1st First Year Forum 2015: First-in-family students' experiences of success at university

Course description

This workshop, to be presented by Sharron King (UniSA); Ann Luzeckyj (Flinders) and Ben McCann (Uni of Adelaide), draws on research developed through a National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE) grant that has been conducted with first in family (FiF) students from the three universities in South Australia.  The project entailed detailed statistical analysis of the initial expectations and subsequent experiences of over FiF 5,300 students* as well as in-depth interviews with 18 students who were the first member of their family to attend university.  These findings reveal the rich diversity of the FiF student cohort and explore their reflections on the transformative experience of higher education. This workshop will help participants gain insight into how first-in-family students (and graduates) have reflected on their time at university.

*Data from a large Office of Learning and Teaching (OLT) project matching is included.

Type of course

Seminar

Presenters

Who should attend

Staff who are looking for an enhanced understanding of the experience of first-in-family students and wish to know more about how the needs of this important student demographic might be more effectively addressed to support their success at university.  Our research, particularly the in-depth interviews, vividly brings to life the reality of how these diverse students came to be at university.

What you will learn

Gain insight into our research methods;
Hear what these diverse first-in-family students said about their experiences at university;
Develop insights into how their experiences might inform your own teaching and/or supporting roles;
Consider the appropriateness of the strategies you currently use in supporting the success of first-in-family students;
Theorise how the project findings translate to a broader national and international context