Initiative to help students settle in

By Jimmy Woulfe, Mid-West Correspondent

Tuesday, September 07, 2010

A SETTLING-IN programme was launched yesterday for new first-year students starting courses at the University of Limerick (UL).

The First Seven Weeks’ orientation programme is designed to provide strong, enhanced and targeted support to students during the very early weeks of their time at UL.

The programme was developed as a result of research carried out by the UL centre for teaching and learning, which has shown that this first seven weeks time period is crucial for new students to be introduced to and become familiar with the facilities, services, support systems, and opportunities that are available to them on campus.

Each of the first seven weeks has its own theme, designed to focus students’ attention on various issues that are important for settling in and thriving as a higher education student.

Professor Sarah Moore, associate vice president academic at UL, said: "Research has shown us that incoming students who do not engage with certain aspects of university life in their first number of weeks on campus are unlikely to do so throughout their time at university.

"With this programme we are recognising that successful early adjustment is linked to subsequent success."

Central to the initiative is a Facebook page www.facebook.com/first7-weeks which provides a direct link to incoming students.

This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Tuesday, September 07, 2010