First-year students are often unprepared to shift from structured teacher-centred learning within the school environment to independent university learning. Self-directed learning (SDL) is a significant factor that can contribute to a positive transition to higher education. This study explores the factors influencing first-year students' academic achievements and setbacks as they navigate self-directed learning during their first six weeks at university. Tinto’s (1988) Model of Transitioning is the theoretical lens and analytical tool used. One hundred and fifty-eight first-year students were purposively selected. Data were collected using open ended questionnaires. Responses were categorised by means of an emergent and a priori thematic analysis. The overall findings indicate that participants identified social, psychological and academic factors that positively influenced their ability to self-direct their learning. Participants highlighted determination as the primary positive factor and fear as the primary barrier that impacted their ability to self-direct their learning during their transition to university. The study recommends that university management and academic staff should prioritise psychological support and social connections in the development of first-year teaching and learning activities to enhance students’ ability to self-direct their learning.
This study provides rare insight into postgraduate taught (PGT) students’ motivations for entering university by capturing views before arrival rather than after enrolment. Drawing on responses collected in the weeks prior to course commencement, it presents a large-scale pre-arrival qualitative analysis across disciplines. More than 1,300 incoming PGT students from 12 schools at a United Kingdom (UK) university completed a survey that intentionally incorporated a self-reflective qualitative component including an open-ended motivation question. Data were analysed inductively and interpreted through Self-Determination Theory, examining autonomy, competence, and relatedness needs. Four themes emerged: Career and Employability Aspirations, Passion and Interest for Subject, Personal Growth and Independence, and Social Engagement and Connection. Although career motives predominated, they commonly coexisted with intrinsic interests and developmental aspirations. Findings show students begin PGT study with overlapping motivations combining career ambition, economic security, academic curiosity, and intellectual growth. Highlighting motivations pre-arrival, the study informs institutional strategies to support autonomy, confidence, and meaningful connection from the outset.
As student wellbeing concerns rise in higher education, understanding how students make meaning of their experiences may offer insight into their approaches to learning. This multistage mixed-methods study, combining explanatory sequential and convergent components, investigated how university students’ narrative identity provides insight into their learning dispositions (motivation, engagement, and metacognitive self-regulation). Cluster analysis (N = 485) identified three dispositional profiles that differed significantly across all dimensions, with the exception of anxiety, on which two of the profiles did not differ. Thematic analysis (N = 26) revealed how challenges (mental health, identity struggles, lack of support) and positive reinforcements (adaptive attitudes, supportive relationships, role models) shaped students’ approaches to learning. Multinomial logistic regression showed that narrative identity variables significantly improved the prediction of dispositional profiles beyond demographic and academic indicators. Findings support a dynamic view of learning dispositions as shaped through personal meaning-making, with implications for narrative-informed student support in higher education.
This year, 2026, has seen an unprecedented number of excellent submissions to Student Success of both research articles and practice reports. Issue 3 for this year is therefore being published earlier in the year than usual, leaving open the possibility of a fourth Student Success issue later this year. This issue contains 15 international papers – 12 research articles and 3 practice reports which highlight research and practice from the United Kingdom (UK), Oman, Japan, South Africa, Vietnam, India, Chile, Morocco, Thailand, New Zealand and Australia. We are delighted that the articles and practice reports published in this issue reinforce our understanding that student success depends on far more than academic achievement alone. Across diverse international contexts, the contributions highlight the importance of effective transition support, student engagement, wellbeing, belonging, and culturally responsive institutional practices. Together, they demonstrate how proactive support, inclusive learning environments, and student-centred approaches can enhance outcomes for increasingly diverse student populations, including underrepresented, international, and Indigenous students.
Student well-being is increasingly central to student engagement, belonging and success in higher education. Yet many students do not readily approach counselling or psychological services, especially when concerns are emerging or associated with stigma. This practice report describes and reflects on “SWU Heal Jai with Love,” a three-day interactive self-compassion exhibition at Srinakharinwirot University, Thailand. Designed as a low-threshold well-being initiative, the exhibition translated self-compassion, mindfulness, coping, grounding, brief counselling and future-oriented reflection into seven interactive stations. The report draws on programme documentation and post-activity evaluation data from 181 respondents among 197 participants. Findings show positive participant perceptions, particularly regarding enjoyment, relaxation, usefulness, convenience and overall satisfaction. Suggestions highlighted areas for improvement including continuity, publicity, flexible scheduling, quiet spaces and stronger links to professional support. The study does not claim clinical or sustained psychological impact. Instead, it offers transferable design principles for embedding approachable well-being support within the campus-based student experience.
