Welcome
International Conference on Enhancement
and Innovation in Higher Education
Crowne Plaza Hotel, Glasgow
9-11 June 2015
Student Experience Project
Abby Shovlin and Chris Doye,
University of Edinburgh
It gave me a taste of what to expect:
empowering students through activity
based and student led inductions
Activity: What strikes you?
Choose one of the three quotes you’ve been given:
 Why did you choose that one?
• Walk around the room and talk to at least 2 other
people.
• Tell them who you, which university you are from and
what your role is
• Read them the quote you have chosen and say why
you chose it
• Ask about / comment on the quotes people read you
Briefly – our study
‘Through Your Eyes’ –First Semester Learning
Journeys (2013/14)
• Longitudinal, rich data to complement snapshot
surveys
Study design
• Sample = 14 (across 3 Colleges and 4 Schools)
• Two semi-structured interviews
• November prompt and optional posts (secure data
cloud)
Workshop aims
• To open discussion about the aims of induction
• To consider what makes an empowering induction
• To stimulate and share ideas about active and
empowering initial inductions
Discussion: Challenges and issues
What challenges and issues were raised by
these quotes and your discussions round
them?
Activity: What do you think?
A quote from semester 2:
“Well reflecting back on it now, I felt like at the
beginning.. I was thrown in at the deep end but that’s
the only way you’re going to learn to swim . . . I don’t
know if there’s much [the university] can do
differently because the only way you’re going to learn
is to do it.”
Empowering induction
“. . . being empowered refers to an internal
condition that an individual experiences, similar
to experiencing motivation or anxiety.
Empowering refers to those situational factors
that help others feel empowered.”
(Houser and Frymier, 2009, cited in Weimer, 2009)
Polarities of induction
Closed models
• Information transmission
• Institution-centred
• Before ‘real’ learning
begins
• Passive participants
• Fixed, singular and finite
Open models
• Student-centred
• Open, extended, on-going
• Part of ‘real’ learning
• Activity-based
• Two-way dialogue
• Space for identity
formation
• Peer bonding / group
work
University Challenge/Just a Minute
Mini Tutorial for Divinity Bites
Each group of students choose a controversial
topic
Learning to Learn Mathematics (2014)
Learning to Learn Mathematics (2014)
Average feedback from empowering
inductions
This session encouraged me to be
proactive in my approach to studying,
learning and university life.
91% average (agreed or strongly agreed)
Feedback from empowering
inductions
• The tutorial type session was brilliant as it gave me a
taste of what to expect
• Best activity of today? Tutorial practice: it gives more
confidence
• The best activity of today? The video about making
mistakes, because it emphasised the importance of
learning from your mistakes etc.
• The student panel. Their comments were helpful,
informative and reassuring.
In a nutshell
Empowering: students gaining control, confidence and responsibility
In:
activities that help
students make a good start
Through:
continued activities supported
within departments (peers and
academics)
References
Dunham, N. (2012) 'A Date with academic literacies:
using brief conversation to facilitate student
engagement with academic literacies'. US-China
Education Review B7 pp. 682-688 Available online at
http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED535493 [Accessed 17.06.2014]
Weimer, M. (2009) ‘The Meaning of Learner
Empowerment’ Faculty Focus: Higher Ed Teaching
Strategies from Magna Publications. March 3rd, 2009.
[online newsletter] Available at
http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/the-meaning-oflearner-empowerment/ [accessed 21.05.2015]
Student Experience Project
Abby Shovlin,
Academic Induction Coordinator, Student Experience
Project, University of Edinburgh
[email protected]
Chris Doye,
Head of Study Development, Institute for Academic
Development, University of Edinburgh
[email protected]