A new module designed to ease the transition from school to university was devised and implemented at Cardiff University School of Chemistry. Two iterations of the module are described, both of them conducted under restrictions imposed by COVID-19 pandemic regulations. Over a two-week period, students attended 15 different sessions, each designed…

The transition to undergraduate study is often a challenging step for students as they progress from relatively smaller school/college classes with a high degree of contact time with familiar staff to a university department where one-on-one interaction with staff members is significantly reduced. The first year tutorials module offers one of the…

Practical skills are important for the employability of biosciences graduates; however, first year science undergraduates often struggle to adapt to university practical classes, affecting skills development and decreasing their enthusiasm for laboratory work. This study describes the effects of introducing online multimedia practical support…

This guide was developed to fill a need identified by high school educators and Alberta Advanced Education and Technology staff. The Guide introduces students to the principles of career and education planning and various authorized Alberta resources by helping students work through the planning process. The student guide is a series of modules or…

Formative assessment in distance teaching is a complex issue, particularly when diverse students are involved. At Unisa many students from previously disadvantage backgrounds need to be accommodated in tertiary mathematics and science. However, many such students have limited entry-level mathematical knowledge and academic skills. This article…

This article examines one aspect of the growing complexity of relationships between post-compulsory educational institutions in the United Kingdom: a growth in collaborative arrangements between higher education institutions and providers of sixth-form education. The research presented focuses on the characteristics of those schemes either in…

The Scottish Wider Access Programme (SWAP) was designed to encourage adults to participate in higher education. Students enrolled in SWAP in 1991-92 and former SWAP students in their first year of higher education in 1991-92 were interviewed twice by telephone, near the beginning and toward the end of their SWAP course or first year. (The number…