“It Definitely Geared Me Up”: Academic and Study Skill Development and Access to Higher Education Students’ Experiences of Transitioning to Undergraduate Study

Cawley, F. (2023) “It Definitely Geared Me Up”: Academic and Study Skill Development and Access to Higher Education Students’ Experiences of Transitioning to Undergraduate Study. 16th Annual University of Glasgow Learning and Teaching Conference, Glasgow, UK, 29 March and 13 April 2023. (Unpublished)

Abstract

Explorations of student transitions to university have long noted that help in developing academic skills and preparation for higher education learning modes form a vital part of a successful transition (Tinto, 1987; Briggs, et al., 2012; MacFarlane, 2018; van der Zanden et al., 2018). Both the Scottish Widening Access Programme (SWAP) and University of Glasgow in-house Access to Higher Education (AHE) courses are designed to provide a route into higher education. As such, both programmes place an emphasis on academic skill development as part of the curriculum. SWAP courses have formalised this with their compulsory ‘SWAP Prep for HE’ module whereas the University of Glasgow’s AHE courses simply state participants will develop the “academic and study skills that will set you up for future success” during their studies. (University of Glasgow, 2022) As part of a recently completed master’s dissertation, nine former Access students were interviewed on their experiences of transitioning to undergraduate study. Identified in these conversations was an emphasis on the opportunities Access courses had given students to acquire, practice, and develop their academic and study skills before they transitioned to higher education. Interviewees noted that SWAP courses “geared me up” and AHE courses put them “on an equal footing” when entering first year. However, further analysis of students’ experiences suggests that there is a difference in the experiences of SWAP and AHE students’ academic and study skill development, which is important when considering the role of these courses in preparing students for undergraduate study. This presentation will further explore the differences in Access students’ experiences, focusing on the acquisition and development of academic and study skills during their Access programmes. In doing so, this presentation will discuss the higher levels of preparedness articulated by former University of Glasgow AHE students versus the feelings of shock and being overwhelmed expressed by former SWAP students. This exploration will raise questions around the efficacy of Access courses in preparing students for higher education, as well the implications for students’ transitional experiences. As an educator who works in both AHE and undergraduate programmes, this presentation will also touch on the implications of these findings for the ways in which Access programmes are structured and conceptualised as routes into higher education as well as the way in which former Access students are regarded and considered within the undergraduate classroom.

• Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item
• Status: Unpublished
• Refereed: No
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Cawley, Dr Felicity
• Authors: Cawley, F.
• Subjects: L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2300 Higher Education
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Economic and Social History