A good start equals a good stay: providing a positive induction experience

Universities are only too aware of the ways in which their student profiles are changing, however it remains a challenge for staff to identify how they should respond to the increasing diversity resulting from widening participation. This paper
aims to identify areas of the induction process that meets the needs of first year students in a pre and post 1992 higher education institutions, namely Brunel and
Middlesex. These two London based universities have good performance indicators for widening participation holding positions one and two in the list of institutions that have expanded full time undergraduate numbers in HEFCE (2001), and have both developed Access Agreements to recruit the brightest and most disadvantaged students in 2006. The universities are geographical competitors; therefore strategies
to attract and retain students are central to their existence. However, the universities represent different ends of the retention spectrum; one has a withdrawal rate of less
than 7% while the other has a rate of 15%. Nevertheless, both universities recognise that the initial induction process has a significant impact upon a student's perceptions
of the university and plays a vital role in a student's decision to either continue with their studies or withdraw as stated in their missions and visions. The current study reports on the collaborative findings of research during the first six weeks of the autumn term 2003. This paper reports on the joint findings of the students’ reflections on their induction experience with the particular emphasis on the students’ perception
of the purpose of induction, their satisfaction with the this period and gives suggestions on developing effective induction strategies. The results reveal that although the institutions are vastly different, they face similar problem issues. The
task of universities old and new is to recognise value and respond to these needs.