The Intervention

This section introduces design considerations of the first semester undergraduate intervention, in order to provide context for the program evaluation which forms the kernel of this investigation. At the time that this research commenced, research supporting Learning Communities (Tinto, 2006) and the embedding of student support (Kift, 2008) in the first year curriculum and organisational changes (Yorke & Longden, 2007; 2008) were prominent across National and International First Year research communities. Given the setting for this research was based in the tertiary20 sector, the name ‘Tertiary Learning Communities’ (TLC)

20

For the purposes of this initiative, the term ‘tertiary’ is meant to represent third level or post-secondary education study which includes Bachelor degrees, diploma and certificate courses (adapted from Bradley et al., 2008).

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was accepted by the working party as non-threatening, welcoming and appropriate for the cross-campus initiative.

The TLC program was a cross-campus intervention aligned to the curriculum, and considerate of social and learning activities is designed to enhance first year student connectedness, well-being and positive academic behaviours. The TLC program, as shown in Table 7.2, was designed to be an inclusive, normative versus remedial, timely and relevant strategy to support students from a range of faculties. The TLC strategy was not proposed to be a ‘one size fits all’ program, but rather a starting point for guiding student support improvements and an opportunity to gather evidence to inform future support strategies.

The development of the intervention was guided by three sources; the theoretical framework, working party input and pilot data. The first source was the Gatehouse Project framework (Butler et al., 1999; Glover et al., 2002), and, as detailed in Chapter 3, indicates that environments influence student beliefs, values and standards. In turn, it is clear that supportive environments enhance student learning and wellbeing. Drawing from the second source, constraints as identified by the working party include information overload, limited involvement of staff and support being located outside the timetable. Aligning student support to a first semester unit was favoured over traditional out-of-class support, as it offset constraints and gave the initiative visibility and relevance across the campus. The third source of pilot evidence indicated that there were significant changes in 10 of the 11 student-related variables during first semester, the exception being that of community which was stable over time. Significant decreases in three of the five connectedness sources (the individual, other students and academic staff) together with student well-being and academic behaviours during the same period, identified student support priorities. Together, these three sources informed the duration, format, and content of the intervention and afforded the opportunity to create knowledge and monitor the impact of student participation over time.

Duration

The duration of the TLC program was chosen to be 12 weeks in order to parallel the duration of first semester classes and to signal its inherent value, which helped to normalise participation for all commencing students. It was considered that the semester-long program would help to address issues of early information overload, accommodate late student arrivals, bypass perceptions of non-relevance and collect students with poor help-seeking

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behaviours. Furthermore, the across-semester program would sustain support and interactions during the latter part of first semester at a time when significant reductions in connectedness levels, well-being and academic behaviours are commonly experienced by students.

Format

The format of the TLC program involved weekly one-hour workshops, delivered by a small group of support and academic staff, over the 12 week first semester. One professional unit from each of the two undergraduate courses was aligned to the program and a common workshop hour, involving both cohorts, was scheduled immediately before the lecture for these professional units. The timing and content of the workshops prepared students for class interactions, expectations, unit assessments and upcoming social opportunities. In the professional context lecture immediately following each workshop and during weekly tutorials, academic staff reinforced the links between workshop and unit requirements. Outside of class time, eight additional drop-in workshops were scheduled during student free time, across the semester. These activities, which occurred in and out of formal spaces, represented a sustained investment to create an inclusive and supportive campus environment to assist the academic and social development of all students.

Content

The content of Tertiary Learning Communities program, as shown in Table 7.2, was structured to accommodate student development for participants from two undergraduate courses. As such, the intervention focused on the development of trans-disciplinary21 skills. The TLC workshops included sessions on effective reading and note taking, writing skills, referencing, self-management, use of technology, library literacy, class presentation skills, successful group work and examination techniques. This approach purposely does not highlight student differences, avoids unnecessary duplication of services and provides multiple opportunities for social and learning interactions. Overall, the TLC program was positioned as an enabling platform for all students and represented a significant signpost of staff working together with shared knowledge and purpose.

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Transdisciplinary or cross-curricular skills may include academic reading, writing skills, referencing, group work, effective communication and time management. Such skills transcend disciplines and support all students to understand content, context and as such, enable them to work with purpose and assist their success (Sears, 2004).

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First Semester Teaching Learning Communities (TLC) Intervention Schedule

Week Session Group Format Purpose

1 Welcome and TLC overview Lecture Establish inclusive and

relevant environment 2 Effective Reading and Note Taking