The current situation has disrupted the normal transition to Higher Education settings. Starting a new course in September 2020 will be a drastically different experience and not what the students of this cohort would have anticipated a few months ago.

Despite the significant difference, students will be keen to keep their journey on track and HEIs will be keen to support their students either fully or partially online from September and beyond if needed. Some of the challenges facing students in this transition will be familiar- the different expectations and modes of learning in HE, the need to develop good time management skills as well as self-discipline and motivation and the need to perform well in assessments.

Some challenges however will be new to both students and HEIs - the decreased sense of connection between students and faculty, the very different teaching and learning experience and the lack of social experience and interaction that comes with being on-campus. How students can employ study skills to succeed in HE studies within an online environment will also be a critical challenge.

So how can HEIs aid students in advance of September and support them with their transition into an online HE course?

If you are currently planning how you can support students virtually in September, take a look at our Student Success Services.

This includes 3 online learning modules which are free for UK and Irish universities to access in 2020/21.

Be clear about what to expect

Support students with understanding the expectations of studying at HE level and explore what online study will look like.

You may wish to include:

• What students’ new online courses will look like, including: typical content types, interaction with instructors and peers, how practical elements may be replicated or replaced and how a course may have been restructured or changed from any previous marketing or information available to students.
• The expectations of HE studies, including being a critical and independent learner, the differences between previous education settings and HE, and the importance of social learning within online study modes.
• The online support systems available to students and how to access them.

Highlight the importance of digital skills

It could be easy to assume that, particularly younger students, will be very familiar with technology, have good digital skills and can easily adapt to online environments. The reality is that many students will not have access to adequate technology such as a laptop/sufficient broadband and may not have adequate digital skills to support their learning.

Offer study/digital skills support including, but not limited to:

• Personal: effective online communication, participation and digital identity.
• Collaborative: working with others, being an effective member of an academic community.
• Informational: finding, interpreting, managing and sharing information.
• Technical: using digital devices, software and applications.

Support student with how to learn online

Try to avoid providing resources that are not relevant to the students’ online experience. Do not include, for example, materials which refer to campus buildings, resources or social spaces.

You may wish to include:

• How and where to access courses, online library resources, calendars and other external learning tools.
• Critical thinking, reading and writing applied to a fully online context- e.g. learning from multimedia content.
• Searching, reading, note taking and synthesizing learning materials online and using online tools to support learning- e.g. portfolio or mind-mapping software and reference management software.
• Personal study skills- e.g. managing time, creating an effective study space and supporting wellbeing within a fully online study context.
• Maximizing assessment performance, e.g. planning assessments, academic writing and avoiding academic misconduct.

A further consideration will be how to provide this information. An online course, based on your institutions VLE, shared in advance of September will help support students to feel that they are supported in preparing for their first day.

This approach could also be used to highlight any specific learning needs, digital skills gaps and where support teams could provide proactive support based on any needs or gaps identified across large groups.

If you are currently planning how you can support students virtually in September, take a look at our Student Success Services.

This includes 3 online learning modules which are free for UK and Irish universities to access in 2020/21.