Reflective learning is widely recognised as a key contributor to student success in higher education, particularly in experiential disciplines such as entrepreneurship education. This single-case study explored Vietnamese undergraduate students’ experiences with generative AI-assisted reflective prompts based on Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle (1988) in an entrepreneurship course at a private university in Vietnam (n = 25). Data were collected through 112 reflection journal entries, pre- and post-intervention surveys, and eight semi-structured interviews. Findings revealed that structured prompts using accessible generative AI tools helped students achieve deeper critical reflection, reduced psychological barriers to reflective writing, and increased engagement and self-efficacy. Challenges including generic AI feedback and concerns about authenticity and over-reliance were also identified. The study suggests that thoughtfully integrated generative AI can serve as a scalable, low-cost scaffold to enhance reflective practice in large-class, resource-constrained environments, with transferable implications for educators in entrepreneurship and other project-based courses.
This study explores the perspectives of Indigenous Australian students on the marketing and communication materials of higher education institutions, highlighting their crucial role in attracting Indigenous students and revealing a lack of authentic engagement with Indigenous voices. While outreach and enabling programs have boosted participation, a significant gap remains in research on marketing and communication strategies that resonate with Indigenous students. This is especially relevant in the context of the Universities Australia Indigenous Strategy 2022–25 and the Australian Universities Accord, which aim to enhance Indigenous participation. Drawing on three yarning sessions with 15 students, this research identifies a disconnect between institutional marketing and Indigenous students’ lived experiences. Key shortcomings include generic content, difficult-to-navigate information, and the exclusion of Indigenous perspectives. Students call for authentic representation, inclusive messaging that reflects their identities, aspirations, and lived experiences. The findings emphasise the need for culturally informed, creative communication and practical strategies beyond one-size-fits-all marketing.
Continuity after first contact is a practical challenge for university student support services, particularly during the first-year transition. This practice report documents the development phase of a service improvement initiative in a Moroccan public university science faculty. Fully de-identified routine records from 240 first-year students were reviewed to identify how existing documentation limited interpretation of continuity after initial contact. Only 25 students (10.4%) had at least one subsequent recorded contact, and the archive did not show whether further contact had been intended. Recorded continuity varied most clearly by gender and age at first contact. The review informed a five-part, low-burden pathway: clarify the agreed next step, make the route back visible, offer consent-based check-ins, add minimal continuity fields, and review aggregate patterns. Designed for phased introduction through existing forms and communication practices, the pathway is intended to improve process clarity and generate interpretable service information without requiring resource-intensive case management systems.
Many first-year students discontinue their studies, creating a concerning challenge for institutions, especially those with widening participation policies. Chilean higher education provides a case study for understanding the first-year experience (FYE) in a widening participation context and rapidly expanding university sector. This study examined the experiences of 179 first-year undergraduate students from two universities in Chile and explored FYE factors influencing students' intentions to discontinue their studies through quantitative survey data. Findings show low sense of belonging and high stress associated with managing academic demands influenced students’ intentions to discontinue their studies. There were no differences between first- and continuing-generation students in their intentions to discontinue. Equity program participants reported significantly higher stress levels and were more likely to consider discontinuing their studies. These findings reinforce the need to support students’ sense of belonging to their universities and management of academic demands to encourage their persistence in university.
Higher education institutions are increasingly data-rich yet insight-poor, with learning analytics often experienced by academics as difficult to interpret and disconnected from everyday teaching practice. Transition pedagogy emphasises that intentional inclusive practice relies on educators having a clear, evidence-based understanding of their student cohorts, yet such visibility is rarely available at subject level. This paper reflects on the design, development, and sustained use of an institution-wide subject dashboard that makes cohort-level diversity, enrolment patterns, and longitudinal performance data visible and usable for subject coordinators. Co-designed with academics and grounded in human-centred design, learning analytics, and the Technology Acceptance Model, the dashboard supports sensemaking rather than reporting. Survey evidence and case examples illustrate how cohort visibility has informed reflective curriculum design, supported student transitions, and enabled inclusive teaching decisions, while also identifying challenges and future directions for institutions seeking meaningful pedagogical impact from analytics.
