Student transition in the Australian dual-sector environment: assumed to explicit?

Policy changes in the Australian Higher Education sector have prompted the need to review student transition, particularly the transition from Technical and Further Education (TAFE) to university to ensure movement between the two sectors is more accessible. A Guaranteed Entry Scheme (GES) was implemented in the dual sector institution where this case study is located to enable TAFE students to seamlessly move between the two divisions. This transition from TAFE diplomas to a degree program presents its own set of challenges. Acting on results from a survey, a targeted orientation program was developed for articulating TAFE students. The outcome of this event and the subsequent student evaluation led to the recommendation that orientation and transition activities be made explicit rather than assumed, even for students who believed they knew their institution due to the geographical co-location ofTAFE and university campuses.