Online induction – 2013

Christine Hardy, A&D & Ed Foster, NTU Library

Outcomes

• How this work fits into induction & the wider Starting at NTU initiative

• Student feedback from 2012

• Guidance for course teams on each of the pages

• Good practice in pre-entry activities

• Deadlines 2013

– Take a short break after 30 minutes

• How to upload content using Rythmyx – a practical refresher session from Digital Marketing

• Questions and problem solving

Our overall aim is student transition

• Johnston 2010 (p4)– The student experience of change involved in joining the university;– The programmes of academic and other activities, which the university provides

to support and enhance student transition

• Tinto (1993) – Academic transition– Social transition– 3 stages – separation, transition, integration

• Tinto interested in integration (later student engagement) which arises through interplay of– Pre-entry experiences & education– Goals and motivation– Institutional experience

Transition through the Student Lifecycle

Aspiration Raising

Pre entry &

Admission

Initial Induction

First year

Moving through

the course

Employ-ment

HEFCE Student lifecycle (2001)

www.NTU.ac.uk/StartingAtNTU

Starting at NTU: Aims

• Since 2011, functions as a one stop shop for students to:– Complete enrolment & booking accommodation– Some advice & guidance– Series of videos– Social media– Complete the pre-entry stage of their course inductions

• Overall aim– Ease transition into HE– Re-engage students with the subject they’ve chosen– Help complete compulsory processes

Welcome Week & Initial Induction

Initial Induction (Cook & Rushton (2008))

• Key expectations (tested with students in 2007, 2008 & reviewed in 2012)

• Students wanted:– An opportunity to develop friendships/ form peer support networks

• Primarily with students, but also reassurance of knowing staff

– To see in advance the course induction timetable• Now through Starting at NTU

– To understand the nature of learning and teaching & be reassured that they’ll cope• Structure – course & physical orientation to the campus• Learning and teaching• Support

– To understand how the course would benefit them in the future• Less mentioned in 2012

– To have a timetable fit around other commitments• Far less important and scarcely mentioned in 2012

Welcome Week 2013

• Welcome to NTU– Monday 23 September– Same essential structure as 2013– Freshers Fairs, Sunday Social, Saturday

Antics

• Changes– Directly recruiting ‘Network’ Reps

– Community of scholars• Induction outside the classroom• Funded opportunities to show off

– Earlier activities during the first weekend

– More small scale activities throughout the week

Extended induction

Extended Induction (Cook & Rushton (2008))

• Nobody is fully inducted by the end of the first week– Despite the logistical convenience

• So how and when do we induct students throughout the first term/year?– Academic tutorials?

– Rites of passage approach?

– Re induction after Christmas?

– Reflective practitioner approach throughout the year?

Student Feedback 2012

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 201260%

65%

70%

75%

80%

85%

90%

95%

100%

Student satisfaction with their initial experience at NTU (2005 - 2012)

(% indicates 4 or 5 out of 5 for satisfaction)

Living in NTU Halls of residence

Total responses

Students aged 16-21

UK student

Students with declared disability

Living in other residence

Black, Minority Ethnic students

Students aged 22+

Students from outside the UK

85%

15%

Did you look at the starting at NTU website?

YesNo

1 (not a

t all u

seful) 2 3 4

5 (very useful)

N/A (D

id not exp

erience

)0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

How useful were the web pages for...

Helping you understand what life at university would be likeHelping you complete the essential stages necessary to start universityHelping you get ready for Welcome Week

1 (not a

t all u

seful) 2 3 4

5 (very useful)

N/A (D

id not exp

erience

)0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

How useful were the online course induction materials for helping you to do the following?

Understand what your course would be likeFeel that you are part of the course community

1 (very diss

atisfied) 2 3 4

5 (very sa

tisfied)

N/A (D

id not rece

ive)0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

How satisfied were you with the in-formation sent to you about your

timetable?

Course induction timetableTerm time timetable

82%

18%

Did you engage with any of NTU's social media (Facebook, Twitter etc) before or during Wel-

come Week?

YesNo

Very sati

sfied

Fairly

satisfi

ed

Neither s

atisfi

ed nor diss

atisfi

ed

Fairly

dissati

sfied

Very diss

atisfi

ed0

50100150200250300350400450

Overall, how satisfied were you with NTU's social media? (n=703)

Main issue from 2012

• Communications– In 2012, central only– Anecdotal evidence that fewer students attended inductions– Concerns about students not completing pre-entry activities

• Recommended actions– Return to School/ Course communication to students about induction– Pointing out the importance of looking at Starting at NTU

– Central communications to be sharpened up– Starting at NTU guide– Starting at NTU web pages & emails

Starting at NTU Course Induction Pages

& pre-arrival activities

Deadlines

• Mid-June

• Training for staff new to Rythmyx

• Friday 12 July

• Deadline for course induction content to be forwarded from academics to school admin teams – (Please note that as this is the Friday before graduation ceremonies, earlier is

definitely better)

• Friday 16 August

• All induction pages to be finally uploaded by Digital Marketing, early inductions will be uploaded first

• All content needs to be uploaded to Rythmyx by this date – (please note that this includes the course induction timetable)

Starting at NTU pages

• Written by the course team

• My Course (5-600 words)– Welcome from the course leader & team – Course description – First year module list– Course design

• Pre-arrival induction activity (5-600 words)– Introduction– Purpose of the activity– Description of what students need to do– How the activity will be integrated into the

course induction– Contact details

• Course induction timetable

Written by the LTC

• My learning

• Assessment

• Academic support

Pre-arrival activities

• Research task– Bournemouth University nursing

• Engaging with the literature– Biological Sciences

• Note: It can be difficult to question the information presented in books, but we want you to start thinking critically rather than assuming everything you read is set in stone.

• Social networking– Most students are wary at this stage and tend to lurk rather than engage

• Key questions about the discipline– Visual diary, engaging with media, write a short (250 words) research paper

Good practice

• Use it to model behaviour you want students to engage with– But keep it relatively light

• Ensure that it is tied into the induction– Use this as lesson in HE

• Do the related activity later in induction week – To give students time to catch up if they haven’t done the task before arriving– So they’ll need warning in your first session

Thanks very much