Jacques van der Meer

‘It’s almost a mindset that teachers need to change’: first‐year students’ need to be inducted into time management

This article discusses the findings related to a number of research projects investigating students’ expectations and experiences of the first year in higher education. In particular, findings with regard to first‐year students’ expectations and challenges with issues of time management are reported. It was found that many students were realistic about having to plan their work independently, and having to spend a good amount of their time during the week on self‐study. However, many students found it difficult to regulate their self‐study and keep up with the work. They were also not always sure how they were to organise their self‐study time. It is argued that universities could and should play a more active role in helping first‐year students to make sense of time management.

On the Effectiveness of Supplemental Instruction: A Systematic Review of Supplemental Instruction and Peer-Assisted Study Sessions Literature Between 2001 and 2010

Supplemental instruction (SI)—variously known as peer-assisted learning, peer-assisted study sessions, and other names—is a type of academic support intervention popular in higher education. In SI sessions, a senior student facilitates peer learning between undergraduates studying a high-risk course. This article presents a systematic review of the literature between 2001 and 2010 regarding the effectiveness of SI. Twenty-nine studies met the inclusion criteria. Due to methodological heterogeneity and lack of consistency defining the SI treatment, qualitative synthesis methods were applied. For seven included studies, however, an effect size of SI participation on final grades was calculated, ranging from d = 0.29 to d = 0.60. The findings of the review are consistent with claims validated by the U.S. Department of Education in the 1990s that participation in SI is correlated with higher mean grades, lower failure and withdrawal rates, and higher retention and graduation rates.

‘There are other people out there!’ Successful postgraduate peer groups and research communities at a New Zealand university

Recent research has highlighted the various benefits of postgraduate peer support, including timely degree completion. This article describes and considers an initiative that sought to manufacture postgraduate peer-support groups and communities at a New Zealand university. It intends to further understanding of this area and, in particular, to discuss positive characteristics of postgraduate peer groups and the role of the institution in supporting them. Drawing on interviews with 12 postgraduate peer leaders, key findings include: the possibility of manufacturing peer-support groups, with a legitimising function coming from overt institutional support; that peer groups can be made up of students from across a wide range of postgraduate courses and disciplines; that, given an open mandate from the institution, peer leaders can contribute to the challenge of creating a positive research community; and that a collaborative institution-wide approach to postgraduate support provision is achievable.

Students’ note-taking challenges in the twenty-first century: considerations for teachers and academic staff developers

Note-taking in lectures is often taken to be the distinguishing characteristic of learning at university. It is typically assumed that this is a commonsensical skill that students either have or will learn through trial and error. The data from a research project in one New Zealand university suggest that taking good notes is not a skill that first-year students just have: they face considerable challenges and in many instances prefer to be provided with notes. Although as academics we need to ask the question what our role is in students’ note-taking, we also need to ask ourselves whether the debate about note-taking is still relevant in the twenty-first century. The rapid technological changes challenge not only the idea of note-taking in lectures but also the idea of lectures as a format and forum where teaching and learning takes place.Note-taking in lectures is often taken to be the distinguishing characteristic of learning at university. It is typically assumed that this is a commonsensical skill that students either have or will learn through trial and error. The data from a research project in one New Zealand university suggest that taking good notes is not a skill that first-year students just have: they face considerable challenges and in many instances prefer to be provided with notes. Although as academics we need to ask the question what our role is in students’ note-taking, we also need to ask ourselves whether the debate about note-taking is still relevant in the twenty-first century. The rapid technological changes challenge not only the idea of note-taking in lectures but also the idea of lectures as a format and forum where teaching and learning takes place.

‘I don’t really see where they’re going with it’: communicating purpose and rationale to first-year students

Although there is much research related to the first-year student in higher education and first-year retention, a dominant focus of this has been on students’ assimilation into higher education. However, there is a noticeable increase in higher education researchers who advocate for a more active role of institutions to adapt to first-year students who enter higher education. This can be seen as reflecting an increased understanding that university teachers need to be explicit in explaining to new students what is expected of them, what the rationale is for, what is expected of them and how the university ‘works’. Being explicit and clear is important if all students are to have a chance of succeeding in higher education. This article reports on findings related to first-year students’ understanding of the objectives, purpose and rationale of their courses. These findings result from a research project in one New Zealand university that sought to map the academic challenges first-year students faced in their first semester. The results suggest that respondents were not always clear about what they were supposed to learn, and what the rationale and purpose was for particular teaching formats and/or learning activities. It is argued that, if universities are serious about equitable participation, teachers need to pay particular attention to being transparent and explicit about the organisation and objectives of the courses they are teaching, especially first-year courses. Moreover, irrespective of students’ backgrounds, all first-year students benefit from this clarity: transition into higher education is a new experience for all students.Although there is much research related to the first-year student in higher education and first-year retention, a dominant focus of this has been on students’ assimilation into higher education. However, there is a noticeable increase in higher education researchers who advocate for a more active role of institutions to adapt to first-year students who enter higher education. This can be seen as reflecting an increased understanding that university teachers need to be explicit in explaining to new students what is expected of them, what the rationale is for, what is expected of them and how the university ‘works’. Being explicit and clear is important if all students are to have a chance of succeeding in higher education. This article reports on findings related to first-year students’ understanding of the objectives, purpose and rationale of their courses. These findings result from a research project in one New Zealand university that sought to map the academic challenges first-year students faced in th...

