20 Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) Starter Pack

Aims and Objectives

• To ensure equitable access to essential pre-arrival and induction information for all first-year students across TUS’s multi-campus environment.
• To enhance the student experience by reducing anxiety, improving preparedness, and fostering a sense of belonging from pre-entry onwards.
• To streamline and integrate administrative and communication processes through a cohesive, digitally enabled one-stop platform.
• To support institutional Digital Transformation goals and promote inclusive, accessible, and sustainable student support practices.

Initiative Overview

The TUS Starter Pack is a digital platform designed to support first-year students across TUS’s multi-campus environment. It provides a user-friendly digital one-stop-shop, for essential pre-arrival and induction information, helping students navigate registration, IT access, timetables, support services, and campus orientation. This platform also hosts curated resources geared towards supporting students in their onward academic journey. It also aims to streamline communication, reduce student anxiety, improve preparedness, and foster a sense of belonging ahead of commencing university life. 

Planning and Development
The project commenced in early 2025 and was led by the Student Resource Centre and CPID, working together with stakeholders from across our relatively newly integrated organisation to streamline processes and provide essential content. These included Registry, Admissions, Timetabling, IT Services, Library, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, Students Union, Campus Services, Marketing & Communications. The team followed a structured development process (ADDIE), to identify student needs, design content, develop the platform, implement and gather feedback. The platform was built using Articulate Rise, following inclusive design principles to ensure accessibility for all students. 

Implementation and Delivery
The Starter Pack includes short videos, interactive maps, social media links (Instagram, TikTok), and step-by-step guidance for all key tasks. It launched in advance of the publication CAO Round 1 offers in August 2025, giving students immediate access to essential information. The platform was also adapted for international students to create the TUS Global Starter Pack, ensuring equitable access to support across all student cohorts and across our 7 geographically dispersed campuses. 

Learning and Engagement Approaches
The initiative uses a step-by-step approach to guide students through tasks, helping them build confidence and digital skills while promoting independent engagement. By combining interactive content with clear instructions, the platform supports diverse learning styles and encourages students to connect with peers before arriving on campus. 

Assessment and Outcomes
Student feedback is indicative of a strong impact: a survey of 1,230 first-year students (42% response rate) found 82% rated the Starter Pack very or extremely helpful, with an average score of 4.26/5. Internal staff reported fewer pre-arrival queries and smoother registration processes, reflecting improved efficiency and communication. 

Impact and Future Development
The Starter Pack has significantly enhanced the TUS Connect and Engage Programme by improving student preparedness, reducing anxiety, and strengthening the sense of community and belonging across all campuses. The project will continue as an evolving platform, with plans for interactive orientation modules, peer-led content, and integrated feedback tools. It is anticipated that the Starter Pack and derivative iterations will continue to evolve as a core digital aspect of the student journey, supporting learners from pre-entry through to graduation to further advance TUS’s mission of inclusive and digitally enabled education. 

Impact and Evidence of Success

The TUS Starter Pack’s impact was evaluated through both quantitative analytics and qualitative student feedback. A survey of 1,230 first-year students (42% response rate) showed 82% rated the Starter Pack very or extremely helpful, highlighting timetable info, orientation schedules, campus maps, Library/IT support, and student support videos as being most valuable to them. Approx 3200 first year students received the link via email to the starter pack. During the key onboarding period (27 August–16 September 2025), website analytics alone indicated that 2,098 users participated in 2,833 engaged sessions demonstrating a strong reach that was further augmented through direct engagement via the email link.

Future Directions and Sustainability

Building on the Starter Pack’s success, the team is developing a Student Support Pack to provide guidance and resources throughout the academic year. Both platforms will be updated annually for each CAO intake, requiring minimal maintenance and ensuring sustainability while supporting continuous engagement. They will continue to evolve through ongoing feedback, strengthening consistency, accessibility, and excellence in student support across all campuses.

Alignment and Policy Context

• TUS Digital Transformation Strategy
• National Access Plan 2022–2028
• HEA Systems Performance Framework 2023–2028 (Pillar 3: Access and Participation)
• QQI CINNTE Institutional Review (2024) recommendations
• Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles and the Altitude Charter
• Putting Learning First: TUS Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategy 2022–2025
• TUS Graduate Attributes Framework 2022–2025

Resources and Supporting Information

• TUS Starter Pack
• TUS Global Starter Pack

Images

Funding and Acknowledgements

Funding: National Forum’s Strategic Alignment of Teaching and Learning Enhancement (SATLE) Funding in Higher Education 2024–2025, Learning Enhancement Project (LEP).