In the first week of semester, a student stopped me on campus. My staff lanyard must have been a beacon to this nervous student who in that moment took great courage to approach me and ask for help. They had the map app open on their phone attempting to get directions to the Chemistry Building but it could not place our location. We were standing in front of Fisher library, one of the more iconic landmarks of the Camperdown campus, across from the historic Quadrangle building, and yet none of these landmarks meant anything in that moment. To the student, all that mattered was that they were lost on their way to class. They were faced with a challenge before they even got into the classroom.
What struck me most were the follow-up questions from the student: “Will there be somewhere to sit and eat lunch when I get there?” and “Are there bathrooms that are easy to find?”
This moment transported me back to my own first days of university – when it seemed like everyone else was so confident and already knew the building names, where to buy food, where to sit in the library. I remember feeling awkward and stuck on my own first challenge before getting to the classroom: navigating all the new public transport I needed to get to campus.
As Sally Kift writes in a reflection of her transition pedagogy, student transitions are complicated, fluid and individually experienced. Students need to be provided with the tools to move forward with confidence.
“The emotional and intellectual tensions of liminal, transitionary states (a wicked combination of uncertainty, ambiguity, anxiety, excitement, hope and opportunity) demand to be acknowledged and normalised…”
Kift (2025)
When we consider the multiple dimensions of a transition to university and the experience of students we cannot only think of the large scale considerations (learning new content, understanding academic language, etc) – it is these small moments of uncertainty, of the unknown, but also of the new and exciting experiences that all happen in the first few weeks where more attention should be paid. These are what we call the micro transitions that students experience.
Many of our strategic approaches in the Transition Program focus on what we as educators can do to mediate or reduce the barriers students face in large first-year units. Creating an inclusive learning environment and fostering a sense of belonging go a long way to easing these tensions of the transitional space students find themselves in during the first semester of university. This article draws attention to some of the many micro transitions students face, the singular new moments that have become commonplace to us but are anything but for our students.
More firsts than you might think:
- First time trying to find a seat in a lecture theatre, or figuring out which door to enter from
- First time finding a suitable bathroom
- First time logging in with OKTA verify – this could be our students’ first encounter with a MFA system at all
- First Canvas announcement and knowing where to find it
- First time running between classes
- First change in lecturer or class format
- First assessment briefing and rubric
- First mistake – major or minor
- First time asking for help
Attention to these micro transitions can help normalise experiences for students; reduce anxiety and imposter syndrome; and assist students in developing self-regulation skills.
Small things you can do in those first weeks:
- Be flexible with lateness and timing. Starting five minutes after the hour and finishing five minutes early gives students time to move between classes. In those first few weeks, a bit of extra leniency goes a long way as students are still learning to navigate campus and timetables.
- Normalise the uncertainty. Let students know that feeling lost – literally and figuratively – is a normal part of starting university, not a sign they don’t belong.
- Establish clear expectations. Before class even starts, let students know expectations of attendance, class structures, or what they need to prepare for class.
- Help students get their bearings. A short video or map showing how to find your classroom on your Canvas site, or mentioning your favourite coffee spot nearby, can make an unfamiliar campus feel more navigable.
- Point students to practical resources like the Sydney Uni app or encourage them to join a club – these small nudges can open up connections beyond the classroom.
Toolkit for first year transition is a series to give educators practical, pedagogically sound, ideas and inspiration to use in their teaching practice. Read more in the series and see the Transition Resources Site (USYD login required).
