Supporting non-traditional students at the University of East London – Simone Ngozi Okolo- Academic Services and Skills Manager and Robin Stinson- Subject Librarian, Social Sciences

1. Library Services for non-traditional students
at UEL
Simone Ngozi Okolo
Academic Services and Skills Manager
Robin Stinson
Subject Librarian – Social Sciences

2. Overview
UEL
Non-traditional students
– New Beginnings
– Fifth formers, sixth formers, school
children
– FE students
– McNair Scholars
Topics covered
Methods

3. Overview
• Feedback
• Developments
• Challenges and future plans

4. Overview
• About 28, 000 students across 120
countries
• Diverse and inclusive university with
more than 65% of our students coming
from a minority ethnic group.
• In some cases will be first in the family to
go to university.
• UEL has campuses the London Borough
of Newham which is the Olympic Borough
• We used to have a Campus in the London
Borough of Barking and Dagenham.

5. Overview
• In this and surrounding Boroughs, the uptake
of higher education is very low.
• It is also ethnically diverse.
• Fair to say that many people leave school with
few qualifications.
• The University is making great efforts to
recruit from these groups.
• (Higher Education and Communities) 2010.
• To upskill people ready to take up jobs
generated by the Olympics and the Thames
gateway

6. Non-traditional students: New
Beginnings
• This programme started in 2001 and ran in
its original format until 2010/11.
• It was an initiative of a unit within the
University – SkillsZone.
• The unit is responsible for coordinating
and delivering skills training across the
University.
• Part of its remit was addressing the non-
take up of HE in the local Boroughs.

7. Non-traditional students: New
Beginnings
• This is a widening participation
programme for anyone who wants to
come to higher education and who may
not have had positive experiences
previously.

8. Non-traditional students: New
Beginnings
• It is a twelve week, part-time course
and the purpose is to prepare students
for study at university.
• They are expected to produce
assignments for which they have to do
research which involves them in using
the Library.
• Some successful students go on to
university.

9. Non-traditional students: New
Beginnings
• At the start only one group of students
was recruited and the programme was
run at one campus.
• The programme grew and was
delivered in two of our campuses, as
well as in the local public library, the
Barking Learning Centre.
• There are three starts to the
programme – Sept, Feb. and May

10. Non-traditional students: New
Beginnings
• The New Beginnings students are a
disparate group.
• Some come without any qualifications
but have life experiences
• Some have been referred by clearing.
• They vary in age, confidence, computer
literacy and academic background.

11. Non-traditional students: New
Beginnings
• During 2011/12 New Beginnings
sessions ran in the mornings, evenings
and on Saturdays.
• However in 2012/13, it will be mornings
and evenings

12. Non-traditional students: New
Beginnings
• In the Academic Year 2011-2012 the aim of
the New Beginnings programme changed.
• Responsibility for the management of the
programme moved to a School prompting a
revalidation of the programme.
• It was found that the New Beginnings
qualification was not stringent enough to
guarantee that a student would cope on a
degree programme.

13. Non-traditional students: New
Beginnings
• It was decided to raise the standard of
the New Beginnings qualification, so
that it would be accepted by all the
Schools at UEL as proof that a
sufficient level has been reached for
students to embark on an
undergraduate degree.

14. Non-traditional students: New
Beginnings
• Although, the standard has been raised
and not as many students are recruited
the main aim of the programme is still
to prepare non-traditional students for
undergraduate study.

15. Non-traditional students: New
Beginnings
• The new students being recruited on to
the programme are more able,
confident and eager to progress
themselves.

16. Topics covered
• Experiential learning
• Student finance
• Sociology of childhood
• Citizenship
• Big society
• School achievement
• Time management

17. Library contribution
• Initially we ran a one hour library talk
and tour. This provided a basic
introduction to the library and
searching the catalogue.
• Realising that we could help the
students better with their research we
argued the case with the Programme
Leader for more hours.

