Presentation delivered by Becka and Neil Currant to the International First Year Experience Conference in Montreal, Canada in July 2009.

1. Support Me! Develop Me! Retain Me! Can a reflective skills activity increase student engagement, motivation and success? Becka Currant, Head of Learner Development and Student Engagement Neil Currant, Lecturer in PDP and ePortfolio

3. What is SaPRA?

4. How is SaPRA delivered?

5. Results

6. Staff and Student feedback

7. Implications

9. Based in North of the UK

10. Cluttered HE provision in region

11. Strong widening participation engagement

12. High numbers of technical, vocational and professional courses

14. First Year Experience questionnaire www.bradford.ac.uk/developme www.braduni.mobi Meet and chat online

15. A Brief History of Develop Me! Extended student model HEA Pathfinder, NTFS Outduction Pre-entry to post graduation E-induction HEA e-learning Research Observatory Seamless transition into University Integrated online support HEFCE 24/7 support available Responding to diverse students ELESIG/HEA/JISC/HEFCE Digital typology LLiDA work, development of SaPRA

16. E-induction Primary objective: enable students to manage process of transition in social and academic terms Academic: Early engagement with academic materials and development of academic skills (ning) Completion of SaPRA to identify levels of confidence and develop action plan to reflect on with personal tutor and evidence in PDP (online resources) Social: Start process of making links with peers on courses and other students in University (ning) Share hopes, fears and concerns about starting course (ning) Identify challenges and find answers to burning questions (expectations questionnaire) Feel ‘at home’ (mobile guides)

18. Skills self-audit of confidence in different skill areas.

19. Covers wide range of skills expected in HE, e.g. academic reading & writing, IT skills etc.

20. Includes planning activity to develop confidence.

21. Completed at start of 1st year and used throughout the year.

23. Initiates reflection on prior learning experiences.

24. Encourages students to think about how they will adjust to being at University.

26. Students need to be HONEST! They are only cheating themselves if they lie!

27. No one sees the results unless a student wants them to.

29. Phase 2: Summer 07 – conversion to electronic format in Moodle for 07/08.

32. 7 skill areas: Academic Writing, Academic reading, Expectations, Individual skills, Communication, IT, Library skills.

34. Archaeology

35. Combined studies

36. Pharmacy

37. Psychology

38. Computing & IT

39. General Science

40. Health & Social care

42. Expectations

43. Communication

44. Individual skills

45. Academic writing

46. Academic Reading

48. Working with others (5.4)

49. Being more responsible for own learning (8.3)

50. Making new friends (11.3)

51. Using ‘Office-type’ programs (12.2)

52. Using social networking sites (12.4)

54. Critically analysing texts (43.3)

55. Writing Bibliographies (39.8)

56. Understanding citations (39.4)

57. Finding a variety of sources (not just Google search) (39)

58. Judging reliability of sources (36.8)

60. Library skills & academic reading ranked in bottom three for all courses.

61. Health & Nursing significantly more confident at participation in class discussions.

64. “the statements are really good, because when you are applying for a job […] the questions they ask you in interviews are based around communication skills and writing skills, or essays”

67. “[SaPRA has] helped to inform interventions with my tutees”

68. “having the cohort overview has helped to contextualise study skills sessions”

70. Institutional Impact Develop Me! strategy has led to a transformation of how we deal with issues of: Transition, initial engagement and ‘belonging’ within the University community Retention of students, especially on STEM courses Engagement of students living at home

71. Discussion How do you deal with student expectations and varying levels of skills? What input do personal tutors have in helping to manage the process of transition? How difficult is it to move forward curriculum change at your institution?