STaRS CoP
The Student Transition Achievement and Retention Community of Practice (STARS CoP) is a group of academic and professional staff from every school (one or two coordinators from each) with an interest in transition and retention pedagogy as well as other factors that affect teaching practice at Western. The CoP meets approximately quarterly to discuss best practices, recent developments, education trends and University policy.
Academic lead: Dr Caterina Tannous, School of Health Sciences - c.tannous@westernsydney.edu.au
Correspondence: Dr Colin Clark, Learning Futures - colin.clark@westernsydney.edu.au
Research has consistently shown that during orientation sessions new students appreciate hearing from - and having the opportunity to meet and talk to - current students in the course they are about to begin. Senior students are asked to help out at orientation by giving a five minute talk on their transition to uni, answer questions in the Q&A session, and lead a campus tour.
Evidence is growing that new students 'take in' much of what is being spoken by their peers, and it is not lost to the danger of 'information overload'. Furthermore, more reserved new students are much more comfortable asking questions of peers - questions that would have gone unanswered otherwise.
While part of the Standard Orientation Template for Orientation, STaRS coordinated the program across Western, with the aim to have at least one volunteer for every session.
These slides are designed to be shown in identified core first year subjects and across Schools to deliver just in time messages, tailored and focused over the first four weeks of session. A few minutes are spent discussing these brief, key and holistic transition messages that are relevant and important to all students commencing students.
A Transition Message Guide for Staff ( PDF, 315.01 KB) (opens in a new window) provides provides tips for staff teaching in the identified core subject. The aim of this pack is to provide teaching staff a guide on how they can best support their students in the first few weeks of university and ensure that they receive timely and digestible information to assist their transition.
It is suggested that each week, tutors spend about 10 minutes discussing with their students on how the students feel they are progressing.
For the current STARS Slides, please see the the STARS Tips slides website.
Type Key
Academic = A Professional = P
| Name | School | Email @westernsydney.edu.au |
|---|---|---|
| Rachel White | SoE | R.White@westernsydney.edu.au |
| Alison Barnes | SoHCA | alison.barnes@westernsydney.edu.au |
| Lucy Wang | SoHCA | l.wang@westernsydney.edu.au |
| Francine Garlin |
SoB | f.garlin@westernsydney.edu.au |
| Ayda Succarie | SoB | A.Succarie@westernsydney.edu.au |
| Leanne Rylands | SoCDMS | l.rylands@westernsydney.edu.au |
| Stephenson Chow | SoL | s.chow2@westernsydney.edu.au |
| Md. Abdul Alim | SoEDBE | m.alim@westernsydney.edu.au |
| Anthony Butera | SoEDBE | A.Butera@westernsydney.edu.au |
| Cris Algoso | SoNM | c.algoso@westernsydney.edu.au |
| Shyama Ratnayake | SoNM | s.ratnayake@westernsydney.edu.au |
| Rebecca Stamopoulos | SoNM | r.stamopoulos@westernsydney.edu.au |
| Elizabeth O'Connor | SoM | e.oconnor@westernsydney.edu.au |
| Victoria Mansour | SoM | v.mansour@westernsydney.edu.au |
| Luke Barnes | SoS | l.barnes@westernsydney.edu.au |
| Caterina Tannous |
SoHS | c.tannous@westernsydney.edu.au |
| Sky Hugman | SoSS | s.hugman@westernsydney.edu.au |
| Mona Shrestha | College | M.Shrestha@westernsydney.edu.au |
| Mac Mignon | SoP | M.Mingon@westernsydney.edu.au |
Current STaRS Activities across Western
Information about the activities carried out by STaRS across the University
Research has consistently shown that during orientation sessions new students appreciate hearing from - and having the opportunity to meet and talk to - current students in the course they are about to begin. Senior students are asked to help out at orientation by giving a five minute talk on their transition to uni, answer questions in the Q&A session, and lead a campus tour.
Evidence is growing that new students 'take in' much of what is being spoken by their peers, and it is not lost to the danger of 'information overload'. Furthermore, more reserved new students are much more comfortable asking questions of peers - questions that would have gone unanswered otherwise.
While part of the Standard Orientation Template for Orientation, STaRS coordinated the program across Western, with the aim to have at least one volunteer for every session.
These slides are designed to be shown in identified core first year units and across Schools to deliver just in time messages, tailored and focused over the first four weeks of session. A few minutes are spent discussing these brief, key and holistic transition messages that are relevant and important to all students commencing students.
A Transition Message Guide for Staff ( PDF, 315.01 KB) (opens in a new window) provides provides tips for staff teaching in the identified core unit. The aim of this pack is to provide teaching staff a guide on how they can best support their students in the first few weeks of university and ensure that they receive timely and digestible information to assist their transition.
It is suggested that each week, tutors spend about 10 minutes discussing with their students on how the students feel they are progressing.
For the current STARS Slides, please see the the STARS Tips slides website.
Important Documents and links
STARS Coordinators' role and responsibilities (opens in a new window) -The responsibilities and expectations of those filling the role of STaRS Coordinators within Schools.
Western Sydney University's Transition and Retention Strategy (2021) has 91 themes and tactics to improve student transition and retention
START Program of Research: Accelerated ethics approval process for research on student transition and retention
FLEX Program of Research: Accelerated ethics approval process for research on flexible learning
Teaching and Curriculum Partnerships: Accelerated ethics approval process for research on partnership pedagogy
STARS Tips Slides: Useful advice for students for each week of semester (PowerPoint)