This practice report describes the development of a compensatory educational model to introduce first-year college students to resilient mindsets. The Teaching Resilient Mindsets Model emphasized (1) realistic expectations, (2) an "always learning" mindset, and (3) being prepared for challenges before they arise. After development, the…

A transition pedagogy framework acknowledges students' transition into university from diverse backgrounds, with varied preparedness for studying at university. It puts the onus on the university to provide a seamless experience, and specifies that initiatives should be curriculum-centred, promote diversity and include a whole-of-institution…

University enabling programs provide historically underrepresented students with aspirational gateways and the academic skills and knowledges essential for success at university. Measurement of the efficacy of such programs has been typically neoliberal and quantitative in nature. This article argues for a nuanced measurement of success, exploring…

The transition to university can be challenging, and while universities provide orientation support, many students still struggle. Extending orientation through embedded supports and skill building in first-year curricula provides students opportunities to develop the academic skills required for university while growing confidence. This study…

The release of the Australian Universities Accord Final Report in 2024 and call for contextually relevant pathways to higher education continues the widening participation agenda that was introduced more than 50 years ago in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Enabling education continues to contribute to targets with the evolution of…

The transition into higher education (HE) is a "mega-scale" change in a student's life. Many of the needs and priorities of incoming students change year-on-year, fuelled by local and global instability. Relying on the traditional "induction week" approach to student arrival is no longer sufficient. We addressed this issue by…

Transition pedagogy offers a solid foundation for developing whole-of-institution student success strategies due to its holistic approach. Generally, whole-of-institution student success strategies can be challenging to implement at the faculty level because they are necessarily broad. This practice report presents a step-by-step guide to…

Equity students entering higher education through Enabling programs often encounter significant challenges as they transition into the academic field. This transition involves navigating the hysteresis juncture, a moment of misalignment between students' ingrained habitus and the expectations of the academic environment. This study explores the…

This practice report examines how an implementation of Kift's (2009) Transition Pedagogy evolved over 15 years in a First and Further Year Experience (FFYE) program at an Australian university. Designed to enhance student success, particularly for students from low socio-economic status (LSES) backgrounds, the program applies transition pedagogy…

Transition pedagogy is a whole-of-institution approach for supporting learning across diverse student cohorts through intentional, integrated (co-)curricular design. However, in large institutions, it is not always possible to enact transition pedagogy across the whole organisation. This action research study examines a multi-year transition…

This practice report, framed within transition pedagogy (Kift et al., 2010), seeks to offer suggestions to assist higher education educators and administrators to develop and apply policies to foster student belonging. The authors of this article are employed at an Australian university which offers alternative pathways for students to enter a…

A growing body of literature and rhetoric from the secondary sector recognises that traditional senior secondary curriculums are not catering to all university aspirational students. This need created an opportunity for University Preparation Pathways (UPP) at Murdoch University to provide a transitional path for an underserviced cohort.…

The ScienceReady preparatory course is an intensive study designed to improve beginning university undergraduate students' understanding of medical/scientific concepts, and reduce their anxiety about studying the science component of their enrolled programs. Its goals are to stimulate students' science curiosity and provide the fundamental…

Positive psychology provides a different perspective to that of traditional psychology. There is a growing research base of scientific study to validate the significance of this psychological approach in people's lives. Enabling courses have an increased number of students utilising them as an alternative pathway to gain access to university.…

Personal characteristics contributing to success in higher education has become an important area of focus in recent years. Duckworth's (2007) grit framework shows positive correlations with a range of academic outcomes. This article explores the characteristics of grit in a study of female students who identified as mothers during their enrolment…