Extra help provided for new university students
EDUCATION DISRUPTED FOR SOME, OTHERS MAY BE FALSELY CONFIDENT DUE TO HIGH AL-LEVEL GRADES
EXTRA classes are to be laid on for university students who have had their education disrupted by the pandemic.
University of Leicester vice-chancellor Professor Nishan Canagarajah said some students embarking on their degrees may have gaps in their studies because of disrupted learning.
Nick Hillman, director of thinktank the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi), has also warned students may not be as well prepared as they think.
He called on universities to focus on those “who struggle early on before problems get too big to be more easily solved”.
Mr Hillman told the PA news agency: “This year’s freshers have had their Year 12 and their Year 13 badly disrupted, and their record high grades may well have given them a false confidence about their preparation for higher education, which could fall apart on contact with university life.
“So I hope there will be additional academic and non-academic support available and I do expect this to be in place.”
Prof Canagarajah said the university’s HeadStart programme will help students address any issues that could have arisen from the pandemic.
He said: “Because of the grade inflation, students might think they have got all the knowledge they need to be successful at university and the reality is some of the material they need they may not have covered because of the disruption.
“The HeadStart programme allows us to fill those gaps and also give them the confidence that they have the knowledge, or, in cases where they don’t have the knowledge, it can provide the actual support to get the knowledge.”
He said additional support has been introduced to recognise that a “special cohort is coming in with different types of challenges”. Asked whether he is worried that the disruption to schooling and higher A-level grades could lead to more drop-outs, Prof Canagarajah said: “Absolutely, which is why we are doing the HeadStart programme, because that’s precisely my point.”
Last month, the Russell Group, which represents the most selective universities across the UK, launched an online resource with the Open University to help students prepare for university studies.
Prof Shearer West, vice-chancellor of the University of Nottingham, a member of the Russell Group, admitted universities have “concerns” about students moving from school to higher education.
She told PA: “It is our responsibility to do everything we can to ensure that we can get the students through the programme. I think the settling period is always the most difficult, the first three months.”
The Russell Group university will be providing a range of resources to help new students prepare for university and enhance their skills for independent study, and specific academic sessions will be run for new undergraduates.
Prof West said: “We’re also looking not just at the educational support we’re giving students, but the pastoral and mental health support as well.
“We have significantly increased our funding for that kind of support, with the expectation students will need a lot more pastoral and personal guidance, particularly over the next few months.”
Student scam warning, Page 24.