Dr Julie Anderson, University of Plymouth julie.anderson@plymouth.ac.uk and

1. Anxious learners? How the wisdom of those that have gone before and have become the successful senior academics of today can help transform the current student learning experience in Higher Education Dr Julie Anderson, University of Plymouth julie.anderson@plymouth.ac.uk and ESCalate, the HEA Subject Centre for Education ( With thanks to ESCalate which supported this work)

2. Stress and anxiety in student learning • A concern regarding not how to measure student stress but regarding what students do when stressed, underpins the approach of this study. • “As educators, we should be more concerned as to what people do when feeling anxious”. (Sutherland, 1983) Julie Anderson SRHE 2010

3. Effective student development: what supports it? • Why do some students develop to cope so much more effectively than some of their peers? • How do some change to become more appropriately academically assertive in terms of their learning (Moon (2009); Ashcroft and Foreman-Peck,(1994)). Julie Anderson SRHE 2010

4. Lessons from those that have gone before • This study talked to senior, successful academics who had themselves experienced some hurdles, barriers and potential difficulties in their own academic career. • They were asked to recall occasions and incidents that they would now reflect on as having been pivotal in their own learning development. • How did they manage the challenges and what measures helped overcome them? Julie Anderson SRHE 2010

5. Higher Education: a series of hurdles? • Few had an unproblematic experience as their career developed within Higher Education. • Reasons varied from issues around confidence and poor prior experiences of learning, to cultural and possibly gender related. • How they sought to overcome the potential impediments to progression varied even more widely so that the full paper offers a series of mini case studies by which to most effectively reflect the data. Julie Anderson SRHE 2010

6. Some quotes & findings from the interviews • Developing a sense of self as students is “vital, especially non traditional learners” • “Resilience needs to be developed” • “ Significant pain can be caused when people make a transition from their usual or expected path – into one around education” • “Education ... can make students strangers in their own community” ( ref to the WP agenda) Julie Anderson SRHE 2010

7. Key: the importance of others • “People you learn with are important. Learning can be an insecure business” • Peers have been “ key in enthusing.. and supporting” • Others provided “ confidence to push and open doors” in their own learning journey • Encouragement by another to go into academia “ a pivotal moment” • Having someone to write with who is a “rigorous academic” helped self discipline • “What really helped was asking for a mentor...they have brought useful and invaluable perspectives” Julie Anderson SRHE 2010

8. The value of others in the learning journey continued • “Can help develop personal characteristics and focus on results” • They can “sustain and motivate” • Their “enthusiasm” has helped “drive me forwards in my career” and the importance of such figures can be key • If the student doesn’t have anyone, peers or tutors on the HE institution may have an even more vital role Julie Anderson SRHE 2010

9. Summary: what can we do to further support effective learning? • Recognise that the current student experience may be very different from our own • Inspiration re: subject and learning cited as vital • Today’s students may be more instrumental because of different pressures on them today? • Peers and mentors that are supportive seen as invaluable – so fostering students’ own inter relationships where possible Julie Anderson SRHE 2010

10. Summary continued • Helping students to become more reflective ..and ...”challenge stereotypes or labels from childhood” that could hold them back • “Knowing when a word of encouragement will do more than exposing their weakness” • “We can empower them to develop strategies to become more resilient” stated by several of the interviewees Julie Anderson SRHE 2010

11. Conclusions • Where experiences were common and could be generalised, these tended to be around the support structures, usually within HE that the interviewees encountered – and in particular the value these had in enabling further development. • The study therefore further supports the literature on the value of mentoring, both informal and formal, peer and tutor/lecturer. Perhaps we are even more important to our students in a mentoring role than any other? Thank you Julie Anderson SRHE 2010