How to Uni

Main idea

Outline

How to Uni is a generic e-learning course made for all the new bachelor students at The Faculty of Humanities (in 2022: 697 students).

How to Uni is a part of a study commencement test, which means the new students must complete the course to pursue their studies. It is a part of the curriculum, but without credits.

How to Uni has 4 main purposes:

1. To strengthen the new students’ motivation and their positive expectations towards their education.
2. To make the students aware of the expectations they will meet at the university
3. To strengthen the students own experience of autonomy through reflecting on their own role and what it means to be a good student
4. To give the students an overview over their introduction and knowledge on how and where to find help and information

The How to Uni course consists of 5 modules. These modules contains text, video-material (with teachers and older students), assignments, reflection exercises, written interaction between the new students in discussion boards and a completion test to every module.

The themes of the 5 modules

1. Study introduction – get off to a good start
2. From pupil to student
3. What is a university degree?
4. Motivation, meaning and a mindset that boosts your learning
5. Study habbits and good teamwork

The content of the modules is developed and organized on the basis of knowledge from sociological and psychological research on what creates the best conditions for a succesful introduction, good motivation and engagement.

Length/timing

The course takes approximately 3 hours to complete.
The students can take the course in their own time from when they accept their admission in august to the deadline for the course/study commencement test in September.

How to Uni is embedded in the LMS system Itslearning and can be built and designed in any LMS system.

Involved is:

• The student guidance service at the Faculty of Humanities – content, design and communication
• E-learning team – copying the couse in the LMS
• Study secretaries – completion and re-examination
• The study programmes (e.g. tutors, head of studies) – communication

Goals

The same as the 4 main purposes already mentioned.

Target group

Obstacles targetted:

• Cultural differences
• Social obstacles

Students involvement

The students are involved in the video testimonials as participants.

Inspiration and evidence

In 2018 The Faculty of Business and Social Sciences at SDU designed their e-learning introduction course How to Uni and had very positive feedback from the students on format, timing and content. That was the inspiration for How to Uni at the Humanities.

Points of attention

• It is important to ensure variation in the material: the videos, the interactive tasks, the interaction between students. It makes the generic content seem programme specific even though it is not.
• The placement in time is also important.
• The fact that the students can take the course in their own time and split it up. And that it is given to them in the gap between admission and introduction where they request information and activities to dive into as preparation for their coming studies.

Effectiveness

No, we do not.

Do you feel you can effectively provide the support that students require?

Would you recommend this to other institutions?

strongly agree

Evaluation

Yes, we evaluate every year.

In module 5 the students are asked to evaluate the course.

We ask them questions that are aligned with the purposes of How to Uni. Furthermore, we ask them to write what their main profit from the course is and if there is something missing in the course – in their opinion.

The reoccurring sentences in the evaluation are:

• I feel more prepared and ready to begin
• I feel more at ease and confident
• The study start feels more manageable
• It is nice to know and experience one is not alone
• A sense of community (through the digital interactions with fellow students)

We also have completion statistics on each study programme with readings a couple of weeks after admission, just before introduction and the day after deadline. We use this data for monitoring participation so we can react if necessary and discover tendencies.

We use the statistics and evaluation for development purposes – e.g., design changes and how the content is prioritized.

We share the evaluation report with The Faculty of Humanities and others interested.

Communication

The students first learn about How to Uni and the fact that it is a mandatory test, in their letter of admission. After that we send out an SMS-reminder, we have a website for How to Uni and in the introduction week the staff at the specific study programmes also reminds the students to complete the How to Uni.

Timing

In the gap between admission and introduction to take advantage of the new students’ enthusiasm, motivation, and information seeking and thereby provide them with learning activities and information.

Resources

• Skills needed: target group knowledge, knowledge on research in transitions, communication, didactics, e-learning team.
• Estimated time of development: 4–6-month parttime with 1 employee.
• Funding for developing the video materials.

Extra information

• Presentation from EFYE 2021

Bunce, L., Baird, A., & Jones, S. E. (2017). The student-as-consumer approach in higher education and its effects on academic performance. Studies in Higher Education, 42(11), 1958–1978. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2015.1127908

Danmarks Evalueringsinstitut. (2019). Et nyt perspektiv på trivsel – Studierelaterede følelser på de videregående uddannelser. Retrieved from https://www.eva.dk/videregaaende-uddannelse/studierelaterede-foelelser-paa-videregaaende-uddannelser

Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: the new psychology of success. Random House.

Katznelson, N., & Louw, A. V. (2018). Karakterbogen – Om karakterer, læring og elevstrategier i en præstationskultur.

Knoop, H. H. (2013). Om menneskelige lærings- og arbejdsmiljøer. In J. Lyhne & Knoop (Eds.), Positiv psykologi – positiv pædagogik (1st ed., pp. 75–94). Dansk Psykologisk Forlag

Krumboltz, J. D. (2009). The Happenstance Learning Theory. Journal of Career Assessment, 17(2), 135–154. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072708328861

Niemiec, C. P., & Ryan, R. M. (2009). Autonomy, competence, and relatedness in the classroom:Applying self-determination theory to educational practice. Theory and Research in Education, 7(2), 133–144. https://doi.org/10.1177/1477878509104318

Lauridsen, R. M. (2021). What is in it for all of us. Vejlederforum, 4, 1–5.

Lauridsen, R. M., & Nielsen, T. W. (2021). Målet er gode faglige fællesskaber – ikke studiekammerater. Vejlederforum, 1–6.

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations: Classic Definitions and New Directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25, 54–67. https://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.1999.1020

Ravn, I., & Tange, N. (2007). Videnarbejde og Mening. Agora, Learning Lab Denmark. Retrieved from http://fac-vid.squarespace.com/mening-i-arbejdslivet/

Schultz Hansen, S. (2015). Digitale indfødte på job. Kbh.: Gyldendal Business.

Skovhus, R. B., & Thomsen, R. (2022). Using critical psychology in analysis of career guidance and counselling. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2022.2050672

Sultana, R. G. (2014). Pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will? Troubling the relationship between career guidance and social justice. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, 14(1), 5–19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-013-9262-y

Tinto, V. (2017). Through the Eyes of Students. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 19(3), 254–269. https://doi.org/10.1177/1521025115621917

Tinto, V. (2017). Reflections on Student Persistence. Student Success, 8(2), 1. https://doi.org/10.5204/ssj.v8i2.376

Thomsen, R. (2009). Når vejledning i fællesskaber er bedst. VejlederForum, (4), 35–43.

Ulriksen, L. (2009). The implied student. Studies in Higher Education, 34(5), 517–532. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070802597135

Transferability

We think it is easily transferable to other contexts or groups.

It is a generic course and is already implemented on several Danish educational institutions and one Norwegian.

Every programme or institute have to describe their own educational context (e.g. course of study), but the theoretical framework and the structure is transferable.

You need an LMS system or something similar.