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The University of Tasmania's (UTAS) UniStart program is a pre- and early-semester academic transition support program available to all [Higher Education Contribution Scheme] HECs-eligible incoming students. The aim of the program is to nurture critical thinking and independent study skills in commencing students. UniStart has been offered to commencing UTAS students for over 10 years, with a significant increase both in enrolments and in the flexibility of delivery over recent years. Evaluation of the program indicates that students feel more confident and prepared for their academic studies after undertaking the program and that the majority of students affirm, later in the year, that they have utilised and applied the skills developed in UniStart during their core studies. The program represents an important component of the university's approach to supporting the first-year experience and student transition.

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There has long been a disparity in the provision of curriculum within Australian secondary schools. This study aims to evaluate whether diversity within schools alters students' university experiences. While much of the existing literature focuses on each aspect individually, this paper attempts to clarify a link between these factors by focussing on the transition process. A theoretical analysis of key concepts surrounding a web of inter-related issues, including student satisfaction, interest and motivation frames the quantitative data collection. The methodology employed consists of analysing a balanced sample of South Australian secondary schools, from an array of different locations, [socioeconomic status] SES groupings and sizes, and an acknowledgement of previous studies into the first year experience within Australian universities. The findings suggest that there is a disparity between learning areas in school curricula and an inherent link has been established with issues such as student attrition and dissatisfaction in universities.

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A concerted institutional approach to improving student outcomes resulted in a faculty-based, student-focussed model for student success at the University of Pretoria (UP). The student academic development and excellence model (SADEM), developed by a steering committee for student success, employs developmental research and systems theory and targets all years of undergraduate study while prioritising the first year. Underpinned by a systemic metric framework and continuous improvement, interventions comprise institutional and faculty-based projects that target high impact modules and diverse students to improve retention, pass, and throughput rates. Though context specific, it offers solutions to international concerns - lack of a systemic approach; initiatives located in peripheral units; initiatives located outside academic disciplines and lack of participation by academic staff; and a focus on retention of limited student subgroups instead of retention, pass, graduation and throughput rates of all students. The circumstances that led to its development, its key features and application at the UP, ways it can be adapted to other contexts, as well as its limitations and possible future directions, are presented.

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This practice report presents a university-wide strategic approach to enhancing the first-year student experience and to improving transition, progression and retention, called Moving Forward. Glasgow Caledonian University is a so-called post-1992 university with a high percentage of students from non-traditional, low-participation backgrounds, often coming into university as direct entrants onto levels two and three (of a four-level Scottish undergraduate degree). Its aim is to support a transformational approach to widening participation and the development of a transition pedagogy. Partnership working stands at its centre and underpins all activities from developing a Transition and Progression Framework, establishing a large Community of Practice and six Mini Communities of Practice, to negotiating formal partnership agreements with academic schools, Learner Support and the Students' Association. The report charts the reasons for introducing Moving Forward, its development, activities, interim evaluation outcomes, achievements, as well as the challenges of sustaining such an initiative long term.

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Current research and practice related to the first year experience (FYE) of commencing higher education students are still mainly piecemeal rather than institution-wide with institutions struggling to achieve cross-institutional integration, coordination and coherence of FYE policy and practice. Drawing on a decade of FYE-related research including an [Australian Learning and Teaching Council] ALTC Senior Fellowship and evidence at a large Australian metropolitan university, this paper explores how one institution has addressed that issue by tracing the evolution and maturation of strategies that ultimately conceptualize FYE as 'everybody's business'. It is argued that, when first generation co-curricular and second generation curricular approaches are integrated and implemented through an intentionally designed curriculum by seamless partnerships of academic and professional staff in a whole-of-institution transformation, [there is] a third generation approach labelled here as transition pedagogy. It is suggested that transition pedagogy provides the optimal vehicle for dealing with the increasingly diverse commencing student cohorts by facilitating a sense of engagement, support and belonging. What is presented here is an example of transition pedagogy in action.

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A scaffolded learning and embedded skills educational framework was adopted by an intersectoral university teaching team for the foundational nursing course unit of study: 'Frameworks for Nursing Practice.' The scaffolded learning and embedded skills approach is espoused as recognising the unique learning needs of students who are transitioning to higher education studies from a variety of entry points (Green, Hammer, and Stephens, 2006; Kift, 2009; McWilliams and Henderson, 2008). The embedded skills approach adopted in this unit attempts to ensure that students transitioning from a variety of contexts acquire a range of introductory academic skills in a supported learning environment. A mixed methods evaluation of the unit of study over two years (2009-2010) has revealed that students are mostly appreciative of the scaffolded and embedded skills delivery format and cite that elements of the model have supported their learning needs.

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This paper presents an evaluative approach designed to provide a cycle of continuous improvement to retain Indigenous students during their first year of higher education. The evaluation model operates in conjunction with a student academic enrichment program that is premised on valuing and respecting each student’s background and life experience whilst building capability for learning success. Data collected will be used for continual improvement of a newly developed innovative academic enrichment program that caters to the needs of Indigenous students. The defining mechanisms of the model for measuring the first year experience are particularly meaningful for the Australian Centre for Indigenous Knowledges and Education as it moves into its inaugural year of operation in 2012. This pre-eminent time requires a flexible model to receive timely feedback in a reflexive environment where students guide the process as they continue their journey of accumulating knowledge and leave behind their contribution in shaping the landscape for future first year Indigenous students.

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Pacific peoples are a migrant minority ethnic group in New Zealand. They suffer disproportionately from poor health and education outcomes compared to the total population, and share similar socio-economic challenges with Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand. Improving education outcomes can contribute to improving health outcomes. Pacific peoples are poorly represented in the health workforce. The Pacific Orientation Program at Otago (POPO) initiative is a new program seeking to provide a holistic approach to improving academic outcomes for Pacific students in health sciences in New Zealand. The program involved setting up systems for support, monitoring performance and addressing concerns early in the first year at university. This article outlines the development of the program, lessons learnt, and early indications of its usefulness in improving academic outcomes for Pacific students studying first year health sciences at university.

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The Review of Australian Higher Education noted the unacceptably low participation rates of students from low socio-economic status (SES) backgrounds, Indigenous students and rural and remote students in higher education. These students are particularly under-represented in Group of Eight universities like the University of Western Australia (UWA). This nuts and bolts session focuses on strategies for developing productive relationships with partner schools to widen participation. The Aspire UWA program has partnerships with 24 under-represented schools: six in the Pilbara region of Western Australia and 18 in outer-metropolitan Perth. Aspire UWA aims to raise aspirations for tertiary study, starting with Year 9 students and working closely with them, their schools, families and communities through to successful transition to university. This session shares ideas to support all these different stakeholders long term and, in the case of the Pilbara, across vast distances, to achieve positive outcomes.

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Successfully supporting wider participation in higher education requires a coherent blend of administrative, social and academic support. Access is a necessary but insufficient element of equitable participation. This is a vital distinction given the outcomes of the Bradley Report and the expectation that higher education institutions will significantly increase the enrolment and participation of equity target groups. [This] project, [Mature age Access Pathways] MAPs to Success, was designed to achieve the best possible outcomes for underprepared mature age students who have been granted alternative entry to the University of Western Australia through the Mature age Access Pathway (MAP). This alternative entry pathway was first offered in July 2008. In late 2009 [the authors] secured a Learning Teaching Performance Fund Grant to provide support for the original and subsequent cohorts. This paper outlines the theoretical perspectives underpinning this project's social and academic components, and evaluates the impact this project has achieved after its first year of operation.

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