SEDA presents: Transitions Out of Higher Education: Supporting Students.

How can we ensure a smooth transition, enhance student experience and equitable outcomes as students move into, through and out of higher education? In a post Covid-19 world where adaptation to change is an increasing requirement on all those involved in Higher Education, this series of workshops will explore a variety of ideas and perspectives on how to promote and ensure smooth transitions not just into but also through and out of Higher Education. The workshops culminate with the publication of a SEDA special, which will be available to all attendees.

In each workshop, there will be short presentations on the key contributions of the relevant section of the SEDA special, followed by break-out discussions and a chance to come together to share ideas on each theme. We aim to create a community of practice around supporting students in transition as a long-standing outcome of the workshops so please do consider joining us.

The final workshop explores transitions out of higher education. How do first in family graduates navigate the transition into the employment market, and how can we better support them, and how can technology help in preparing students for placements which may facilitate this transition out?

Details

The interactive online workshop will be presented via Zoom 10am-12pm, on 1 December 2020.

The Contributors

Wendy Ashall is previously spent several years teaching within FE, before joining the University of Sussex as a Lecturer within the School of Global Studies. Wendy is primarily involved in the design and delivery of Foundation Year modules and is currently undertaking her doctoral studies part-time. Her research focusses on the experiences of Social Science Foundation students. She is also Membership Secretary for the Foundation Year Network.

Sasha Anderson previously worked in a variety of roles in adult education, and is now a Research Associate at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in the area of widening participation to higher education, including widening access to education and learning; lifelong learning; learning and ageing; and use of technologies. She has also held several roles with the Association for Education and Ageing, including Secretary, Researcher and Editorial Assistant. Her current research study explores the experiences of BTEC-qualified students at UEA.

Alison Griffin is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and Head of Engagement at the University of West London. She is responsible for providing academic support to current students and pre-entry support to new students. Alison introduced ‘Shared Experience’ events to provide a platform for students to speak about their lived experience of HE with staff and other students. These events have led to positive changes across the university and to a dramatic piece, devised by students, which has been performed at Office for Students events. Alison has also disseminated the Shared Experience findings through presentations at conferences, summits and symposiums.

Dr Luke Millard is Director of the Education Development Service at Birmingham City University which supports academic staff practice, student academic development and employability. He is a Principal Fellow of the HEA and has research interests in student engagement, transitions and the first-year experience. Neil Hollins is a lecturer in the Institute of Media and English at Birmingham City University and delivers a focus on student transitions and the first-year experience. Ryan Sharman is a Student Success Advisor for the Institute of Media and English at Birmingham City University. His focus is on the transition of students from FE through to HE, along with student belonging and wellbeing within a university setting.

Dr Aisling Keane joined the Centre for Biomedical Sciences Education at the Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) Northern Ireland in 2005. Recognising the importance of educational research in third-level education, Aisling graduated with a Doctorate in Education (2019) from QUB. In June 2019, Aisling was awarded the Kathleen Tattersall New Assessment Researcher award (from the Association of Educational Assessment Europe) based on her research.

Having spent over two decades teaching and researching in the higher education field, at the University of Wollongong Professor Sarah O’Shea’s research advances understanding about how under-represented student cohorts enact success within university, manage competing identities and negotiate aspirations for self and others. She is currently leading an Australian Research Council Discovery Project exploring the persistence behaviours of first in family students and is working as a Research Fellow with the National Centre for Student Equity in HE, examining post-graduation employment opportunities for equity students. Dr Olivia Groves (University of Wollongong) is an experienced educator, having taught diverse learners across Australia and Asia in primary, language education, and tertiary settings. Olivia’s research seeks to understand the sociocultural conditions under which learning takes place in order to inform policy and practice to maximise the potential for learning and success for all students. Olivia’s current work involves managing two projects: an Australian National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE) Fellowship project on graduate employability and an NCSEHE grant investigating best practice careers advice.

Dr Christine Smith is an Associate Professor in the Quality Assurance and Enhancement team at the University of Suffolk, UK. Christine is a Senior Fellow of the HEA and an Advance HE Associate, contributing to their international Academic Leadership programme, and as an Independent Assessor of Academic Practice Professional Apprenticeships. Christine’s research interests include students’ transition and evolving academic identity and student transitions into the workplace. Dr Caroline Doolan is an Associate Professor at the University of Suffolk. Caroline was the originator of PlacementPAL, recognising students in work placements might benefit from a digital “aide memoire” that could offer discrete and easy access to relevant information and resources. Dr Lucill Curtis is Lecturer in Marketing, Course Director for the BSc/BA Marketing and Management degree and Associate Director of Admissions at Norwich Business School (University of East Anglia). Her current research concerns pedagogical research in e-learning, specifically integrating blended learning into undergraduate module design. Dr Suzanne Albary is Senior Lecturer in Employment Development at the University of Suffolk. Her current research interests are in work-based learning, supporting students through transitions in learning, and identity and authenticity within the workplace. David Mullett is the Digital Learning Opportunities Manager at the University of Suffolk, focusing on working closely with staff, students and researchers to encourage, enable and evaluate the use of technology in learning and teaching. Alex Read is an Academic Skills Advisor, supporting students in building their knowledge and understanding of academic writing, referencing and study skills. Her professional areas of interests include cultural diversity and inclusion in education and discovering innovative methods for supporting students with specific learning needs.

Dr Wendy Garnham is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology at the University of Sussex and is the co-founder of the Active Learning Network, an international collaborative network for anyone interested in active learning. Wendy has experience of teaching across all educational levels from reception through to postgraduate, she led a psychology department in Further Education to grade 1 status and was Head of a Sixth Form before returning to Higher Education. Wendy has won several awards including a University of Sussex Award for Outstanding or Innovative Undergraduate Teaching and a Digital Practice Award and is one of three global subject centre convenors for psychology on the OneHE network. Wendy is also the Director of Student Experience for the Foundation Year Programmes at Sussex and teaches social and applied psychology, as well as research skills modules.