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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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The transition from a secondary to a university education environment is one rife with opportunity and novelty. It can be a difficult time for students as they begin to participate and take part in a new culture. Lessons learned from a specific programme for first-year students, the Emerging Leaders Development Programme (ELDP), provide an example of an initiative that not only assists with the transition, but also offers leadership development opportunities. Data collected from ELDP participants suggests that there are valuable, relatable, and transferable ideas that can inform the design and implementation of other transition programmes generally, and leadership development programmes specifically.

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Transition pedagogies relate not only to transition into higher education, but also transition out - and into the workplace. This paper explores the way in which a suite of new capstone work integrated learning subjects at James Cook University's Faculty of Law, Business and Creative Arts forms part of a deliberately designed program inculcating reflective skills at introductory and developmental levels, in preparation for this final transition. It highlights the importance of integrating first year experience, including content and skill development, with the whole degree.

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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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