Translating High School to University: What to expect from your first-year students

According to a recent report published by the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Association (OCUFA), “first year students are less prepared for university education than students from just three years earlier.” (OCUFA, 2009) Based on nearly 2,000 responses to an online questionnaire by university professors and librarians, the report shows that just over half of those surveyed believe that first year students today are less prepared for the rigours of the university curriculum, while only just over 2% believe students are better prepared than their counterparts a few years ago.

This may not be a surprise to most professors of first-year courses who feel that the maturity and self-motivation of students (among other things) have been in decline in recent years. As a high school teacher familiar with the challenges of a university science degree, I propose that recent “Success For All” initiatives at the high school level are part of the reason current students are not living up to their academic potential.

Summary of results from the OCUFA survey.

Secondary school boards across the country have recently begun initiatives to increase credit accumulation and improve success rates. As a result, programs such as Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID) in British Columbia and the Success for All campaign in Ontario have been implemented to target the lower third of students academically. Both money and professional development have been devoted to the creation of new resources to support this, and classroom motivation has switched from focusing on preparing students for university, to helping weaker students learn the curriculum. While not all teachers in all classrooms are making this transition, the general trend seems to be toward improving schools’ rankings and general-level standardized test results by helping those who have trouble attaining their credits.

As a result, less focus is being placed on the success of university-bound students. Left to fend for themselves, many fall into a habit of not challenging themselves in the classroom or with independent learning activities. Academically-strong students are choosing to do what is easy for them, and are getting good results in doing so. While this may show them much success in the classroom, the independent learning skills students need for the university curriculum fall to the wayside, to the eventual detriment of the student (and frustration of first-year professors!).

Apart from facing the challenges listed in the OCUFA report (an expectation of success without the requisite effort, poor research skills with an over-reliance on Internet tools, and a lack of critical thinking skills, to name a few), first-year students also struggle with working independently, self-evaluation of their own work and the ability to do “in-depth,” or long-term research.

However, thanks to the “Success for All” focus on differentiated learning, students graduating from high school this year will find strengths in using and manipulating electronic resources, multi-tasking (for better or for worse, when it comes to academics!), and enjoy an increased confidence in their abilities.

As professors or teaching assistants of first-year courses, we can take advantage of these strengths to help new students experience success and become more independent learners without spoon-feeding them, and without drastically changing your courses. Gradual release of responsibility in a classroom starts with the professor or TA demonstrating what they want in terms of an assignment or project, and then over time, transferring the responsibility of completing a similar task to the student. Initially, providing rubrics or marking schemes (or even an exemplar) will give students a sense of the level of work you are asking of them, as will demonstrating proper research procedures. Most of these resources could even be provided online via a course or department website.

After a time, allow students to work together for some projects or assignments, to learn from each other, and then finally have them take what they have learned about your expectations and complete assignments independently. This can be done over any timeframe – short or long – and will help the students become more self-critical of their work and more easily recognize when they have met your expectations.

Differentiated learning encourages students to succeed by allowing them to work to their strengths. This method of evaluation will often make it easier for a student to start a larger assignment as well as have them meet all assignment or project expectations. An example of this is allowing a student to choose (within reason) a method for completing an assignment. Instead of a report for a first-year project, allow the student to make a poster, or present their material to you orally. One can even include the students’ natural aptitude for using multimedia or electronic resources by suggesting webquests, film clips, hypertext documents or music as the medium for the project.

In conclusion, by recognizing and addressing the academic difficulties of many students coming out of secondary school, success rates in first-year courses can be increased. Being familiar with the strengths of these students can allow you as teachers to improve their independent learning skills and prepare them for greater accomplishments throughout their academic career without deterring from your own course material.

“Students Less Prepared for University Education.” Quality-Matters.ca. Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Association. 6 April 2009. Web. 15 June 2009.