 |
 |
Hi Carol Could you let us know at what point you polled the students - were they new first years or more experienced students? Chris -----Original Message----- From: learning development in higher education network [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Carol Elston Sent: 20 October 2011 09:36 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Workshop on What's different about learning at University Hi Ed (and others with an interest in this thread) I polled 120 current students before developing a transition resource for new students. We asked the question: What do you think was the biggest difference between studying at school and at university? (n=120) And this was the response: Response Selection of comments Number of responses Percentage Being an independent learner 'The adjustment to independent learning, and the expectation to know where to and how to find relevant and up to date information and resources.' 'The level of independent study required- unprepared for the transition.' 41 34% Self-motivation and time management 'Lots of free time for me, and time management skill is very important.' 17 14% Writing, reading and critical thinking skills ' How much reading of extra material was required. The need for strong essay responses - 'nuanced arguments', originality, referencing of relevant material etc. 12 10% Less feedback, contact time and support 'Less contact hours, less interaction, less guidance, less advice.' 'Less feedback and formative evaluation at university; much less personal relationships with teaching staff at university.' 11 9% Independence & liberty 'Independence - initiative.' 'Being in complete control of how much/how little work you do.' 11 9% Different environment & facilities 'The class sizes.' 'Having a virtual library, accessing journals electronically.' 8 7% Can't remember (mature students) 'I am mature student so I don't feel that I can really compare (too long ago) I would say that I found it more interesting than school though'. 6 5% Style of study and delivery 'The independent development of ideas, collaborative work, speaking about your work was all done in a very different way at university.' 5 4% Level of commitment to studies 'The amount of time needed to study.' 3 3% Other More opportunities, higher level of skills required, different exam format, other responsibilities (i.e. shopping), being in an adult environment. 6 5% From: learning development in higher education network [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Foster, Ed Sent: 19 October 2011 14:38 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Workshop on What's different about learning at University Hello all I'm running workshop shortly 'what's different about learning at university?'. I've done a lecture along the same lines for a number of years, but never done it as a workshop. I was going to frame one of the discussions around actions and activities that would be good practice for students 3 - 4 weeks into term. The list below might be a bit basic, but I thought it might give students something to discuss. I thought I'd throw it over to you fine folks. Anyone feeling creative this afternoon? Have I missed anything obvious? Ed Key ideas How are you doing? Turning up for all lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials (hey we thought we'd start easy) Knowing when your deadlines are (for all your assignments) Deciding what books you are going to buy Pre-reading before each lecture & seminar Making notes in lectures & seminars Joining in discussions in seminars Re-reading & tidying up your notes afterwards Finding out how to get hold of your tutors Logging into the VLE to make yourself familiar with useful content How are you going to deal with email? Ed Foster Learning Development Team Libraries & Learning Resources Nottingham Trent University, Burton St, Nottingham, NG1 4BU t 0115 848 8203 DISCLAIMER: This email is intended solely for the addressee. It may contain private and confidential information. If you are not the intended addressee, please take no action based on it nor show a copy to anyone. In this case, please reply to this email to highlight the error. Opinions and information in this email that do not relate to the official business of Nottingham Trent University shall be understood as neither given nor endorsed by the University. Nottingham Trent University has taken steps to ensure that this email and any attachments are virus-free, but we do advise that the recipient should check that the email and its attachments are actually virus free. This is in keeping with good computing practice. This email is intended only for the person to whom it is addressed and may contain confidential information. If you have received this email in error, please notify the sender and delete this email, which must not be copied, distributed or disclosed to any other person. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Bournemouth University or its subsidiary companies. Nor can any contract be formed on behalf of the University or its subsidiary companies via email.