Student and Lecturer Perspectives Informing an Academic Support Strategy to Assist Students in a Medium-Sized Tertiary Institution

Abstract

Students and lecturers rarely have the opportunity or autonomy to reflect upon and critique the roles that each party plays in the learning and teaching environment. This paper draws on the perceptions of undergraduate students and lecturers in a medium-sized tertiary institution in an urban area of New Zealand in relation to the learning community and levels of student engagement. Third-year students in their final year of study shared their perceptions of their learning and teaching environment. Simultaneously, lecturers shared their perceptions of student engagement and academic skills development during the course of their degree. This paper evaluates the learning environment and investigates the gaps between learner and teacher expectations. The outcome of this study is informing ongoing development of an academic support strategy to enhance critical and analytical thinking and student engagement in learning. The research team also used study findings to inform the continued development of a revised undergraduate degree curriculum. This research emphasises the importance of student voice. The shared insights of lecturers and students will inform further action research stages of this project.

Academic Motivation and Psychological Needs as Predictors of Suicidal Risk

“…College counselors can use interventions (e.g., subtle attitude-change strategies) to encourage positive interpretations of social adversity (Walton & Cohen, 2011) and focus on enhancing students' development of friendships (Pittman & Richmond, 2008) and quality student-faculty interactions. Furthermore, counselors can direct students to courses that emphasize participation and interaction with classmates (Freeman, Anderman, & Jensen, 2007), such as through small-group work (Nikolai, Silva, & Walters, 2017), to help students foster a greater sense of relatedness on campus. Overall, it is apparent that college counselors can play a crucial role in lowering suicidal risk by guiding students to understand their academic motivation and basic psychological needs and informing students of resources to help manage their academic motivation and fulfillment of their basic psychological needs.…”