ABSTRACT
For some returning students, the inter-level vacation, placement or intermission period is a time to reflect on what they achieved in their last year of study, where they are heading and what they need to do in the coming year. However, it can also be a time when they experience disengagement especially if they had done badly in their previous level of study or may feel disillusioned with their course or institution. When students return, they may experience course or career indecision anxieties or feel a lack of identity and connection with their studies. If the returner has changed course or feels out of their depth in their studies, they could feel disoriented. And even if the returner successfully navigates the inter-level vacation and the reorientation of their new level of study, the academic and personal challenges they can experience during their university or college journey may impact on their ability to succeed. For students who possess characteristics that by their very nature can increase the challenges of studying (e.g. a commuter, disabled, veteran, care leaver or mature student), the experiences highlighted above can increase the prevalence of problems and challenges occurring. For example, a commuter student may be highly motivated and engaged in their studies but travel time and family demands may make completing the level of study impossible. A severely dyslexic student may struggle to cope with the increase in study demands in their new level of study without extra support but their anxiety is exacerbated because they do not know where to go for help. As highlighted in other chapters, one size does not fit all. Every student is different and responds to personal and academic issues, challenges and scenarios in various ways. Students today can study in a more flexible and fluid manner with students intermitting or changing mode of study throughout their degree. They also engage in the university experience in varying ways due to other activities that compete with university demands. A mature or commuter student may only come onto campus to study whereas as young student living on campus may absorb themselves into the university experience. Every level of study brings different academic requirements and pressures. Returning students, just like new students, need to learn the appropriate study conventions for their new level of study and we must not assume that they will automatically know what to expect. Students’ challenges become our challenges and we need to be able to offer wideranging support to our students to help them succeed. Support can be provided in many ways including in-person support by staff or fellow students, or using technology as a
learning tool and a way of disseminating information. It is critical that the transition period between the different levels of study is efficiently managed and students are effectively supported from the previous level of study into the next and throughout the new level of study. Much of the research and literature focuses on the first-year experience rather than that of the returning student. After the first year at university, students enter the ‘wilderness’ years where they are expected to get on with studies, make major academic decisions and deal with personal issues without the guidance and support needed to help them. However, it is during these years of study that students often need more support. As a student progresses through their course, academic, social and personal issues may increase rather than decrease. Not all students can successfully complete their studies without any academic, personal or social mishaps. For some groups of students, these mishaps are not just problematic but can be acute. This chapter looks at how we can successfully support all students and those with specific support needs and requirements through the challenging reorientation stage, which supports the transition into the new level of study and lasts about week; and the reinduction stage, which is the induction to study for returning students, that takes place over a term or semester.
