Professionalization 1

Main idea

In Professionalization 1, first-year students learn many skills they will need in their academic and professional career, while also getting to know each other, themselves, and the lecturer. This lecturer isn’t just there to teach, but also to offer guidance and support where necessary.

Outline

Professionalization 1 is a full year, mandatory 6 ECTS-credits course taught in the first year of the study programme Educational Bachelor for Secondary Education at Artevelde University of Applied Sciences (AUAS). It’s followed by Professionalization 2 and Professionalization 3 in the second and third year. During this course, students work closely with their lecturer, who is also their study coach, and their peers in a group of 25 students on different topics.

Some of the topics that are covered are:

• communication skills;
• research skills;
• professional identity (e.g., students are encouraged to think about what kind of teacher they want to be);
• professional growth (e.g., students are encouraged to reflect on their opportunities for growth);
• etc.

While many of the subject matters taught during this course are necessary knowledge for all students, regardless of their study programme, the link with students’ other courses and future profession is always made clear (e.g., they practice their research skills by writing a paper on the issue of empty lunchboxes due to poverty). In general, this course focuses more on practise than on theory.

This course helps students get to know each other by letting students work in smaller groups and because they have the same classmates throughout the year. Each class is composed to be as heterogeneous as possible, so that students can learn a lot from each other as well. Having a set group of students for an entire year also makes it possible for staff to get to know their students and provide them with the necessary support during their transition to higher education, either during class or by referring them to the right student support service.

Target group
The course is a mandatory part of the curriculum, which means that all first-year students take part of it. While the focus is on providing support for all students, the group size (25 students) makes it possible to pay attention to each students’ specific needs and background. Ideally, though, the group would be smaller. Lecturers can also offer targeted assistance as part of a student’s remediating process. Students take a starting test before enrolling in this study programme. If they fail a (part of) this test, they can still enrol on the condition that they take part in this remediating process under the guidance of the lecturer of the course Professionalization 1.

Length and timing
The course is taught for two hours each week for a full academic year in the first year of the study programme Educational Bachelor for Secondary Education at AUAS.

Background information
In the study programme Educational Bachelor for Secondary Education at AUAS, the throughput of students from disadvantaged backgrounds is a point of attention. This initiative can help support these students.

Before Professionalisation 1, the subject matters taught during this course, were taught in smaller, separate courses, each with a different lecturer. Research has shown that connectedness with a lecturer is an important factor in student success. This knowledge inspired the change towards a full year course with one regular lecturer.

Goals

During this course students can:

• learn about non-verbal communication;
• learn to communicate in an assertive and connecting way;
• get to know their peers;
• get to know themselves better;
• learn how to give and receive feedback;
• learn how to critically appraise and process sources;
• etc.

This course makes it possible for staff members to:

• be more approachable for students to ask for and receive support;
• adequately refer students to support services.

Obstacles targetted:

• Social obstacles
• Cultural differences
• Disability
• Educational difficulties
• Health problems
• Migrant background obstacle

Students involvement

Students are not involved in the design or delivery of the course, but they are encouraged to actively participate and interact with each other in class.

Inspiration and evidence

• The ABC model of motivation
• Maarten Vansteenkiste’s research on motivation has shown that connectedness (with a lecturer) is an important factor in student success.
• The link between professional identity, personal identity and institutional identity

 

 

 

Success criteria

• The lecturer can really get to know their students, making it easier to provide adequate support and guidance.
• Students can get to know each other and their lecturer, thus improving their social integration/belonging.
• Students like that the focus is more on practice than on theory.
• Students feel like this course allows them to talk to their lecturer about things they wouldn’t share otherwise.
• Students know who to go to if they experience issues.
• There’s a really good group atmosphere.
• It’s available and mandatory for all students, making it so that you don’t risk stigmatizing certain groups.

Points of attention

• Students don’t like the fact that attendance is mandatory for this course. Some of them do realize the benefit of this later on, though.
• It can be difficult to find the balance between responding to students’ needs and encouraging them to reflect (process), and teaching them the skills and knowledge they require to pass the course (content).
• It can be difficult to combine providing qualitative support and guidance to students, while also evaluating their assignments, teaching, etc.
• It can be challenging to create a safe haven for students while also being the person who evaluates them at the end of the road.
• The lecturers for this course (and other staff members at AUAS) need more training when it comes to understanding and supporting students from underrepresented or disadvantaged backgrounds.
• Ideally, the group size would be smaller than 25 students.

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

We do agree.

Would you recommend this to other institutions?

strongly agree

Evaluation

Each class is informally evaluated with the students. There has been positive feedback from staff and students in general, but some students had an issue with how the course was planned. The planning was adjusted based on their feedback.

Communication

Students easily find their way to this initiative because it’s a mandatory part of their curriculum.

Timing

The course is taught for two hours each week for a full academic year in the first year of the study programme Educational Bachelor for Secondary Education at AUAS.

Resources

• You need to have enough time and motivation to combine the supporting role and the teaching role.
• You need to find a way to evaluate learning objectives that aren’t easily quantifiable (e.g., respect, critical thinking, etc.)
• You need enough lecturers to teach this course.
• Lecturers need to know what student support services are available at AUAS.
• There must be a lot of communication between lecturers of this course to share knowledge and good practices.

Transferability

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

Transferability
This initiative works well, because it’s mandatory and students receive ECTS-credits for it, but this can also make it difficult for other institutions to implement. If, however, the institution is able and willing to free up these credits, it’s easy to organise.

Universal Design
Some ways in which this course implements principles of UDL are:

• Students are offered a lot of choices (e.g., there are many ways in which a student can do a presentation, students can choose who to work with, etc.);
• The course is a mandatory part of the curriculum, which means that all first-year students take part of it. The focus is on providing support for all students, while still paying attention to each students’ specific needs and background.

Context

• This course is organized in a study programme that attracts many students. They can choose which subjects they want to teach in the future, which can make planning and composing classes for this course challenging.
• The finances available for this initiative might be reduced, which means that groups might increase in later years.