Higher Education Academy Pedagogies of Transition: Transition Hub (£10,000)

The goal is to develop a social hub tool – working title the “Transitions Hub”. This pilot project will focus on postgraduate taught (PGT) students at the R(D)SVS, and seeking to support their transition into and through postgraduate study.

The aims of this hub are to:
- provide welcome and support for pre-arrival postgraduate taught PGT students (transition to postgraduate study)
- develop transferable professional skills for current and new postgraduate students
- provide guidance and resources for current PGT students considering further study, e.g. PhD, and career development (transition beyond postgraduate taught study)
- increase networking and potential mentoring opportunities for current students (support for transition)
- increase opportunities for alumni to reconnect with the College, including the option to act as mentors

The project aims are therefore to:
- develop the Hub system, built using WordPress with a BuddyPress plug-in to provide a social network system, and outlined in further detail in the methodology
- pilot the system with PG Taught (PGT) students in the R(D)SVS in autumn 2015 as outlined in the methodology
- review and refine the system and resources in light of feedback from staff and students in preparation for extending access University-wide

The Hub will provide a social network to enhance the community connection between staff, current students and alumni through a mixture of discussion boards, individual and group blogs. This will include a central “newsfeed” blog, allowing staff and students to highlight topics of interest. It will provide opportunities for alumni and staff to share experiences of their work and research in diverse fields with current students. This will link closely with the supporting resources from the Institute for Academic Development (IAD) and Careers, designed to guide students to information related to careers, further study, scholarships and funding in their area of interest.