Transitioning to a positive and sustained post-school destination

Created by The University of Stirling School of Nursing, the aim of the Pre-nursing Scholarship (PNS) was to provide health care experience for pupils in secondary education from remote and rural areas of the Highlands and Western Isles of Scotland. The impact of this scholarship was then assessed to find out if it had an impact on school pupils who were considering a career in nursing.

Initial evaluation of the two-year PNS pilot found that immediately after participation in the PNS there was an increase in the percentage of pupils who indicated that they ‘definitely’ wanted to pursue a nursing career. Most pupils also strongly agreed that the PNS had put them in a ‘better position’ to decide whether nursing was right for them.

Going forward, it is important to understand whether and how the PNS aided school pupils’ decision-making and transition into post-school destinations, and their perceptions of whether involvement in the PNS prepared them for entry to education or employment, as a student nurse or in another discipline or career. Understanding this long-term effect will aid the future development of the PNS and its adaptation by other Schools of Nursing.

For more: see the information on the right-hand side.

Transitions from workplace to academic study; facilitating criticality in masters level professional learning

The Professional Education and Leadership team in the Faculty of Social Sciences delivers a successful masters programme aimed at supporting the professional development of qualified teachers. The defining quality of such learning is often said to be criticality, but we know from our experience and from research, that nurturing the development of criticality is very difficult. The aim of this project was, therefore, to develop a masters module explicitly aimed at developing the criticality of qualified teachers for academic learning and professional practice.

The new module is based on the widely accepted idea that collegiality is a key aspect of teachers’ professional development. This can be achieved through engagement with a range of colleagues within the scholarly environment of the university, which encourages the questioning of received norms and gives rise to new and enhanced understandings and practices.

For more: see the information on the right-hand side.

Going Global

We take part in the International Student Barometer (ISB) survey which tracks and compares the experience of international students with an academic institution from application to graduation. In the last survey, students from 196 academic institutions across the globe, including 42 from the UK, took part. At The University of Stirling, we’re committed to providing as warm and supportive a welcome as we can to our international students. That’s why we’re delighted that the ISB survey ranked us first in Scotland for the welcome we provide to our international students.

We have used the invaluable information from the ISB survey to identify where we are getting things right and take action where there is room for improvement. Our unique, beautiful campus was ranked first in the UK for the environment it provides. However, some issues around the quality and cost of accommodation were identified and the University now has an improvement action plan to address them.

For more: see the information on the right-hand side.

Come on in

Come on in is designed to ease the transition of new students into life at the University. The project focuses on the different challenges faced by students coming from school or college, advanced entry and access courses, those taking part in an international exchange programme or those starting a postgraduate qualification. We spoke to new students from each of the different groups to find out about their experiences and to ask how the University and Stirling Students’ Union can do more to help ease the transition into student life.

The key finding of the project emphasises the different needs of students depending on the route they have taken to study at the University. School and college leavers, exchange students and postgraduate students all have different requirements and we’re committed to providing the tailored transitioning support they need.

For more: take a look at our video to hear the students’ own experiences and what they think will help others make the best start at Stirling.