Transition Pedagogy for Student Success: A Guide to Translating Institutional Strategies into Faculty-Level Frameworks

Abstract

Transition pedagogy offers a solid foundation for developing whole-of-institution student success strategies due to its holistic approach. Generally, whole-of-institution student success strategies can be challenging to implement at the faculty level because they are necessarily broad. This paper presents a step-by-step guide to translating broad university strategies into targeted, actionable, and cohesive faculty-level student success frameworks underpinned by transition pedagogy. We share a tested practice for developing and implementing faculty-level frameworks across six faculties in one Australian university. The guide includes 10 steps, starting with reviewing the university's strategic goals to ensure alignment with institutional priorities, leveraging existing frameworks, and engaging key stakeholders to gather diverse perspectives and build support. We show that student success rates increased, and retention increased after the faculty-level frameworks were implemented. The guide is inclusive for diverse audiences and relevant for all those contributing to student success initiatives, regardless of their role at the institution.