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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