Hi Michelle,
I haven't got material for you, but you might find this article interesting. The authors also say that the transition issue into PG study has been largely overlooked:
Victoria L. O'Donnell, Jane Tobbell, Rebecca Lawthom and Maria Zammit (2009) Transition to postgraduate study: Practice, participation and the widening participation agenda, Active Learning in Higher Education, Vol. 10, no. 26.
Best,
Kathrin
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Von: learning development in higher education network im Auftrag von Michelle Reid
Gesendet: Mo 24.05.2010 15:30
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Betreff: Transition resources for Masters Students
Hi All,
I am researching the support and resources available to students starting Masters courses.
Does anyone know of any good resources aimed at students starting Masters courses to help them make the transition to postgraduate study?
I have found http://www.postgrad.com/ to be a good introduction with some useful articles, but can be patchy in places (e.g. their information on plagiarism is weak) and it also seems to be run by a marketing and consultancy company which may raise questions about the motivation of the site.
Many postgraduate resources focus on the PhD and don't seem specifically designed for the demands of a Masters course which can involve a lot of contact time as well as independent research.
At the moment, transition research and resources seem to focus on the transition into Higher Education, but it seems that the step from undergraduate to postgraduate is as significant and one that has to be made extremely quickly as most full-time Masters courses are only 1 year.
Also it seems to be one transition that academics can overlook, assuming that students having done an undergrad degree will already be familiar with the expectations of HE. However, students find the expectations of becoming a researcher are very different. Add to this the increase in international students coming into Masters courses and it becomes another important area of transition to UK academic culture.
Any suggestions or examples of resources for students starting Masters courses would be really helpful,
Many thanks
Michelle
Dr Michelle Reid, University Study Adviser and LearnHigher Research Officer
Carrington Building, Whiteknights, University of Reading, RG6 6UA| ( 0118 378 4242| : www.reading.ac.uk/studyadvice
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