For a number of years, the Student Learning Centre has presented an Academic Preparation Program to introduce new students to the academic world that they are entering. Whilst many thousands of students have taken advantage of this program, it has become increasingly difficult to timetable it around other orientations organised within the University. Therefore, in an effort to streamline the procedure and better tailor it for the different groups of students and subjects represented by each college, we are moving to integrate our work within the orientation programs of each college. A set of seminars addressing a wide variety of academic issues have been identified and colleges will be able to choose which of these they believe will be most useful for their students and include them in their own orientation program. This will assist with ensuring students are not precluded from sessions because of conflicting timetables and will allow us to individually customise our sessions to the needs of each college. Work has begun on this process, with invitations sent to each college to discuss their requirements. We are looking forward to the opportunity of contributing our expertise to a cohesive, integrated and more personalised experience for our new students. To find out how we can support you, contact the person responsible for coordination of the orientation within your college.

Contributed by Greg Collings
Coordinator, Academic and Professional Numeracy – CILT