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An intensive block approach to teaching academic skills through a discipline: The effect on student connections, experiences, and outcomes as students transition to HE
Healey, Ruth Cliffe, Anthony
Healey, Ruth
Cliffe, Anthony
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2026-03-27
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Abstract
Supporting students in their transition to university remains a challenge in higher education. Ensuring that new students feel settled and connected to other students, staff, the university itself, and their subject area is key to enabling a successful transition to their new environment. Equally important is supporting them to develop the essential academic skills to complete assignments in higher education. This original study investigates the impact of an intensive block teaching approach to academic skills during the first two weeks of the first year on the student experience and student outcomes. Block teaching has been shown to improve retention, pass rates and higher-level outcomes. Since 2022, Geography and Environment students at the University of Chester have started their studies with a two-week intensive block module, acting as an extended induction to university. This block module has run for three years with a total of 127 students. Through a questionnaire at the end of the block, students reported that their experience helped them understand the requirements of higher education study, improved their understanding ofvarious academic skills, and that they now knew more people through the block. The student outcomes from this approach have included 100% pass rates, high average marks, and a 10% increase in continuation rates of students from year 1 to year 2. We argue that adopting a discipline-based approach to teaching academic skills through block teaching, when organised effectively, can support students in developing academic skills, boost their confidence, and facilitate their transition to university.
Citation
Healey, R., & Cliffe, A. (2026). An intensive block approach to teaching academic skills through a discipline: The effect on student connections, experiences, and outcomes as students transition to HE. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, (39). https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi39.1680
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Association for Learning Development in Higher Education (ALDinHE)
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Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education
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Article
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1759-667X