Week 0

Activities in Welcome Week and the first few weeks should play a vital role in helping students settle into a different working and living environment quickly. Students are more likely to drop out during the first few weeks at University, and well structured and inclusive activities which enable integration can help to mitigate this.

It is good practice to:

Introduce students to key staff;
Inform students of what services are available to them;
Include social activities;
Show students around the facilities available to them or have navigation exercises (or treasure hunts) to familiarise students with their surroundings;
Tailor induction to suit the needs of specific student groups;
Use mentors to provide peer support;
Have formative group work early on to encourage students to work together.

There are symbols next to each item which suggest methods by which students should be provided with the information. There is a key to the symbols at the top of each page.

UniSmart

UniSmart is a presentation given by an external company that supports first-year students with the transition to university, giving them the information they need to get through their first year. By creating a fast-moving format to convey the information, the students are engaged right from the start.

The areas that are covered during the presentation are:

leaving home
adjusting to a new city/culture
homesickness
shyness
seeking help
making new friends
diversity
personal safety
money and budgeting
fire safety
study habits
self-development
bullying
mental health
alcohol and other drugs
date rape
drink spiking
sexual health
individual choice
University support services

The presentation is tailored to the terminology we use and can also include up to two University specific images in the Powerpoint.

During Welcome Week 2010 UniSmart did presentations for MACE and Computer Science (EPS) and also for FLS. Next year EPS are considering using them across the Faculty.

All MACE students commented that they thought UniSmart should be made an integral part of induction for all first years; comments received included

‘It was a lot of fun and I got to know valuable advice and new friends’;
‘It was very exciting – how I feel’ and ‘It helped’;
‘It’s a way for people from around the world to integrate and learn that they are all in the same position’
‘It was very cheesy! But was better than ANYTHING else to reassure me about feeling down and lonely and unsure.’

The cost of each presentation depends on the size of the audience. In 2010 the cost for an audience of up to 500 people was 1200 pounds and over 500 people was 1900 pounds (UniSmart are committed to keeping the same price for 2011). You might also have to pay for the cost of the presenter staying in a hotel the night before and after the presentation and their travel expenses by rail within the UK.

For further information and to view a video of one of their presentations see UnSmart.