

• ACTIVITY 1: getting students thinking– ask students if they can think of any ways to show they understand

what they are writing about in their work


Week 4 contd. • Ways of demonstrating understanding in essays (pp. 12-13)

– KEY POINTS:• Rather than simply referring to a specific piece of research, or

theory, or concept, indicate to your reader why it is relevant to include it in your essay

• Avoid giving blow-by-blow descriptions of a piece of research and focus on presenting and developing selected key points

• Include relevant material from sources other than the set text(s) or your lecture notes

• Write about information you have gathered in your own words• Use quotations very selectively, if at all• Care must be taken to avoid plagiarism


• Week 4 contd.

ACTIVITY 2: Basic English lesson!

• Personal pronouns, use of 3rd person in academic writing • Using and Reporting Verbs

– Expressing a positive opinion about the quoted information:» Gardner (1994) demonstrates that….

– Expressing a negative opinion: » Gardner (1994) claims that…

– Expressing a neutral opinion:» Gardner (1994) states that…

• Gardner (1999) – wide range of ‘reporting verbs’ to choose from—best way to get a feel for these is to observe how they are used in the books and journals that you read:

– E.g. argue, claim, conclude, define, demonstrate, discuss, examine, explain, find, identify, observe etc.


• Week 4 contd.

ACTIVITY 3: Paraphrasing work

Students individually paraphrase paragraph and then swap with peers– Does the paraphrased account capture the essential

argument of the original?– Is the paragraph written in the student’s own words?

ACTIVITY 4: Spotting plagiarism (pp. 14-15)

ACTIVITY 5: Developing an argument from an essay title (p. 16)

ACTIVITY 6: Create a paragraph on the question they have just discussed

In pairs; pairs to swap after 10mins – evidence of balanced argument?


• Week 5 – Use of evidence and Evaluation

– Important to get across to students:• Psychology is a science with a tradition of empirical research• Written work should reference empirical research findings in

journals and conceptual and theoretical books/papers• It is better to paraphrase quotations in your own words• Only use direct quotations when it is important to draw

attention to the specific words used by someone else (e.g., when referring to terms and definitions used by a theorist or researcher)

• In common with most subjects in higher education, statements of personal opinion and anecdotal (untrustworthy) material should be avoided


• Week 5 contd. – Use of evidence

**Evidence is used to support a point – it is not simply a reference to the findings of empirical research**

ACTIVITY 1: Deciding what counts as good use of evidence (pp. 20-21)– Students in pairs– Each pair given a paragraph (six different examples) containing

sample sentences showing ‘use of evidence’– Questions:

• What is strong and/or weak about how evidence is used?• Why do you think this?• How could each use of evidence be improved?

– Tutor to go around class helping; pointing out good/bad use of evidence


• Week 5 contd. – Use of evidence

ACTIVITY 2: Detecting citation and referencing errors (pp. 22-23)– Students to carry out task individually – Paragraph (with reference list) containing errors– Get students to spot the mistakes– Go through mistakes/corrections – provide handout of correct version

– Evaluation KEY points:

- Critical evaluation hallmark of best essays- Students not expected to be good at critical evaluation in their 1st essay- A critical approach develops over the course of the degree- Tutors are appreciative of attempts to evaluate, so it is important to work on developing this aspect of essay writing


• Week 5 contd. – Evaluation

There are different levels of evaluation • Evaluating the quality of the information in a book/article/web link• Assessing the value of the information (also detecting bias)• Evaluation is not just a method of judging the individual merits of a

book or journal, but is a tool to assist in selecting the ‘best’ information from the vast wealth of information available

ACTIVITY 3: Evaluating source material (pp. 24-25)– Evaluating books and journal articles provided in the tutorial– Students in groups of three

• Tutors must bring a wide selection, including:– A-level texts books (emphasis on moving away from these)– New and Old books– Scholarly and popular books– Scholarly and popular journals– Internet print outs (poor and high quality)


• Week 5 contd. – Qs to ask when evaluating sources

– Books:e.g. Is the book up-to-date? Has the book been written by a well-

known/respected author? Does it use mainly primary (original) sources or secondary sources? – Journals

e.g. Is the journal scholarly or popular? Is it national or international? Have the articles been reviewed by peers? Has the journal been recommended by any of your tutors?– Internet

e.g. Is the author given? Is there an e-mail link to allow contact with the author? Does the URL start with a well-known, reputable organisation? Does the site have any links? Do they work? Does it have the date it was last updated? Is this current? What is the purpose of the site/page? Is it educational or popular?


