Have you considered that your first-year university students may have difficulty comprehending how the university differs from secondary school?

Depending on the educational model high-school students have been exposed to, they will need more or less help to adapt to university settings. A list of associated challenges can be found in the START Challenges Mindmap.

Discuss the Transition Challenges

The transition from high school to university is a process that involves more than a physical change in setting. It involves personal, social, academic, and cultural aspects that are not always obvious to students, and which often remain unexplained. Offer students time and tools to reflect on the transition process.

• Propose “The Challenges Game” that encourages students to express themselves about the transition. See Quick Win 1
• Provide a Comparative Table Incorporating Different High School and University Characteristics. The first column lists all elements involved such as note-taking, time management, evaluation, etc. The second is dedicated to high school, and the third to university. Students must complete the table from their experience and share it with a partner. See Quick Win 2

Make Student and Teacher Roles Explicit

A key transitional challenges is understanding how university-students’ and teachers’ roles differ from those in secondary school, including new communication codes.

• Use exercises to help students understand the different roles of university students and teachers. See Quick Win 3
• Discuss the importance of being an autonomous learner as a university student and clarify expectations around the demands of studying at university: e.g. the amount of time and depth needed in preparing for assignments.
• Explain the relationship differential and professional distance between student and teacher at a university. This aspect can be influenced by differences in national and regional cultures. Discuss what makes a university-student relationship with a teacher different from high school in your context. Does your university community use hierarchical communication or a more egalitarian one between teachers and students?

Be Explicit in your Course Requirements

To avoid any confusion, explicitly state what you expect from students on your course. You can explain how you expect them to participate; what you expect from the homework; what readings are useful in your course; and the evaluation format and criteria.

• Give your students some hints for their note-taking and establish a personal note-taking code.
• Make sure your presentation support highlights the key aspects of the content to be delivered.
• When explaining orally, remember to  emphasise the main points.

Offer Extra Support When Needed

Students who need the most teaching support in university are often those who have the most difficulty asking for it. These are the same students who in high school were identified directly by their teachers as needing some extra support. In the larger university setting, it is difficult for a teacher to identify someone in need. To facilitate the first contact:

• Propose a weekly time where students can have an opportunity to talk with you about any difficulties in their transition period.
• Identify your preferred channels, times and formats of communication with your students.
• Clarify your office hours and give students the option of choosing the format of meeting they feel most comfortable with e.g. online; in person; in a group etc. (go to the Balanced boundaries page).

Have you considered that first-year students may have a different understanding of what the word ‘study’ means?

First-year university students often have a limited idea of what it means to study in the university context. Some students can reduce their studying to a cursory viewing of the content before a test, or just to reading notes. This is closely connected to the ideas students have about the evaluation objectives and often manifests in challenges related to the academic engagement.

Discuss the Meaning of Studying

Guide students to reflect on studying by explaining the cognitive processes involved in learning (attention, perception, memory and problem-solving). Help them identify when it is useful to memorise some information and when other methods are more suited.

Discuss with your students when, apart from the test, studying is relevant: e.g. reviewing and clarifying content before class thus reducing the risk of getting lost in more challenging content; using memory notes to facilitate ease of understanding when a topic has been difficult to grasp, etc.

Explain What Good Study Conditions Are

Effective studying requires finding a suitable time and place to concentrate. Encourage students to create a comfortable, quiet space with minimal distractions for their study sessions. Similarly, emphasise the importance of choosing a time when their minds are fresh and receptive to learning, avoiding periods when they may feel hungry, tired, or distracted.

Help Students Organise their Study Time

Encourage students to use a calendar to schedule specific times during the week dedicated to studying. They can follow these steps:

1. Set study goals based on the difficulty of the content as well as their personal interests and dislikes.
2. Break down assignments into manageable tasks.
3. Estimate the time needed for each task and note the deadlines.
4. Schedule time for each task, ensuring a balanced daily workload that includes non-study-related activities. See Quick Win 1

Teach Students to Read Actively

Share some effective reading and studying techniques with your students. For example :

• Highlight and underline: Mark important passages, key terms or concepts using different colours to denote different types of information.
• Marginal notes: encourage students to write brief summaries, questions, reactions, or connections in the margins of the text. Explain how students can use their own personal codes when taking notes, e.g. using special characters; underlining; using abbreviations, drawings; or using exclamation marks to denote important parts of the content, etc.
• Use Graphic Organisers: Ask students to create concept maps or diagrams to visually represent the main ideas and relationships within the text. You can provide templates for graphic organisers like KWL charts (Know, Want to know, Learned) or Venn diagrams to help students organise information and make connections. See Quick Win 2

You can also help students improve their reading comprehension by having them read a section individually, and then discuss their thoughts with a partner before sharing them with the whole class.

Use Collaborative Note-Taking

Assign students to small groups and have them collaborate on note-taking for each class session. Rotate the note-taking responsibility among group members, and review the notes collectively at the beginning of the next class. This can be done by asking each group to exchange their notes with another group and spend a few minutes reviewing them. Groups should highlight the main concepts and identify the strengths of the other group’s work. Encourage a brief class discussion to share common observations and offer tips for improving note-taking

For some sessions, you can collect the collaborative notes from each group at the end of the class. At the beginning of the next session, review the notes with the class, highlighting key points, common themes, and any discrepancies or gaps..

Apply Quizzes, Polls and Reflection Papers

Use quick quizzes or polls during or at the end of each class to reinforce key concepts and assess student understanding. Tools such as Kahoot, Poll Everywhere, or even simple hand-raising can be employed. This approach allows you to provide immediate feedback to both students and yourself, reinforcing learning and identifying areas that require further clarification.