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Professor Sarah O' Shea

Selected Works

2012

Ustart

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Education

Ustart: A Peer-Designed And Led Orientation Initiative, Sarah O'Shea Sep 2012

Ustart: A Peer-Designed And Led Orientation Initiative, Sarah O'Shea

Professor Sarah O' Shea

To reduce student isolation in the university (ACER, 2010; James, Krause, & Jennings, 2010) and increase student engagement with the campus, faculty, staff, and peers, the University of Wollongong (UOW) adopted a new one-day, orientation initiative. Modeled after the successful UniStart program developed at the University of Newcastle, Wollongong’s UStart@UOW program is wholly designed, developed, and facilitated by students and is based on the premise that enrolled students play a vital role in welcoming and immersing new students into the university culture. By grounding the content of the program firmly within current student experience, the emphasis is on the skills …


Ustart@Uow And Ustart2@Uow: A Comprehensive Approach To Supporting Commencing Students From Low Socio-Economic Backgrounds, Sarah O'Shea, Pauline Lysaght, Yvonne Kerr May 2012

Ustart@Uow And Ustart2@Uow: A Comprehensive Approach To Supporting Commencing Students From Low Socio-Economic Backgrounds, Sarah O'Shea, Pauline Lysaght, Yvonne Kerr

Professor Sarah O' Shea

Students from low socio-economic backgrounds as well as those who are the first in family to attend university often report feeling that they don’t ‘belong’ at university (James, Krause & Jennings, 2010; O’Shea, 2008). The isolation they sometimes experience may be exacerbated when families are unable to provide personal support through a basic lack of knowledge and understanding of university life. This nuts and bolts session explores two initiatives introduced at the University of Wollongong to support commencing students from low socio-economic backgrounds and to provide information for their families. The session will provide details about how this framework was …