| Summary: | University enabling programs develop students’ academic skills and
understandings of the academic culture and environments, facilitating
students’ transition into undergraduate courses. In addition to confirming
these short-term benefits of enabling programs, this research explored the
medium and longer-term impacts of the University of Tasmania’s
University Preparation Program (UPP). Past cohorts of successful UPP
students from 1996 to 2007, in north-west Tasmania, were targeted. The
study used a mixed methods approach, with surveys (quantitative) and
interviews (qualitative). The findings are described in terms of three interrelated layers: foundations for change, confidence, and new opportunities.
Developing academic skills and an understanding of the new culture led to
students developing confidence, which empowered them to undertake
undergraduate studies; this step, in turn, flowed on to further new
opportunities, such as employment and leadership roles. This study
illustrates that enabling programs are a transition strategy with multiple
benefits, especially for students from under-represented backgrounds.
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