Student cohorts are increasingly diverse in their needs and objectives. Here universities share how they are working in new ways to help them enter, progress in and complete a university degree

Student success

Two Australian academics take on the role of person-to-person contact in student success and well-being in higher education – whether that’s the benefits of in-person teaching or the effects of using AI for academic work 

THE podcast: human connection and the student experience

The vision of an empty hall or a blank sign-up list is a nightmare for university staff. When we prepare extracurricular activities for students, we want our multicultural festival or workshops for making toys for shelter cats to have a favourable reception. We want students to be involved, give their time, gain valuable experience and, ideally, recommend to friends that they come along, too. No organiser wants their great idea for additional activities to turn out to be a dud.&nbsp;So, we have 12 tips to avoid this.Why do we even bother organising extracurricular activities?The university experience is more than just research, lectures and exams. It includes the chance meetings and interactions that can result in lifelong friendships (the kind we love so much from the movies, for example). Extracurricular activities can be underrated, but they are the heart of the university experience. And, to be fair, most students are not looking for just a fancy diploma but are also seeking precisely these formative experiences.Four ways to weave job skills teaching into the university experienceDesigning 24/7 hubs for studentsThree steps to unearth the hidden curriculum of networkingOrganising interesting extracurricular activities is without a doubt a challenge. Ultimately, we are asking young adults to give their precious free time to participate in our event. Sometimes the motivation to create extracurricular activities is related to a formal necessity; sometimes it comes from our own lively initiative as educators.&nbsp;However, such initiatives have many benefits for the whole university community. One is that extracurriculars influence the feeling of belonging and community at universities. So, these societies, clubs and events are an important component of our community building. They are also a tool for increasing social integration in higher education institutions and giving students opportunities to develop their practical social skills.&nbsp;Who should extracurricular activities target?Of course, extracurricular activities for students are for students, duh. But some groups are especially important to consider. These are the groups most at risk of exclusion, such as first-year students, those from minority groups and international students. This is probably obvious. Other groups are easier to overlook; these are working students, parents and mature students. They are less obvious because they are often absent. But it’s worth factoring them in and even tailoring activities to them. We want our whole community to participate in our extracurricular programmes.What can we do better to make extracurricular programmes more successful?Bring together established students and newcomers.&nbsp;The former may act as mentors or buddies aiding the latter in finding their voice.&nbsp;Promote, promote, promote! Often students are not aware of the extracurriculars on campus. But promotion must be tailored to students’ needs. Ask advice of and cooperate with already engaged students.&nbsp;Information alone is not enough.&nbsp;Plan and implement adequate topics, forms and content into your communications to encourage students to participate in extracurricular activities. Promotion and visibility are important but not decisive factors. Students’ own motivations might be a more important component of their engagement. Strategies should be developed around how to “nudge” or invite students to participate in extracurricular activities.Support student-led activities. That assistance can be help with meeting spaces, easing bureaucratic requirements for running events (or forming and recognising groups) and possibly creating institutional units dedicated to supporting student engagement.&nbsp;Give students decision-making powers.&nbsp;Share the opportunity to have impact and to make a contribution; give students some responsibility and involve them in decision-making. Maybe they can organise their own projects within your institution. Put in place conditions such as space and materials for the activity, but let them take the initiative and decide on details. It provides real motivation along with broader skills development.&nbsp;&nbsp;Socialising is a goal in itself. Taking part means making friends and spending time with groups in a meaningful way. Remember to include the social aspect when you are planning and promoting the activities. Focus primarily on creating a positive, open and inclusive atmosphere.&nbsp;Lower the barriers to entry. Extracurricular activities should have a low threshold for participation. Maybe students don’t have to commit to attending all meetings right away. One-off actions are also a good idea. You want students to get started and get involved (and not be so overwhelmed that they balk at the door).Mental health is a hot topic. The issue of mental health and well-being concerns many students directly or indirectly, and is widely discussed. Extracurricular activities could include mindfulness exercises, workshops for strengthening and supporting mental well-being, and programmes that support other coping strategies or psycho-educational approaches.&nbsp;Invest in the skills of the future.&nbsp;Information on digital competencies, such as information hygiene and awareness of the right to be offline, could be included in project outputs as helpful resources.Mix up the freshers. Bring together local and international first-year students across study programmes. Often, separate meetings are organised for local and foreign students, making it difficult for them to integrate. In non-English-speaking countries, local students can help international students learn the language. Activities such as “speak dating” (like those organised by the Volunteer Centre of the University of Warsaw) are fun and create a space to meet and gain intercultural skills.&nbsp;Recognise the effort in a formal way.&nbsp;Extra credit points, for example, might motivate students to engage in extracurriculars. Formal recognition could especially attract working students who may feel excluded from university life.&nbsp;Stretch – be flexible. To increase the rate of engagement, activities could be included that are flexible and less time-consuming. Also, it might be more encouraging for students if their tasks and responsibilities increase over time as they train and gain more skills.&nbsp;What now?&nbsp;Let’s do it! It may not be possible to use all our tips at once, but they can be an inspiration for small but important changes. After all, what we as educators want is a close-knit and engaged academic community. See you at the next extracurricular activity!Martyna Iwanicka is internal communication coordinator&nbsp;at the University&nbsp;Community Active Participation Project (UNICOMM) at the Volunteer Centre of the University of Warsaw.&nbsp;This article is based on the Unicomm project report&nbsp;University as Community: Students’ Perceptions of Participation, Engagement and Belonging at European Higher Education Institutions. The Unicomm project is funded by the European Union, however, views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the EU or the National Agency (NA). Neither the EU nor NA can be held responsible for them.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

How to create compelling extracurricular activities

Participation and enthusiasm are the goals of those hard-working volunteers, staff and faculty who organise campus activities and events. Here are 12 tips to boost university student engagement

How to create extracurricular activities students will want to attend

The job market today is saturated with university graduates, all competing to stand out in crowded fields. In industries such as engineering and technology, employees must continue to learn new skills and stay on top of developments. Changes happen so rapidly that staying informed is key.In this environment, it’s vital for employees to invest in ongoing education and skill improvement. For example, a marketing professional might need to learn new digital marketing techniques to keep up with changing consumer trends. The demands of the market require its workers to have a proactive approach to adaptability and growth.&nbsp;Tips for mastering the Global Shared Learning ClassroomCameras on: how to overcome a key challenge in digital coursesMy teacher’s a robot: beating negative perceptions when teaching onlineOffering flexibility and accessibility in continuous education and skill enhancement, open and distance learning (ODL) has become a popular choice for those seeking advanced degrees while simultaneously balancing full-time jobs, family responsibilities and community involvement. ODL is defined by Unesco as an academic delivery approach that aims to expand opportunities for education and training, liberating learners from the constraints of time and place. ODL programmes provide fully online modes of study, allowing students to engage with course materials and lectures anytime, anywhere and in any manner that suits their needs.As a programme manager for a master’s degree programme, I observed that some students struggled when navigating the complexities of online learning in ODL programmes. In response, I spearheaded a project to develop an onboarding framework, tailored to address the needs of ODL students.The project aimed to enhance the student experience by offering necessary support and resources throughout their academic journey. It can be summarised as follows:1. Acknowledge that the academic department plays an important role in connecting students to the university.2. Implement a yearly activity plan that engages students with a supporting department with dedicated programme contents.3. Provide a direct reference for each supporting department, such as a buddy programme.4. Offer a more interactive lecture experience, involving the educator and supporting department, to provide materials and offer a good platform for interactive education.Here are the three distinct stages we worked through in order to develop this framework.Stage 1: Gather student perspectivesThe first stage of the onboarding framework development involved compiling students’ perspectives to understand what support they needed. By analysing the strengths and weaknesses of existing onboarding sessions, we gained insights into areas where we needed to improve.We held surveys targeting current students, fresh graduates and alumni to identify the factors influencing success in study and how the university could support them better.Stage 2: Incorporate input from supporting departmentsIn the second stage, we gathered input from various university departments, including academics and non-academics, to refine the programme. We clarified the definition of “onboarding”, emphasising how important providing ongoing support was to us. We considered institutional activities and emerging educational technologies in shaping the onboarding process. For example, we now offer virtual campus tours for remote ODL students, using virtual reality, augmented reality and even mixed-reality technologies.By holding interviews with academic and non-academic staff, we were able to inform strategies and initiatives to enhance student success.Stage 3: Develop and execute the onboarding frameworkThe final stage involves the development and execution of the onboarding framework based on insights gathered from previous stages. Finally, we used the insights gathered from previous stages to develop and launch the onboarding framework. We documented and analysed perspectives from students, academics and non-academics to shape the framework.&nbsp;For example, we’ve included ways to connect the students to university-provided support and to offer networking sessions between students, industry experts and academics.&nbsp;We identified themes such as engagement, nurturing and direction, and brought them together to guide the framework’s development. We established success metrics to measure the effectiveness of the framework, based on the following attributes. Students should be:Directed:&nbsp;Have a goal and know how to achieve it.&nbsp;Focused: Stay on the path and keep their eyes on the prize.&nbsp;Nurtured: Feel somebody at the college wants them to succeed and helps them to do so.&nbsp;Engaged: Actively participate in class and extracurricular activities.&nbsp;Connected: Feel that they are part of the college community.&nbsp;Valued: Feel that their skills, talents, abilities and experiences are recognised.&nbsp;We believe the project holds promise in fostering a culture of continuous improvement in teaching and learning practices at the university. Ultimately, we hope it will contribute to the institution’s overall educational excellence. The commitment to enhancing student engagement, improving learning outcomes and developing tailored support mechanisms signifies a forward-looking approach that aligns with Universiti Technologi Petronas’s vision of providing a transformative educational experience.Cheng Yee Ng is a programme manager and senior lecturer in the civil and environmental engineering department at Universiti Teknologi Petronas.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

