Led by Michelle Morgan @it_se

We need to look forward and not back

The value of a pre-arrival academic questionnaire (PAQ) in understanding prior learning experiences, concerns and expectations on entry in providing support guidance and advice for our increasingly diverse student body.

Entire committee cycles are focussed on “review” – look back, synthesise, tweak, repeat. The National Student Survey invites students to look back on their time at university. The end of and even mid-module review asks students to reflect on what happened in the recent past.

However, as a sector,  we need to move the focus from understanding student “outcomes” (e.g. NSS) to understanding “prior learning experience, expectations and concerns on entry”. This can be achieved by undertaking a pre-arrival academic questionnaire (PAQ) to help provide the right support on entry. If we can lay stable foundations and building blocks for our students then we are better placed to improve their experience as well as their progression and success throughout the study lifecycle. If we get that right, then the all-important metrics that we are weighed, measured and judged by should also improve. 

I  have designed and undertaken numerous pre-arrival and entry-to-study questionnaires at undergraduate and postgraduate levels over the years, with the most recent being a three-university report looking specifically at Prior learning experience, study expectations of A-Level and BTEC students on entry to university This report has been submitted as part of the National Curriculum and Assessment Review.

What would you do if you knew the following?
A Pre-arrival Academic Questionnaire can be a powerful tool in changing the assumptions of staff and university leaders regarding understanding the needs and expectations of incoming students. As a sector, student diversity has increased, and we need to be much more aware of the impact student characteristics can have on their engagement, behaviours, progression and success. 

So if……….

• Your course teams knew that the top two learning resources at school for incoming undergraduate students were handwritten notes and a course textbook; even during COVID-19, when teaching went online, how would the first few weeks of teaching be adapted in introducing them to online learning resources? The core business of a university and the primary activity for a student is learning. So it is perplexing that understanding the prior learning experiences is such a neglected practice across the sector.

So if……….

• Colleagues knew that the top priorities for new undergraduate and postgraduate taught students were academic life, balancing study, work and life demands, and mental health, and that social activities and joining clubs and societies were at the bottom of their list, how could these be incorporated into the course/curriculum as we know they help with creating a sense of belonging and mattering?

The delivery and use of PAQ data
I have delivered the PAQ centrally, at course level, with and without student IDs. The best collection method is an anonymous questionnaire completed as a course-based pre-arrival academic activity. This helps with engagement and completion by incoming students as they know they cannot be identified, as does the promise that the headline findings will be fed back to them with support and advice four weeks into their studies through videos and an interactive digital App. Departments get their basic frequencies within one week of the survey closing along with headline findings.

The PAQ has evolved over numerous years and has been developed with students. It takes students through six reflective sections, starting with their prior learning experiences, concerns about entry, how they expect to study at university, their strengths and weaknesses and university study outcomes. 

Examples of areas explored include:

• What support do they expect to use, and what support do they feel would be helpful to them?
• How are they used to studying?
• How do they expect to study at university?
• What do they understand by the term ‘feedback’, and how are they used to receive it?
• What concerns (if any) do they have?
• What do they see as their main study strengths?
• How are they used to being assessed, and what is their preferred assessment method?
• What skills do they hope to obtain, and what do they wish to do after graduation?

What is done with the PAQ?
The information gleaned from the PAQ helps inform every area of a university’s work, from Access and Participation Plans to recruitment, orientation, reorientation and outduction activities, designing learning, teaching and assessment practices, developing mental health and wellbeing support, and evolving policy. The PAQ also has numerous other benefits.

For the incoming student, asking appropriate and targeted questions can effectively kick-start the university learning process and get students to reflect on prior and expected learning behaviour. This can be especially helpful after a long summer vacation or lengthy break from study.

The findings can also help students a few weeks in when some experience a wobble and start questioning whether university is right for them. By highlighting some of the anxiety levels and concerns of new students along with signposting to relevant support services to help reduce them, it not only provides targeted and practical advice for this specific cohort but also helps entrants realise that they may not be alone in feeling worried or concerned. Importantly, they can see that their responses are being used for their learning benefit and not merely to improve university processes.

For the department or faculty, the findings can enable course leaders and academic advisors to be proactive in identifying and bridging any concerns about study skills and skill gaps. Central services providing learning support can use the information to effectively tailor their provision based on identified student needs. For example, this can include dedicated support or early intervention mechanisms for mature or BTEC students.