18. Library contribution
• We now run these three sessions:
• Session 1: Tour of the Library…Show round
the Library, opening hours, loan entitlements,
photocopying, self-issue machine.
Introduction to the Library Catalogue.
• Session 2: Revision of the Library Catalogue
and sample searches using EBSCO Academic
Search Complete.
• Session 3: Evaluation of Web sites, Advanced
Google to look for sites on student finance and
NEXIS UK for newspaper articles.

19. Methods
• In planning the sessions, we bear in
mind that:
• It is important to boost the confidence
of the New Beginnings students.
• They only see us for a limited time.
• They may have a lower boredom
threshold than other students.

20. Methods
• Consequently in all the presentations
and activities we do not overload them
with information, but try to provide
them with sufficient expertise to find
material for the assignments.
• We also vary the activities in each
session.

21. Methods
• Presentations of the catalogue etc.
• Hands-on practice with prepared
activities around the chosen topic.
• Interactivity to suggest keywords.

22. Methods- interactivity
• Voting clickers-To make the sessions more
interactive
• To break the ice
• To encourage peer bonding
• To encourage everybody to participate
• To boost confidence
• To check that learning has taken place
• To make the learning environment more fun
• Voting clickers we use is Turning Point
• In our Turning Point exercises we do not
have too many questions

23. Feedback
• Voting clickers
• Post-its as students are leaving
• Feedback sessions
• General comments
• Online form for all our training
• This feedback is important in planning
and developing sessions.

24. Developments
• The sessions have been developed over the
years to reflect the assignment topics
• Also been developed in response to
feedback
• Timings and content of the sessions have
been modified in the light of feedback from
the students and staff. The second session
now has EBSCO Academic Search

25. Challenges
• Make sure that communication between the
campuses, lecturers and library staff is
effective. One case when a session was
missed.
• Make sure that everybody works to the same
timetable.
• Even with the improved intake the groups are
disparate. It is fair to say that some of the
students manage to finish the assignment in
the time it takes for other students to login.

26. Other non-traditional students
• Library sessions for fifth-formers,
sixth-formers and FE students have
been arranged in association with the
External and Strategic Development
Services. This unit is responsible for
the outreach activities of the University.
• We also receive visits from school-
children and activities are arranged.

27. Other non-traditional students
• These students only come for one day
but we do aim to support them in their
research
• We give a presentation on sources of
information such as books, journals
and newspapers
• We stress the importance of evaluating
web sites

28. Other non-traditional students
• We also give a presentation on Harvard
Referencing.
• In light of the pupils’ age we make these
sessions very interactive to engage them
• Again we have used clickers.
• We produced an interactive Harvard
referencing quiz based on “Who wants to
be a millionaire”

29. Other non-traditional students
• We used the
referencing software
package PLATO

30. Info skills
• Harvard referencing
quiz from our Info
Skills programme.
The pupils really
engage with this

31. McNair Scholars
• Since 2010 the Library has contributed
to the programme organized by the
University of East London for
undergraduates enrolled as McNair
scholars at the University of New
Hampshire.

32. McNair Scholars
• McNair Scheme prepares undergraduate
students from disadvantaged
backgrounds to progress to doctorial
studies.
• The goal is to increase the attainment of
PhD degrees by students from
underrepresented segments of society.

33. McNair Scholars
• The McNair Scholars have the
opportunity to meet with our students
and exchange views.
• These non-traditional McNair Scholars
inspire our students to embark on
postgraduate degrees.

34. Non-traditional students: one-to-
ones
• At UEL in 2011-2012 we spent 239
hours supporting students on a one-to-
one basis.
• Each session lasts about 30 minutes.
Students come with their individual
dissertation topics and we help them
find information. The majority of the
students are from minority ethnic
groups.

35. Future plans
• The University has increased
considerably its outreach activities in
the local area with the aim of attracting
more non-traditional students.
• We, in the Library, will continue to
support these initiatives to make sure
that these students make the best use
of our resources to succeed in their
degree.

36. Contact: s.n.okolo@uel.ac.uk
r.stinson@uel.ac.uk