Issues of Teaching and Learning, 11(5)

Of course, a university experience is much more than just a training ground for employment. It is important that the quality of the student experience at the University of Western Australia continues to be enhanced. We want students to be engaged with the University not only in the classroom but also in sporting, cultural and social activities. Students should leave University with more than a degree. They should leave as well rounded individuals capable of mature and critical thinking with an eye to the future well being of society.

Professor Alan Robson, Vice-Chancellor, UWA
Parents’ Welcome (April 2005)

Student experience

The student experience – isn’t that what universities are all about? Why put special focus on it? But sometimes it does get lost in the debate about higher education. Recently the student experience has come back into focus – not least in the debate about voluntary student unionism. In this edition of ITL we focus on the student experience and have invited the UWA Language, Learning and Research Skills team in Student Services to raise some of the issues the team are presented with in their daily work with students. The team is Judy Skene, Lisa Cluett, Krystyna Haq, Siri Barrett-Lennard and Robyn Mayes. Natalie Hepburn, the President of the UWA Student Guild, has provided a student perspective

What's Inside ITL

• Student perspective

• Transition and the First Year Experience

• eLearning and learning support

• Developing researchers who’ll make a difference

• Postgraduate coursework students

• International students and transition

"It is important that students bring a certain ragamuffin, barefoot irreverence to their studies; they are not here to worship what is known, but to question it."

~Jacob Bronowski

The Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (CATL) invites reader response to its publication ITL. Responses advancing the scholarly debate of issues raised will be published in the Web version of that issue.