Purpose -Capstone subjects which link students approaching graduation with significant experiential learning and relevant industry placements, have the potential to be very valuable to students. This is particularly evident if they are able to critically reflect on the experience. In light of this, the School of Business at the University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle campus, sought to embed reflective practice and reflective writing within its Business Internship (capstone) subject. This paper aims to discuss this. Design/methodology/approach -The paper presents a case study approach. Findings -Significant challenges emerged in relation to the student learning experience. Some students did not perceive the value of an internship, or of engaging in a professionally reflective process. Business students' differing academic literacy standards became apparent, as did the diverse experiences of international students. It became evident that students required explicit teaching and more thorough training to understand the value of reflection and to write reflectively where required. Subsequently, reflective writing workshops were trialled and embedded in the subject. Reflective practice enabled students to move to a deeper level of understanding, rather than submitting a superficial retelling of their internship experience. Originality/value -The value of reflective writing is widely recognised in many disciplines, although its application in Business capstone subjects is relatively new. This merits further scholarship, particularly as capstone subjects are increasingly being used to demonstrate assurance of learning for accrediting agencies in Australia.

Increasing student engagement within higher education academic support services is a constant challenge. Whilst engagement with support is positively associated with successful retention, and non-engagement connected to attrition, the most vulnerable students are often the least likely to engage. Our data has shown that Health Science students are reluctant to engage with academic support services despite being made aware of their academic deficiencies. The "psychology of seeking support" was used as a lens to identify some of the multifaceted issues around student engagement. The School of Health Sciences made attendance at support courses compulsory for those students who were below the benchmark score in a post entrance literacy test. Since the policy change was implemented, there has been a 50% reduction in the fail rate of "at risk" students in a core literacy unit. These findings are encouraging and will help reduce student attrition in the long term.

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The production of high quality academic writing often represents a challenge for students in bridging courses. Often, students lack frequently assumed background skills and knowledge, and may have completed secondary school subjects where extended writing tasks were less common. At the University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle Campus, staff responded to concerns about student progress with academic writing within the Enabling Program. It was determined that a trial of scaffolded assessment may be of benefit to students in the acquisition of the necessary skills and knowledge. Scaffolded assessment intentionally breaks a single assessment task into sub-components and attempts to teach the students to replicate the same process on future tasks. Data tracking over three Semester 1 entry cohorts demonstrated the approach was of benefit in both the unit and the overall course when scaffolded assessment was utilised. The benefits and reservations regarding the use of scaffolded assessment are outlined.

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