Facebook Status Updates about the First Year at University: How Student Experience Informs a Learner Centred Transition Curriculum
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Author(s)
Primary Supervisor
Sim, Cheryl
Other Supervisors
Penn-Edwards, Sorrel
Year published
2015
Metadata
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A learner centred first year transition curriculum is central to a university adapting to global shifts in higher education. Universities are under pressure to graduate highly skilled workers to cope with the demands of a highly technological society. Over the past fifty years, higher education practitioners have: identified the first year of higher education (FYHE) as being critical to the successful completion of undergraduate degrees; implemented programs for improving the co-curricular and curricular experiences of first year university students; and articulated pedagogical practices that should inform the design of ...
View more >A learner centred first year transition curriculum is central to a university adapting to global shifts in higher education. Universities are under pressure to graduate highly skilled workers to cope with the demands of a highly technological society. Over the past fifty years, higher education practitioners have: identified the first year of higher education (FYHE) as being critical to the successful completion of undergraduate degrees; implemented programs for improving the co-curricular and curricular experiences of first year university students; and articulated pedagogical practices that should inform the design of institution-wide transition curricula. While there is a rich tradition of research that concentrates on how the experiences of first year students can be improved, only a small portion of the research centralises student voices. Political and cultural forces are demanding a shift in the conceptualisation of university in the twenty-first century. Recent research suggests that to address the shift, pedagogy should be the focus of academic professional development. This thesis argues that the shift should not be to pedagogy but to learning, and this study conceptualises ways in which this shift can be achieved. This thesis acknowledges the necessity for creating a transition curriculum that helps a university reach these goals, but argues that while past research is highly valuable, building on ideas that were developed in a different communicative, technological and social context will only provide a partial understanding of the needs of contemporary first year students.
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View more >A learner centred first year transition curriculum is central to a university adapting to global shifts in higher education. Universities are under pressure to graduate highly skilled workers to cope with the demands of a highly technological society. Over the past fifty years, higher education practitioners have: identified the first year of higher education (FYHE) as being critical to the successful completion of undergraduate degrees; implemented programs for improving the co-curricular and curricular experiences of first year university students; and articulated pedagogical practices that should inform the design of institution-wide transition curricula. While there is a rich tradition of research that concentrates on how the experiences of first year students can be improved, only a small portion of the research centralises student voices. Political and cultural forces are demanding a shift in the conceptualisation of university in the twenty-first century. Recent research suggests that to address the shift, pedagogy should be the focus of academic professional development. This thesis argues that the shift should not be to pedagogy but to learning, and this study conceptualises ways in which this shift can be achieved. This thesis acknowledges the necessity for creating a transition curriculum that helps a university reach these goals, but argues that while past research is highly valuable, building on ideas that were developed in a different communicative, technological and social context will only provide a partial understanding of the needs of contemporary first year students.
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Thesis Type
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Degree Program
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School
School of Education and Professional Practice
Copyright Statement
The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise.
Item Access Status
Public
Subject
University student experience
First Year University students
Student engagement, University
Student success, University