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M U T

S P I R I T

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J A N U A R Y - M A R C H 2 0 2 0

Students were happy with what they gained from the presenters

“It is important that the FYE

programme not be looked at

as a separate entity but as

an important part of the MUT

students’ journey.”

Being a first-year student

at a university is quite

daunting. In its message

to students wanting to

study at a US college or

university, the US Embassy

refers to a “culture shock”

that foreign students have

to deal with. The same is

true even when students

have enrolled in higher

education institutions in

their own country. The level

of discomfort, confusion

and frustration can be

so significant that some

students decide to drop out. This has happened

increasingly over time, eating into the number of

students that graduate every year. This is a sorepoint for

both higher education institutions and the government.

MUT’s Teaching and Learning Development Centre

(TLDC) has taken a decision to tackle the problem

head-on through the ‘First Year Experience (FYE)’

programme. The TLDC is spearheading the project,

but it is important to note that the FYE project is an

umbrella that unifies all initiatives and interventions

that focus on first-year students. As such, it is led by

an MUT FYE team that comprises representatives of

all the University stakeholders.

Giving more reasons for the project, Arthi Ramrung

of the TLDC said that the FYE is an international

movement towards intentionally focusing on first-time-

entering students, with the aim of addressing a number

of challenges such as high drop-out rates and poor

performance of students in their first year of study. “MUT

has made a step towards creating a more supportive

environment for our first-year students. We intend to

improve how we engage and support our students

through a coordinated programme that will allow all

stakeholders to acknowledge their roles in a first-year

student’s life,” said Ramrung. She went on to say that

MUT defines its FYE programme as an intentional and

relevant institutional programme aimed at ensuring that

first-year-entering students are exposed to stimulating,

holistic and enriching curricular and co-curricular

activities. “The programme will among other things,

help students to transition seamlessly from school to

university and create a sense of belonging, with a view

to attaining the desired MUT graduate attributes.”

The response of students towards some of the new

workshops has been encouraging; a large number

of first-year students attended the first round of

programmes. The FYE project will be rolled out in

phases. Ramrung said that they have introduced new

interventions such as faculty orientation and digital

literacy workshops; they have also introduced student

academic advisors who are meant to guide students

along their journey. They are currently developing

an MUT FYE programme which will be called GPS

(Getting Prepared for Success), which the TLDC

hopes will help the students navigate the University

and their studies simultaneously. Ramrung said they

hoped to launch the programme to students in 2021.

The TLDC also has a number of developments that it

envisages in the programme.

“As we compete with the limited time in a semester,

it is important to note that a lot of the engagement

that we wish to have with first-year students will have

to be somehow integrated into their timetables. It is

important that the FYE programme not be looked at as

a separate entity but as an important part of the MUT

students’ journey,” concluded Ramrung.

MUT takes major step to curb first year drop-out rate