Entry Characteristics and Participation in a Peer Learning Program as Predictors of First-Year Students’ Achievement, Retention, and Degree Completion:

Success in the first year of higher education is important for students’ retention beyond their first year and for completion of their undergraduate degree. Institutions therefore typically front-load resources and interventions in the first year. One such intervention is the Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) program. This program is known in the United States as Supplemental Instruction. It provides first-year students with an opportunity to learn study skills in the context of a particular unit of study (course/module). In this article, we consider the relationship between students’ prior academic achievement and participation in the PASS program, as well as the impact of participation on first-year students’ first-year grade point average, retention, and degree completion. The findings suggest that PASS does not just attract academically high-achieving students and that participation in it contributes to students’ academic achievement in their first year, retention beyond the first year, and completion of an undergraduate degree.

“We Were Told We’re Not Teachers … It Gets Difficult to Draw the Line”: Negotiating Roles in Peer-Assisted Study Sessions (PASS)

Peer learning models in pre-service teacher education are in the early stages of implementation. In this article, we evaluated a pilot Peer-Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) program that supplemented a course for pre-service teachers at one New Zealand university. PASS participants discussed experiences of the program, revealing tensions between what students and facilitators felt should happen in PASS, and how they acted differently. We explained these tensions by considering how social and cognitive congruence operated between students and facilitators. The majority of our peer facilitators were pre-service teachers, suggesting these intersecting roles offered important considerations for reciprocity in near-peer relationships, and joint negotiations of roles and responsibilities. We conclude this article with implications for future training of PASS facilitators, including those training as teachers.

A framework for developing and supporting student leadership in higher education

ABSTRACT Developing leadership in students is part of the remit of higher education institutions. In recent decades, student leadership development programs have proliferated at universities worldwide. However, the contested understanding of the term ‘leadership’ has resulted in lack of clarity regarding how this may be ‘developed’ in higher education. There are many programs that contribute towards developing leadership in students and not all of them do so explicitly. Moreover, in the absence of clear conceptual underpinnings and pedagogic approaches, it is questionable whether these programs can deliver the graduate capabilities employers are increasingly expecting. Recognising this diversity and range of different understandings of leadership that underpin these programs, this paper presents an overarching inclusive framework that provides guidelines to support quality assurance across the broad range of leadership development initiatives in higher education. The paper describes the development of the framework, explains its core components and provides an illustration of it.

(Re)Conceptualising inclusive education in New Zealand: listening to the hidden voices

Abstract This article explores the experiences of 14 students with severe and complex behaviour, their caregivers, and teachers/principals as the students transition from a disestablished residential school back to mainstream schools, with support from the Intensive Wraparound Service (IWS). Interviews were the primary source of data collection. Data were collated into 14 cases, and analysed using a general inductive approach. Two broad themes are addressed in the article: education and relationships/communication. The research found that the IWS is not living up to its rhetoric. Suggestions made for improvement are based on approaches that participants found worked for them.

Evaluating the effectiveness of a programme for improving the participation and academic success of an underrepresented minority group in New Zealand

Pacific peoples are a minority under-represented ethnic group in higher education in New Zealand. This article explores the effectiveness of a specific programme, which sought to improve outcomes of Pacific students in the tertiary environment. The aim of the evaluation was to determine the effectiveness of an intervention programme (2013-2015) to increase the participation and academic success of Pacific students in the first year in Health Sciences. The study found the academic results of Pacific students who participated in the intervention programme were significantly better compared to those who did not. The findings inform future research, suggesting that, when assessing the effectiveness of a programme, it is useful to explore the performance of the whole cohort separately to those who declared intention or interest to attend the programme. Strategies to support participation of each of these groups are likely to be different. Having a standardised approach when comparing groups will adjust for any confounding factors or prior differences. This will allow a more accurate assessment of the effectiveness of the programme being evaluated. This paper presents the importance of a robust approach to the delivery and evaluation of intervention programmes for improving outcomes for underrepresented students in the tertiary environment.