The Secret of their success: Utilising experienced students' self reflection

to support new learners

Richard SoberTeesside University

The s

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Nothing really…

probably just the workload and getting through the reading list and mainly worrying about completing my first year to a level I am satisfied with…

and I know that I have the potential to do really well but whether I lack creativity in my ideas is another story…

And I am worried about not enjoying the course as much as I thought and being able to get along with people on my course’

What we didSurveyed and interviewed new students during welcome week to find out their fears and what they thought would be important to succeed

Carried out questionnaires and interviews with recent graduates at the New Designers Exhibition in London

Developed a pre induction and new student handbook for final year students to pass on their tips and advice to new students

How often do we consider why our students do well?

Does more thought go into why students don’t succeed?

How can we involve students in passing on what they have learnt ?

The s

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The new student

Nothing really…

probably just the workload and getting through the reading list and mainly worrying about completing my first year to a level I am satisfied with…

and I know that I have the potential to do really well but whether I lack creativity in my ideas is another story…

And I am worried about not enjoying the course as much as I thought and being able to get along with people on my course’

T

he s

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et

of

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Why do new students worry about failing?

David Cannon ‘The surprised newcomer’ worried they don’t fit in, self critical and worry about getting things right obsessed with getting all the details and handbooks and crave predictability, often seen in mature students

Moira Peelo ‘students prior expectations of undergraduate courses can cast long shadows and the first terms can bring frustration and disappointment as well as excitement and new experiences… for others experiencing failure is not about external criteria, but about falling below their own , personal standards’

Results show new students do have fears: •The unexpected •Wondering how they ‘measure up’•Confidence related

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‘Time management, confidence in my ability, professionalism, being able to take and accept criticism and use it to push forward ‘(Leeds )

‘My confidence has grown. I was insecure about my abilities but now I am more confident and my grades have reflected it’ (Northumbria)

‘I have become more confident in my work and more independent ‘ (Teesside)

The Graduate Survey ‘Be prepared to work hard for long hours, its harder than you think! ‘ (De Montfort)

‘Be prepared for the workload. It is not a degree it is a full time job! ‘ (Northumbria)

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‘Obtaining my first class honours after all my hard work’ (Buckingham)

‘First class degree and top of class’ (Northumbria)

‘Getting a first’ (Falmouth)

‘100% commitment to your course, no messing about, no social life, just hard work, its worth it’ (De montfort)

‘Hard work and a lot of commitment, I am not naturally talented but I have compensated with a strong work ethic’ (Northumbria)

‘Hard work and solid commitment ‘ (Falmouth)

‘Perseverance, dedication & sleepless nights’ (Writtle college)

Highest achieving students:•Hard working and driven•Organised•Perceive success in terms of marks

ConclusionsSuccess can be getting into university itself rather than completing a course

Failure can be a personal perception of not matching their own personal standards

Failing, withdrawing or dropping out might be a successful personal choice (Peelo & Wareham 2003)

Learning how to learn can help students manage success and failure

Greater integration between levels, passing on of advice between students

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The Alternative Student Handbook is a project designed to bridge the gap between final year students and new starters

Project Aims:

• To harness the knowledge of experienced learners and provide opportunities to disseminate to new students.

• To make learner self reflection more applied and purposeful and enhance their understanding of this process.

• To facilitate a form of group mentoring between different course levels and student cohorts.

• To use the student voice and the creative skills of design students to develop and disseminate pre-induction and new learner guides in a format that will appeal and be accessible to other design students.

Reflection

Donald Schon: ‘common sense’ reflective practitioner - a mental process with an outcome or purpose to aid future tasks

Reflection is often very private and internal process unless students need to articulate it in PDP modules- ‘are we doing it right?’

Applied reflection & Self reflection:•Applied for a student handbook•Helps learners articulate their strategies for learning, coping, progressing & succeeding

•Valuable element of personal development modules

•Assessing own strengths and areas for improvement

•Project and time management

Making it part of a module and group based avoids the ‘toxic mentor’ (Darling 1985) that only highlights barriers to their performance

• Mentoring in the form of passing on knowledge • Not necessarily one to one but sharing of ideas,

feelings & methods• Opportunity for students to interact between

levels

Mentoring‘Mentoring in this way can fast track development and aid coping with new experiences ’ (Morton-Cooper & Palmer 2000)

Project Brief

Working in teams and using their knowledge and experience students produce an alternative programme handbook that can be made available to new learners.

This can be in the form of a website, blackboard pages, power point or any other form that can be made available electronically.

A positive and supportive document from a student perspective

Creative concepts can be funny, inspiring, irreverent and original.

Different to the official programme handbook

Work: Key themes students have included: Work

•Personal learning strategies•Time and project management•Understanding and following assessment criteria•Planning work •The effective use of feedback•Using tutors and what you can expect from them

Play: Key themes students have included: • Where to live• Coping with loneliness and personal problems• Social scene recommendations• Low cost recipes, shopping and financial advice• Making the most of the whole student

experience• Balancing work and play

Conclusions• Students benefit from the reflection and understand the reflective process better when it is

applied• Students have proved very supportive and loyal towards their programmes, university and

town• Creative concepts appeal to creative students but other subjects can display their own

strengths• Staff should be open to a little irreverence, but students are surprisingly not too

controversial• Helps forge links between course levels, fostering a community culture and, therefore, aiding

NSS performance and retention

Next stages:• To evaluate what new students think of them next year• Create a more formal mentoring process between students• Consider how other subject disciplines can develop similar sites