Getting Started
Course Essentials
These provide important information about the academic course. This information is provided by course directors and/or course administrators and should include a welcome message, pre-course reading/activities, course contact details and any relevant information about what to expect when students arrive. This information is collated by the Transition Orientation and Induction Team. Course Essentials are published via the CCCU website and students will be sent a link to their information when they accept an offer to study here. Welcome Schedules are also posted on Course Essentials.
Guidance on how to develop your Course Essentials area can be found here.
The Welcome Hub
Our Welcome Hub is an online resource designed to support students to transition into university providing them information about must do tasks and university support services. Students can access their welcome schedules from the hub and are invited to join the hub via a CRM communication before they start. The hub is accessible for all students and can be found here.
The Welcome Hub should be promoted to students via the course team and can be used for students who wish to refresh their understanding of what is important if new to university at other points in the academic year, although it has most impact if students are introduced to it at the start of their course.
Welcome Schedules
The TOI Team will work with faculty teams to develop Welcome Schedules during Semester 2. Details about the process, dates and deadlines have been published to the Retention and Success Blackboard here. The Blackboard also provided guidance on developing your engaging and inclusive Welcome Week Plans
Welcome Schedules will be published on Course Essentials pages which are accessible via the Welcome Hub from late August. The schedules will provide students with all the information that they need about their first week (or first few days) which we typically refer to as Welcome Week. The Welcome Schedule will include dates and times of the academic course welcome and whether this is a physical or virtual session, details of the students IT induction, Library and Learning Skills induction and combined honours induction.
All students who have accepted an offer will be sent an email in late August inviting them to look at their Welcome Schedule. If you have a large cohort that needs to be split for your academic welcome this should be alphabetical surname, e.g Group 1 (surnames A – L) Group 2 (surnames (M-Z). Groups will be indicated on the students Welcome Schedule. If your students need different grouping arrangements and/or if you have course specific information such as placement information, uniform collection or Occupational Health appointments Course Teams will be required to email students with this information.
To find out more information about how to design your course welcome and the process associated with planning to book rooms etc. can be found on the retention and success blackboard.
Facebook 2023/24
‘In May 2023’ a new 2023/24 New Student Facebook page will be set up’.
This page will provide a brilliant means of building a community for students prior to their arrival. Students who have accepted a place will be sent an invitation to join the group. Staff and current students will moderate the page to ensure that queries are answered and student engagement with each other is encouraged. This is a well proven platform where students are able to make friends, ask questions and build relationships prior to arrivals.
Contact us: transitions@canterbury.ac.uk