Stop making assumptions about students

Students arrive at university with diverse expectations and educational experiences. Their early interactions with an institution’s spaces, people and systems lead to judgements about whether it is a good fit for them and their needs. 

Institutions design entire systems around the expectation that students arrive at university ready to learn. But these systems are built for learners who do not exist. To build an inclusive welcome programme, we need to avoid making assumptions. Here are some of the most common, along with ways to avoid them. 

Educational history and digital access

It is natural to assume that starting university is a long-held ambition and, as such, new students are generally excited to arrive on campus. We might also assume that students prioritise their studies and strive to achieve top marks. 

Assumptions might be built around a student’s previous education and the expectation that they will have taken A levels. However, almost one in 10 undergraduates enter university without Level 3 qualifications. 

We might also assume that students come directly from other educational contexts, and that they have access to a laptop or desktop computer. But more than two million young people in the UK do not.

These students must navigate institutional systems and digital infrastructure – configured around desktop computers – on a smartphone. They might find it more challenging to navigate a virtual learning environment to complete pre-lab preparation materials and digital assessments, or view lecture materials before a teaching session.

Work and caregiving commitments

With 65 per cent of undergraduates now working while studying – and working more hours than ever before – a misconception might be that absence equals disengagement. However, absent students might be juggling caring responsibilities, chronic illness or poor mental health alongside their studies. These students might benefit from being able to view the lecture recording within 24 hours of the lecture, at a time and place of their choosing. The assumption that students can only learn when in the same physical space as the educator is both indicative of weak pedagogical practice and arrogance; attending the taught session is not always the best use of that student’s time.

Life skills

The assumptions that we make around socio-economic background might include that students come from a stable home with two healthy, working parents, and that they have access to and can manage their finances. 

We might also assume that students have independent living skills, know about safe sex and are in good physical and mental health, yet mental health is consistently reported as the primary reason for withdrawal from studies. 

And this is without considering assumptions that new students know what they want to do “when they grow up”, that they arrive at university feeling able to trust us and the system and that they have read all of the study-related information that they’ve received.

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How can we design out assumptions?

1. Mind your language. For example, avoid saying things like “You will have covered this in your A levels” or “Going home to mum and dad during holidays?” or assuming that students even have a home to return to outside term time.

2. Be consistent. Where possible, avoid last-minute timetable changes. As well as working more hours, significant proportions of our students are managing caring responsibilities, health appointments and the commute to campus. 

3. Acknowledge other modes of engagement. Recognise that learning can take place both within and outside a formal teaching space. Absent students are not necessarily disengaged. They might be studying together outside class, watching lecture recordings and completing the required reading. Do not withdraw asynchronous support to pull students back to class. Acknowledge and applaud the many ways that students might engage with the content of an inclusively designed module. 

4. Offer digital support. Digital access is about more than owning a laptop. Some students might own a device but lack the knowledge and skills required to complete specific tasks. By scheduling time to show the students how to use the institutional virtual learning environment and providing a guide to submitting coursework correctly, you can improve engagement with self-study tasks and reduce late submissions and unnecessary extension requests.

5. Develop life skills. Many, but not all, students have lived independently before arriving at university. Students might be learning how to manage their time, finances and transport alongside their studies. Helping them navigate campus and locate the relevant support teams can be as simple as sharing a slide of that week’s drop-in support sessions, a map with locations of new teaching spaces or scheduling a library tour during induction.

Inaccurate assumptions can impact students’ sense of belonging at a crucial time, and this affects student retention. By building a more inclusive welcome programme, we can better prepare students to navigate the transition to university and set them up for academic success.

Kelly Edmunds is professor of biology education and student experience at the University of East Anglia. Lucy Kemp is head of student experience at the University of East Anglia.

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