The three stages of developing an ODL course framework

Open and distance learning may offer a way for graduates to separate themselves from the herd, but some struggle with online learning practices. Cheng Yee Ng details how she developed the framework to address these challenges 

The three stages of developing a framework to support students of open and distance learning

Finding a sense of belonging at university can be one of the most challenging aspects of student life, particularly for neurodivergent students. To address this problem, the authors and a team of mentors facilitated a neurodiversity meet-ups programme throughout 2023.These social sessions were run over the first six weeks of the semester and offered a safe, informal space for participants to learn and share their experiences of university and life as neurodivergent people, while doing activities such as crafts and using fidget toys. Discussion topics included making friends, disclosure and navigating respectful relationships.&nbsp;We have identified five key attributes that contributed to the programme’s&nbsp;success, which we believe can be used as the foundation for many neurodiverse settings. Here are our tips based on our experience.Bring in mentorsThe first step towards creating a successful neurodiverse programme is to recruit a team of mentors who are enthusiastic about improving the student experience and creating a safe, conversational environment. This will typically include neurodivergent students who can offer genuine and relatable contributions to the programme by sharing their experiences of university life. We also strongly recommend including neurotypical mentors who are willing to share their experiences of uni life and engage with the students, as well as being able to support the neurodivergent mentors when their disabilities affect their ability to make or engage in a session.Provide a clear overview in an accessible formatSocial media is a practical way to share key information about the meet-ups. A Facebook group can provide mentees with a clear overview of the time, place and topics of upcoming sessions and so ensure that everyone is comfortable and prepared for each session. Clear communication is also helpful for newcomers who would like to join later in the programme, and it can improve the student-retention rate from week to week.On the neurodivergent campus, language mattersA tailored onboarding programme can help set neurodivergent students up for successHow can we create accessible and inclusive learning environments for neurodivergent students?Open communication is the foundation of a welcoming and cohesive social space and enhances the way mentors and mentees relate to one another. It’s important that mentees feel comfortable asking for clarity from mentors about the topics discussed, during or after sessions, or via their student emails.Have a strong structureHaving a clear purpose – to meet and spend time together, in our case – is vital to bringing students together. For those with difficulties in social interactions, structure and guidance are critical for fostering these engagements. For example, in our sessions we discussed topics such as respectful relationships, disclosure in class or at work and getting involved in campus life. Advertising the upcoming weekly topic to mentees helps them to prepare for these conversations, but it can also allow them to opt out if a subject is potentially distressing.During the session, be sure to welcome contributions from all mentees, no matter their level of experience with the given topic. Most important, however, is for mentors to foster a culture of empathetic listening to ensure all perspectives are valued and carefully considered.Breaking into smaller groups for crafts or games allows participants to continue a discussion in a more personalised context, which can enhance the social aspect of the meet-ups. It is also an opportunity for mentees to get to know one another.&nbsp;Create accessible environmentsTry to secure the same room for the meet-up each week. This simple measure helps ensure that those who adhere to routines are most comfortable.&nbsp;This room should have sufficient natural lighting (avoid fluorescent lights, if possible) but be enclosed enough that it can be closed off to outdoor sound and the elements. We also avoid eating in this space, because many neurodivergent people are sensitive to food smells and eating noises.Arts, crafts,&nbsp;stim toys and fidgets have proved popular with neurodivergent students who like to keep their hands busy while listening to the ongoing discussion. These can be easily sourced from department stores and are useful for ensuring the comfort of mentees.Nurture the pipeline of potential mentorsEncouraging the mentees to become mentors in the future is vital to the growth and improvement of the programme. It allows students who have previously been “consumers” of the programme to bring new visions and direction to it. This helps us to ensure that the programme is effectively addressing the needs of attendees.&nbsp;The leadership opportunity helps former mentees enhance their employability and involvement in university life. A leadership role within the programme can prepare them to extend their involvement to other aspects of university life in future.For some of our students, the programme expanded on their network of friends and opportunities throughout the university. But for others, a supportive community encouraged them to become immersed in new activities and social settings. Mentees who returned as mentors became advocates for incoming equity students, while others became involved with the Disability Collective. Having these future opportunities linked to the programme underpinned the programme’s contribution to the improved sense of belonging for neurodivergent students.We believe that sharing the successful aspects of our experience as facilitators of the neurodivergent meet-ups programme can provide a framework for people to develop new settings effectively. While the points we have mentioned above should be considered when designing future programmes, the needs of students and each programme’s unique goals should determine the way in which they are implemented.Brooke Szücs is a research assistant in the&nbsp;TC Beirne School of Law&nbsp;and co-chair of the disability subcommittee, and Ben Roden-Cohen is a neurodiversity mentor. Both are at the University of Queensland.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered directly to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus&nbsp;newsletter.

Creating impactful social groups for neurodivergent students

Meet-ups can support neurodivergent students (mostly those with autism and ADHD) to navigate the social complexities of student life and the workplace. Here, Brooke Szücs and Ben Roden-Cohen share tips for creating inclusive neurodivergent settings, based on their experience

