First year student perspectives on their early study experiences of tutor support and teaching: Insight from seven cross-faculty focus-groups

Student engagement, satisfaction and perseverance in the early stages of a higher education learning course is critical for successful retention and progression. Distance learners encounter additional challenges as they reconcile their expectations, needs and backgrounds with the model and teaching provided by their university. This study reports insight from seven focus groups conducted at The Open University, UK with first year students (<i>n</i>=20) representing all faculties, and a range of backgrounds and early student experiences. The research identifies and examines multiple points of friction and difficulty encountered by new students as they start studying and reports some very rich, personal stories about positive and negative study experiences. Five core themes are discussed: tutor-student engagement, beyond class engagement, peer engagement, academic engagement and engaging learning, and assessment design. Findings include: the quality of the student-tutor relationship matters to many students and can impact on their feelings towards and level of engagement in the module; some students will reciprocate efforts made by the tutor to engage with them with making greater efforts in their studies; the quality of tutor support varies and students are increasingly becoming aware of others’ experiences; barriers to academic engagement are not only found with students who may be struggling academically; and many students would really appreciate more peer interaction such as opportunities within and beyond scheduled tutorial time to talk, study, and even meet with other students. This final point emerged as one of the most recurring themes in the study. In addition to the five themes discussed, cross-cutting themes relating to emotional transition and transition skills were noted and these could be promising areas to investigate further. Seven recommendations focus on strategies for social opportunities and engagement, dialogue and dialogic feedback practices, and broadening understanding of new students.