• Week 5 contd. – Evaluation

• HOMEWORK: Evaluating Internet sources (p. 26)

(several websites given; some poor quality; some high quality)

• TAKE HOME POINTS:– Evaluation is a vital skill to develop in essay writing– Critical evaluation is arguably the toughest core criterion so it

is not something students are expected to get right first time– Students should be evaluating at all levels (e.g. when finding

source material, reading source material and using evidence)– Evaluation is a way of extracting the most relevant information

by assessing strengths and weaknesses of what is read


• Week 6 – Writing a Psychology lab report (pp. 27-33)

A report should include all the essential information about the investigation:-what was done-why it was done-what was found-what conclusions were drawn

Structure/Content: Outline correct procedure for writing following sections:

Title Page / Abstract / Introduction / Method /Results / Discussion / References / Appendices

Overall presentation (i.e. APA format), writing style, referencing, plagiarism


• Week 7 – Bringing it all together– Ask students in Wk 6 to bring their first Perspectives essay in – Explain that the easiest way to do this is to learn how to look at

their own work critically in the context of what has been learned over these sessions.

ACTIVITY 1:Using the essay feedback checklist (EFC) (p. 34)– EFC simple tool for focusing on assessment criteria– Students to complete the EFC (on their own piece of work), and

then pass both this and the work used to a peer who should also mark it and write positive feedback in the space provided

– Tutor to go round class helping

– students are more negative than positive of their own work, most

will have done a lot better than they thought…


• Week 7 contd. – Bringing it all together

ACTIVITY 2: Action plans for improvement– Students to write a list of things they need to improve upon for their

next essay and how they will go about achieving this– Ask students to focus on things they thought they did not quite

achieve and had trouble with– Go round and help them if they are having trouble thinking of ways

to improve on their essays

ACTIVITY 3: Sample essays to mark (pp. 35-42)– 2 essays of very different standards (Essay 1, 74%; Essay 2, 48%)– Students should read them and decide which is better, why and

what grade they think each should get – also compare them to their A-level work


• Week 7 contd. – Bringing it all together

– Both essays passed, however essay 2 is unacceptable– They should also note that essay 1 is not perfect and there are

still things wrong with it – Reassure them that they do not have to produce perfect work to

get good grades

• Questions and Answers

• REITERATE MAIN AIMS OF COURSE (p. 43)


• Week 8 (Semester 2) – Refresher session– Outline main aims of course again– Point out key handouts that students should use again and again

before starting an essay / lab report (pp. 44-47)

– Please give feedback on the course WebCT (Qnnaire feedback)– Focus groups – would you be willing to give your views?– STAFF feedback (questionnaire AND open-ended)

• What do you think was good about the course?• What do you think was bad about the course?• Any suggestions on how the course could be improved?• Do you have any other comments?


• Brief overview of results of Aston academic skills course– 3 years action research

• Version 1 results– Half (n=97) completed questionnaires on the basis that they had

attended four or more of the six seminars. • Seminars on referencing and plagiarism the most valued, also useful in

preparing for 1st essay & as way of meeting other students. • Not particularly helpful in preparing for university study & assessment

generally, or in helping with transition to university

• Broadly positive response– some success in getting students working in groups; in

communicating key requirements about plagiarism, referencing and independent study; and in preparing for the first essay.


• Version 2 results

• Online questionnaire, 113 students responded (64%)• Focus groups, 23 students took part

• Students thought that the programme helped with – communication with staff and peers– increased understanding of assessment processes and study at

university– opportunities to ask questions in a less intimidating environment – opportunity to work with peers

• Material and sessions on referencing and plagiarism most valued

• Some students found the course dry and dull in places, material on laboratory reports was lacking (implication: more activities)


• Version 2 results contd. – focus group quotes

• …very useful that we were split into small groups which allowed me to ask questions without being so shy and concerned about group size…

• The most useful part of the course was feedback, the ability to ask questions and get answers immediately…

• The seminars helped with meeting fellow students, who I now feel I can ask for help if I am struggling but don’t want to or can’t speak to lecturers. Working together is helpful to get different perspectives on things…


• Version 3 results

• Questionnaire -146 students (81%) • Small scale of classes valued • Judged useful or very useful on a 5-point scale for

