The “Why”

The Traverse Post-Secondary Transition Program (The Traverse) is a Rundle-developed program that supports our graduating students as they transition into post-secondary education.

As demonstrated in academic research, students are most successful in transitioning into post-secondary education learning environments if they have the following skills and attributes: self-determination, learning strategies, and the ability to self-advocate.

Rundle focuses on the development of these skills; however, based on the research literature and feedback from our alumni, these skills may require further development in their new learning environment.

Most post-secondary institutions have student support services and even some week-long transition courses; however, the support is not individualized for the holistic needs of a student. The Traverse aims to seamlessly bridge the gap between high school and post-secondary studies for our students and bring them closer to academic autonomy while maintaining their confidence.

All of the Details

A Traverse Coach will be assigned to each student, working alongside the student throughout the entire year to create continuity and a sense of trust during this period of transition. The Traverse Coach and the post-secondary student will meet weekly via Zoom conference call or in-person meetings.

The program is uniquely tailored to each student's individual needs while adhering to a curriculum that pursues these objectives:

Program Objectives

University Program Planning and Goal Setting

• Support with program requirements

• Term 1 & 2 course registration

• Academic goal setting

• Career objectives

University Orientation

• Connecting with available supports and accessibility services

• Creating social connections and developing a community

• Getting to know professors

• Connecting with other alumni

Strategy Development and Support

• Executive functioning (time management, organization, task initiation, metacognition)

• Self-advocacy

• Study strategies

• Note-taking strategies

• Test-taking strategies

Academic Support

• Paper editing

• Citation support

• Connecting with peer networks

Student Well-being

• Self-care

• Mental health support

• Confidence

• Feeling connected to a post-secondary campus and the community

• Establishing healthy routines

Future Planning

• Resume development

• Summer employment

• Volunteer opportunities

All of the Costs

The cost of The Traverse program for all participants includes the following:

• Parent and student planning meeting in the spring

• Weekly 1:1 one-hour coaching sessions (approximately 15 meetings per semester)

° Focus on the program objectives (listed on previous page)

° Biweekly updates provided to parents

° Culminating final report provided in May

Funding Opportunities

There are Federal/Provincial Grants for Post-Secondary Students with Permanent Disabilities. If you have additional questions or need assistance with the funding application, please contact The Traverse Coordinator at traverse@rundle.ab.ca.

Sign-Up Deadline: May 1

Limited spots available

What students are saying...

The Traverse program had a great effect on my grades, time management, and well-being.

What parents are saying...

I highly recommend The Traverse program as it is a natural extension of the Rundle philosophy and practices. It is a very efficient way to provide support without having to start from scratch and allowed us to hit the ground running.

The Traverse program is the greatest. It will help me with the rest of my university [experience].

This program knows where you came from, knows your strengths and weaknesses. It helped make [the experience at university] way better and helped me have greater confidence, be less overwhelmed and stressed-out all the time and more positive.

The students that come through the Academy program are all very intelligent and they all have their own unique learning requirements. The Academy provides this support in a way that the student, their peers, parents, or postsecondary professors could never replicate. If [our son] was completely cut off from your support he would have had significantly different academic results and much lower confidence/self-esteem.