Creating an impactful social group for neurodivergent students

As inflation rises, student debt soars and the job market changes rapidly, it’s more important than ever that higher education is preparing students for the workforce.A&nbsp;new report by the Strada Institute for the Future of Work and the Burning Glass Institute found that 52 per cent of four-year college graduates are underemployed a year after graduation, and 45 per cent remain underemployed after 10 years. The problem is particularly acute for Black and Latinx graduates, who experience higher underemployment rates than their white and Asian counterparts.Leverage careers educators’ academic expertise to improve careers educationWant student success? Modernising your careers centre is vitalEngaging students with careers resources early and oftenThese findings should be a wake-up call to higher education. But the Strada report also highlights a promising solution. Students who participate in internships during college are 49 per cent less likely to be underemployed. Also, students of colour who complete internships typically see greater benefits from that experience than their white peers. Strada’s report calls for universities to provide quality, personalised education-to-career coaching for all students, beginning early in their educational journey.Unfortunately, the landscape of career services often fails to meet these needs. The latest Student Voice survey by College Pulse and Inside Higher Ed found that more than one-third of students&nbsp;never use their career centre’s offerings, and among those who do, only 17 per cent receive help securing internships and 12 per cent get interview preparation. This gap is even more pronounced for first-generation students and women, who are less likely to land paid internships – critical experiences that can open doors to future employment.At the University of Arkansas, findings like these inspired us to launch a multi-year effort to weave career readiness into the fabric of the students’ college experience. By integrating career services into classes, student organisations and campus jobs, our goal is to ensure all students have equitable access to resources and experiences that pave the way towards fulfilling, skills-aligned careers.Here are four key facets of our approach: Relationship-building with employers of interestResearch shows that over half of college&nbsp;internships and&nbsp;jobs come through personal connections. Students who have opportunities to network with employers are over&nbsp;five times more likely to feel their degree was worth the cost. Yet, while 70 per cent of first-year students want to network with professionals in their desired field,&nbsp;only about 25 per cent of seniors actually do so before graduating. To boot, first-generation students are even less likely to participate in networking activities and&nbsp;secure internships.To help students develop the relationships that accelerate career exploration and open doors to opportunities, we’ve partnered with&nbsp;Career Launch to offer a career readiness curriculum and group coaching that prepares students to identify potential employers of interest, initiate and sustain professional relationships, craft compelling narratives about their backgrounds and goals, and practise career conversations.As a result, 86 per cent of participants report reduced career anxiety after the programme, and 78 per cent say learning strategic networking skills have increased their likelihood of persisting to degree completion. An increasing number of faculty and programme managers are finding value in embedding Career Launch into their courses and student support programmes.Targeting students less likely to find careers after graduationTeaching students to build social capital requires staff and faculty to learn from diverse perspectives and expand their own networks. Within each institution, career liaisons connect students with potential employers and alumni via career fairs, employer information sessions, job boards, class presentations and networking events.Increasingly, liaisons are also forging relationships with faculty members. It’s these internal partnerships that have catalysed more professors to integrate career preparation into their curriculum – especially for majors like English or exercise science, where career pathways are less clearly defined.&nbsp;For example, after data showed exercise science students needed more career exploration support, the liaison collaborated with a faculty member to embed the Career Launch programme into his introductory course requirements. In addition to supporting students in class to build professional relationships and to tell their own stories to others, it also allowed the professor to reinforce the many ways students can explore career options.Career readiness assessment upon entry and graduationWe knew that we wanted to organise our efforts around the&nbsp;NACE career readiness competencies, but we needed a way for students to understand their current skill levels in each area. The Career Launch assessment dovetails with both the NACE competencies and career mobility best practices.For the next academic year, we’ll incorporate the assessment into first-year experience courses, on-campus employment programmes and make it available for all students. We’re also asking graduates to complete the assessment when applying for graduation. As students progress through their academic and co-curricular experiences, they’ll develop greater awareness of career readiness benchmarks and be able to track growth in domains like relationship-building, professional communication, career development, job search skills and interview preparedness.A common language for articulating career skillsDuring résumé reviews and mock interviews, we noticed that students often omitted experiences that don’t seem “professional” – even when those experiences helped cultivate valuable competencies like communication, teamwork or leadership. To provide a unified framework for spotlighting career-aligned skills, we adopted a digital badge system that allows any campus event or activity to be “tagged” with the NACE competencies it helps develop. Students can earn all eight competency badges (plus a “Career Ready” badge for LinkedIn) by attending engagements and reflecting on how those experiences fostered career skills.By making the competencies part of how the university community discusses and frames involvement opportunities, we’re equipping students with a common language for articulating their transferable skill sets in conversations with professionals and potential employers.While still in the early phases of this expanded career readiness integration, we’re optimistic it can broaden access to enriching postgraduate pathways. As the work progresses, we intend to continually analyse the correlation between students’ career readiness assessment results and their post-graduation outcomes to refine and enhance our efforts. By taking a holistic, institution-wide approach that embeds career readiness into the student experience, we’re making sure our graduates are primed to navigate today’s opportunities – and adaptable enough to pivot toward the careers of tomorrow. Erica Estes is assistant vice-chancellor and executive director of the Offices of Career Connections at the University of Arkansas and Sean O’Keefe is the founder and partner of Career Launch social enterprise.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Four ways to weave job skills into the university experience

With research finding a hefty proportion of graduates underemployed, what can higher education do to improve career readiness? Erica Estes and Sean O’Keefe offer advice 

Four ways to weave job skills teaching into the university experience

To paraphrase former US first lady Michelle Obama, we cannot flourish as a country if we stifle women’s potential and undermine the contributions of half of our citizens. In today’s evolving educational landscape, that means fostering an environment that empowers and supports women students. Education must promote gender equity, increase diversity, fuel economic growth and address systemic inequalities.

Coming from a very small town in Virginia – my high school graduating class had only 15 students — I struggled as an undergraduate student at the College of William &amp; Mary. I had academic challenges and I felt lost and intimidated on a campus that seemed so large. I remember those feelings, and I have dedicated my career to helping students find their connection and purpose on campus. 


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My own experience informs how I lead the student affairs division at Virginia Tech, and I understand how pivotal our division’s role is in shaping the overall student experience for everyone. I launched my career at the university as a victim services adjudication coordinator in the Office of Judicial Affairs. The experience gave me a clear perspective of what a student facing daunting challenges goes through. 

To help support women students at Virginia Tech who may be facing similar anxieties – about studying, parenting or working – student affairs emphasises the importance of support networks, listening, promoting leadership opportunities and addressing challenges that inhibit student success, well-being and belonging.

Use university resources to create a network of support 

Students should know that they’re not alone. Universities have countless systems and potential mentors available to support all students. At Virginia Tech, student affairs is a large team of faculty, staff and student employees; it includes more than 20 departments and several critical student life programmes – including new student orientation, residential well-being, student organisations, counselling, health and well-being services, international student services, our dean of students office and more. Student affairs strives to do whatever it takes to support the individual success of every student.

Listen to your women students 

When I was a student, it mattered to me when women I admired listened to me, guided me, supported me and gave me feedback. So, I strive to truly hear and understand women students. Being there for students means asking often-difficult follow-up questions in conversation to get to their pressure points. It’s a delicate balance. As a young woman, I didn’t want anyone to know that I was struggling – but once my challenges were no longer a secret, it was a relief to be heard and helped. 

Make connections to people and to opportunities 

Relationships drive the way we help students meet their goals. When a student is seeking a connection to a programme or person on campus, student affairs staff can use their networks to help. This is why relationships are so critical; they are the vehicle to connect students to their passions. We may assume this is a small thing, but at a place as large at Virginia Tech, this is critical to helping students connect to the myriad opportunities. 

My experiences have helped me to understand the support students are looking for or to identify what is missing so that I can connect students with people who can help with their needs. If I, or anyone on my team, can help a student connect to service learning, student employment opportunities, internships or mentorships, I know we have helped that student feel connected and appreciated.

Promote leadership development opportunities

We can amplify women students’ ambition when we give them the chance to hone their leadership skills. The best leaders and mentors are those who are generous with their time in helping others.

For example, my supervisor of 13 years, and former vice-president for student affairs at Virginia Tech, was an extraordinary mentor. He believed that nurturing talent was an integral part of his leadership. He helped me grow as a professional and when we were in spaces where I was junior to many others, he would actively amplify my thoughts and opinions. In doing so, he lent me his authority; he expressed his confidence in me in front of others. He took my potential seriously and signalled that publicly. 

Throughout student affairs, we offer workshops, seminars and training sessions that cover topics such as effective communication, decision-making and strategic planning, which empower women to take on leadership roles both within the university and in their future careers. At Virginia Tech, we offer a cohort experience for women leaders. The I WILL (Inspiring Women in Lifelong Learning) connects undergraduate, graduate and professional women students with alumni and friends of the university for transformative conversations on leadership and professional development.