– interaction with staff 60%– interaction with other students 79%– clarifying writing at university level 78%– Clarifying assessment requirements 66%– help with referencing 96% – understanding plagiarism 97%

• Materials on lab reports + follow-up class well received• Many students formed friendships through the programme


• Version 3 results contd. – analysis of focus groups• Three main themes emerged from first year focus groups:

Theme one: Approachability of teaching assistants / seminar tutors

…the knowledge that my tutor was also a [postgraduate] student and could relate ....to our own situations. The sessions felt more intimate because [the tutor] talked to us on our own level and had also been through similar problems

Just getting to know a member of staff well .... I would rather see my seminar tutor rather than my personal tutor if I had a problem as she actually knows who I am…


• Version 3 results contd. – analysis of focus groups

Theme two: Group interaction

The group felt like a ‘base’ where were could talk about problems we were all experiencing, it was reassuring…

I thought working in groups was good as we got to share out ideas and listen to one another. I felt I learnt more this way…

Theme three: Preparation for first assignment

I found that I used the seminar material for my first essay. It helped me plan, structure and organise the content of it and helped me keep focused on what needed to be [in] and what I should have left out

The plagiarism and referencing exercises and handouts also proved to be very useful, this advice I will continue to use on future assignments


• Scientific Skills for Psychologists – University of YorkNick Hammond, Paula Clarke, Padraic Monaghan, Katie Slocombe, Kim Manderson

Aims: To provide students with a range of basic skills which underpin scientific study of Psychology

– 14 lectures

– 8 mandatory practical sessions

– 6 mandatory tutorial sessions


• 8 + 1 design

– Week 1 Induction week– Week 2 Skills for studying psychology

Sources of evidence – Week 3 Essay writing

Literature review writing; Experimental design I – Week 4 Experimental design II

Practical report writing I – Week 5 Practical report writing II

Data I – Week 6 Whole class experiment (assessed)

Data II – Week 7 Disseminating research findings

Preparation for mini-project – Week 8 Mini-project support

Preparing for assessment– Week 9 Feedback session in Term 2


• Week 1 – Induction week

– Talk led by the Head of Department introducing:• Departmental administrator• Careers services• Psychology subject librarian• International student support tutor• Chair of Psychsoc (Psychology Society)

– Library tour

– Academic supervisor meetings


• Week 1 contd.

Practical Session 1 - Introduction to computing • Login to University computers • Manage personal preferences via the Electronic Infodesk • Send receive emails using university system (webmail) • Navigate PsychWeb especially core module pages • Access PsychBoard • Access Library Catalogue • Access PsychINFO • Access printers

• HOMEWORK: Library literature search exercise (pp. 48-49)


• Week 2 – Skills for studying psychology

OBJECTIVES:– Outline the key differences between studying psychology at A level

and degree level – Demonstrate knowledge of the methods of teaching and learning

used within the undergraduate psychology degree at York – Demonstrate an understanding of effective strategies for note

taking and self study – Understand the importance of critical thinking – Complete self reflection exercises effectively

ACTIVITY 1: self-reflective task on individual learning styles, strengths and weaknesses (p. 50)


• Week 2 contd. – Sources of evidence

OBJECTIVES:– Describe a range of different sources of evidence used by

psychologists – Demonstrate an understanding of the application of criteria for

evaluating the quality of evidence – Outline a strategy for extracting key points from and summarising

typical research papers – List questions to be considered when critiquing a paper

ACTIVITY 2: making notes on research papers

Using a checklist when looking at sample of research articles


• Activity 2 contd. GENERAL FACTS CHECKLIST

– What research questions or issues does the report address?– Does the report specify an hypothesis? If so, what is it?– Specify all the variables in the investigation– Indicate what sort of variables they are (e.g. dependent vs.

independent, manipulated or controlled, irrelevant or nuisance variables) and what level of measurement has been achieved (nominal, interval, etc.)

– What did the participants have to do?– What ‘design’ was used?– Draw up an outline table for summarising the results– What analysis was used?– What was the main result?– What conclusions were drawn?


• Week 2 contd.

