Unit Warm-up: Jump start into tertiary studies

BACKGROUND: A high level of preparedness for engagement is essential for a smooth transition into tertiary studies. Regardless, many first-year nursing students appear underprepared, a situation likely exacerbated by today's increasingly diverse student population. Students' preparedness to begin tertiary education can be hampered by factors such as environmental changes, technical issues and paid work demands. For first year students, this period is frequently marked by apprehension and a sense of unpreparedness. OBJECTIVES: To report the difference in first-year nursing students’ pre- and post-subject preparedness and understanding after participating in a Unit Warm-Up. DESIGN: A quantitative survey. SETTINGS: An online pre- and post-survey prior to the commencement of a subject. PARTICIPANTS: First-year, first-semester nursing students. METHODS: Students could choose to participate in a “Unit Warm-Up” strategy before commencing a subject. Those who participated were invited to complete the pre- and post-survey created with the Qualtrics survey software. Survey questions focused on students' subject preparedness, level of anxiety about the subject's content, level of motivation and understanding of the subject's learning outcomes. Data was collected over a four-year period. RESULTS: The findings revealed that participating in the Unit Warm-Up from 2019 to 2021 had a significant impact on students' preparedness and understanding of the subject's learning outcomes. In 2022, no significant changes were observed, which could have been influenced by extreme flooding in the regions. Anxiety levels among students decreased from 2019 to 2021, but not in 2022. Motivation remained consistent over time. When compared to overall pass rate and student satisfaction trends, such a Unit Warm-Up strategy may have a positive impact. CONCLUSION: A Unit-Warm-Up strategy has merit as a jump start into tertiary studies. Nevertheless, external factors such as the Covid pandemic and environmental disasters can disrupt students’ anxiety and readiness for participating in a subject.