Fourth conference on the South African first year experience in 2018

Johannesburg, South Africa

Attention all lecturers who are working with first year students! Working towards excellence in support of the first-year students in South Africa, the 2018 SANRC conference will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa between 23 and 25 May next year. The focus is on ‘critically examining all aspects of the first year experience’.

Although I am used to being a lecturer who is responsible for the first years, I am still amazed by the fragmentation and diversity and constant regressing of students’ ability to read, write and comprehend meaning.

This conference calls together those involved with first year students to participate in collaborative and scholarly discussions about the first year experience and how we can improve and expand the support structures to ensure success and reduce drop-out rates. Some of the questions that need our attention, include:

Do we know enough about the multi-faceted needs of first-year students?

Are lecturers fully capacitated to meet the needs of first-year students?

Can new learning models and technologies create a new learning dynamic for students?

How well are we serving our students in terms of the various academic support programmes offered at South Africa’s universities?

This conference is designed to thoughtfully consider these questions and problem areas through introspection, both on an individual and institutional basis. All who are involved should reflect upon what it really means to fully support first-year students.

Abstracts should focus on the following sub-themes:

• How to teach for first-year success

• ‘Show and Tell’: Innovative first-year support initiatives

• Measurement and accountability in first-year support services: Are we getting

it right?

• Orientation programmes as a key element of student support

• Engaging the student voice: Critical Perspectives from students

• International models of first-year support

• Theorizing academic support

Abstracts should be double spaced and written in Arial Font, size 11. Abstracts should also be limited to 350-400 words.

This first round is open for abstract submission until 30 September 2017, and is tailor made to accommodate those of us who need to apply for funding from our institutions.