Address gender-specific challenges 

Women students may face unique challenges that impact their academic and personal development. Let’s be clear; despite our – and society’s – best efforts, gender bias, intimidation and harassment still exist in many spaces. We must proactively address these challenges through targeted resources and support, through education and, when needed, access to supportive counselling services. 

Student affairs can play a crucial role in shaping the holistic development of women students and in nurturing their ambitions. We empower students to connect knowledge to the possibilities for improving humanity near and far. 

Frances Keene is vice-president for student affairs at Virginia Tech.

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Student affairs’ role in supporting women students

Student affairs departments, often the heartbeat of campus life and well-being, can significantly influence the personal and professional development of women university students. Here, Frances Keene looks at proven ways to nurture and support female students

Empowering ambition: student affairs’ role in supporting women students

Ask the average person in the street to guess the economic value of the UK’s higher education sector and other than a confused look, you’ll likely get a massive underestimation. 

£500 million? £1 billion? £10 billion?

Actually, the sector is worth a staggering £116 billion to the UK economy; a figure that rises to £130 billion when you include the spending of international students. To add some perspective, that’s only slightly less than the financial services sector (£173.6 billion) and more than double the contribution of media and entertainment to the UK economy (£43 billion). 


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Against this backdrop, the sector’s distinctiveness is grounded in how it supports and cultivates start-up companies.&nbsp;Over the next five years, it’s estimated that more than 20,000 of them will emerge from colleges and universities across the UK. It’s a high number, a figure that academics – regardless of discipline – should not ignore. Here, we examine why.

The higher education sector helps start-ups survive – and thrive

We know that start-ups with links to universities are much more likely to survive than comparable businesses. Graduate start-ups and university spin-outs generate billions in turnover every year across the UK. University collaboration assists budding entrepreneurs in translating innovative ideas into novel products and services, helping start-ups compete internationally. It’s about the education we provide and the expertise we can contribute. All of it melds together to help an individual go from thinking their idea is a good one, to knowing, based on evidence. &nbsp;

Academics play a catalytic role in the start-up ecosystem

Entrepreneurship is now embedded right across the UK. We can see this in the high-growth start-up development and business survival rate figures. Academics are ideally placed to foster entrepreneurship among their students. They play a nurturing role and can help build solid foundations of knowledge with their wealth of expertise. For potential entrepreneurs who wish to translate their ideas into viable and sustainable business ventures, this help can be invaluable. &nbsp;

Educators of any discipline must be aware of the support available to assist start-ups at their institution. Something said during a lecture or tutorial could be the spark a student needs to take their ambitions forward. 

Academics also make the effort to create opportunities on their own, providing extracurricular support and encouragement through things such as start-up competitions, summer schools, entrepreneurs in residence and mentorship programmes. These may not form part of the academic qualification, but they are important when it comes to developing awareness, interest and inspiration.&nbsp; 

An example of a typical student journey that we see in our institution is a student who comes to us with an idea but doesn’t know where to go next. The first step is usually to undertake an enterprise module which helps them to develop their entrepreneurial knowledge and mindset. From this, they apply what they have learned and enter one of our internal business competitions which, with mentoring support, allows them to develop their idea and their entrepreneurial skills. They then apply for seed funding and expert support from the university and, at this point, may also enter external enterprise competitions which provide additional help. At the appropriate time, the student will be introduced to relevant business support agencies which will provide additional assistance as they move towards starting the business.&nbsp; &nbsp;

It’s not only&nbsp;about understanding business

We need to educate students about entrepreneurship, but it’s also worth noting that a key reason for the success of university-linked start-ups is related to our unique position and mission. University courses emphasise research, innovation and development – crucial skills for entrepreneurs in today’s marketplace. Idea generation, innovation, understanding of societal context and trends and even market-testing are all encountered in various formats. This contributes to the logical development process for start-ups, and ties in once again to the suggestion that all academics should be alert to the role they could play in the formation of one. 

The landscape is changing – and new solutions are required

Our careers, experience and wider research have all emphasised the importance of enterprising cultures within higher education. Embedding entrepreneurship and business-related start-up programmes into the curriculum typically leads to significant expansion of start-ups. Universities must continue to make steady progress, evolving the support they provide. 

The reality is that we live in a rapidly changing business landscape right now, with obvious, yet unresolved challenges. How will AI impact the average business? What about climate change? In times of economic turmoil, how can a start-up adapt and thrive? Answers to these questions will inevitably be formulated at universities – making the role we play concerning businesses even more important. 

Looking to the future, universities have a key role to play in developing entrepreneurial graduates who, as entrepreneurs, will add value to the businesses they start or, as intrapreneurs, will bring about change in the organisations that employ them. The challenge for the university is to ensure that the support they provide both inside and outside the classroom remains relevant and meaningful and is aligned with the realities of the world of business. 

Alan Murray is a reader in enterprise; Robert Crammond is a senior lecturer in enterprise and Kingsley Omeihe is a senior lecturer, all at the University of the West of Scotland. 

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Create an entrepreneurial culture at your institution

Universities are perfectly placed to help start-ups get off the ground. Alan Murray, Robert Crammond and Kingsley Omeihe advise on how best to get your students thinking with a business mindset

Four ways to create an entrepreneurial culture at your institution

Higher education institutions are continuing to struggle with the rising mental health needs of their students. Since 2014, the share of college students experiencing depression has risen from 21 per cent to 41 per cent. Students reporting symptoms of anxiety rose from 20 per cent to 36 per cent. At the same time, half of students with mental health conditions&nbsp;have never used any campus counselling services. Just two-thirds of students say they know who and where to turn to when experiencing a crisis.&nbsp;&nbsp;

This rise in mental health concerns comes at an especially challenging time. Institutions are having trouble finding enough health professionals to hire, existing staff are experiencing immense burnout and counselling centres are seeing unprecedented turnover among their directors. A growing number of institutions are augmenting their mental health services by partnering with online providers, but gaps in care continue to persist.&nbsp;

College leaders are going to have to get even more creative to fill these gaps – but they won’t have to look far to find one possible solution. While the expertise and experience of qualified mental health professionals are irreplaceable, institutions can tap into their faculty and staff to create an environment that proactively supports the well-being of all students. Providing coaching and training to the people who support and interface with students every day must be a crucial part of the solution.

As it turns out, many students already expect a range of college employees to play a role in helping them with their mental health challenges. According to a survey conducted earlier this year by Inside Higher Ed and the consultancy College Pulse, nearly half of students say they believe professors are responsible for helping them when they are struggling with their mental health. An earlier survey carried out during the pandemic found that students relied on their professors for mental health assistance at the same rate they relied on official campus health services.&nbsp;

Other research suggests that members of faculty are frequently thrust into the gatekeeper role of identifying when students are in distress and connecting them to other resources. Unfortunately, they too often serve in this capacity without the proper training. While about 80 per cent of faculty members report having one-on-one conversations with students regarding their mental health, just half feel as though they have a strong sense of how to recognise when a student is struggling. Three-quarters of faculty would welcome professional development around student mental health, with nearly two-thirds believing it should be mandatory.&nbsp;


	Resource collection:&nbsp;Using data to support student success
	Resources on mental health and well-being in higher education
	Creating safe spaces for students to talk about financial difficulties


Some colleges and universities have begun to explore ways of providing faculty and other campus workers with training that can bridge the divide between their care for their students and their mental health expertise. At the University of North Carolina, for example, more than 900 faculty and staff have received coaching through mental health first-aid, a US skills-based training programme that teaches participants how to identify and respond to mental health and substance-use issues. Since 2020, Pennsylvania State University has offered training through its Red Folder initiative. Last year, Harvard University adopted a similar programme called Crimson Folder.&nbsp;

Institutions are also investing in training to help staff gain a deeper appreciation for how issues such as trauma and toxic stress can manifest in ways that affect studies. Equipped with this stronger understanding, faculty and staff can better address any obstacles that might stand between students and their education and career goals. At Philadelphia’s Peirce College, for instance, staff receive professional development to help them forge stronger relationships with the students they serve by foregrounding their emotional well-being. Funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Predominantly Black Institutions (PBI) Program, the initiative empowers staff to navigate challenging conversations around trauma and stress more productively and with greater empathy.

