Online course to prepare students for university back by popular demand

An online course to help get students ready to succeed at university has been so successful the University of Essex is offering it again this year.

Essex launched a special online summer course last year to help incoming students be university-ready in the wake of their studies being disrupted due to COVID-19.

The online course was enthusiastically welcomed by school and college students, as well as positive feedback from teachers and school advisors, and had such a positive impact on student success, that the University has decided to offer the Essex Preparation Programme (EPP) again this summer for incoming students.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Lorna Fox O’Mahony said: “We were delighted with the level of engagement in this programme last year, the enthusiasm students had for starting university after the disruption to their studies, and their determination to succeed on their new courses.

“Following hugely positive feedback from students and teachers alike we have built on the success of the EPP platform to give this new cohort of students a helping hand. We are determined to make sure they feel confident and ready for the challenges of university.”

The programme, which is offered at no cost to students, is especially designed to get students from the UK and around the world ready for their university studies. Over six weeks, students explore independent learning, critical thinking, academic integrity and many more areas. If they miss a session or want to catch-up, they can watch recordings of the online sessions and all the supporting materials are online.

Last year more than 1,750 students enrolled in the six-week programme, which involved 12 live Zoom workshop sessions coupled with an online course. This year Essex is hoping even more students will take part in the EPP, which has been further developed following student feedback and will be integrated with other student preparation programmes and activities during Welcome Week at Essex.

The course is open to anyone applying for undergraduate study at the University of Essex, and if they complete the course and register to study at Essex for the 2022-23 academic year-they will qualify for a £250 bursary. Completion of the EPP is optional, but Essex believes it will give students a great start to their studies.

“We recognise that these students had a difficult time during the pandemic, and we want to do everything we can to help them to succeed,” added Professor Fox O’Mahony. “We already have over 500 students enrolled in this year’s programme, so it promises to be even more impactful this year.”

New for this year, Essex is also offering a MPP (Masters Preparation Programme) for post-graduate students. Essex also offers two other programmes, one for Years 12 and 13 and one for Years 10 and 11, which are designed to be a high-quality source of information, advice and guidance which students can work through independently or teachers can use in the classroom.