The National Forum, in partnership with the Further Education and Training (FET) sector, conducted a survey and interviews in 2016 of FET learners’ experiences of transition to higher education. A Forum Insight on Transition from Further Education and Training to Higher Education can be accessed here.
The first enhancement theme of the National Forum focused on transitions into and through higher education. Based on surveys and interviews with FET students, the research summarised in this insight begins to fill an important gap in our understanding of transitions, and it recognises the often substantially different experiences of those entering higher education from school, and those entering from the FET sector.
Transitioning to e-Assessment in Mathematics Education: Implementation Guide for Policy Makers and Practitioners
Transition from Second Level and Further Education to Higher Education
This project reports on a systematic survey of existing qualitative data on student non-completion gathered by 16 Irish higher education institutions, including Universities, Institutes of Technology and HECA Colleges. The findings of the current qualitative study identified five core themes which are significant in terms of student non-completion: course, personal, financial, medical/health and family. Of these five, course was the strongest influencing factor. Importantly the study calls for a more positive interpretation of non-completion as part of the wider context of students’ career and programme plans. It also suggests that developing systematic and standardised institutional approaches to qualitative data gathering on students who leave will help enhance institutional and policy responses for the future. This study also helps to inform the forthcoming HEA Report 2015 A Study of Progression in Irish Higher Education Institutions 2012/13 2013/14, a quantitative analysis.
This Forum Insight paper summarises key findings from a piece of qualitative research undertaken by the National Forum to explore the personal and professional approaches to teaching of the first group of Teaching Heroes (2014).
Exploring students’ perceptions and experiences of impactful, transformative teaching in Irish Higher Education.
