Transition In, Through and Out of Higher Education by Matheson, Ruth; Tangney, Sue; Sutcliffe, Mark;

Short description:

By providing theoretical knowledge alongside practical guidance and resources, this book helps those involved in university teaching guide students through their experiences and develop into autonomous, reflective learners.

Long description:

Transition In, Through and Out of Higher Education: International Case Studies and Best Practice recognises that the initial steps into undergraduate education mark only the beginning of the journey for students, and that the journey involves other significant transition points that students need to negotiate. By providing theoretical knowledge alongside practical guidance and resources, this book helps those involved in university teaching guide students through their experiences and develop into autonomous, reflective learners.

Putting student engagement at the centre of teaching, Transition In, Through and Out of Higher Education: International Case Studies and Best Practice includes case studies to illuminate best practice, with resources and activities that can be used and adapted to address the individual needs of students. Addressing a wide range of themes, it considers:

• active learning








• promoting engagement








• encouraging independence and autonomy








• coping with change and increasing complexity








• the need for belonging and identity








• social and academic integration








• developing partnership working








• evaluation of effectiveness of developments to teaching practice.

From exploring the underlying pedagogy related to the theme to identifying the major challenges for students at key transitional points, Transition offers a comprehensive grounding to generate and inspire creative teaching that in turn enables students to better engage in the transition process. A highly practical and accessible resource, this book is suitable for all higher education staff involved in supporting students' transition in, through and out of university.

Phil Race – Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and a National Teaching Fellow.

I would expect this book to remain current for at least ten years. The authors clearly have a great deal of relevant experience, and credibility in terms of their previous publications. The networks they have identified to solicit to case studies are ideal. With increasing focus on the student experience in many countries, and with students paying tuition fees in many countries now, the importance of the student experience has grown enormously in recent years, and addressing pro-actively the kind of transitions outlined in the book proposal should be really useful. In particular, the case studies described in the proposal should be a vital resource for a significant market, and the authors have identified an excellent range of practitioners to provide authoritative case studies, not least the nearly 700 National Teaching Fellows in the UK, many of whom will have great experience to contribute.

The editors’ view that transitions occur throughout students’ university journeys is praiseworthy. This view has been neglected by the existing literature which concentrates on students’ first year experiences at university. Additionally, the inclusion of case studies that can be adopted and adapted by readers to support their own teaching practice is a useful feature of the work. These studies should also serve as suggestions for good practice for those readers in more managerial positions. The book is in an area that is of current interest, and one which is likely to become increasingly prominent

Table of Contents:

Foreword by Alf Lizzio  Introduction to Transition: In Through and Out of University  Part 1  Chapter 1: Transition through the student lifecycle  Chapter 2: Identifying student need  Chapter 3: Developing Belonging, community and creating professional identity  Part 2  Chapter 4: Managing and setting expectations  Chapter 5: Promoting engagement, active learning and student ownership  Chapter 6: Developing academic integration  Chapter 7: Developing social integration  Chapter 8: Developing self  Chapter 9: Evaluating the effectiveness of transition activities  Chapter 10: Student stories Contributor biographies