Date: April 30th

Time: 9:00 – 15:00

Venue: National Film Studio, IADT Kill Avenue, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin.
GPS Coordinates for Satellite Navigation Systems is: 53.28043786499863 – 6.152644157409668

Presenter(s): Rebecca Roper, Lecturer and First Year Matters Project leader IADT Dun Laoghaire
Sarah Lawther, Learning and Teaching Officer Nottingham Trent University)
Members of First Year Matters Project team IADT

Event Details:

The seminar focuses on ways to create an immediate sense of belonging for first year students to their new community, course, institute and year group with the objective of improving retention and persistence of students.

Beginning with a review of IADT‚ First Year Matters (FYM) extended orientation programme, there will be short presentations from student leaders, Rebecca Roper (project leader) and the team.

This will be followed by a keynote by Sarah Lawther (Teaching and Learning – Nottingham Trent University) regarding her research into ‘Belonging’ as a key indicator of persistence and retention from The HERE Project (Higher Education: Retention and Engagement) as part of the HEA ‘What Works?’ study. The focus of this large-scale study was Student Retention & Success, researching strategies for optimising retention and developing a better understanding of why students leave.

The seminar will finish with breakout groups to consider themes of belonging, with a particular emphasis on how to create ‘institutional habitus ‘ (Reay, et al) and pathways implementing this key concept into first year teaching and student experience.

This seminar targets a diverse audience with an emphasis on participants who work with first years, programme co-ordinators, lecturers and those responsible for induction and student services.

Learning Objectives:

Participants will be:
Introduced to international best practice for the transition of students into first year in higher education.
Familiarised with a ground up extended orientation programme for 1st years.
Exposed to ideas for their own practice as educators working with 1st years on the theme of ‘Belonging’.
Able to appreciate the centrality of the concept of “belonging” as a key to retention and persistence.

Contact: Mary Anne O’Carroll, Staff training, learning and development officer IADT.
Email Maryanne.ocarroll@iadt.ie
Telephone 01 2394617