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ANU College EWES Development & Delivery Team:Eda CevikJoss StehbensLisa PowickSusila Selvarajah

ANU College EWES Development & Delivery Team:Eda CevikJoss StehbensLisa PowickSusila Selvarajah

The 3 Rs: Redefining post entry student support- the way forward for pathway colleges

The 3 Rs: Redefining post entry student support- the way forward for pathway colleges

EWES:• an ANU support initiative;• to support:

– international students in their first & second year,– domestic students from non-English speaking backgrounds;

• no cost incurred by students• fully funded by ANU• delivered by ANU College.

English and Wellbeing Enhancement Series (EWES)

1. The Context

2. Development of the Initiative

3. Delivery of the Initiative

4. Lessons Learned

5. Looking Ahead

A Journey of Reinvention, Resilience and Resolution

Resilience

Resolution

Reinvention

English and Wellbeing Enhancement Series (EWES)

2018

THE BRIEF

The Context: The Stars Align

June 2019

ANU: New admissions &

diversity policy

ANUC: Fall in enrolment numbers

ANUC: Exploring opportunities with Partner University

ANU: Recognising the need for

additional support for International students

ANUC:Redundancies and

low staff morale

A Bare Bones Brief

July 2019

• Provide Extra-Curricular Support for international students

• 48 hours of student engagement in their first year of study

Slide 5

SS28 Possible alterntive to slide 5Susila Selvarajah, 1/09/2020

• A limited brief• No needs analysis• Some trepidation & anxiety • A tight time line

BUT much enthusiasm

Our journey begins

July 2019

Developing the Initiative

Ideas abound

Based on experience with international students:

Academic skills students struggle with

Practical skills for living in Australia

Fun activities, games

Social hub for international students

July 2019

Needs, Wants and Desires

Content development Student attendance Administration of the initiative

• A needs analysis

• Active/further engagement with University Services

• A clear incentive to get students to attend

• A compulsory component to the initiative

• Software for registration

July 2019

Another Brick on the Wall

12 Core compulsory units

Elective

Elective Elective

Elective

Elective

24 two-hour workshops over the first year of study

July – October 2019

Reality check

No compulsory units No clear incentives Not a course or a program Explicitly language based

November 2019

Struggling to Find Our Place

Meetings with university partner showed:concern that many support services

were already in place;how the new initiative would fit in; the need to differentiate our content.

Resilience

August – December 2019

Back to the drawing board

Content rewritten: Explicit focus on language Academic language Language related to wellbeing

Final product: 24 Standalone Workshops

February 2020

Reinvention

Pick and Mix: 24 Stand-alone Workshops Reinvention

English Language Workshops Wellbeing WorkshopsBuilding Sentences Personal SafetyCommon Language Errors Physical Wellbeing for SuccessCommunicating Objectively Managing your FinancesCommunicating with Certainty Social WellbeingSpeaking with Clarity Communicating with University StaffUnderstanding Academic Integrity Studying in AustraliaFinding the Right Tone Emotional WellbeingFinding the Right Word Intercultural AwarenessUsing Presentation Language Living in AustraliaUsing Your Sources Looking for a Part-time JobWriting with Unity Your Rights as a Part-time WorkerReading with a PurposeUsing Discussion Language

February 2020

Resolution

Delivery of the Initiative

A clear success!

• Great interest and enthusiasm from students

• Many O-Week sign ups

• Interest from other areas of the ANU

Trial by O-Week

February 2020

Stud

ent R

egis

tratio

ns

Week

In-class teaching at ANU College

• Workshops small and slow to start off

• Attendance is unpredictable

• Cancellations are common

• The need to stay positive

February 2020

The real deal: Workshops begin

Critical mass approaches

• Attendance picks up

• Student feedback positive

• Increase interest in initiative

• Iterative process: EWES continues to improve and grow

Pressing on: Workshops Continue

March 2020

Reinvention

Supporting off-shore students:

• Delayed arrival of ANU students from China due to COVID-19

• Decision by ANU to extend support

• Development of 6 onlineself-directed workshops

February 2020

Expect the unexpected Reinvention

EWES goes fully virtual

• Face-to-face delivery via Zoom

• New EWES learning platform: basedon initial online workshops

• Unfamiliar territory: Rapid skilldevelopment

Expect the unexpected

March 2020

Reinvention

Online is a major turning point for the initiative.• EWES reinvented: new content,

approaches and technologies

• A swell in registrations:

– Barriers removed

– Increased promotion andcooperation across ANU

– Meeting students’ academic,language and wellbeing needs

Stud

ent R

egis

tratio

ns

Weeks

50

100

Getting EWES to it

May 2020

The State of the EWEnion:

• Student base expanded to 2nd year international students.

• Over 200 unique student registrations

• 97% of students agree or strongly agree that the EWES learning experience is valuable

• 93% of students are very or extremely likely to recommend EWES to others.

August – September 2020

Stud

ent R

egis

tratio

ns

Weeks

50

200

100

22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

ResolutionGetting EWES to it

Lessons Learned

Workshop design and content:• provides continuous language development• meets students language needs• gives students opportunities to practice English

Attendance NOT dependent on:• traditional incentives• compulsory component

Lesson 1: Keep it relevant

Lesson 2: Keep it Simple

For students:• simple registration,

enrolment & confirmation process

• easy cancellation and rescheduling

No complex systems to administer & track• Post workshop Google

Forms survey• Excel registration database.

Registration & Enrolment: It is simpler than it looks!

Lesson 3: Keep it flexible

Scheduling• workshops repeated at different times and days• schedule according to varying student needs

Workshop content• adapted to meet student feedback and needs

Delivery • face-to-face• self-directed• online

Students value a stress-free, friendly engagement

Students get to know the staff:• one administrator• six teachers

Students also appreciate:• personalised responses

Lesson 4: Keep it personal

University Partner• Over 20 face to face meetings • Associate Deans/ Heads of Colleges• Student Central• ANU Orientation & Market Day

ANU Students• Student groups (e.g. ANUSA, PARSA)• EWES Ambassadors

Lesson 5: Keep Engaged

Name of initiative• pronunciation of EWES • imagery and connotation• alternatives were more inspirational (ARISE)

BUT EWES it is! You just get EWES to it!

Lesson 6:Don’t sweat the small stuff

Looking ahead:Offer both online and on-site

Student evaluation:• Online – time

management• On site – meeting others

face to face

Looking ahead:Expand the suite of workshops

24 New WorkshopsLevel of difficulty of existing workshops

• EWES Finding a Part time Job Workshop & ANU Careers

• Academic Skills

• ANU Counselling

• Engagement and Success

Looking Ahead:Expand collaboration with ANU

An opportunity for:

• Pathway colleges – post entry English language

• ELICOS teachers – work in the university space

Final TakeawayResilience

Resolution

Reinvention

What students say about EWES

Watch the video:

Questions?

Would you like to learn about this initiative?

Contact us: ewes@anucollege.edu.au

Watch the video: