Student success at college is not just achieving high grades The National Forum for Teaching and Learning defines student success as the process by which students fulfil their potential and flourish at college and in society. This is a broader activity than simply achieving high grades. Psychosocial competencies are core to the definition of student success: these are the ‘soft skills’ or ‘non-cognitive skills’ that enable students to cope well with learning challenges, engage deeply in learning, and develop their identities as learners and as active citizens. Transitions are a key issue within this priority area, with transitions such as the move from school to college presenting both challenges and opportunities for students.
Initiative
The Student Voice: Listening and Responding to Student Experiences of Innovative Teaching and Learning Practices in the School of Business
About this initiative
This initiative addresses the student experience of innovative teaching practices in the School of Business, Waterford Institute of Technology and seeks to understand the impact of these innovative practices on student engagement. This initiative builds on the findings of our SATLE 2019 initiative, which sought to identify the range of innovative teaching and learning practices across core discipline areas within the School of Business. The findings, based on staff and student surveys administered during the first COVID-19 lockdown, provided the researchers with evidence of innovative teaching practices but also with initial insights into student experiences of these practices and the impact on their learning. To close the feedback loop, the team would now like to explore the student voice and perspective in greater depth. Combining the findings of the previous initiative with the student experience proposed in this initiative will provide a more comprehensive view of the impact of innovative teaching and learning practices on engagement and inform future School strategy. The specific objectives of the initiative are to:
• Review the findings of our previous SATLE 2019 initiative in relation to the student survey.
• Update and enhance these findings by means of a follow-up survey and focus group interviews with students, having cognisance of the possible effect of Covid-19 on the student learning experience.
• Explore the development of innovative partnerships between students and lecturers to improve engagement.
• Apply the learning and feedback from both lecturers and students in developing an overall innovative teaching and learning strategy within the School.
Lead organisations
Affiliated organisations
Linked open educational resources
Initiative details
Funding programmes SATLE
Themes Student Success
Award year
2020Funding amount (€)
20000Contributors
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