Foundations for change, confidence, and new opportunities: impacts of a university enabling program in north-west Tasmania

Abstract

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.