Holistic Approach to Student Support
& Guidance
University of Central Lancashire, Preston, May 2003
Introduction
This conference was organised by Maggie Plum, Student
Services and the delegates were largely student services professionals,
although some academic staff and administrators were also represented.
Papers
Collaborating Across the Institution: the heart
of the issues for student services.
Lorraine Casey, Staffordshire University.
A research project identifying good
practice in a variety of institutions and focusing on the ways in which
student service departments collaborated with the rest of the institution
to provide a supportive environment for students. 10 case studies had
been published. Collaboration was divided into three categories,
- Competition: The striving of 2 or more groups for the same object;
- Co-ordination: Away to bring together disparate agencies to make
their efforts more compatible and
- Co-operation: Diverse interests are brought together and built into
a new approach.
There are several boundaries to some of these approaches
that mitigate against good practice:
Structure and mission of the institution: The
construction of a system or the perception of a system that does not favour
student support.
Shortage of resources: (finance, staff
time)
Entrenched attitudes: (e.g "why
admit students who do not have appropriate skills?" student blame
culture)
Status issues: The non-academic status
of student services results in their being viewed as inferior to academic
provision despite many being better qualified/ more experienced than their
academic colleagues.
Lack of continuity: Changes in staff
result in the breakdown of collaboration where it is not institutionally
embedded.
Lack of control: Some aspects of the
management of the student experience is not being managed by those whose
prime interest is in students. (e.g. "In terms of better understanding,
access and referral, it would be better if student finance was part of
student services").
Different institutions have acted to bring the various aspects of student
support together.
Joint posts: Mature student advisor
(University of Hull) is a joint appointment between the recruitment office
and student services to ensure links between pre- and post entry experience;
Dual academic and advisory posts at Manchester.
Joint activities: QAA subject review
had served to bring student services and academic staff closer together.
Student services and academic staff work together on university research
projects; Student services teach on academic courses and course inductions.
Management support: "What makes
us successful is that we were knitted into the fabric and we have support
at a very senior level".
The role of research in Student Support and
Guidance.
Claire Carney, University of Glasgow.
Claire is a full time research officer within student
services and investigates, in a focused way, specific issues. To date
she has been involved in research into:
Undergraduates doing part-time work: Found
that while students who worked and/ or were in debt were physically healthy,
all other measures of well-being (SF36 questionnaire) were depressed relative
to non-working and/or solvent peers. Resolved to legitimise part time
work by encouraging parts of the University to employ students and getting
Job Centre in once per week to advise students about part time work.
The needs of mature students: There
was little institutional recognition of mature students and a recommendation
was made for targeted mature student support. A mature student web site
and a mature student association has been centrally developed and supported.
This has also led to the targeting and segmentation of student orientation
under the auspices of an orientation committee.
Delayed postgraduate completion: Surveys
of postgraduates who had still to submit theses showed that practice was
very varied. Some had very little support and supervision after the three
years funding while others received support for a considerable period.
The evaluation of new entrants
An evaluation of the student information desk
(SID).
Student Debt Advice.
Jan Smith, Consumer Credit Counselling Service.
The CCCS provides telephone and personal support for
anyone in debt. It has a specific student helpline. It will help to reschedule
debt where necessary. Leaflets can be obtained by contacting the CCCS
at 01132970121.
Transition Management: the Diversity Dimension.
Philip Frame, University of Middlesex.
This was a workshop that reinforced many of the themes
within the STAR project. Manchester Metropolitan University have just
appointed staff to TIPS (Transition Induction and Progression Strategy)
which sounds much like STAR but focused at a whole institution level.
A Holistic Approach to the Support for Learning and
Retention of First year Undergraduate Students.
Sheila Aynsley-Smith and Kate Kirk, Manchester Metropolitan University.
This was in two parts: an outline of the structure and
function of student services followed by an account of how a member of
academic staff had been able to integrate student support into a course
and thereby retain students and, by linking to a supportive access course,
to increase numbers.
The management of transition consists of the following
elements:
- Recruitment and Admissions,
- Pre-course preparation, (taster days, diagnostic assessment, on-line
communication and feedback),
- Induction programme,
- Approaches to Learning Curriculum Unit,
- Assessment Strategy,
- Tutorial system,
- Monitoring and Tracking Progress,
- Peer Learning and Support.
- Keeping Students in Higher Education: a summer school with a difference
Jan Sellars and Caroline Cash.
The Value Programme
The VALUE programme is aimed at retaining
students between years 1 and 2. It consists of a three of phases
- Interviews and support before exams. Students who are under performing
are selected for the programme.
- Support in exams result week and prior to re-sits.
- Support at the beginning of year 2.
In essence selected students are given assistance with exam preparation
and help with interpreting problems in their exams. There is then, for
those that need it, an intensive 1 week programme prior to re-enrolment
which is a mixture of subject specific preparation, social events and
study skills development.
A 97% retention rate is claimed.
http://www.kent.ac.uk/uelt/learning/value/
The Role of Module Integration Tutorials.
Christopher McKenna, University of Teesside.
This system has been applied to what is essentially a
conversion Master’s programme in Occupational Therapy. There are
a number of modules that are co-ordinated from the students’ perspective
by one 50-minute tutorial every two weeks. These tutorials are co-ordinated
such that they include support for all current modules. They serve both
to provide an element of peer support and also to link the modules. It
should be noted that the modules are taught by relatively few staff (2
core individuals) and were developed recently and together. Thus there
are pre-existing cross module linkages.
Quality web-based communication: an essential tool for
staff and student support.
Alison Mitchell, Glasgow and Maggie Plum, Central Lancashire.
Successful communication is INFORMATION first and TECHNOLOGY
second.
Are Students Prepared for Higher Education?
Tony Cook, University of Ulster.
In essence evidence was presented that a significant
number of students leave University without failing. These are they who
leave before the first assessment and who fail to return after the summer.
It was argued that, while some attrition at this stage is inevitable,
it also signifies a failure to communicate the benefits and implications
of University study. A time line starting at "First impression"
and ending with the "First year curriculum" was outlined. Data
derived from student surveys prior to enrolment and after the first term
were presented which illustrate that students have unrealistic expectations
of University and that while for most their worst fears are not realized,
for up to 20% the experience is worse than expected.
Presentation
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