These are just a few examples of how institutions are building campus communities where students feel supported anywhere they turn. According to research from Uwill, an online mental health provider that partners with colleges across the country, social isolation and loneliness rank among the most common mental challenges students are struggling with. Creating a culture that prioritises students’ well-being means ensuring they know they are not alone and that they can easily find a helping hand or caring ear.&nbsp;

At the end of the day, faculty and staff are not a substitute for skilled, licensed mental health professionals. With the right training, however, they can serve in a valuable preventive role and as critical first responders. They can identify when students need assistance and point them toward campus resources that can address their physical and mental well-being. Tackling the campus mental health crisis requires a collaborative approach with healthcare providers, student support professionals and educators working together. Indeed, at a time of such acute need and stretched capacity, every member of a college community has a role to play in supporting the mental health of its learners.&nbsp;

Ruth Bauer White is the president of InsideTrack.

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Tackling the campus mental health crisis must be team sport

Tackling the campus mental health crisis requires a collaborative approach with healthcare providers, student support professionals and educators working together, writes Ruth Bauer White

Tackling the campus mental health crisis has to be a team sport

Even with scholarships, grants and loan funds available to cover most or all of their tuition expenses, many students still face personal financial challenges that could jeopardise their ability to stay in school. Colleges can use programmes and resources to help minimise this financial stress and keep students on track to graduation.

When designing a strategy to help students, it is helpful to focus on the fundamental student needs that are commonly a source of stress: academics, food and housing.

Key financial stressors on college students

Academic needs


	Books and other academic supplies: Students’ inability to access books and other academic supplies can compromise their readiness for their classes or their ability to produce their best work.&nbsp;
	Academic support: Many students benefit from additional academic support, such as tutoring. While the institution might provide basic tutoring services, some students will need more advanced support, which comes with additional costs. This is particularly true for many students with disabilities.
	Transportation: For some students, just having reliable access to and from campus can be a challenge. Poor class attendance is one of the biggest risks to a student successfully completing a course.


Food insecurity

Students experiencing food insecurity often find themselves forced to divert time and energy from their academic priorities to manage their basic living needs. In the most challenging circumstances, some students must choose between buying groceries or fuel to get to campus. 

Housing insecurity

Similarly, the lack of a stable housing situation can abruptly force students to put aside their academic priorities to focus on securing new living arrangements. Unfortunately, these new arrangements are often just as temporary.

How can universities support students in times of financial difficulty

To help mitigate challenges caused when money is tight, universities can strategically use their resources to help students stay focused on their academic progress and success. The following are strategies to consider. 

Food pantries&nbsp;and campus partnerships

Many campuses now offer food pantries for their students. Some pantries can be simple, providing primarily canned goods and microwavable meals. Other pantries are more comprehensive, providing fresh produce as well as household needs. 


	A ‘grocery store’ model can help your campus food bank reduce waste
	Food for thought: advice for building a university-community collaboration
	Food insecurity and homelessness affect all our campuses. Here’s what we should do about it


Universities do not have to absorb all the financial burden for helping students facing financial challenges. Collaborating with campus partners such as your bookstore or library could provide additional opportunities to give textbooks and supplies to students. Frequently, libraries can put extra copies of textbooks on reserve for those students who cannot afford them. Also, corporate bookstore partners might be open to providing credits or other subsidies for students identified by the university.

Food service providers can be another source of corporate partnership. For example, Chapman University partner Sodexo offers the Swipe Out Hunger programme, which supplies meals in the campus cafeteria for students who are experiencing food insecurity.&nbsp;

While housing assistance programmes are not typically specifically for college students, some high-need students might be eligible for housing subsidies from state or county programmes. Or these programmes might help them to find more cost-effective housing options.

Campus employment&nbsp;

Another way to help high-need students is to provide stable, convenient employment opportunities for them. For a student, having a job on campus offers many advantages over a job in the community. They can pick up a few hours between classes and do not waste time on&nbsp;a bus or in a car commuting to and from jobs in the community. 

In addition, campus jobs tend to be more stable and students are less likely to have their hours reduced. Campus employers will be mindful not to work students for too many hours, which would threaten their ability to keep up academically. 

Emergency or hardship funds

Perhaps the most versatile method of helping high-need students is through a hardship or emergency fund. Often created through donations, these assistance funds can be used for a variety of purposes:


	Academically, hardship funds subsidise books, supplies or tutoring services. For students struggling with transportation challenges, hardship funds can be used to buy bus passes or even provide fuel subsidies for commuting students.
	A student will use hardship funds when they have encountered a personal emergency that creates an unexpected additional financial hardship, such as medical bills or car repairs. 
	Another possibility is to partner with financial aid colleagues to provide campus housing subsidies for students experiencing housing insecurity. 


Explore fundraising opportunities&nbsp;

While some colleges might budget for emergency needs, hardship funds typically are made possible by donations.&nbsp;Since faculty and staff are likely to know students who are facing financial challenges, they are a promising source for donations, in addition to parents and alumni. Offering an opportunity to donate to a hardship fund through a payroll reduction programme can be an effective way to raise funds. 

As you approach potential donors, it can be effective to provide specific, but anonymous, examples of how the hardship funds are being used. Real-life examples of the struggles students face and how hardship funding helped them stay in school can be powerful selling tools.

Maximising fundraising opportunities, along with the other methods described above, should help you devise a strategy to minimise financial stress and help keep students on track to graduation.

Jerry Price is the dean of students and vice-president for student affairs at Chapman University.

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How to support students when financial aid falls short

When students lack money for books, transport or even food, universities have ways to help them manage and stay on track with their studies. Jerry Price looks at strategies for assisting students in financial need 

What separates us from the robots? It isn’t our minds. It’s our hearts. 

And it isn't just our love lives that can be improved by leaning into this difference. It’s also the future employability and careers of our students. “Jobs increasingly need us to use our hearts,” according to Deloitte’s 2019 report The Pathway to Prosperity: Why the Future of Work is Human. By 2030, it’s estimated that artificial intelligence or automation will replace close to 400 million&nbsp;jobs globally, in part or in full. “Creatives”, including artists, designers, entertainers and media workers, will be in demand, as will those with technological skills. Also needed will be people with human-centric interpersonal skills – in other words, employees with heart. Amid growing depersonalisation, work is about remaining human. 


	Spotlight:&nbsp;Skills every early career academic needs
	Three innovative authentic assessments to encourage soft skill mastery
	Soft skills: how to promote student collaboration in online environments


Interpersonal and social skills are the future of embodied employment, which incudes our minds, bodies and hearts. We can no longer separate physical, emotional and psychological well-being. In the context of increasingly conflicted personal, professional and political climates, debates around civility, and the long-term effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on mental and emotional health, our students will need such skills more than ever. But they’re challenging to teach (and sometimes considered a bit touchy-feely). We incorporate mindfulness exercises and somatic self-awareness, and link empathy with the arts to fuse moral imagination and social feeling.

These 10 human-centric skills – sometimes called “heart skills” – are drawn from my research in the emerging field of love studies and from my long-term teaching and learning practice in a first-year interpersonal skills unit in the School of Arts and Humanities at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia. Students come to the unit from social science, counselling, psychology and social work, criminology, business and law, as well as the arts and creative humanities.

Heart skills are located within an open, humanist framework, encompassing ethical, philosophical and educational perspectives, as well as psychological and therapeutic approaches. They emphasise personal values and authentic human existence. The humanistic approach provides an atmosphere of support and empathy. For their scaffolded assessments, students focus on one heart skill. I’ve been amazed at how they develop their skills with creativity and flair. 

