Conference in Durban about the first-year experience

Durban will host the 2018 conference about the first-year experience

The South African National Resource Centre for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition (SANRC) is hosting the 4^th Annual SANRC FYE (first year experience) Conference  on 23 to 25 May 2018. Registration is already open on the website. The early bird is open until 27 February.

The call for papers is also open until 15 March. The following are themes: 

Teaching for first-year success 

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 

Theorising academic support 

The challenge of decolonisation in first-year support.

We know that high school does not really prepare learners to become students in South Africa. Therefore, the first year experience raises lots of questions for which we urgently need answers:

Do we know and understand the multi-faceted needs of first-year students? 

How can we address gaps in our knowledge with an authentic understanding of the first-year as it is experienced by students? 

Do lecturers have the capabilities to meet the needs of these students? 

Can new learning models and technologies create a different learning environment for students? 

To what extent are we evaluating the various academic support programmes offered at South Africa’s universities? 

This conference is designed to thoughtfully consider whether we are giving our students the kinds of meaningful educational experiences which will help them thrive academically and transition successfully through the higher education system.  

This year, the conference will be held at the Garden Court Marine Parade hotel in Durban on the beautiful east coast of South Africa. Durban has numerous awesome beachfront hotels to choose from. And while in Durban, do NOT miss out on a visit to the bird park (see photo above of some of the birds sharing the paths with humans to get around the park). It is really an awesome attraction with much more than just birds, and really not expensive, not even for South Africans.  

Summer school in Estonia as an alternative to conferencing?

The Tallinn University summer or winter school is a great alternative for a traditional conference. 

Yes, we are used to attend conferences, but don't you think we also sometimes need to step out of this routine and do something else like learning a new skill or completing a course which can add points towards another qualification? 

Tallinn, the beautiful old capital city of Estonia is offering both summer schools and winter schools with very interesting programmes, not so expensive registration fees (about 250 Euros) and even affordable student accommodation (188 Euros for 3 weeks) and optional excursions over weekends between classes.  The courses and classes are scheduled from Monday to Friday, over a period of three weeks, starting on 9 July 2018 until 27 July 2018. 

You can choose from the following main streams: Language courses, Creative courses, Educational Sciences, Humanities and Social sciences and interdisciplinary courses. The creative courses had me nailed: Creative Psychotherapy, Creative writing, Design of serious games and a gamification workshop, short film, storytelling, comics and illustrations, Photo story, animation and tv news! How about one of these? 
The Educational Sciences stream include a course on education through place and space: recreational activities as experiential learning. 
The Humanities and social sciences stream includes courses on Estonian food, self knowledge, social enterprises:  Using your creativity and sensitivity as well as an information and knowledge management in the digital environment. 

Tallinn is a fairy tale town with friendly people, within easy travel distance to other Baltic countries, including also visits to St Petersburg in Russia. The first weekend trip includes a visit to the Estonian Mining museum in Kohtla-Nomme, the Narva Castle, the Lasemaa National park. The second weekend trip includes a visit to the second largest city in Estonia called Tartu and the Setomaa settlement as well as the Piusa caves.