This document discusses two projects aimed at improving student transitions into higher education. The CoTIL project examines challenges students face during transitions and the role technologies can play in expanding learning beyond the classroom. It also describes two strands of the project: peer mentoring managed by students and history students using social media for reflection. The document recommends that mentors engage mentees in discussing technologies and community-building, and that institutions support students' ability to manage their own networks and content to facilitate independent learning.

1. Connecting Transitions and Independent Learning Richard Hall (rhall1@dmu.ac.uk, @hallymk1) Heather Conboy (hconboy@dmu.ac.uk, @heaths123)

4. Ravensbourne, 2008 Hall, 2009; after Ravensbourne, 2008

9. Recommendations Mentors : engagement impacted by perceptions of: the 'institution' and its role; available technologies; and of the efficacy of peer communication. Mentors need to engage their mentees in a discussion about these issues. Programme teams: should develop coherent approaches for transitions that include the development of the whole person . Support staff : need to give advice about the available technologies and guidance around building communities of practice for self-managing students. Institutional managers : must consider the ability of learners to plug-in/manage their own technologies, networks and content.

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