FYE/SSE

The First Year Experience (FYE) and Senior Student Experience (SSE)

The First Year Experience and Senior Student Experience plays a significant role in creating an invitational and enabling institutional environment that supports student retention and success. The preferred UJ student experience refer to a university experience aimed at developing a whole student. This holistic student development consists of academic, social, emotional and personal development of students throughout the student’s undergraduate life-cycle. The experiences created takes into consideration the satisfaction of students and it consists of curricular and co-curricular actives. The UJ FYE/SSE committee have identified the following seven focus areas through which the FYE/SSE initiatives are currently implemented:

• The effective use of senior students to enable and support student success
• Academic staff development and the profesionalisation of higher education teaching (undergraduate teaching and learning)
• The gathering, distribution and use of student profile and experience data
• The expansion and creation of online student and staff support hubs
• The First Year Seminar (FYS) and Extended Orientation
• Preparing students for postgraduate studies and life- long learning
• Preparing students for the world of work and active citizenship.

The First Year Seminar (FYS) is also managed from the FYE/SSE office and is aimed at assisting first year students to smoothly transition into the university. During the FYS, students are orientated to the university environment including all campus resources. They are enlightened more about the courses they registered for. It also offers the first years the opportunity to meet academic and support staff as well as their peers.