Connecting for Successful Transition: Postgraduate Distance Library and Information Studies Students’ Transition Experiences

Abstract

Transition in an educational context refers to the shift from one educational environment to another and involves students adapting to a new learning context. The literature on transition is plentiful but mostly focused on transitioning to school, between primary and secondary school or from school to university. While there is a common perception that the transition from undergraduate to postgraduate study requires only minor adjustments for students, evidence suggests that postgraduate students often experience transition difficulties, exacerbated when learning is undertaken at a distance and opportunities for face-to-face interpersonal interactions to address misgivings and ease transition are limited. Drawing on selected results of a study investigating Library and Information Studies (LIS) student experiences as they transition into postgraduate distance learning, this paper explores factors that facilitate and challenge postgraduate distance (PGD) students’ successful transition.