This good practice report outlines findings from the recently completed National FEE‑FREE Uni Ready (FFUR) Project (2026) to share the work and recommendations on FFUR policy settings and principles. Together, these aim to strengthen transitions into higher education for underrepresented cohorts. We focus on introducing the Best Practice Guide and FFUR Framework elements, highlighting the importance of place-based and cohort-tailored contextualisation. We outline key elements of the taxonomy of FFUR offerings, common learning outcomes, and governance guidelines that collectively enable portability, quality, and equity. We contextualise FFUR offerings within Australia’s evolving pathways ecosystem and show how the FFUR Framework can be adapted across place and tailored to specific cohorts. This good practice report contributes a practical architecture to both understand and operationalise equitable pathways, with scalable concepts and evaluation principles aligned to the Student Success conference theme of ‘Transitions: pathways to tertiary education’.
This paper presents findings from the Commencing Student Success Project (CSSP), conducted from 2021 to 2023 at the University of New England (UNE), a rural Australian university. The project examined pedagogical strategies that influence student engagement and retention among first-year students. The initiative involved 732 participants across six trimesters and identified five evidence-based strategies: flexible assessment submission portals, video explanations of assessments, clearly defined assessment rubrics, the provision of assessment exemplars, and consistent presentation within the learning management system. These strategies correspond with established theories in educational psychology and first-year pedagogy, which emphasise transparency, structure, and adaptability as essential for supporting students’ transition to higher education. Results indicate that formative assessment practices, particularly those that make academic expectations explicit and consider student diversity, were strong motivators for student engagement. The evidence-based approaches developed through the CSSP have proven transferable across institutions, with 20 Australian universities now implementing aspects of the program. The study concludes that incorporating student-identified engagement strategies provides a practical and cost-effective method for improving both student retention and satisfaction within higher education.
The 2021 National Student Safety Survey identifies libraries as one of the main places where sexual harassment occurs on campus. Yet little research has been undertaken into the nature, cause, and prevention of sexual harassment or disrespectful behaviour in Australian university libraries and informal learning spaces. This study aims to understand the experiences and perceptions of the University of Technology Sydney community on safety and disrespectful behaviour. Our research draws on physical, societal, and cultural ideas of safe spaces, examining how students interpret and regulate respectful and disrespectful behaviour in informal study spaces, and how these practices align with staff understandings of institutional prevention strategies. Drawing on interviews with students and staff, and student workshops to test and refine insights, we identify ‘reading the room’ as a dominant practice for students in understanding behavioural norms in informal learning environments. This paper discusses the insights gained and how these might impact and shape engagement in the prevention space on university campuses.
Over the past decade, universities have invested substantial resources in enhancing equity in higher education. First-year extended induction programs are the earliest opportunity for universities to level the playing field with resources and support across students from diverse backgrounds. Research suggests these programs generally help students thrive, but limited research investigates whether they create differential impacts for students from underrepresented groups. This study takes up this challenge drawing on attendance data for a first-year extended induction program and mapping it to student feelings of belonging, engagement, and academic self-confidence. We find that students from historically underrepresented backgrounds accrue the greatest benefit from attendance. However, there are differences across measures of belonging, engagement, and academic self-confidence that require further investigation. In general, the results suggest that first-year induction programs are an essential component of universities’ efforts to improve equity among students.
Early offer schemes have become increasingly popular in Australia, allowing school leavers to secure a place at university before final Year 12 exams. Motivations for universities to offer, and students to apply for, early offers are varied. Through analysis of applicants to science and health programs at a regional Australian university, this research investigates whether there is a role for early offer schemes in widening participation and attainment for equity students. The research also investigates whether students who enter through early offer schemes differ from the rest of the cohort in terms of academic success, and the impact of early offer criteria. The analysis found that a high proportion of equity students use early entry schemes, and that their attainment, measured by first year success and retention, is on par with the rest of their cohort. Benefits of early offer schemes were found to outweigh any perceived or actual disadvantages.
