Karen J. Nelson

Enhancing the transition of commencing students into university: an institution-wide approach

The importance of the first year experience (FYE) to success at university is well documented and supported with the transition into university regarded as crucial. While there is also support for the notion that a successful FYE should have a whole-of-institution focus and models have been proposed, many institutions still face challenges in achieving institution-wide FYE program implementation. This paper discusses the origins, theoretical and empirical bases and structure of an institution-wide approach to the FYE. It uses a case study of the Transitions In Project (TIP) at the Queensland University of Technology to illustrate how institution-wide FYE program implementation can be achieved and sustained. The TIP had four interrelated projects focusing on at-risk students, first year curriculum, learning resources and staff development. The key aim of TIP was to identify good practice and institutionalise it in a sustainable way. The degree of success in achieving this is evaluated.

Using a Capability Maturity Model to build on the generational approach to student engagement practices

The generational approach to conceptualising first-year student learning behaviour has made a useful contribution to understanding student engagement. It has an explicit focus on student behaviour and we suggest that a Capability Maturity Model interpretation may provide a complementary extension of that understanding as it builds on the generational approach by allowing an assessment of institutional capability to initiate, plan, manage, evaluate and review institutional student engagement practices. The development of a Student Engagement, Success and Retention Maturity Model is discussed along with its application in an Australian higher education institution. In this case study, the model identified first-, second- and third-generation approaches and, in addition, achieved a ‘complementary extension’ of the generational approach, building on it by identifying additional practices not normally considered within the generational concept and indicating the capability of the institution to provide and implement the practices.

An exploratory analysis of information and knowledge management enablers in business contexts

This chapter explores the factors limiting organizational information and knowledge management (IKM) through the perceptions of IKM practitioners. The authors propose that a number of organisational factors – which for them are enablers – have the ability to influence IKM project outcomes. It follows that explication of these enablers in an integrated framework could, therefore, be beneficial for practitioners. This chapter itemises 10 candidate enablers identified from a review of the literature and explored in previous research work. The authors discuss the findings of two exploratory surveys, which indicated that all ten enablers were perceived as important to the performance of IKM. However, the amount of management attention required by each enabler appears to be IKM project specific.