The heart skills include:


	Heartful (self-awareness): Embodied, ethical interpersonal skills begin with self-knowledge. Ethics emerge from “the cave of our inner being”. They start with a humanistic, person-centred approach and with being mindful to join heads, hearts and hands.
	Heartfelt (communication): Effective communication is more than reading, writing, talking, listening or adding an emoji. It includes engaging, attending, following and reflecting content, feeling and meaning in diverse contexts, without losing the human connection.
	Open-hearted (empathy): Empathy requires openness, vulnerability and moral imagination. It is more than feeling for; it is feeling with. It can be learned authentically but not simulated artificially; it is our true humanity.
	Brave heart (assertiveness): Asserting, defending and protecting rights and responsibilities requires courage, a word that comes from the Latin cor, meaning heart. To skilfully speak up, call out, set boundaries and advocate for ourselves and others, we must be strong of heart.
	Mending hearts (conflict resolution): Conflict resolution is not for the faint-hearted. When passions run high, hearts can be torn and broken. The techniques of negotiation, resolution and mediation can allow understanding, acceptance and healing to take place.
	Heart’s ease (compassion): Compassion means “to suffer with”. It is a humane response to those who may be discouraged or downhearted, who have lost heart or are experiencing heartache. To be caring and kind, to acknowledge and address suffering in our societies, is to respond as humans and allow our hearts to be moved.
	Heart to heart (collaboration): As technology means that working together is increasingly disembodied, the human element becomes ever more important. Understanding commitment as a key to synergistic, cross-temporal social and group practices and processes is vital to productivity and satisfaction.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
	Take heart (self-care): Holistic self-care goes beyond taking time out. In the evolving workplace, wellness is about resilience and regenerating our physical, emotional, mental, energetic and spiritual selves: mind and body, heart and soul.
	Follow your heart (creativity): Do what you love. Love what you do. Creativity is integral to interpersonal skills. It stimulates happiness, seeks innovation and embraces opportunity. It allows us to dream and inspire, imagine and generate human futures.
	Winning hearts (leadership): Heart-centred leadership for the 21st century goes beyond physical force, mind games or power plays. It moves us towards passionate engagement and dynamic encouragement. Change from within comes from the heart.


Heart skills are no longer an optional employment extra. All students will need them in the workplace. I’ve found that the heart skills model creates a sense of embodiment and a warm context for both on-campus and online learning. Feedback has been positive, with high levels of student engagement and interaction, and individual students getting in touch to say they’ll remember and use heart skills in the years to come.

Love is increasingly the subject of research across a range of disciplines, including social science, psychology and counselling – areas that have traditionally focused on developing strong interpersonal skills, including in therapeutic settings. Translating these skills into diverse and digital contexts is how we can learn to teach love into the future.

Heart skills may sound as soft as the centre of a Valentine’s Day chocolate, but there’s no arguing that love is what the world needs right now. For the sake of humanity, it’s time to wear our hearts on our sleeves.

Elizabeth Reid Boyd is a senior lecturer in social science and creative writing in the School of Arts and Humanities at Edith Cowan University. Elizabeth is a novelist and co-founder of #Love@ECU, a love studies research network, and co-editor of Contemporary Love Studies in the Arts and Humanities: What's Love Got to Do With It? (Palgrave Pivot, 2023).

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These 10 skills might sound as soft as the centre of a Valentine’s Day chocolate, but they are essential for the careers and employability of our students, writes Elizabeth Reid Boyd

Heart skills to future-proof students

Since the pandemic, people all over the world have experienced a shift in their economic circumstances, with soaring inflation and the post-lockdown effect on the economy causing the price of essentials to rise everywhere. The United States government paused interest on student loans for three years and developed debt forgiveness plans to help working people gain financial stability. Concerns over loans and higher education costs have made people shy away&nbsp;from pursuing their education.

As time passes, more companies are dropping the degree requirement from their hiring practices – but what isn’t being discussed is that this is often from entry-level positions. Progressing beyond these roles will still require&nbsp;a degree or certain certifications. 


	Creating safe spaces for students to talk about financial difficulties
	How can we encourage students to seek academic assistance ethically?
	We must remove technology worries from the student cost-of-living crisis


But how can universities entice these hesitant individuals&nbsp;back to higher education, from as early on as the application process? Here are some key factors to consider:

Promote scholarships

Given that the cost of education is the main deterrent to students, scholarships are currently too hard to find. Unfortunately, some universities, the students’ former high school or the company offering the scholarship may&nbsp;gatekeep the opportunity at the expense of struggling students, possibly to avoid an excessive number of applications. I was a recipient of a local scholarship from my high school, as well as one from an on-campus club, and there should be more awareness and willingness to share these opportunities. Counsellors should familiarise themselves with the companies, local organisations and even on-campus organisations which offer scholarships, to best point unsure students in the right direction.

Highlight student work options early

Most students do not learn about on-campus jobs until after accepting admission. Like scholarships, this should be an option on the application. A student should be able to select “will need on-campus work”&nbsp;as part of the application form, informing the university that they would potentially have a student worker and can offer it as a part of their acceptance.&nbsp;

Reach beyond the campus walls

While on-campus jobs would be more for students already at the institution, they could also be advertised to potential students. Often universities have feeder programmes into different companies or working relationships with them from years of job fairs and alumni networks. This potential opportunity could be considered a paid internship or job. Having access to a network of local companies that would hire direct from the university and work with their schedules&nbsp;would be an additional way of lessening the financial burden.

Promote online options

A few other areas that could cause individuals to take pause would be living on or near campus. The cost of housing or rent could be an additional factor. Even with several room-mates, it can be an exorbitant cost, especially if attending university in a high rent area. Universities have had to develop online classes, degrees and certificate programmes to remain open during the pandemic. This new part of the university should be highlighted and promoted just as much as on-campus course work. This could allow a student to remain at home without incurring further financial costs and offer flexibility if they wanted to work to supplement the cost of tuition, opening more doors for students who may not have considered higher education previously. 

It is time we stop gatekeeping these avenues of monetary support. We need to entice and show potential students that it can be done, and we are here to assist them from the very start of the process.&nbsp;The new normal of financial instability will be a theme for the next several years as these shifts and changes occur. It is important that we as educators adjust with them too. 

Brooke Wilson is a credit and risk management professional alongside her work in academia as an adjunct professor. She serves as a faculty member for CSU Global’s MBA programme.

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&nbsp;

How to attract students who cannot afford higher education

As people all over the world grapple with rising costs, what can universities do to ease the financial burden of higher education from the very start of the process? Brooke Wilson offers her advice

How to attract students who think they cannot afford higher education

In today’s interconnected world, education often transcends borders. Study-abroad programmes and transnational curricula are becoming more popular with students. Yet, for those in the LGBTQ+ community, they can pose challenges. Within the landscape of global education lies a complex interplay of legislative changes, cultural norms and personal safety concerns for this demographic that must be navigated with care.

Make it personal

As part of global education programmes, students can end up travelling to less tolerant countries.&nbsp;Educational institutions should carefully consider a student’s personal risk profile, including gender identity, sexual orientation, race, gender, religion, among other crucial aspects, to make informed travel decisions and put the appropriate risk mitigation measures in place.


	Steps to promote LGBTQ+ students’ well-being on campus
	How can universities support global LGBTQI+ human rights?
	Small steps that make a big difference to LGBTQ+ inclusivity


Our recent Risk Radar report showed that those in the higher education sector considered gender identity and sexual orientation as the primary factors impacting a traveller’s personal risk profile, ahead of past travel experience, medical history and race and ethnicity.

While this recognition isn’t new, what remains a challenge is securely collecting sensitive information. We can see this in our research, where only 39 per cent of respondents integrate personal profiles into their travel risk assessments.

Navigating legislative and cultural boundaries

Some destinations lack a protective framework for students’&nbsp;rights and even disclosing personal information can pose significant risks. Legislative changes across the globe further compound the challenges. Recent advisories, like Canada’s caution to its LGBTQ+ citizens about potential repercussions of US laws on their travels, underscore the necessity of understanding the legal terrain these students are navigating. 

