Adrian Lee, Meesha Warmington and Bruce Holliday , University of York

1. Making the most of transition – the deployment of online skills tutorials for incoming university students Adrian Lee, MeeshaWarmington and Bruce Holliday, University of York

2. Aims • To explain the rationale for the development of a suite of self-directed, online academic skills tutorials; • To outline aspects of the technical development; • To allow you to sample the tutorials and offer feedback.

3. Workshop Outline • The tutorials, the rationale and intended use; • The academic potential/ value of the tutorials; • The technical aspects; • ‘Play time’; • Discussion and questions.

4. The Tutorials and Rationale • 4 Self-directed online tutorials on core academic skills: • Being critical; • Managing the reading; • Referencing the discussion; • Academic writing. • To introduce and develop generic skills and aid the transition to higher level learning.

5. Need for tutorials • Consistent academic performance is critical to student success. • Students entering HE are ill-prepared and are lacking in a number of pre-requisite skills. • Students tend to consider themselves ill-prepared for HE study skills.

6. Need for tutorials • Difficulties in academic skills can impair students’ progress. • Need to enhance their academic skills to be able to participate fully in the academic environment.

7. Desired outcomes • Provide accessible, flexible, and relevant opportunities for all students to enhance their academic skills appropriate for university. • Facilitate orientation and transition into academic cultures. • Facilitate the development of confidence in students' ability to succeed in HE. • Raise awareness amongst staff and students of the range of academic skills support within the University.

8. Complementing the curriculum • Focus on private study and developing independent learner: • Managing the reading • Being critical • Students’ written work constitutes the main form of assessment • ‘High stakes’ activity in UK HE institutions (Lillis & Scott, 2007) • Academic integrity • Referencing the discussion

9. Developing for online learningat the Universityof York

10. The brief • Take in the aspirations of the academic lead to build a suite of self directed online modules for deployment into Blackboard. • Use York staff and students to create a feeling of ownership and demonstrate the depth of quality, width of experience and support. • Provide opportunities for challenging engagement activities. • Report activity by tracking visits, content used, quiz scores and time online.

11. The development process Text script Images Audio Interactions& Video Resources IN Articulate + Quiz component E-learning OUT Referencing the Discussion

12. Things to bear in mind The project overall • Time is the enemy – availability of staff / students • Agree and plan a timeline • Aspiration is one thing – what’s feasible is another • Subject expertise is key • Remain flexible and receptive to ideas • Be objective and question • Be prepared to manage the project • Test early and test often

13. Things to bear in mind Participant involvement • Remember, they’re not actors – be gentle and be positive • Provide props • Send them a script or outline • Provide examples if possible • Dress for the occasion • Say how long it should take • Provide a white board or flip chart of key bullet points • Rehearse out loud • Don’t crowd presenters • Make provision for technical problems • Remember to say thank you

14. .a Things to bear in mind Make it rich and engaging • Provide real life examples and bring them to life. • Give them the tools and information needed to succeed. • Be creative – if you want intelligent students to explore your activities they have to be worth while and fun. • Provide challenging opportunities for formative learning and above all provide useful and memorable feedback.

15. .a Play Time • Access the tutorials at: http://www.york.ac.uk/integrity/skills.htm • Use the headphones to listen to the videos. • Try and dip into all 4 tutorials. • Have a go at some of the activities. • QUESTIONS • What are the strengths and weaknesses of the tutorials? • Will students complete tutorials from start to finish or dip into certain sections? • Can you provide 2 pieces of written feedback please? a