Understanding incoming students’ perceptions of how they are expecting to learn enables marketing departments to provide targeted course advice in their publications to help correct any misunderstandings of what is expected. This helps manage expectations and, in turn, satisfaction levels.

Lastly, it can stop assumptions being made about the knowledge and experience of incoming students across all levels of study, and it stops merely lifting shifting support appropriate for one level automatically to another.

A national survey
If these types of pre-arrival and entry questionnaires were undertaken nationally, such as the National Student Survey (NSS) and the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES), results could inform policymaking at a national level. For example, universities could compare their pre-entry/entry expectations data with NSS/PTES results. This would enable institutions to understand how their interaction with students and the development of targeted support initiatives have impacted the student experience on entry through to completion. Importantly, it would also enable the sector to understand different incoming student support requirements based on student characteristics, institution, region, and mission group. 

If we understand the expectations, concerns, and anxieties of incoming students at the front end of their studies, then we are better placed to improve not only their overall student experience but also student retention, progression, and attainment. 

The LTHE chat on Wednesday, 18th December 2024, will pose six questions based on PAQ findings to explore with colleagues what they would do in bridging the study journey into higher education at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Join us and tell us what you would do if you knew these findings about your student body.

Pre-arrival Academic Questionnaire reports

Morgan.M. (2023) Prior learning experience, study expectations of A-Level and BTEC students on entry to university and the impact of Covid19 | London: University of East London

Morgan, M. (2020a) Financial concerns and working intentions of incoming Level 4 students -The potential implications for applicants and students in 2020/21 due to Covid19. Available online at: https://www.improvingthestudentexperience.com/library/covid19/Financial_concerns_and_working_intentions_of_incoming_Level_4_university_students-_implications_of_C19.pdf

Morgan, M. (2020b) Bridging the gap between secondary and tertiary education. Available online at: https://www.improvingthestudentexperience.com/library/UG_documents/Bridging_the_gap_between_secondary_and_tertiary_education-Morgan_2020.pdfdf

Morgan, M. and Direito, I. (2016) Widening and sustaining postgraduate taught (PGT) STEM study in the UK: a collaborative project. Creating change through understanding expectations and attitudes towards PGT study, experiences and post-study outcomes from the perspective of applicants, students, universities and employers. Available at: https://www.improvingthestudentexperience.com/library/PG_documents/Postgraduate_Experience_Report_Final.pdf

Creator and author of https://www.improvingthestudentexperience.com/

Editor/Chapter and Case Study Author of Improving the Student Experience- a practical guide (published by Routledge 2011)

 Editor/Chapter and Case Study Author of  Supporting Student Diversity in Higher Education- a practical guide (published by Routledge 2013).

Author Biography

Dr Michelle Morgan is Dean of Students at the University of East London. She was previously associate professor and associate dean of the student experience at Bournemouth University. Michelle is extensively published in the area of supporting student diversity and improving the student learning experience at undergraduate and postgraduate taught levels in, through and out of the student study journey. Her two edited books, which revolve around her Student Experience Transitions Model (SET), are designed to help academic and professional service colleagues support students. She has developed a free portal for staff which provides a range of information and links for anyone interested in improving the student experience in higher education www.improvingthestudentexperience.com 

During her career, Michelle has been a faculty manager, lecturer, researcher and academic manager. She describes herself as a ‘Third Space Professional’ student experience practitioner who develops initiatives based on pragmatic and practical research. Michelle has over 50 publications and has presented over 100 national and international conference papers (including 53 keynotes and 35 invited papers). She co-wrote and co-presented a 5 part Radio series for BBC China in 2011 on the student learning experience. Michelle was the creator and PI/Project Lead of an innovative, £2.7 million, 11-university collaborative HEFCE grant, looking at the study expectations and attitudes of postgraduate taught (PGT) students. The project report received praise from across the sector, including UKCGE, OFFA, the HEA and the Engineering Professor’s Council. Michelle is a Principal Fellow of the HEA, Fellow of the AUA, an elected council member of UKCGE. She is an NTF Reviewer and Student Minds Mental Health Charter Assessor. She was awarded the EFYE Leader/Champion Award and SRHE Contribution to the Field Accolade in 2024.

You can learn more about Michelle on LinkedIn or talk with her on Twitter / X @it_se or by email mail to mgmorgan8@hotmail.com