Skills Activity for Students - Literature review Example

Literature Review Universities in the UK put considerable effort towards making sure that students who attend the colleges are well supported in order to fit into the university community and participate in all students’ activities without any inhibitions. A 2010 report released by Universities UK highlights some of the initiatives taken by individual universities in order to improve student retention in their respective campuses as well as support performance1. Among the universities cited in this report include the University of Liverpool, which is improving its student’s induction programme by hiring more additional staff for purposes of providing support skills to students; University of East Anglia, which has reportedly increased the amount of hours that students can contact the administration for assistance, in addition to improving the speed and quality of feedback provided to students; University of Surrey, which has introduced “drop-in sessions and resources” meant to help students enhance their studying skills in the university; and University of Sheffield, which offers a combination of an academic-skills hub, one-to-one student support and a help department in the maths and statistics department2. But why induction is such a necessary programme for most universities. Well, one author argues that induction is especially necessary to international students as it helps them “alleviate the negative aspects of culture shock”3. Through the induction programmes therefore, the international student becomes aware that culture shock is just a transitory reaction, and sooner they will learn to accept the different way of living in the UK. The induction programmes also provides the university administrations with an opportune time to give new students specific information regarding the UK culture, thus enabling them to settle down fast4. Through the guidance provided during such programmes, the new students are also able to gain confidence and are hence able to access the support they may need in order to excel in their respective academic areas. In a 1994 study done on international students by Allen and Higgins, 87 percent of the interviewed respondents stated that the induction programme offered by the different universities where they were enrolled for study, had indeed helped them settle in and commence their studies promptly. Of special significance to most respondents was the belief that the programmes reduced distressed that was caused by a change in culture5. Some authors also draw a link between the induction programmes and the social interactions that students develop during their stay in the university. Bochner et al. for example argues that a good induction program will lay the ground work for international students to successfully interact with the domestic students, something that is likely to affect how the international student performs in his or her studies6. This is especially so because having easier relations with the rest of the students allow an international student to cope with his or her study needs, homesickness and loneliness issues that keep arising because of the separation that the student has with his or her family and friends7. Since the cultural differences between British and international students may lessen their chances of interacting it has been suggested that institutions of higher learning can introduce initiatives that will lessen the barriers that exist between foreign and host students. A pairing programme for example was cited by Makepeace as one of the ideal ways that a university can pair students from the host country with an international country8. In such a case, the university would work with the domestic students to ensure that they make the adjusting process for the international students easier and more fulfilling. The domestic student would need to offer guidance to the international student, as well as refer them to supportive services whenever the need arises. But just how would a domestic student is expected to meet the demands of guiding and mentoring an international student without any motivation? Well, different Universities would have to come up with different motivators for the domestic students in order to encourage them to take up the guiding and mentoring role. In University College London (UCL) for example, there are a total of 430 mentors who have been trained by the University to specifically mentor and offer peer-assistance to the 3500 new students joining the institution each year9. In UCL, it is noteworthy that the pattern of the induction program includes mentoring programs, peer-assisted learning, attendance of academic skills workshops, sessions where social information is provided to the students, dedicated induction online resources, and finally, an academic diary that allows each of the programme’s participant enough time to attend lectures and individual study sessions10. In addition to the induction programmes offered for physically fit new students in different Universities in the UK, the Skill Policy Team has provided a breakdown of the various undertakings by different colleges in a 2009 report. In the report, highlights of the induction programmes offered to the special-needs students such as the physically challenged are noted. The City college of Norwich for example has a social-learning space provided for autistic students, while Bristol College has disability-support coordinators who assist disabled students to adjust to life in the university. On its part, Leeds University allows all disabled students to start the school semester one year before the rest of the students can check-in. This is done to allow the special category students to get familiar with the campus, staff members as well as the support services they are entitled to11. Faculty members also have a role to play in successful induction programmes in any university12. Apart from socializing and fitting in, success in education is every student’s dream. As such, the faculty has a responsibility in the induction programmes to ensure that they clarify what the students need in order to succeed academically, set the expected stands of performance, and interact with the new students in order to understand the pedagogical approaches needed to meet the varied abilities presented by the different students. It is also noteworthy that faculty members who include diversity in their course curriculums and co-curriculum activities encourage collaborative learning by the students13. References Allen, A & Higgins, T, ‘Higher Education: The International Student Experience,’ Leeds: Higher Education Information Services Trust in Association with UCAS, 1994, pp. 1-10. Angelini, M, ‘Identifying and supporting the ‘transition phase’ in the student life-cycle,’ transition programme, department of Educational Liaison, University College London, UK, 2006, pp. 1-4 Bochner, S., Hutnik, N & Furnham, A, ‘The friendship patterns of overseas and host students in an oxford student residence,’ The Journal of Social Psychology, vol. 125, no, 6, 1985, pp. 689-694. Kim, Y. Y, Communication and cross cultural adaptation: An integrative theory, Multilingual Matters, Ltd., Philadelphia, 1988. Kinnell-Evans, M, The Learning Experiences of Overseas Students, Open University Press, London, 1990. Kinzie, J, ‘Promoting student success: what Faculty members can do,’ Students Success in College, Occasional Paper # 6, Bloomington Indiana: Indiana University Centre for Postsecondary Research, 2005, pp. 1-4. Makepeace, E. E, Overseas Students: Challenges of Institutional Adjustment, SCED paper 56, Birmingham Polytechnic, UK, Standing Conference on Educational Development, 1989. McKinley, N. & Stevenson, J, ‘A re-evaluation of cultural orientation,’ Journal of International Education, vol. 5, no. 3, 1994, pp. 7-19. Skill Policy Team, ‘Skill input into: a single equality duty fit for disabled people,’ Skill National Bureau for Students with Disabilities, 2009, pp. 1-10. Smith, S., ‘Making it count: How universities are using income from variable fees,’ Universities UK, 2010, pp. 1-44. Read More