KEY POINTS:
Tat Tsui likens university study to playing sport. Before you run out on the field, he says, you need to warm up.
Three years ago, the Justice Department employee's children had left home and he decided to enrich his life by studying for a degree.
But first he wanted "to tune up the muscles of my brain".
"I left school a long, long time ago. I wanted to get some skills and advice before starting to study."
The 50-year-old now has a Bachelor of Theology degree but in 2003 he wasn't familiar with the university environment, how to navigate the physical and online resources, or how to approach study.
He looked at the University of Auckland's website "to see if there were any courses for beginners" and found details of the university's New Start programme, which he credits with helping him hone the skills he needed to study.
Robyn Hynds is at the other end of her study experience. The 37-year-old mum of two has just completed the New Start programme.
"I will do one sociology paper this semester, and then build up to fulltime study once my youngest is at school.
"A friend suggested it. She had done the New Start programme and now has her degree. I did some part-time study when I had my first baby but I want to study now so I can have a different career."
New Start has been running for 30 years, helping people over the age of 20 who want to study but are apprehensive or nervous.
The contents are constantly tweaked to reflect current teaching and learning practices at The University of Auckland, and taking into consideration people's busy lives, explains programme manager Maria Meredith.
"We used to have five compulsory assignments but reduced that to three."
The programme attracts around 600 students each year; with a third going on to enrol in the next semester.
Each year 100 of the courses' past students graduate with various qualifications. New Start helps people prepare for study by mirroring university expectations.
"Being able to juggle study, work, family and other commitments is challenging," says Meredith.
"We encourage students who need to develop their study skills to attend a workshop that includes practical exercises for note-taking, reading, writing, concentration, memory, motivation and time management," she says.
Enrolments include older people who did not have the chance to go to university when they were young. Others have worked in a specialised field for years but never had the opportunity to gain formal qualifications.
Some people lack confidence or skills to undertake formal study; or want to "test the waters" before enrolling at university.
Others want to make changes in their lives or careers through a university education. Mainly they hear about the programme through work mates, friends and family members, or the university's website.
Managers Meredith and Kahu Pou co-ordinate the programme; and lectures and tutorials are written and run by the university's academic staff.
Ideally, students start with the six-hour learning workshop then choose either New Start (for arts, law, education, theology etc) or New Start Business.
The New Start programmes run for 12 weeks at the City and Manukau campuses, with a two-hour class each week plus tutorials. The business option has up to 30 people in each class, the arts about 50; and tutorial numbers range from 10 to 15.
Students attend lectures on specific topics. Follow-up tutorial discussions help them with the assignment, which they then submit to a department tutor. The assignment is marked and returned with feedback.
At the end of the course, students sit a test and their grade gives them an indication of what level they are at before making an informed decision about what to enrol for at university.
Meredith says, "Nothing builds confidence like success. We help our students succeed by providing high-quality teaching and support in a safe environment.
"We introduce people to various topics and disciplines. It does help people make informed choices or it may introduce them to something they never even considered."
That's what happened to Hynds. The paper she had intended to study no longer appealed after she finished New Start. "Now I'm interested in psychology and counselling. It gave me a clearer idea of what papers to do that will lead to the career I want. You have about 10 different subjects in the lectures so you get a better idea of what each course involves."
She says the feedback from markers was especially important. "It boosted my confidence because they assess, test and mark you with encouraging comments to help you do better."
She thinks the investment of a semester in New Start was time and money well spent.
"Now I know how to use resources and I'm not wasting time. Like the library and Cecil, the students' on-lie resource, I would still be figuring out how to use them."
PROGRAMMES
There are three options:
New Start: Preparation for entry into a range of degrees at the University of Auckland. Course cost approx $290
New Start for business: Preparation for entry into the university's business school. Course cost approx $215
Learning Workshops: Workshops designed to develop learning skills. Costs start from $70.
