Welcome Week 2010Key Feedback

Key issues

• Why do we deliver Welcome Week?

• Overall student feedback

• Making friends

• Harassment

• Welcome Week App

• Course feedback

Welcome Week Objectives

• Improve student retention– Reduced student withdrawals in the first 10 weeks

from 135 (2004) to 82 (2005)• Backed up by NTU research into retention

• Develop a sense of belonging and community

• Help transition into HE– Socially– Academically

• Helping to find ways to improve programme induction• Transition research

• SU income leapt in the first year of Welcome Week

Genuine Team Effort

– Library/ CADQ– Estates

• Accommodation Services• Catering• Environment Team • Grounds services

– Department of Modern Languages– Registry (enrolment)– Music @ NTU– Sports & Lifestyle

• Dance Society & Funky Fresh• Refereeing and organising Saturday

Antics– Football, womens’ rugby, dodgeball,

archery,

• Trips – climbing, walking, biking

– Staff volunteers• Led trips

– Students’ Union• 450 Fresher Reps• SU Exec• SU events, bars & catering staff• NTU Pride• Knitting Soc• Film Soc

– Student Support Services• Mature students• International students• Dyslexic students• Chaplaincy

– SCCO• Events for local students

– IS • Games Café

– Game City• Sunday Funday & Saturday Antics

Welcome Week provides over over 350 events

Sunday FundayAn enticement to draw students to their halls induction talks: 20 different events

Welcome to NTU

Appendices

Freshers’ Fairs

Saturday Antics24 teams, 18 competitions, BBQ & range of social activities

Smaller scale events for niche student groupsBBQs for International & mature studentsReading groupsLet’s go for teaStudy skills workshops

Welcome Week iPhone App

• 17 days from inception to project completion

• Over 1,000 pieces of data entered

• Bespoke maps made

• New photos taken

• Live RSS feeds delivered

• Alerts designed

Student Satisfaction with NTU

City

Clifton

Brackenhurst

None (e.g. distance learner)

Male

Female

NTU halls of residence

Rented - private rental arrangement with landlord / landlady (non-NTU accredited)

Unrented - living with relatives

Own home

UK

European Union (EU)

Outside European Union

18 - 21

22 - 45

46+

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120%

95%

90%

95%

70%

92%

93%

95%

86%

86%

83%

93%

88%

92%

93%

89%

100%

Student Satisfaction with NTU Experience (by early October)

93% of students fairly or very satisfied with the experience so farBest things = meeting new people, starting new course, independence

Involvement in Welcome Week • There was high attendance at the Welcome to NTU events, Freshers’

Fair and SU night club events.

3%4%4%

5%6%7%9%

23%25%

27%42%

76%

78%79%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

Sunday trips Events for international students

Sunday Funday (Brackenhurst)Language taster sessions

Evening meeting place for students not in hallsSunday Funday (Clifton)

Evening activities

Sports & Activity lifestyle activitiesSunday Funday (City)

Halls BBQSaturday Antics

SU Night Club events

Freshers’ FairWelcome to NTU

Satisfaction in events• Levels of satisfaction for events students took part in are generally high.

• There is higher satisfaction with the sport sessions, SU night club events, evening activities, Sunday trips, language taster sessions and events for international students.

• The events which did not reach gold standard satisfaction were Sunday Fundays, halls bbq, Saturday antics, welcome to NTU, freshers’ fair and the evening meeting place for students not in halls.

*=warning, very low base size (<40)

Range of events and ways to improve Welcome Week• 84% of students thought the range of events on offer during Welcome Week

were “good” (36%) or “very good” (48%). (This was 84% in 2009).

• All students were asked how Welcome Week could be improved…

Having your induction lectures on a separate week to the social and evening activities, as

there were lots of clashes

In private halls there should have had better day time activities. I was unaware that things were going on apart from evening activities

Advertise daytime events more - you read about all the events in the booklet and then forget about them when you

get here

More “non-drinking activities”, like ice

skating, bowling, go-karting and quad-

biking

Better organisation for Saturday antics,

there weren't enough buses and it was

unclear how to sign up and where

everything was going on and at what time.

Every student in the uni should know about all the events that are taking place, and should

be reminded every day by text message

People not in halls weren’t told or included when union nights were fancy dress. We would attend the normal club events to find that we were the

only ones not in fancy dress.

Freshers reps for people living at home

so we know what’s going on

Evening events start

way too early!

More activities for Brackenhurst (* also lots of comments for mature

and local students)

Have freshers fair over two days

Course induction feedback

58%

60%

61%

62%

72%

72%

74%

79%

54%

59%

58%

61%

68%

70%

73%

81%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

My course induction has given me confidence that I willbe able to cope with my studies

I found my course induction interesting

My course induction has provided me with theopportunity to get to know others on my course

My course induction has given me a clear idea abouthow my course can help me achieve future goals

My course induction was well organised

My course induction has left me feeling motivated tostudy

My course induction has explained what kind oflearning I will engage with

My lecturers / tutors have been supportive andapproachable

2009

2010

Views about course induction

Agree 4+/5

• 72% attended all of their course induction, compared to 20% who attended most of the events

Thanks very much

Sample Structure%

2009%

2010%

2009% 2010

16-18 49 48 City 62 56

19-21 42 43 Clifton 30 34

22-25 4 4 Brackenhurst 6 8

26-45 4 4 Other – e.g. distance learner 2 2

46+ 1 1

Male 37 40 Through standard UCAS 95 93

Female 63 60 Through clearing at UCAS 5 5

Other 0 2

Full time 98 99 UK 95 92

Part time 2 1 European Union 2 4

Distance learner 1 0 Outside EU 3 4

• Popular subject areas (2010) were art and design (14%), business (10%) and psychology (9%)