Globally, widening participation agendas outline ambitious goals to increase student enrolments, with an associated increase in student diversity. Part-time study intersects with all equity groups. However, students who study part time have lower success and retention than their full-time peers. The aim of this study is to identify challenges contributing to this disparity and to determine enablers of part-time student success. A mixed methods research approach was used, including Australian public university sector data and a national survey completed by 965 part-time students from 35 Australian universities. In 2024, 35% of Australian domestic university students were enrolled to study part time and the average success rate was seven percentage points lower than for full-time students. The most common reason for studying part time was the need to work. Part-time students valued quality learning and teaching to help with success, including engaging and inspiring teaching, an easy to navigate learning management system (LMS), and recorded lectures.
Academic writing is essential for success in higher education, yet many tertiary English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students face persistent difficulties with organization, coherence and cohesion, academic vocabulary, and referencing conventions. Although feedback is widely recognized as important for writing development, less is known about how integrated feedback practices operate across real classroom contexts over time. This study examined the relationship between structured feedback practices based on feed-up, feedback, and feed-forward and tertiary EFL students’ academic writing development in English composition courses at a private higher education institution in Oman. Using a descriptive‑comparative classroom‑based design, the study drew on data from 200 students enrolled in ENG 101 and ENG 102 during the 2024–2025 academic year. Students were grouped according to the feedback approach used in their classes: conventional end‑point feedback or structured feedback applied across the semester. Data were collected through pre‑semester and post‑semester feedback questionnaires and group‑level academic writing performance records, including continuous assessment, final writing examination scores, and analytic writing sub‑skills. The findings showed clear descriptive differences between the two groups. Students exposed to structured feedback reported more positive feedback perceptions and displayed stronger overall patterns of writing development across both holistic and analytic measures than those who received conventional feedback. Although the study does not establish causality, it provides classroom‑based evidence that structured feedback may offer a more development‑oriented alternative to conventional feedback practices in tertiary EFL writing contexts.
Psychological wellbeing plays a critical role in students’ success in tertiary education, yet many students experiencing distress do not engage with formal support systems. This study examines psychological distress and perceived support need among 6,300 undergraduate students in a Vietnamese university using a cross-sectional survey. More than half of students reported moderate-to-high distress, while only a small proportion expressed a direct need for counseling. However, supplementary indicators showed that many students reported difficulty coping without support and were willing to seek help under appropriate conditions. Structural equation modeling indicated a significant but modest relationship between distress and perceived support need. These findings suggest a mismatch between distress, support recognition, and service engagement. The study highlights the importance of proactive, context-sensitive institutional strategies to support student wellbeing and success.
There is a national imperative to Indigenise the university curriculum, with Universities Australia (2023) recognising the inherent value of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge systems. Indigenising the curriculum supports Indigenous students to see themselves reflected in the curriculum and enables non‑Indigenous students to engage with Indigenous histories, cultures and societies. While many non‑Indigenous academics are keen to embed Indigenous perspectives, this work is often perceived as challenging in disciplines where such perspectives may not appear an obvious fit. Building on our leadership in this area, this practice report examines findings from a University of Queensland Teaching Innovation funded project that developed and piloted Indigenised teaching and learning activities across six courses in biomedical science, musicology, geography, veterinary science, general science and engineering. Undertaken in collaboration with an Indigenous reference group, the project highlights examples of changes made along with the challenges and benefits of this interdisciplinary, collaborative approach. We include key lessons to inform Indigenising curriculum practices across universities nationally.
Australian higher education equity policy has traditionally relied on demographic indicators to identify students at risk. While these classifications remain essential for addressing structural disadvantage, they may obscure variation in how students experience university. Using a person-centred Latent Class Analysis (LCA), this study examined multidimensional patterns of underlying student experience and their associations with intention to leave and academic performance. Drawing on nationally representative data from the Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) Student Experience Survey (SES) from 2019 to 2022 (approximately 230,000 domestic undergraduate students), five latent classes were identified, characterised by distinct configurations of belonging, engagement, institutional support, satisfaction, and external pressures. These classes were stable across survey years and formed a clear hierarchy of risk. Students in the “Disengaged” and “Engaged but under-supported” classes consistently showed the highest likelihood of considering leaving university or reporting a fail grade, whereas those in the “Happy overall” class demonstrated the lowest risk. Each equity group contained a heterogeneous mix of experience classes. Findings suggest that experience-based approaches can complement existing equity frameworks by enabling more nuanced identification of student vulnerability.
