Now in its third year, the Centre for Teaching and Learning's Student Experience Internship Scheme enables students to work in partnership with academics, educational developers and other key University stakeholders on defined projects that inform decision making and provide demonstrable benefits to the student learning experience at Oxford.
In 2021, our interns worked with staff to develop a range of resources to support undergraduate students’ transition to University study. A new report, Supporting students’ academic transition to Oxford: Key findings and recommendations (SSO required), written by the interns summarises educational research on students’ transition to university study, and provides examples of current interventions at Oxford and other universities.
Drawing on interviews with students and staff at Oxford, the report makes a series of recommendations to enhance support for students. Recommendations have been grouped into five categories – pre-arrival support, skills development, academic community building, peer support and communication – and draw on existing practices and educational research to highlight practical steps that can be taken by staff to assist students.
Resources to help undergraduate students arriving this year are available on the Oxford Transition Support page of the University's student website. The page summarises the support provided by central services and includes links to academic departments and colleges.
In addition, the Centre for Teaching and Learning website includes resources to help staff who are supporting students in their first year of study at Oxford.
As the University continues to build on this important work, graduates participating in the Centre’s Student Experience Internship Scheme in summer 2022 have been gathering information on what students need from centrally provided courses and resources to support the development of their study skills and academic practices throughout their full academic journeys at Oxford.
A report outlining their findings and recommendations will be published in Michaelmas term 2022.
