Attitudes of university teachers to learning support for first-year students are likely to influence whether the first year is a positive experience. In this study, teachers in the first year of a Bachelor of Arts programme were asked about their perceptions of the importance of supporting first-year students, the adequacy of current practices, and the problems facing first-year students in the Faculty. Responses indicated a general recognition of the need for first-year students to develop as independent learners and the need (...) for adequate orientation and good communication with students. However, there were indications that some teachers assume that first-year teaching does not require any special strategies or techniques and that more needs to be done to ensure that students are supported to develop as independent and autonomous learners. (shrink)

This article presents the findings of a small-scale investigation amongst third-year undergraduate music students in a UK university. Students and staff gave their views on the messages and values communicated through the teaching and atmosphere of the music department, so building up a preliminary picture of the `hidden' curriculum, which runs alongside more formal teaching. The music department is portrayed as a `family', with the strengths and conflicts that this brings to its members, and the results of the study show (...) a realization that responsibility for learning lies with the students, despite a high level of dependence on teaching staff for motivation and guidance. There is clearly potential for future research in this area, and some suggestions for its direction are offered. Implications for teaching and pastoral care in higher education are also considered, with the conclusion that the `hidden' curriculum has an important role to play in shaping the student experience of university. (shrink)

This article reviews the five contributions to the Forum on ‘Access and transition to higher education’ in Volume 2 of this journal, and considers the needs of all potential undergraduate students–especially those from backgrounds from which students have rarely come, including the most disadvantaged. The article reflects upon secondary school curricula and pastoral care provision, and also on the need for more specific tuition in key skills in the courses offered by universities.