Yet, legislation is just one aspect – the cultural landscape can diverge starkly. Take Brazil, where same-sex marriage is legal but intolerance lingers, or Singapore, where recent legal changes clash with the traditional conservatism still prevalent in society. These nuances demand meticulous planning and highlight the importance of detailed travel security briefings to address specific concerns. 

Prepare for the unexpected

Put a rapid response service in place for emergencies and provide access to 24/7/365 medical and security assistance for students.

Consider a scenario where a student is receiving treatment for gender transition. Being denied access to their medication could be a very serious situation. In many countries, this kind of treatment may be supported or subsidised by the national health service, but in others, accessing these services could be much more difficult. Trans or non-binary students may be afraid to be open about their gender identity or unsure about travelling with a passport that states a different gender than their gender identification – this is even true of some US states.

Train faculty as well as students

LGBTQ+ pre-deployment safety training provides comprehensive guidance not only to students but also faculty. Training fosters a collective understanding of the available support systems and how to access them. While covering fundamental principles of safe travel and situational awareness, the training should primarily focus on addressing the specific risks encountered by LGBTQ+ travellers. Ideally, training should be delivered in conjunction with any review of the university’s travel risk policies. 

Beyond the individual traveller, open up and nurture communication channels between the institution and parents, guardians and families to help mitigate travel risks.

By its very nature, student travel overseas into potentially problematic countries is a cause for concern. Add to this the vulnerability of an LGBTQ+ student navigating their gender identity or sexual orientation, at a time when they want to be concentrating on their academic experience.&nbsp; 

Ultimately, ensuring a positive educational experience for LGBTQ+ students isn’t just a moral obligation. It’s an investment in the future global workforce and the responsible path for shaping a more inclusive and empowered generation of leaders and professionals.

Raquel Recuero is regional security manager for the APAC region at Healix.

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&nbsp;



How to keep LGBTQ+ students safe when studying abroad

What can universities do to help their LGBTQ+ students study abroad and travel the world, without compromising their safety? Raquel Recuero provides advice

I have attended my fair share of graduation ceremonies, as both student and begowned staffer. Of course, it’s important for family and supporters to publicly celebrate a loved one’s achievement. But my abiding memory is dullness. Surely only the task of invigilating exams surpasses graduation on the boredom and inertia quotient.

To be clear, as an academic attending my students’ graduations, I&nbsp;am proud for them, as they are for themselves, and delighted to clap mightily. But most of the fun comes pre- and post-ceremony – in the daft photos, horsing around, laughter, food and memories of field trips.

The graduation ceremony must be due for a 21st-century makeover. Why not make space for other voices or capitalise on new technology to move with the times and bring on the sparkle?

Let’s give students a voice at graduation

In particular, I’d like to see and hear much more of the student voice. We make a big deal of student-centred learning in our teaching. So why not give over at least part of graduation to hearing from students and their view of the university experience? For example, for the arts, why not reprise artefacts and exhibits from graduation shows or project these as a backdrop? Why not hear from students about their work-based learning through internships? Or organisers could bring back recent graduates. They could point the way for the latest batch, showing how they are faring at work and (hopefully) the positive difference they are making in the big, wide world?


	Alumni as a benchmark of student success
	A whole-campus approach to boost belonging for student success
	Preparing students to succeed in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world


This would put into practice Lev Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development, which states that more knowledgeable individuals can act like a team leader in a peloton; in this case, that is graduates drawing graduands in their wake to enable them to gain new knowledge and insights.

Invite (or give space to) engaging speakers

Graduations can be stuffy affairs, lasting an hour or two, in which the most significant interventions are by parents and supporters shouting and (rightly) whooping as their graduand crosses the stage to shake hands with a worthy. I&nbsp;remember attending a family member’s graduation at which the perplexed audience had to stumble through an obscure university hymn. If you would like an irreverent antidote to such stupefying dullness, do watch comedian Tim Minchin’s speech when his alma mater conferred on him an honorary doctorate. His life lessons are hilarious – and somewhat more than the higher education institution or audience may have bargained for.

Celebs receiving honorary titles can be interesting, so long as their contributions are short and geared to the purpose of the occasion – that is, celebrating student achievement and not the individual’s own fame. I&nbsp;recall a Holocaust survivor telling her story as an extreme instance of survival against all odds and using her experience to educate future generations.

To link this point to student voice, there is the case of Callum Goode and his non-violent protest, which drew attention to the immediate need for meaningful action on climate change, at his own Lancaster University graduation. A university degree is supposed to enable students and graduates to think for themselves, to question and come to evidence-based decisions and positions. He seems to have been using his BA (Hons) in philosophy, politics and economics to good effect.

Graduations can be more immersive, grand and fun

With technology, graduation ceremonies could become much more immersive experiences – with well-curated audio and visual inputs. And why not hear – briefly – about an aspect of staff research linked to the graduation subject area. For a natural sciences event, it would be fascinating to hear about the use of drones as an anti-poaching mechanism, in Africa, for example.

Then there’s the venue itself. In 2024, I’d suggest that a worthy municipal building or dusty cathedral may not project the dynamic, urgent nature of world problems and opportunities, and the way in which students are taught about these. My old university, as a positive example, used a purpose-built conference venue with panoramic views of an iconic racecourse. It can also show that universities and colleges are in the world, and not apart from it.

In conclusion, let’s keep some 20th-century ceremonial pomp and ritual but add 21st-century technological wizardry, engagement and awe to the proceedings. A graduation is, after all, a rite of passage, a coming of age, to be celebrated. Let’s put the focus firmly on the graduates and their achievements (not the grandiosity of the university). Complement the award ceremony by unleashing the graduate voice, in the form of short cameos, “talking heads” and snippets of quality products from student learning: such as artworks, videos, podcasts, projects, field visits and a host of other outputs that comprise student assignments. Let’s make the grad grand.

James Derounian lectures on community governance. He is a national teaching fellow and a visiting professor at the University of Bolton, UK.

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Giving graduation a 21st-century makeover

Graduations can be stuffy affairs, writes James Derounian. He suggests that with technological wizardry, student voice and a little awe, universities could add sparkle to the pomp and ritual

Placements and work-based learning are a driving factor in graduate employability. Studies suggest that work-placement opportunities positively influence employment outcomes for students as they drive the acquisition of technical, social and professional skills.

A study exploring the positive influences on graduate employment outcomes following completion of undergraduate work placements indicates that compared with peers who had not completed a work placement, 50&nbsp;per cent of placement students were more likely to secure a graduate-level job with a higher starting salary. Also, after placement, students show more motivation towards their final-year studies, as it links their practical experiences with academic work and enhances their understanding and learning. A&nbsp;2023 study demonstrated an increase in academic performance of 5.7&nbsp;per cent among bachelor of engineering students compared with their peers who did not undertake a placement; it allowed students to better manage year-long projects and independent learning, resulting in higher grades in independent research assessments.

What does an academic placement tutor do?

But what support do students need to embrace and succeed in a placement? What is the role of the academic placement tutor? And what are the key elements for supporting students on placement?


	Helping students to see the career value of work-integrated learning
	Equitable access to work-integrated learning in Australia
	Show off students’ employability with e-portfolios


Collaboration and cooperation among the university, employer and student are key elements for a successful experience before, during and after the placement. The university plays a pivotal part in helping students secure a placement. It provides information, advice and guidance about the benefits of placements, explains the requirements of the placement, facilitates subject-specific opportunities and delivers workshops to increase the chances of gaining a placement (to develop skills such as CV&nbsp;writing, applications and interview preparation).

The university also builds and nurtures relationships with employers long before students are placed, ensuring consistency of communication, providing clear support structures and outlining the responsibilities of each party.

