A student's direct experience is used to explore the hypothesis that student problems may be associated with lack of exposure to appropriate discourse. I became a student again to find out about discourses that students encounter. Literature associated with student experience is reviewed from two perspectives: phenomenography and sociocultural theory. A critique of the former highlights the pervasive deep/surface/strategicd istinction with respect to approaches to learning and suggeststh at there may be alternative descriptions that take more account of students' responsesto discourse. While phenomenography offers some valuable observations on variation, the emphasis on outcomes and student predilections may mask some other important aspects of student experience. Sociocultural theory offers more reference points, at individual, social and cultural levels of analysis. I took an HNC and then a university module in Mechanical Engineering and used a reflective journal to record "what a student notices". I used this to produce "thick descriptions" of what was happening - that is, descriptions that took account of the sociocultural context and also of my own intentions and internalised , responses to the discourse. I explored exposure and barriers to four kinds of discourse: engineering, pedagogic, institutional and social. I then reviewed evidence for progress with the discourse. The thesis contributes insights into the many actions that a student undertakes in an attempt to engage in the activities of tertiary level education. A number of tensions and contradictions in higher education from a student's perspective are highlighted in the study. For example, access to HE may exclude access to its discourses; "outcomes" are not necessarily what they appear to be; some assessmenmt ay say more about a student's potential than about what they can do unaided. To succeed, students need a good deal of exposure to appropriate discourse practices as well as time to assimilate them.

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The thesis explores a series of interrogatory themes in relation to the repositioning of the student in four key policy areas, drawing on multiple methods of data collection and utilising practice theory to understand interpretations of and responses to policy at different levels of the 'implementation staircase' (Saunders 1986). By reconceptualising the implementation staircase model so that it synthesises the notion of praxis with the process of policy development, implementation and adaptation, I demonstrate how different groups of practitioners actively shape the process through their own distinctive agendas, meanings and values. The research illustrates that policy makers and university managers think of students as individuals who make a significant investment, in terms of both time and money, in their employability and future careers. The needs and expectations of students are therefore central considerations in both policy and strategy praxis. Quality assurance policy and strategy provide a regulatory framework which aims to boost market confidence in the quality of teaching in higher education, while quality enhancement is intertwined with wider debates about employability and student satisfaction. The publication of detailed information on student satisfaction serves as a form of normative power that provides insight into the outcomes of improvements in academic practice. Most notably, top-up fees have given added salience to the notion of the competitive market for fee paying students. Academics also think of students as individuals who make a significant investment in their employability and future careers. However, while the aims of student-focused policy and strategy are not in themselves perceived as a threat by academics, there are concerns among this group of practitioners about the loss of academic autonomy. The findings suggest that consumerist frameworks in higher education may deter innovation in teaching and assessment if fee paying students respond negatively to changes in academic practice. The publication of teaching quality information and student satisfaction data represents a threat to the reputations of individual academics and academic units, and student satisfaction policy presents a further challenge to the dominant role of academics in the relationship between expert and learner. Additionally, there is evidence that student recruitment policy has contributed to the intensification of working practices among academics, particularly when resources do not keep pace with increasing student numbers.

The present research aimed at identifying the sources of influence on undergraduate students' satisfaction and academic performance at university. Preliminary findings showed that students' experiences at university were characterised by the quality of academic and pastoral support available, the extent to which their degree programme equipped them with the skills to succeed in life beyond university, their relationship with peers and the quality of their social life, their perception of the workload, anxiety while meeting academic challenges and motivation to succeed at university. Students' satisfaction was determined by the extent to which they felt that they received a good quality of teaching and support for personal problems, happiness with the degree programme, good relations with peers, an opportunity to think creatively and independently about the subject being studied, availability of study materials and the acquisition of skills that made them employable. Academic performance was predicted by the extent to which they were motivated to do well on their course, their organisational skills while meeting deadlines and not feeling overloaded by the academic demands on their course. An absence of distractions such as extracurricular activities and events in one's personal life, a positive perception of one's own academic ability in relation to peers, perfectionism, enhanced focussed when stressed, experience of multiple choice exams and having members of family who had attended university all correlated positively with performance while a positive perception of Blackboard and working only hard enough to obtain the sought degree class correlated negatively with performance. Higher A-level grades and attendance at a Comprehensive school were also associated with better academic performance.

Student unions play a vital part in the life of universities. However, the student sabbatical officers who run student unions are offered limited training for their roles. Since the 2006 Charities Act required student unions to register as charities, and confirmed the sabbatical officers as charitable trustees, the need for suitable training has become urgent. This thesis examines the need for sabbatical officer training through the theoretical lenses of socialisation theory, situated learning, and communities of practice. A multi site case study of three student unions is presented, which clearly demonstrates the need for sabbatical officer training. After examining the case study, specific training needs are presented, and recommendations made for future training policy and practice.

Whilst research into the nature of the university student experience and transition to higher education is not new, since the 1990s academics, institutions and government have become increasingly preoccupied with enhancing the quality of the student experience in the context of widening participation, retention, student expectation and student satisfaction agendas. Recent government policy and sector initiatives also propose to put students and their experience 'at the heart of the system' and highlight the significance of the first year transitional experience in terms not only of establishing strong foundations for individual students' future academic success, but also with respect to institutions' perceived ability to meet and respond to student needs and expectations in an increasingly competitive higher education market-place. The current thesis presents findings of a small-scale empirical study undertaken in this context in a post-1992 higher education institution in the Midlands to capture student and academic perspectives of first year undergraduate transitional experiences. Drawing on the notion of 'interpretative repertoire' to organize empirical data gathered through individual participant interviews and a Student Experience Cafe, analysis leads to the proposition of a deficit model which highlights convergence and divergence in how transition is perceived and articulated by the different student and academic participant groups. This model is then further considered and explained through a Bourdieusian lens using, in particular, the key concepts of habitus, capital and field. A conceptualization of student transitional experiences is offered as part of a wider debate on the purpose of higher education and its capacity to empower (or disempower) the 'new' student, and argues tentatively for a re-thinking, if not a reconfiguration, of the academic field.

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No description available.