Notes for tutors
- Students may believe that they can continue to use the same set of study practices that have been successful at school or college, without needing to develop them for higher education.
- Alternatively, they may feel that they ought to adopt completely new ways of working, without knowing or understanding what is expected of them at the higher level.
- Tutors may find it difficult to articulate (to their students or to themselves) the necessary understanding of principles relating to transition to higher level study.
This resource aims to mediate and demystify the transition from school or college to university, by explicitly drawing out the differences and similarities between previous study practices and the practices that will be needed for higher level study. By building on existing skills and knowledge, we hope to avoid the drop in confidence that can result from discovering that higher education requires new thinking about study.
- How to use the resource to support your students' transition to HE
- Lists of exercises and tip-sheets
- Links and further reading
- Comments and feedback
How to use the resource to support your students' transition to HE
The whole resource can be used as a bridging, pre- or early study course by focusing on one page at a time, using the guidance and tip sheets as a prompt for discussions, and completing each of the exercises. Some of the exercises can be adapated to include discipline-specific components. Alternatively, students could be encouraged to look at single pages, either in response to skills audits or self-voiced concerns or, as term progresses, as part of the 
feedback to formative assignments.
The webpages can be used as a self-help resource, or as the basis for a whole class session. The sections marked "How is this different from previous study?" are especially apt as a prompt for group discussions. Students could be asked to recall some practical examples from their previous educational experience, and compare these to what they expect at university.
The exercises are designed to be usable by students with very different previous educational experiences, working in a variety of disciplines. They are conceived as formative rather than summative, with many requiring the student to take a reflective approach and use their own examples. However, they could also be incorporated into a credit-bearing module as a summative assignment, with some additional guidance as to assignment length, suitable examples, clear learning outcomes etc.
In addition to the exercises, there are also some activities which may suggest looking at an external website, or require reflection without a written outcome.
All tips are downloadable as individual tip sheets which can be distributed in class, or handed to individual students as part of formative feedback or support.
Exercises and tip-sheets
Handouts for the exercises on each page can also be accessed here:
Studying independently
- Exercise 1: Interpreting assignment titles
- Exercise 2: Practise research planning
- Exercise 3: Practise finding resources
- Exercise 4: Evaluating websites
- Exercise 5: Practise using spidergrams for note-making
- Exercise 6: Reading abstracts
- Exercise 7: Evaluating sources
- Exercise 8: Practise your critical thinking
Writing academically
- Exercise 9: Communicating your ideas clearly
- Exercise 10: Structuring a report
- Exercise 11: Structuring your essay
- Exercise 12: Making mini-plans
- Exercise 13: Using references as evidence
- Exercise 14: Practise original thinking
Managing your studies
The guidance on each page is also available as a printable tip-sheet. These are PDF files - if you would like a copy in Word so that you can adapt them for your students, please email us at studyadvice@reading.ac.uk:
Tipsheet 1: How is study in higher education different?
- More understanding, less describing
- Being rigorous and critical
- Proving your points
- Fewer contact hours
- Motivating yourself and being committed
- Think for yourself!
Tipsheet 2: Studying independently
- Planning your own research and limiting its scope
- Finding, selecting and evaluating resources
- Knowing how to get the most out of your reading
- Thinking critically about what you learn
Tipsheet 3: Writing academically
- Communicate your ideas clearly
- Structure your work effectively
- Use references as evidence - without plagiarising
- Learn what it means to 'be original'
Tipsheet 4: Managing your studies
- Planning your time
- Getting organised
- Making the most of the time you have
Links and further reading
Links to useful websites and further reading on this topic will appear here.
Comments and feedback
This resource was developed thanks to funding from the VetNet Lifelong Learning Network. We hope to develop it further in the future, adding more interactivity and useful links. Your comments and feedback would be especially helpful. Please let us know what you think at studyadvice@reading.ac.uk.
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