Scaffolding students' transition to higher education: parallel introductory courses for students and teachers

Abstract

The aim of this article was to outline the basis for an introductory course to higher education focusing on students' approaches to learning and the role of teaching in higher education. The framework is a discussion on contemporary literature on approaches to learning. In the article experiences are also reported of developing and implementing an introductory course at the Sahlgrenska Academy, Göteborg University, Sweden. This was made within the LearnAble project, which was a two‐tier approach in which students were given an introductory course to higher education parallel with a course in pedagogy in higher education for teachers. The courses were evaluated with different instruments, which is also to some extent accounted for. The transition from upper secondary school to studies in higher education is discussed, as is the importance of a scholarship of teaching in the context of the courses mentioned above. In this article the authors argue that a well‐planned and stimulating introduction to higher education could be a natural part of the transition process, which can help students develop better prerequisites to manage their studies in higher education.

Keywords:

• higher education
• lifelong learning
• transitional programs
• tutor training

The study was supported by a grant from the Council for the Renewal of Higher Education, Sweden.