Abstract:

Faced with large classes of students from many cultures, countries, prior educational experiences, varying perspectives and differing motivations, how do we ensure that each learner reaches their potential? Optimal student development is possible only via a collegiate and/or integrated approach across fragmented experiences of learning. Successful teaching requires the teacher to establish student habits of reflection and purposeful scaffolding of new learning such that it can be linked to understanding from other areas of experience. Thus the good teacher provides learning opportunities and curriculum structure, which look deeply inward to the student and extensively outward to wider life – learning is not isolated. This reflexive analysis reviews how successful transition to independent learner can be achieved via well-designed curriculum structure and integration of co-curricular activities with academic life.

The programmes of the School of Biology, University of St Andrews, will provide examples of practice both in successful student transition into higher education and onward to the world of employment. This is practice set in the context of a challenging six-site teaching structure and a time of institutional change.

Keywords:

Transition, constructivism, student experience, self-theories.