This book is designed to help you give the best advice and support to your teenager who wants to go to a British university.
All the key elements of a university education are covered, from choosing the right course, understanding university league tables and getting a place, right through to maximising opportunities after graduation.
We consider all the critical events where your support and informed advice can be vital and help you to spot when things are going right and when they are not.
It’s not about holding your child’s hand. It’s about giving sound advice - an arm around the shoulder - to allow your child to mature at university, to stay on course for a good degree, and to forge the way to a successful career.
The authors are experienced university staff who have drawn on the knowledge they have gained as tutors, as teachers, and as parents themselves.
Clearly laid out and fully illustrated by case studies, this book is your guide to your kids’ success at university.
Mark Davies has a degree in Marine Biology from Liverpool University and a PhD in marine ecology and physiology from Manchester University. He has worked at Sunderland University for 13 years, helping students to understand biology and is currently Professor of Bioscience. He has a growing interest in education at university level, particularly in making sure that students have accessible information in order to inform their academic studies and personal development. He has also acted as a consultant to universities in course design and quality assessment, and regularly audits universities for a government agency (Quality Assurance Agency, www.qaa.ac.uk) to ensure that standards are met and learning opportunities are readily available.Tony Cook has a degree and PhD in Zoology from Cambridge University, a Diploma in Education from Sheffield University and a Certificate in University Teaching form the University of Ulster. He was awarded a Distinguished Learning Support Fellowship at the University of Ulster. He has worked at the University of Ulster for 35 years during which time he has been a teacher of biology, an educational developer and, more recently, the Director of the STAR (Student Transition And Retention) project. He has a long involvement in student learning and a growing interest in ways of ensuring that students make informed choices about what and where they choose to study.Brian Rushton is a Reader in Biology at the University of Ulster. He has a degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Birmingham and a DPhil in Plant Taxonomy from the University of York. He has been involved with teaching and learning matters throughout a long career - for example, as Director of Teaching for all bioscience programmes and as a Faculty Coordinator of Student Learning. He has extensive experience working with disabled students, international students and placement (sandwich-course) students. He has been a QAA Subject Reviewer and has worked closely with the Centre for Bioscience both as an Institutional Representative and as the Country Consultant for Northern Ireland. He is regarded as an excellent teacher and this was recognised by the award of a Distinguished Teaching Award by the University of Ulster. Over the last five years he has been involved with the STAR project as the Project Theme Leader. He has endeavoured to work at all levels to promote teaching and learning to ensure that the student experience is, ultimately, a fulfilling experience.Though all three authors have known each other for many years they were each more recently involved in the STAR project (www.ulster.ac.uk) that aimed to identify and disseminate good practice to prevent students dropping out of university. Tony Cook led this project. Between them the authors have well over 100 academic publications in the broad area of biology and 10s of publications in education with a focus on university education.
