Presentation by Hannah Poore Subject Librarian HAS Kyle

Presentation by Hannah Poore Subject Librarian HAS Kyle Lewis Senior lecturer HAS 07/06/2018 Working together towards increasing programme identity amongst students undertaking foundation courses

Learning outcomes • To gain an understanding of how the foundation team and Library Services have worked together with the aim of encouraging a sense of belonging and programme identity amongst students undertaking foundation courses. • To discover what the benefits are to students who have a sense of belonging. • To consider how we can all work together across faculties and professional services to increase the sense of belonging on programmes.

We will look at…. Situation Problem Solution Evaluation

The Foundation year in Social Science: Overview 1. Three introductory thematic modules: v. Sociology and Criminology v. Philosophy and Politics & IR v. Psychology 2. Academic Skills module v v v Essay writing Reading for academic purposes Research skills Note making from reading and lectures Literature reviews Presentation and group work skills

Academic Skills for Social Science: The module Delivered as a discreet 30 credit module (workshops and group lectorials) but: • Content and assessments relate to social science themes, and to content and assessment of thematic modules • Learning support sessions embedded in module • APT delivery embedded in the module (timetabled group and individual tutorials) • 2016/17: 81 students • 2017/18: 144 students • Attendance 2017/2018 • Term 1 30% • Term 2 31% Module pass rate 73%

Student Demographic

What did the students say! “I felt very uncomfortable…the pressures of having to contribute as a person with social anxiety” “I literally walk through uni with tunnel vision…. I go to lesson and go home” “perhaps more chance to meet mature students would be nice” “I can’t expect to make any friends because they’re all going to be young”

Group Discussion Question? What do you see are the benefits to students who have created a strong sense of collegiality or belonging on their course?

What did we do!

Library Services: a sense of belonging from the start • • • Importance of having a named Subject Librarian Meeting perspective students Inductions Attending faculty, departmental, SRSF meetings Getting to know the course and the academics and resources they require. Offering specific subject resource sessions Academic skills sessions Online support The library as a working environment

Library involvement in the Academic skills module • • • Inductions Library Tours Information retrieval Grammar/ punctuation Critical writing • Being embedded into the module (what does that mean? )

Learning support session: Identifying, locating, retrieving and referencing sources I feel more confident about… Searching for information Referencing information Locating help and support Definitely Session level. . . Too complex Session level. . . About right Session level. . . Too basic How could session be improved (greatest no. of students) session earlier in the term more examples/interactive Feel the Not at same all A little 7 4 3 22 25 26 0 0 0 28 1 0 0 0

Feedback on the Academic skills module ‘ Academic Skills[has prepared me for next year]definitely. Do more academic skills, they’re really good…stuff like referencing and specific ways to write an essay…I’d have had no clue’. ‘[Academic Skills Workshops] were really helpful I would always leave the room, like, ah I know what I’m doing. I never feel panicky or anything’. ‘[Academic Skills]hasn’t been much of a help to me because when I do turn up it’s like I know how to do this, I am competent with these skills’. (Interview 2016/17)

Feedback on the module has helped me improve my academic performance Strongly Agree Neither Agree nor Disagree Strongly Disagree

Module Feedback 2017/18: Teaching Staff have made the module interesting and engaging (40 responses) Strongly Agree Neither Agree nor Disagree Strongly Disagree

Key issues • Attendance/engagement • Wide range of academic backgrounds, ‘abilities’ and ‘preparedness’ o Level of difficulty/pitching • Ensuring relevance to range of disciplinary content (thematic modules) • Addressing different ‘academic literacies’ across social science disciplines • Encouraging buy-in from tutors on thematic modulese. g. regarding assessment of written skills in coursework

Learning from other experiences • Team Entrepreneur (FBL) • Early Years (ACE)

Question! • In your experience what do you do to enhance a sense of belong or programme identity in teaching or in the professional service you offer?

Question! Thinking specifically about the Academic Skills module Can you suggest any practical measures that could be introduced to increase attendance and help in countering the remedial stigma associated with the module and learning academic skills more broadly?

References • Gamache, P. 2002, "University Students as Creators of Personal Knowledge: an alternative epistemological view", Teaching in Higher Education, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 277 -294 • Haggis, T. & Pouget, M. 2002, "Trying to be Motivated: perspectives on learning from younger students accessing higher education", Teaching in Higher Education, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 323 -336. • Wingate, U. 2006, "Doing away with 'study skills'", Teaching in Higher Education, vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 457469 • Wingate, U. & Tribble, C. 2012, "The best of both worlds? Towards an English for Academic Purposes/Academic Literacies writing pedagogy", Studies in Higher Education, vol. 37, no. 4, pp. 481495