Occupation: Student? Beliefs vs practice in first-year learners’ concept of university study

[favorite_button]

Creator(s) (alphabetical)

Deirdre Casey, Marian Hurley

Organisation(s)

Munster Technological University

Discipline(s)

Teaching & Learning

Topic(s)

Student Success, Teaching and Learning Practice

License

CC BY-NC-ND

Media Format

PDF

Date Submitted

Submitted by

Export Resource Data

Description

Conference presentation outlining findings regarding trends in first-year student engagement.

Benefit of this resource and how to make the best use of it

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND)

This work is licensed under a CC BY-NC-ND license, permitting redistribution for non-commercial use with proper attribution but prohibiting modifications.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
? This citation is automatically generated and may require adjustment. Always verify it against your style guide.
Casey, D., & Hurley, M. (27/01/2026). Occupation: student? beliefs vs practice in first-year learners’ concept of university study. National Resource Hub (Ireland). Retrieved from: https://hub.teachingandlearning.ie/resource/occupation-student-beliefs-vs-practice-in-first-year-learners-concept-of-university-study/ License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND).

Adapting this resource? Share your version!

If you have modified or adopted this resource, share your version here. Tracking adaptations helps us measure impact and connects others with useful updates.

Related OER

This case study outlines a first-year intervention at SETU Waterford using a timetabled weekly session to tackle common causes of academic failure such as time management, assessment planning. and study skills. It is intended for programme teams seeking practical, low-resource approaches to improving student progression and retention.

Enhancing Student Engagement and Belonging through Collaborative Partnership is a Higher Education Authority report prepared by a UCD research team led by Professor Barbara Dooley. The resource provides an evidence-informed framework for strengthening student belonging across Irish higher education institutions. Drawing on staff interviews, Healthy Campus survey responses, and analysis of Healthy Campus and NStEP case studies, it identifies practical approaches to improving student engagement, wellbeing and inclusion.

The report frames belonging as a multidimensional and co-constructed experience shaped by social, academic, personal and environmental factors. It highlights that student belonging is affected not only by relationships and participation, but also by structural issues such as housing, commuting, financial pressure, campus spaces, timetable design and access to supports.

The resource is particularly useful for staff and student partners working on Healthy Campus, student success, student engagement, access, inclusion, mental health promotion, orientation, peer support, student partnership and campus development initiatives.