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Kickstart is a program designed to help students transition into tertiary study. Attendees will learn about adaptive technology, disability services, alternative study formats, and study skills. The program also covers orientation, mobility, advocacy, and the support available for job-seeking graduates.
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Kickstart 2010 Transition to Further Study
University • As the name suggests, a University is a universal city - a place where a community of teachers, scholars and students gather to study a wide variety of subjects. • Based upon Plato’s Academy in Ancient Greece (c.380BCE), a modern University is a small self-contained city which seeks to provide specialist education. • Degrees are often studied over three or four years and dedicated students can continue onto Postgraduate Masters or Doctorate degrees.
TAFE • A Tertiary and Further Education Provider is often smaller than a University and focuses upon vocational and practical courses. • The TAFE system is more concerned with providing skills and abilities than knowledge. Courses are often for one or two years and are specifically aimed at meeting employment requirements and qualifications.
Orientation • The vast majority of first year students at tertiary level feel lost and confused. • They are used to thirteen years of having classmates and teachers who they spend the vast majority of the year with and see every day, regimented courses and study and assignments and very little real choice of what they are studying and how they are to go about it.
Adult Education • Suddenly they are in a totally different environment which is bigger, involves more people and more choices. • Rather than being based in one classroom, students often have to rush from one lecture or tutorial to another and often in different buildings. • No longer are they surrounded by similar faces as each class has different students. • Also they are expected to be adults, no longer children, and to make decisions for themselves. • They are expected to spend more time doing independent study and reading with many subjects only having three hours of contact a week (two hours of lectures and a one hour tutorial).
Kickstart • The Kickstart program is aimed at helping you make the transition into Tertiary study. • We want you to be aware of what to expect and of the services you can use. • The Kickstart program has been going for fourteen years in Victoria and has always had good feedback from its participants.
Day 1 • Today we will be hearing about Adaptive Technology and how it can eliminate many of the barriers faced by people who are blind or vision impaired in higher education. • We will also be hearing from Jennifer Buckley on the role of the Disability Liaison Officer - the person responsible for coordinating the day to day services provided to students who are blind or vision impaired, including obtaining study materials in alternative formats, advising teaching staff of the needs of students, arranging note takers or classroom assistants, and making alternative examination arrangements.
End of Day 1 • We will then have a session on alternative formats of text and the DAISY audio project. • And finish the first day with a general discussion of study skills and tips around, note taking, time management, essay writing, referencing and exam preparation.
Day 2 • The second day will begin with a discussion of Orientation and Mobility to your new campus and we will then make our way to the City for lunch. • At 1 pm we will be provided with a guided tour of the Melbourne City Library and services. • And at 2.30 pm we will be provided with information from the State Library and its services. • We will then make our way back to Kensington.
Day 3 • Day 3 will begin with a discussion of the Disability Discrimination Act and the Education Standards by Jessica Zammitt of BCA. • Jessica will also discuss the importance of self-advocacy, empowerment and inclusion while conducting some role-playing scenarios. Also Jenny Buckley will be involved in a discussion with Jessica on reasonable adjustments and the responsibility of education providers.
End of Day 3 • Then a panel of current and recent Tertiary students who are blind or vision impaired will speak about their experiences at University and TAFE and will provide information about what first year students need to do to ensure a successful year. • We will then discuss online researching - using search engines, and directories to find online journals and free ebooks. • And finish with information about the support that is available to assist job seeking Graduates.
Lectures, Tutorials and Seminars • At University classes are usually split between lectures and tutorials. • In a lecture you are meant to be quiet and listen and only ask questions when they are sought or very quickly at the end of the class. They can be quiet formal. • The tutorial is intended to be the place where you ask questions and discuss the course topics and readings. They tend to be very informal. • A seminar is intended to be a mixture of a lecture and a tutorial.
Treat the Kickstart sessions as seminars • The Kickstart sessions will work best if you are prepared to listen to the main speaker but are also willing to ask questions. • Too many questions and you will miss the new information. • But if you do not ask questions, you cannot learn. • Also try and have some fun and make new friends.
Resources • I have also sourced some resources to support the Kickstart sessions. • In the pack you will find a Kickstart 2010 resources CD with lots of documents relating to the sessions we will be covering. • An Adaptive Technology Demo CD. • There is also a Viewpoint CD of interviews with students who are vision impaired about their tertiary transition experiences. • A WAM Willing and Able Mentoring Program DVD. • A copy of Using Disability Discrimination Law. • And some Information sheets on other services and a pen from Vision Australia.
