Flying Start is one of the initiatives instigated by the University of Huddersfield, with a specific focus on students who live, study and travel to University from the family home.

Flying Start provides an immersive, educational experience for new first year undergraduate students that is active, engaging and subject specific.

It builds on existing research which identifies social and academic engagement between peers and with staff as significant for retention, achievement and belonging (for example, Tinto, 1993; Thomas, 2012; Braxton et al, 2014; Dwyer, 2017), ultimately aiming to close differential achievement and reduce attrition.

The first student surveys and tutor responses (2017) concluded by showing significantly positive effects in areas of engagement, self-confidence and belongingness, especially for the male students, and a stronger sense of having built positive relationships with peers and staff compared to non-Flying Start courses.

The University of Huddersfield has over 50% of its students living and studying from home with a high proportion of these students in widening participation categories.

For these students in particular, withdrawal can have a damaging impact, both personally and financially. Non-continuation is also costly for institutions with retention and achievement data being scrutinised by The Office for Students, linked to performance in the Teaching Excellence Framework.

Like many universities, we recognise our most ‘at risk’ students include combinations of student characteristics, for instance males studying and living at home, BAME students or those entering HE with low UCAS tariffs, BTEC or non-standard qualifications.

This project aligns with Huddersfield’s aim to narrow the differential attainment gap. Ongoing work in this area has developed significantly and provides us with insightful data at University, School and even course level.

The award winning Flying Start is one of several welcome initiatives at the University of Huddersfield.
From September 2021, new entrants to the University have also been directed to a pre-arrival magazine style resource called ‘Ready, Steady, Study’ (for UGs and PGTs) and ‘Ready, Steady, Research’ (PGRs).This is best viewed by phone but can be accessed on any device. It is unlikely that this will overlap with Flying Start activities, but it is worth staff knowing what’s there.

There may however be some overlap in your Flying Start with the ‘Huddersfield Essentials resource’ (also available to all teaching staff on Brightspace).

Please make yourselves familiar with this and refer students to relevant sections when applicable and where content is less subject specific. New students are encouraged to complete the essentials of the resource, but there is plenty there you can use to sign-post outside of Flying Start and into the first term.

You may also find some good, blended ideas on ‘Digitally Enhanced Learning, Teaching and Assessment (Delta)’ (on Brightspace).

Key Principles of Flying Start

The key aim is to set up a positive, welcoming environment that enables new students to meet key staff and each other, creating a sense of belonging linked to their course.

Aims:

• Stimulates excitement about the subject
• Develops an academic community
• Encourages students to work with new people
• Develops habits of intensive, full-time study

Content should be:

• Activity based tasks
• Subject specific
• Current & purposeful
• Enable staff and peer interactions
• Promote belonging
• Allow campus & town orienteering
• Relate to careers
• Introduce PATs, GPA, academic integrity