The institutional grey literature reviewed in this area included:
• welcome packs given to students before or at enrolment and induction information, including information from the Students’ Union;
• course information.
9.3.2.1 Welcome packs and induction information
The information provided in welcome packs and induction information suggested the areas that the institutions considered important for the early stages of the first-year. Welcome packs included where and how to enrol and pay fees, how to navigate around the university and its environs, provision for health, safety and security, sports facilities, local amenities, student services provision and brief information about the course. Induction information, in some cases, also covered how to use library and computing facilities and specific legal requirements where applicable. There was often a focus on where responsibilities lay and on ‘legal’ requirements (for example, assessment regulations). The information provided tied in well with the issues raised by students and staff in the pre-review focus groups (Table 1, above).
Examples of the contents of welcome and induction packs are given here for three of the institutions (Table 5) and the contents of a Students Union Freshers’ pack for one institution (Table 6). The contents are given in some detail to indicate the extent of the information provided. The individual items included letters, simple printed sheets, fliers, business cards, bookmarks, DVDs, glossy printed booklets and publications from non-University sources such as local tourist offices. York St John had a particularly comprehensive, accessible and attractive Student Guide. At the
University of Bradford all new students completed a learning styles self-assessment questionnaire (University of Bradford, undated) designed to identify learning difficulties or dyslexia. Where the completion of the questionnaire suggested difficulties, students were referred for further screening.
Although the contents listed in Tables 5 and 6 do not describe or explore the student first-year experience, they do indicate what is considered to be important for new entrants. A glance at the contents suggests the scale of the transition task for
students and indicates the amount of information a new entrant has to consider about a range of area: and this before the student begins to get to grips with the subject of the course.
9.3.2.2 Course information
First-year students in all four higher education institutions were provided with course or programme handbooks and module or unit handbooks. In this, first-year students do not differ from students studying at any other years or levels. The information usually covered aims for the learning experience, learning outcomes, teaching and learning methods, assessment (task, guidance, weightings, assessment criteria), resources, support and responsibilities.
The handbook for the 2005 sports studies programme at Sheffield Hallam, for
example, included: key contact information; programme structure and named routes; module outlines and schedule; attendance requirements; health and safety; Criminal Records Bureau checking; programme management including complaints
procedures; option selection procedures; professional accreditation; teaching, learning and assessment (for example, assessment regulations; timetable information); scholarship and study skills such as writing skills and referencing; student support and guidance (for example, learning disabilities and IT support); module evaluation forms and assignment hand-in forms.
The generic handbook for health courses had similar contents but also included sections on specialist facilities and placements.
At Bradford the Student Handbook for the School of Lifelong Learning and
Development included information on different categories of students, the module and credit accumulation system, roles, resources and support, useful telephone numbers. It covered assessment submissions, criteria and results as well as
plagiarism. Information on general requirements and processes, such as attendance and withdrawal, was included as well as general information on parking, libraries, shops and religion plus commonly asked questions.
A first-year module handbook for the applied social studies programme at Sheffield Hallam included contact details for the teaching staff, an outline of the module week by week, the module aims and learning outcomes, the learning and teaching
strategy, assessment (tasks, feedback and criteria), indicative content, the role and responsibilities of the tutor, group activities by week with instruction, tips on using IT and evaluating web sites, a list of recommended reading and some pieces of reading on which activities are based. This module also had a handbook for the support tutors that included information about the tutor role and about student activities, model answers, where to go for help and frequently asked questions.
Each module handbook from York St John began with an overview indicating what the last module evaluation revealed and what resulting action had been taken. Otherwise the content was very similar to that at Hallam: aims and rationale, learning outcomes, content, assessment, plagiarism, module participation, book list, staffing, evaluation, management and communication.
At all four higher education institutions, first-year undergraduates usually have a skills module, implying a common view that new students need help in university study methods and approaches. In the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing at Sheffield Hallam, health students currently take a professional development module. It aims to develop student self-awareness and reflection, enable them to examine their role as a professional, raise awareness of evidence-based practice and facilitate inter-professional collaboration. In the Faculty of Development and
Society, counselling certificate students take a ‘learning to learn and study with confidence’ module that aims to develop writing and study skills, helps students understand what is required for academic study and builds confidence.
At Bradford University, in the School of Life Sciences, most courses have a study skills module in the first year/stage, although they differ between programmes. For example on the pharmacy course the module is delivered in a block in the first two weeks of the course, whereas on other courses the module runs through the year.
An assignment brief for first-year students in the first semester on Applied Social Studies at Sheffield Hallam gave very specific guidance on the word-processing of work, word limits, referencing, deadline, weighting of each task and
requirements for them. Where students undertook placements in their first year, they received relevant information. On the diagnostic radiography course in the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing at Sheffield Hallam, for example, most
information was given via the virtual learning environment (Blackboard). There was a site supporting clinical placement for each year of study with course documents and information about placement requirements: dress codes, responsibilities, contact with the university whilst on placement; placement calendars and patterns, report forms and assessment criteria.
