Student Transition and Success through Cross-Sector Collaboration

This study expands the idea of curriculum alignment to include not only modules and programmes, but also to ensure alignment across sectors, from Further Education (FE ) Institutions (schools and colleges) to Higher Education (HE) Institutions/ Universities. This study is a continuation on the study on ‘Curriculum Alignment: Cross Sector Collaboration’ by Nzekwe-Excel and Ladwa (2017) where the authors identified perceived and actual students’ problems to learning in their HE study and possible strategies to addressing the identified problems. Outcomes from their study suggest that there is a lack of awareness of what academic preparation pupils from schools and colleges have before commencing their HE study. Students with vocational qualifications struggle in particular with transition into HE study. Over 80% of the identified perceived problems to learning were Guidance-related and Personal & Social-related. Most of the actual identified problems to learning in HE study were Academic-related. Therefore, this study stresses the idea of raising awareness and promoting a better understanding of educational standards and provision across sectors. The study essentially promotes collaboration across sectors (FE and HE Institutions) for the purpose of adequately equipping students academically and enabling them transit seamlessly into their HE study. This study further propose that collaborative courses or teaching sessions between FE and HE staff may be tailored to meet the requirements of specific students just before they transit into higher education. Ladwa N. and Nzekwe-Excel, C. Curriculum Alignment: Opportunities for Cross Sector Collaborations, LiHE Copenhagen Summit: Handbook of new Innovations in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 8-10 May 2017.