Usefulness of introductory higher education orientation units in the context of increasing student diversity

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to examine the influences of certain factors that helped determine students' assessments of the usefulness of a higher education orientation unit (HEOU) in a large post‐1992 university.Design/methodology/approachAll students in a university business studies department who had completed or were near to completing a compulsory one‐semester HEOU were asked to fill in a questionnaire that explored specific personal characteristics that a review of prior academic literature had identified as potentially relevant to the explanation of how well or badly students respond to a HEOU. The outcomes were then related to the participants' views on the overall value of the unit and whether their attendance had led to improved academic performance.FindingsStudents who claimed that they had obtained the greatest advantages from the HEOU tended to be “academic” individuals who were highly committed to being a student, intrinsically motivated to study, high in academic self‐concept, academically able, and prior to their entry to the institution had been well‐prepared for university life. This was not necessarily the profile of the students that the unit had been designed to assist.Research limitations/implicationsData on key variables was (necessarily) self‐reported. The investigation took place in a single institution and in a particular subject area. Also the students who filled in the questionnaire were, ipso facto, “survivors” and as such may not have been typical of students who had dropped out.Practical implicationsThe outcomes to the study imply that “one size fits all” approaches to the design of study skills units might not be appropriate. Rather, specially constructed units may be needed to cater for the academically ill‐prepared.Originality/valueAt the time the research was conducted this was the first major empirical study to have related students' perceptions of the usefulness of an HEOU to their backgrounds, traits, and other personal characteristics.