Joining the Dots: Learnings from a university transition programme

Hannah Thomson and Sarah Zukernain, The Brilliant Club

Email: Hannah.Thomson@thebrilliantclub.org

Session recording

Presentation

Click to download the presentation Joining the Dots: Learnings from a university transition programme (.pptx)

Abstract

Disadvantage does not disappear when students walk through the doors of their university. A growing body of research has highlighted the inequalities that exist in undergraduate outcomes in the UK. Some students are less likely to get good grades in their first year, more likely to drop out before their second year and less likely to graduate with a 1st or 2:1 in their final degree. The attainment gaps we see between less and more advantaged students are significant, even at the most competitive universities.

Join the Dots is a new programme piloting in 2022/23, co-created through collaboration between schools, universities, students, and The Brilliant Club. The programme brings schools and universities together to support students at university who are most likely to face barriers during the transition from their final of year of school to their first year of university. Our seminar will have three areas of focus:

1. How we developed the programme based on research evidence relating to the most important outcomes for student success
2. Learnings from the first year of Join the Dots, including insights from our evaluation 
3. The student experience of starting university and taking part in Join the Dots

Join the Dots builds communities of students to identify, discuss and address shared challenges and foster a sense of belonging at university. Through one-to-one and peer group coaching, it aims to address three key student outcomes: academic self-efficacy, sense of belonging in higher education, and study strategy use. Our evaluation of the programme focuses on measuring changes in these outcomes and on students’ experience of transitioning from school to university. This session will provide an in-depth overview of the pilot, highlighting our evaluation results and lessons learnt so far. Further, a student taking part in the programme will share her experience of Join the Dots.

Hannah Thomson

Senior Research & Evaluation Officer, The Brilliant Club

I am the Senior Research & Evaluation Officer at The Brilliant Club and have been working there since 2021. Most of my role focuses on providing evaluation consultancy services to higher education providers and third sector organisations to help them measure the impact of their outreach programmes. In addition, I support the development of new programmes at The Brilliant Club by ensuring they are based on research evidence and carrying out their evaluation. Prior to this, I completed an MA in Education (Psychology) at University College London and worked as an outreach officer at Queens’ College Cambridge. Combined, these experiences have given me an interest in how we can enable more students from underrepresented backgrounds to access university and to succeed when they get there, and in how we can evaluate initiatives that aim to achieve this.

Sarah Zulkernain

Student Ambassador, The Brilliant Club

I am a 1^st Year Biomedical Science student studying at the University of Manchester (UOM). I recently completed a Foundation Year to progress onto my course and I have applied to do an Industrial placement year. In my free time, I work for the University as a Student Ambassador and as a retail assistant at John Lewis. In the future I want to do a Masters in Biomedical Egyptology because I am fascinated and intrigued with Ancient Egypt. However, I am also considering a career in teaching and instead doing a PGCE.

I enjoy travelling especially with my friends exploring new cities nearby and within the UK and walking in the countryside. I also enjoy playing badminton and tennis when I can. At school, I studied 10 GCSEs and then went on to study 3 A Levels (Biology, Geography and English Literature) at a Grammar School.