Screening and data collection in pre-arrival platforms

This chapter will investigate how pre-arrival platforms can both provide screening, by collecting feedback from students before starting at university, and enable an opportunity for critical self-reflection for incoming students to prepare them for the transition to university. By informing staff of student insights and enabling student reflection, pre-arrival platforms can overcome the recurring problem of students’ mismatched expectations, particularly around academic experience. The chapter will look at the benefits and challenges of using screening in pre-arrival platforms, and strategies for implementing this approach. The contribution will use the University of St Andrews’ pre-arrival platform, the ‘Transitions Toolkit’, for new incoming postgraduate taught (PGT) and undergraduate (UG) students as a case study for this exploration.