Study and assessment: what works in first year university

It is well known that studying at university for the first time can be problematic for both recent school leavers and mature-aged students. This Showcase summarises the work from two studies: one on student perceptions and study habits in a first year mathematics course and the second on assessment practices that work for first year. Studies were undertaken at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) using students in their first year of study. USQ has over 70% of students enrolled in distance education, so participant students and courses were primarily those offered at a distance.