Mature students’ accounts of a university induction programme

Updated Sep 07, 2026

Updated, 7 September 2026: We have clarified that nine undergraduates were interviewed and the reported findings concern seven mature students. This briefing uses the abstract and selected publisher passages; it does not establish the programme’s causal effect.

What the source reports

Jennifer Jones, Joanna MacDonnell and Abeer Aamir examined a UK university’s belonging induction programme. Researchers and student engagement partners used paired and individual Appreciative Inquiry interviews. The article reports seven mature students’ experiences within a wider evaluation.

Participants described preparation and connections with staff and peers, alongside barriers involving communications, timing and attendance. Some still felt treated as different from the expected student. The authors describe resulting changes to the programme.

Interviews took place in January and February 2024, after the programme period, and the analysis was cross-sectional. The paper’s limitations identify the small sample and defer further quantitative analysis to future work. Reported benefits should therefore remain participants’ and authors’ interpretations, rather than proof that induction caused improved wellbeing or retention.

Questions for induction teams

Our suggested starting point is to ask whether students could use the programme as designed. Which activities were accessible alongside work, travel or care? Which information arrived when it was useful? An attendance count alone will not answer those questions.

Make room for positive accounts as well as difficulties. Ask what students would keep, what they would change and why. Check whether a proposed redesign addresses the concern described, rather than assuming that adding more activities will help.

If you compare feedback over time, record who responded and what else changed. The separate first-year belonging study illustrates a different design and its own limitations. These are our local review suggestions, not a tested induction formula. Any claim that a programme improves continuation needs evidence for that outcome, beyond a favourable account of the welcome period.

Reference

Jones, J., MacDonnell, J. and Aamir, A. (2025). Mature undergraduates’ experiences of a UK university induction programme: accruing social capital, evolving habitus and developing a sense of belonging. Innovations in Education and Teaching International. Published online 3 September 2025. Publisher article.