Threshold concept-based transition pedagogy in pathway programs supporting students' transition into allied health degrees

Student numbers continue to rise in higher education worldwide. As a result, increasing numbers of students entering first-year university are under-prepared for the significant challenges of post-school study, particularly students who have traditionally been under-represented in the higher education context. Universities have addressed this by developing sophisticated strategies to tackle retention and attrition rates. In an Australian context, however, it is not clear if attempts by universities to address attrition rates have succeeded as recent numbers indicate that rates continue to rise. This rise in attrition is a multi-dimensional global phenomenon. Students' transition to university is an indication for the successful completion of a degree. The College, at Western Sydney University, provides pathway programs for students who enter with low high school scores. These pathway students' transition into Allied Health university degrees. Transition pedagogy can support these students in the successful and sustainable transition to university. Transition pedagogy represents a curriculum-mediated approach intentionally designed to address the phase of 'transition'.