there is no fence around the university

Last week I asked my first year class in 'Communications' (I will have to say something more about this subject and its peculiar place in the university of technology curriculum landscape sometime) to write a very short narrative piece that described and reflected on their first few days at the university. What many students shared about their experiences in their written work brought into sharp focus how fundamental, awkward, weird and wonderful this move between school and university is for many students. Highlighted were many of the assumptions I made (and I'm sure many lecturers do too) about students' understandings and perceptions of university and their lived experiences of schooling. In many ways exposing the fallacy that high school in South Africa somehow prepares students for their life at university. Students marveled (and I'm not being condescending when I use this adjective) at the size of the buildings, the resources available (like the library, its books, the computer labs), the number of students and the fact that there was no fence around the campus or school bell - so they could come and go as they liked but also monitor the time for different lectures themselves. All of this has made me think that we really don't start at the point where students are at and make no allowances for the adjustment they need, just to the day-to-day arrangements and practices of the university, of the department. We just rush in with the content of our subjects as we know and understand it, thinking little of how all of this might be taken on and experienced by our students.