Associate Student Project: Facilitating computing students’ transition to higher education
Presentation / Conference
Taylor-Smith, E., Meharg, D., Fabian, K., & Varey, A. (2021, March)
Associate Student Project: Facilitating computing students’ transition to higher education. Presented at Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Conference 2021, Online
The Associate Student (ASP) project supports Computing students who study two years at a Further Education college (achieving an HND) then transfer directly into third year, s...
An exploration of degree apprentice perspectives: A Q methodology study
Journal Article
Fabian, K., Taylor-Smith, E., Smith, S., Meharg, D., & Varey, A. (2022)
An exploration of degree apprentice perspectives: A Q methodology study. Studies in Higher Education, 47(7), 1397-1409. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2021.1897094
Degree apprenticeships have recently been introduced in the UK, representing a significant shift in approaches to degree-level study: from traditional models of higher educati...
An Exploration of the Professional and Leader Identity of IT Professionals Transitioning to a Permanent Hybrid Role: A Longitudinal Investigation
Journal Article
Smith, S., Garavan, T., Munro, A., Ramsay, E., Smith, C., & Varey, A. (2021)
An Exploration of the Professional and Leader Identity of IT Professionals Transitioning to a Permanent Hybrid Role: A Longitudinal Investigation. Information Technology and People, 34(2), 789-811. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-02-2019-0084
Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore the role of professional and leader identity and the maintenance of identity, through identity work as IT professionals trans...
Degree apprenticeships - a win-win model? A comparison of policy aims with the expectations and experiences of apprentices
Journal Article
Smith, S., Caddell, M., Taylor-Smith, E., Smith, C., & Varey, A. (2022)
Degree apprenticeships - a win-win model? A comparison of policy aims with the expectations and experiences of apprentices. Journal of Vocational Education and Training, 73(4), 505-525. https://doi.org/10.1080/13636820.2020.1744690
This article compares policy aims with experiences following the introduction of a new model for STEM apprenticeships in the UK. Degree apprentices work while studying for a d...
Facilitating computing students' transition to higher education
Conference Proceeding
Fabian, K., Taylor-Smith, E., Meharg, D., & Varey, A. (2019)
Facilitating computing students' transition to higher education. In UKICER: Proceedings of the 1st UK & Ireland Computing Education Research Conference. https://doi.org/10.1145/3351287.3351298
Students who progress to higher education from further education colleges are faced with academic, social, and logistical challenges during their transition. In general, they ...
Bridging the Digital Skills Gap: Are computing degree apprenticeships the answer?
Conference Proceeding
Taylor-Smith, E., Smith, S., Fabian, K., Berg, T., Meharg, D., & Varey, A. (2019)
Bridging the Digital Skills Gap: Are computing degree apprenticeships the answer?. In ITiCSE '19 Proceedings of the 2019 ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education. , (126-132). https://doi.org/10.1145/3304221.3319744
This paper describes a study investigating whether apprenticeship computing degrees in Scotland are attracting additional entrants who will become IT professionals and fill a ...
"So far back, I'm anonymous": Exploring Student Identity using Photovoice
Conference Proceeding
Meharg, D., Cairncross, S., & Varey, A. (2019)
"So far back, I'm anonymous": Exploring Student Identity using Photovoice. In 2018 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE). https://doi.org/10.1109/FIE.2018.8658441
This Research Full paper presents empirical work focused on the transition experiences of transfer students into computing degrees in Scotland and seeks to understand the comp...
Graduate apprenticeships are great opportunities for individuals, but are they inclusive?
Presentation / Conference
Taylor-Smith, E., Smith, S., & Varey, A. (2018, December)
Graduate apprenticeships are great opportunities for individuals, but are they inclusive?. Paper presented at Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE) Annual Conference
Higher education-level apprenticeships can provide routes to university degrees for people without the financial resources for traditional degrees. In Scotland, the first coho...
Enhancing learning confidence for direct entry computing students
Presentation / Conference
Fabian, K., Taylor-Smith, E., Meharg, D., & Varey, A. (2018, December)
Enhancing learning confidence for direct entry computing students. Paper presented at The Changing Shape of Higher Education: Can excellence and inclusion cohabit?, Newport, UK
Previous studies have shown that students who transfer into university from college (direct entrants) face several challenges when they enter university. In response, the Asso...
"We're coming from different worlds" : exploring student identity during transition
Conference Proceeding
Meharg, D., Varey, A., & Cairncross, S. (2018)
"We're coming from different worlds" : exploring student identity during transition. In SRHE Newer and Early Career Conference 2018 Proceedings
This study presents empirical work examining the student journey from further to higher education in computing degrees in Scotland and seeks to understand the complex formatio...