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Students experience many transitions during their time in education. In 2015, QAA Scotland commissioned a project to explore the skills and strategies that a student might develop and use during a transition or period of change. The project aimed to gain a deeper understanding of these skills and strategies and to develop practical tools for students and staff.
The project resulted in five reports and 22 supporting resources. These include student leaflets, activities for students to work on individually, and activities for students to work on in groups.
The Transition Skills and Strategies resources are among the most popular resources that the Enhancement Themes have produced. As part of our 20 Years of Enhancement campaign, we have updated these resources to support use across a tertiary education system. Each resource has been reviewed and updated to reflect our contemporary challenges and the importance of these skills in a tertiary learning environment.
We have grouped the reports and resources below by purpose. Then, at the bottom of the page, you will find the individual files grouped by skill. Most of these files are in Word or PowerPoint format allowing you to customise them.
We would love to know how you use these resources. What did you find worked well? What advice would you give to other people designing an activity using these resources? Please share your thoughts with us.
The self-belief worksheets guided me to consider realistically what I had achieved so far, and reminded of the value of positive self-reflection - a lesson I’d clearly forgotten. Inspired by that exercise, I had a go at “Establishing and Achieving My Goals”. The negative headspace I’d been in had made me fearful of the future, but this exercise helped me to think more practically and honestly about what I wanted to achieve, to identify the barriers, to work out how to get over/round/through them and importantly, to spend a little time generating positive self-talk for myself to help me through in the meantime. There’s a lot of useful stuff on the site and it covers a wide range of practical and psychological support. It’s a wonderful resource.
The Transition Skills and Strategies resources were crucial in helping our online pre-induction development team identify priority content and activities for new and prospective students. With the strategic guidance of the rich student-centred digital artefacts, we were able to build a comprehensive and practical package for students to access in advance of beginning their studies that allowed them to build long-lasting confidence, learner autonomy and an enduring critical perspective. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, reinforcing the value of the Transition Skills and Strategies suite, either as a modular or holistic experience.
Our research team produced three general reports. The first explores transition models, and identifies transition points; the second identifies key transition skills; and the third maps the key skills to the transition points.
In addition, the team produced more in-depth explorations of two key transition skills: self-efficacy (also referred to as ‘self-belief’ in these resources) and critical self-reflection.
The ‘Avoiding and overcoming setbacks’ activity encourages students to work through up to eight scenarios, perhaps working in small groups, with four prompt questions for each scenario.
The ‘Mindset student activity’ encourages students to reflect on the relationship between mindset and learning, and in particular the difference between fixed and growth mindset.
The ‘Mindset card sort activity’ is a hands-on way of getting students to think more about fixed and growth mindset.
The ‘Establishing and achieving my goals’ worksheet encourages students to reflect on what they wish to achieve in various areas of their lives, how long it might take to achieve these goals, and barriers to achieving them. It also contains
tips on how to increase motivation using inspirational quotes and affirmations. Finally, it introduces the concept of a vision board.
A shorter version is also available that focuses on goals.
The baseline time tracker is designed to give students a better sense of how they spend their time, while the time management grid encourages students to reflect on the relative urgency and importance of tasks.
The following are designed to work as complete sessions. For each skill, there is a PowerPoint slide deck with explanatory notes, and accompanying handouts. The handouts can form the basis of in-session activities, or can be given to students to take away, depending on the time available.
The worksheets are designed to encourage self-reflection in relation to students’ learning experience. Keeping a journal of things that worked well, things that worked less well, and barriers to their learning can help them gain insights into how they learn most effectively.
This session also includes a reading exercise designed to encourage students to think about levels of reflectiveness in writing.
The ‘Establishing and achieving my goals’ worksheet encourages students to reflect on what they wish to achieve in various areas of their lives, how long it might take to achieve these goals, and barriers to achieving them. It also contains tips on how to increase motivation using inspirational quotes and affirmations. Finally, it introduces the concept of a vision board.
The baseline time tracker is designed to give students a better sense of how they spend their time, while the time management grid encourages them to reflect on the relative urgency and importance of tasks.
These worksheets are designed to encourage self-reflection in relation to your learning experience. Keeping a journal of things that worked well, things that worked less well, and barriers to your learning can help you gain insights into how you learn most effectively.
These worksheets are designed to help you assess and develop your self-belief.
The ‘Establishing and achieving my goals’ worksheet encourages you to reflect on what you wish to achieve in various areas of your life, how long it might take to achieve these goals, and barriers to achieving them. It also contains tips on how to increase motivation using inspirational quotes and affirmations. Finally, it introduces the concept of a vision board.
A shorter version is also available that focuses on goals.
The baseline time tracker is designed to give you a better sense of how you spend your time, while the time management grid encourages you to reflect on the relative urgency and importance of tasks.
The following leaflets are designed to introduce the basic concepts of three key skills, and to signpost students to further information. These can be customised as necessary.
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