Practical Session 2 - Library information skills & researching information using the web

• Reference library information• Use search engines to locate information • Access news groups and images • Judge the quality of the information available

– HOMEWORK: Create a mini literature survey flyer • A4, double sided, proper lay-out, colour printed

• Preparation for conference posters


• Week 3 – Essay writing

OBJECTIVES:– Understand the role of essays in assessment and communication – Understand what to aim for and what to avoid when writing

assessed essays – Demonstrate an understanding of how essay structure relates to its

purpose – Critique a range of essays from different sources

– ACTIVITIES 3 & 4: evaluating sample introductions and conclusions (p. 50)

– Collins & Kneale (2001), pp. 95-96, and 98-99


• Week 3 – Literature review writing; Experimental design I

OBJECTIVES:– Understand the purpose of literature reviews – Be able to explain the differences between literature reviews and

essays – Understand what to aim for and what to avoid when writing

literature reviews – Demonstrate awareness of APA and BPS ethical guidelines

– ACTIVITY 5: compare review articles with other journal articles Students to work in small groups and discuss the purpose, structure, level of detail and critical thinking involved in articles they have brought along (psychological journal articles)


• Week 3 contd.

Practical Session 3 - Word Processing

Tutorial Session 1 - Critical thinking • Utilise strategies to promote critical thinking • Generate general critical questions

– ACTIVITY 6: critical evaluation of a fabricated ‘article’ (pp. 50-51)

– ACTIVITY 7: gutting a paper (small groups) students to go through a paper trying to generate questions and critical comments

– HOMEWORK: Create a wiki & Essay-writing exercise • Essay is half-way between an essay plan and essay


• Week 4 - Experimental design II

OBJECTIVES:– Understand how to generate testable hypotheses – Explain the difference between continuous and nominal variables – Explain the difference between dependent and independent

variables – Understand potential sources of noise in experiments and methods

for reducing them

– ACTIVITY 8: conduct a simple experiment

Whole-class activity in which students act as a participant in a

cola-tasting experiment


• Week 4 contd. - Practical report writing I

OBJECTIVES:– Understand the typical structure of practical report and why it is

important to conform to this structure – Explain the purpose of an introduction section and outline it’s

typical contents – Understand the level of detail required in method sections – Phrase hypotheses appropriately


• Week 4 contd.

Practical Session 4 - Excel 1 – Basics

Tutorial Session 2 - Structuring an argument • Structure basic arguments and reasoned statements • Communicate ideas in a group discussion

– ACTIVITY 9: differing perspectives debatestudents are assigned to either the physiological or the psychological perspective to argue the statement Drug addiction is caused by physical dependence with supporting reference materials.

– HOMEWORK: Practical report method-writing exercise


• Week 5 - Practical report writing II

OBJECTIVES:– Structure a results section appropriately and understand the

importance of clear data presentation – Outline the typical contents of a discussion section – Identify what information should be present in an abstract

• Week 5 cont. - Data I

OBJECTIVES:– Explain the differences between different kinds of variables – Give examples of quantitative and qualitative data – Summarise nominal data as a proportion or empirical probability – Summarise a continuous variable as a measure of central tendency – Explain the concept of probability


• Week 5 contd.

Practical Session 5 – Manipulating graphs and images

Tutorial Session 3 - Structuring an argument • Structure basic arguments and reasoned statements • Communicate ideas in a group discussion

– ACTIVITY 10: write an abstract students write a 150-word abstract to accompany a published paper and then provide peer feedback for another person in the group

– HOMEWORK: Online plagiarism module certificate of completion & Practical report results-writing exercise

– Plagiarism exercise based on Willmart & Harrison (2003) – exercise


• Week 6 - Whole class experiment (assessed)

OBJECTIVES:– Understand the concept of signal detection – Write up an experiment as an assessed practical report – Appreciate the difference between sensitivity and bias – Understand ways in which you can evaluate the success of an

experiment

• Week 6 contd. - Data II

OBJECTIVES:– Explain the concept of variability – Explain how dispersion in a continuous variable can be

summarised by the range or the standard deviation


• Week 6 contd.

Practical Session 6 – Excel 2 – Functions and graphs

Tutorial Session 4 - Quoting, referencing and plagiarism • Create a reference section and cite publications according to

APA format • Understand the importance of accurate referencing and

quotations • Understand the concept of plagiarism and be aware of the

departments rules regarding plagiarism

– ACTIVITY 11: spot the errors students are given a fabricated reference list and they must find the errors in the APA format

– HOMEWORK: Multiple choice quiz (pp. 52-55)


• Week 7 - Disseminating research findings

OBJECTIVES:– Understand the importance of sharing research findings – Demonstrate knowledge of how to prepare and make a successful

oral presentation – Demonstrate knowledge of how to prepare an effective poster

presentation – Understand the processes involved in publishing research

• Week 7 contd. - Preparation for mini-project

OBJECTIVES: – Use the knowledge they have accumulated throughout the module

to design and carry out an experiment – Complete a basic ethical approval form – Create a participant consent form


• Week 7 contd.

