The first year experience : a comparison of institutional led approaches to the orientation and engagement of first year students in higher education

Abstract: In the last decade increasing attention has been drawn to the successful orientation and engagement of first year students in higher education in Australia. Such attention has been influenced in part by growing concern with increasing student attrition across universities nationally. This concern has been shared internationally, with significant research being undertaken in the U.K. to determine cogent methods for engaging first year students in higher education. This paper reports on the work currently undertaken at Griffith University, Australia and four institutions based in the U.K., with a focus on institution-led approaches to the first year experience. Each institution’s method of engaging and attending to the diverse needs of the first year cohort is discussed with a primary focus on common trends across each institution. First year student engagement data drawn from Griffith University is presented to lend support to the various initiatives examined.