At Sheffield Hallam, full-time students usually take six modules in the first year. Including the items indicated in 9.3.2.1 above, they, therefore, currently receive a considerable amount of information about the course and the university, often at the beginning of courses. A study reported below (section 9.3.6) suggested difficulties students may have in absorbing this information.
Table 5: Contents of induction packs.
University of Leeds (2005a)
Sheffield Hallam York St John (2005)
• Welcome letter
• Pre-arrival booklet (term dates, introduction from Academic
• Registrar & Leeds University Union - LUU, what to do before Registration, what happens at Registration, dates/times/locations of School pre- Registration meetings, medical, fees, how to get to Uni.) • Drugs booklet (introduction, effects, emergencies, A-Z, contacts) • SSN bookmark (contacts for: Accommodation, Careers, Central Student Administration offices, Chaplaincy, Counselling, Disability Services, Graduate Centre, International Office, Joblink, LUU welfare, Medical Practice, Nightline, Research Degrees Office, Security, Skills Centre).
• Sports Leeds Leaflet (sport facilities on campus)
• ‘Stay safe, stay secure’ booklet (useful numbers, safety tips)
• LUU leaflet (getting involved)
• Complaints leaflet (how to)
Sheffield Hallam Faculty of Development and Society (2005a) welcome letter with enrolment and payment of fees information • ‘Getting Started at Hallam: preparation countdown’ (getting ready to come to University; settling in; finding your way around; money matters and fees; accommodation; staying healthy; where to get help; what to expect; what’s available and where; countdown checklist)
• information for the subject area (e.g. for Education Qualified Teacher Status courses: induction programme; Criminal Records Bureau checks; health checks; some advance reading). Sheffield Hallam Faculty of Health and Wellbeing (2005), Postgraduate pack
• welcome letter (information on
enrolment, fee payment)
• financial information for international students
• ‘Sheffield’ (Sheffield City Council, undated)
• ‘Finding the Right Place to live in Sheffield’
• DVD, ‘A Sense of Wellbeing’
• Information about the course.
Freshers pack
• enrolment information
• campus map
• term dates
• finance office address
• careers service card
• recreation & sport & ‘fun run’ fliers
• students union welcome letter • medical services • USA/Canada exchange programme • programme representation (student representation)
• ‘Your Rights Rules and Responsibilities, 2005–6 edition) • Student Guide 2005– 2006 • ‘Welcome week. Induction 2005’ (glossary of terms e.g. ‘academic tutor’; welcome week events for all & for programme groups; learning support
sessions; essential ‘to do’ checklist; mature/part- time/ international
orientation day; induction programme).
Residential students pack
• Welcome letter
• Hall meetings
• Contact information (e.g. for post, for light bulbs etc)
• Map
• Security
• Health and safety
• University Quality of Life and Learning - UNIQoLL survey (letter, questionnaire, pre-paid return envelope) • Medical practice information
• Fees form (direct debit arrangement form)
• Information for Parents booklet
• Campus leaflet (maps of campus)
• Elective handbook (elective modules)
Undergraduate pack
• Also contains a
handbook giving elective modules and a module choice form Induction programme • Enrolment • Discipline specific meetings • Introduction to Student Services • Introduction to assessment regulations • Introduction to Criminal Records Bureau and medicals (freshers’ packs have information and forms for health
screening and criminal records bureau disclosure) • Introduction to technology • Introduction to Learning and Information Technology Services: (booklet attached, Getting Started, LITS)
of Conduct 2005–6’
• Student Survival Guide (Home Office, June 2005)
• TV licensing information
• Catering services guide
• York mini guide (York Tourist Information, undated)
• Student Services bookmark with contact details
• A taxi business card
• Emergency contact numbers (business card size)
Table 6: Contents of a freshers’ pack
Sheffield Hallam Union of Students, Freshers’ Pack (Hallam Union, 2005)
• Welcome letter
• Student Directory (Introduction to Sheffield; Sheffield by day; Money off Vouchers; Sheffield by night; making the most of your time; index of useful facilities e.g. plumbers, record shops, restaurants)
• Hallam Union Calendar
• Union shop vouchers
• Hallam Union Annual Report
• Freshers’ week listings (events)
Hallam Union (2006) Web site www.hallamunion.com has similar information. PowerPoint presentations used at freshers’ presentations
social/sports facilities/clubs, support and advice, equal opportunities, media e.g. student newspaper)
• Hallam Volunteering. The volunteering scheme, examples of projects, how to get involved.
PowerPoint presentation for student representative training (also applicable to other years of study): Union structure, roles, the representative role, processes, procedures, sources of support for students etc.