Practical Session 7 - Presentations using PowerPoint

Tutorial Session 5 - APA basics• Recognise the importance of a standardised system for

reporting experiments • Understand APA guidelines relating to tense, clarity and

economy of expression, presentation of tables and graphs and unbiased language

– ACTIVITY 12: conforming to APA style students are given a fabricated, brief, report which they have to edit so that it meets APA formatting guidelines


• Week 8 - Mini-project support

OBJECTIVES:– Prepare mini-project materials – Data collection for mini-projects – Prepare mini-project presentations

• Week 8 contd. - Preparing for assessment

OBJECTIVES:– Demonstrate an understanding of effective revision strategies – Understand the rules and regulations relating to exams and

assessed work – List a range of support services available to York students


• Week 8 contd.

Practical Session 8 - Bibliographic software (Endnote)

Tutorial Session 6 - Revision techniques • Use a range of individual and group revision techniques • Reflect on which revision techniques might suit their individual

learning styles

– ACTIVITY 13: revising with others (small groups)students must create multiple choice questions which are them posed to the rest of the group

– Activity linked to MCQ homework task (pp. 52-55)


Outline of key areas in which the two courses overlap (1):

– MAIN AIM to support students in transition to university– HE ‘reception classes’ – bridging the gap (1st term 1st year)

• Expectations of studying at university

• Emphasising key differences between school & university

– Both courses embedded into modules and compulsory– Both courses developed over a number of years (i.e. not static)– Same tutor throughout programme for tutorials (consistency)

• Preferably closer in age to students, i.e. GTA, PG tutor

– Lots of interaction (between tutor and students; and also between students themselves)

– Small groups (Aston, 15-20 students; York, 10-12 students)


Outline of key areas in which the two courses overlap (2):

– Different forms of assessment and activities (get students used to what will be expected of them over the 3 years)

– Lots of early, informative feedback (e.g. homework tasks)• Task/exercise to hand in nearly every week (even if only small)

– Feedback emphasised over obtaining marks for the course– Focus on referencing, plagiarism & sources of info (e.g. PsychInfo)– Emphasis on good essay writing and assessment criteria

• Similar activities (e.g. structure of essays; sample intros/conclusions; common directive words in essay titles; evaluation of sources; plagiarism exercises; referencing exercises)

– Importance of critical evaluation/critical thinking– Focus on lab report writing, experimental methods

**Emphasis on essential skills needed to study for a degree**


• Discussion points

– Study skills programmes: do they work?• Research into Aston course provides evidence that shift from ‘bolt-

on’ course (remedial implication) to embedded course is beneficial

– Wingate (2006) – time to ‘do away with’ study skills? Why?• All students have adjustment needs, not just an atypical minority • Attending university is a major life transition, all need to engage

emotionally, socially and intellectually with university life and work

– What’s wrong with study skills?• Fail to engage students in epistemology and discourse of their

discipline• Pedal a technical quick-fix at odds with a deep approach


• Discussion points – Wingate (2006)

– Study skills implies that the ‘problem’ of academic work is essentially • a short-term one of doing what is needed to pass at university • can be easily fixed • has little application or relevance to employment or adult

professional life.

– Contrast between technique and understanding in helping students with academic writing - they are at different levels

• In selecting and evaluating information sources – a technique-based approach would focus on finding

information– an understanding-based approach on finding meaning and

selecting information

– Is it the best use of resources to promote student learning? • Working in small groups is expensive, value for money?


• Discussion points – Key Questions contd.

– Success depends on good teaching • Some research focused staff have little interest in student learning • Traditional view ‘If I had wanted to teach I would have got a job in a

school’. Laissez-faire, less-support-is-more, students become independent learners by being left to get on with it

• Research staff may be threatened by a learning and teaching agenda

– Broader implications – Two universities? 1) A service culture of education and learning2) A research culture of publish-or-perish

• Views that marginalize student learning need to be examined and confronted

• Re-balancing the mission – and finding ways to unite the two university cultures


References – see workshop handout

Alinka Greasley [email protected]

Pete Reddy [email protected]

Kim Manderson [email protected]

PLAT2008, University of Bath, 1-3 July

supporting students in the transition to university alinka greasley – keele university kim...

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