Academic placement tutors act as the link and ambassador between workplace and university, enabling students to connect theory with practice and overseeing the progress of placement so it supports learning outcomes and enhances self-efficacy. They deliver pre-placement and onboarding sessions to prepare students for the experience and associated assessment. These explain how placement tasks can be aligned with academic knowledge and make clear what support is available to students while on placement.

Support for students during work placements

Placement tutors mentor students throughout their placement journey, maintaining communication between the student and university, providing pastoral and academic support, and delivering interactive online taught sessions that enable placement students to stay connected with peers, and share experiences and best practice.

Placement tutors play an active role in enhancing students’ career interests, encouraging self-exploration and providing guidance and emotional support. The career self-management model acknowledges how support influences a person’s career-related behaviours. Students do not always recognise the importance of work-based learning and sometimes underestimate the importance of professional skills such as communication, organisation, self-efficacy, critical thinking and reasoning. Placement tutors provide formative feedback on critical reflections of work-related activity through monthly journals, maintaining the link between employment and academic development.

A strong relationship with the employer and recognising the triangle of student, employer and placement tutor is fundamental in shaping the overall placement experience. The expectation of the host organisation is that students are given clear objectives, guidance and structured support from a dedicated workplace supervisor/manager. The placement tutor and employer facilitate student engagement with tasks and development against a range of workplace goals.

Ruth Brooks and Paul Youngson of the University of Huddersfield have recognised, however, that not all students benefit or are satisfied with placement; some may face difficulty “fitting into the workplace”, lack understanding or be unable to cope with challenging tasks and employer expectations. Therefore, understanding each stakeholders’ role and commitment to supporting the experience, combined with frequent, open communication contributes to effective placements, ensuring placement retention and the development of work-based and academic skills. Placement tutors help to support this understanding during pre-departure sessions that set the scene around expectations, and further explore the student’s understanding of this during placement meetings involving the employer.

How to support the whole student in their placement experience

Alongside their academic role, the placement tutor also provides pastoral care. Co-author Saheda Begum, acting as a placement tutor over the past year, is cognisant of the diverse needs of students that influence engagement and success of placement year. A trusting and empathic relationship with students is achieved through open dialogue as well as signposting and support intervention through compassionate approaches and active listening.

Students often display a range of emotions combined with uncertainty and anxiety when entering the world of professional work, which affects how well they settle into their placement. The placement tutor can best support them by initiating early contact and providing a communication route to address and reduce concerns. Students are reminded of the support services available at university and with their employer, including options to engage with workshops around budgeting, accommodation advice, finances, welfare and well-being. Early contact and frequent communication create familiarity and increase students’ confidence, providing a sense of belonging and connection with the university, allowing a smoother reintegration to studies upon return.

In summary, students embracing placement need support into, through and when returning from their work-based experience. Stakeholders (student, employer, placement tutor/university) must work together to support the student in achieving their full potential in the placement opportunity.

Saheda Begum is a placement tutor and Zoë Allman is associate dean (academic) in the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Media at De Montfort University. 

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What support students need to succeed in work placements

Students in work-based learning placements need support before, through and when returning from their experience. Here is advice for universities and academic tutors to maximise the benefits of the opportunity for all

Campus interview: Mike Ibba, Chapman University 

In this video podcast Mike Ibba, dean of Schmid College of Science and Technology at Chapman University, talks about undergraduate research, what philosophers and scientists can learn from each other and the state of US federal funding for science and technology research

Campus interview: Mike Ibba of Chapman University on mentorship and the future of US science

A safe environment, where personal perspectives and experiences can be explored and discussed creatively and with purpose, can help students prepare for and face developmental, transitional and career-related challenges. Disclosure – the act of voluntarily sharing personal material – can take time (and sometimes it never happens). Creating a psychologically safe environment is therefore vital to encourage students to approach socio-emotional topics and to share their inner experiences in the learning process.

This is the second article in a four-part series. Our first advice resource focused on the importance of appreciating the psycho-social-emotional aspects of personal and professional development, and our school’s pilot psychosocial intervention programme, which nurtures students’ readiness and personal resources to embrace major life’s transitional challenges. 

This piece introduces the key features and considerations for the implementation of an intervention programme. Tailored to the needs and challenges faced by higher education students, Sailing through Life and My Career Path (SLCP) enables a safe space for discussion. It includes face-to-face sessions led by trained facilitators as well as independent self-reflective learning. 


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Based on our experience, we put together a list of strategies and techniques that can help to create the feeling of safety.

The paradox of emotional expression and cultural sensitivity

The benefits of emotional expression, whether verbally or in writing, shared or in private, are well documented. These include reduced stress and anxiety, improved physical and mental well-being, better social satisfaction and quality, and deeper personal insights and meaning-making. 

However, research shows that expression may also intensify distress, interfere with active coping efforts and have a detrimental impact on interpersonal relationships. Emotions are inextricably linked with culture. Facilitators need to be sensitive that certain cultural backgrounds may prioritise emotional control and restraint over emotional disclosure and expression for reasons such as wanting to preserve social harmony or out of fear of social stigma. Personal disclosure should be a voluntary act that is guided with thought, purpose and sensitivity. Participants should not be made to feel uncomfortable, pressured or overwhelmed in sharing personal material in a group setting. 

The importance of a good brief

An introductory session helps create a welcoming and relaxed environment for the programme. And an interactive icebreaker activity along with the opportunity to ask questions gives the students a chance to interact. Such a session will help participants to bond and establish a sense of community, as well as easing the stress and anxiety associated with novel experiences. It engages the learners early on for increased preparedness and readiness for change.

While the primary aim of getting participants together is to provide them with important information (such as the schedule and structure, intervention content, progression for the sessions, venues and group allocation), encouraging participants and facilitators to get acquainted is equally important. &nbsp;

A variety of learning modes for inclusivity and diversity

Students learn and process information differently, so sessions should offer a range of activities. All SLCP sessions include an icebreaker, signature activities using facilitation techniques based on intervention stage and targeted themes, and session conclusions and debriefings. These focus on consolidating intervention experience and progress. 

Learning takes place in small groups (guided by professionals) and independently (self-reflection exercises) in modes that are verbal (for example, discussions and sharing of personal experiences) and non-verbal (such as creativity exercises) to help ensure that everyone is included in the learning process.

Facilitation skills and techniques to drive inner change

To navigate group dynamics and promote the process of change, facilitation skills and techniques are used to create the feeling of safety:


	Reflection for self-discovery: Reflection is a powerful practice that helps us observe, understand and evaluate our own cognitive, emotional and behavioural processes. Intervention activities, such as journal writing and Socratic questioning, that engage participants in reflective dialogues can help them explore aspects of their identity in the past, present and future.
	Strength-based approach: Research shows that character strengths can buffer stress associated with adversity and suffering, and lead to resilience, self-efficacy and optimism. Throughout the SLCP intervention programme, facilitators encourage participants to be aware of and apply their own strengths to help them feel empowered, energised and more connected to themselves.
	Co-construction for change: Narratives deepen introspection, which helps us make sense of our life experiences and to search for our directions and strategies for change and personal growth. In collaboration with the facilitators, participants are encouraged to refine or reconstruct their interpretation of events and experiences, and to discover alternative narratives that can inform new life directions.
	Making sense of emotions: Facilitators frequently encourage participants to pay attention to their inner experiences, and to recognise, acknowledge and share their emotions. Having a deeper understanding and appreciation of the value of these emotions helps participants integrate their personal and career identities.


Debriefing as an important learning component

Debriefing is as important to learning as the intervention activities. At the end of each session, facilitators provide a conclusion and a group debriefing to draw out key learning points and to help participants feel validated and understood, thus enhancing a sense of trust, order and safety for the group.

Kathleen Chim&nbsp;is programme director and associate head&nbsp;of the&nbsp;division of&nbsp;health; Lai&nbsp;Tsz Chui is a part-time research associate; and Benjamin Tak Yuen&nbsp;Chan is dean. All are&nbsp;in the Li Ka Shing School of Professional and Continuing Education at Hong Kong Metropolitan University.

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Student safety as an engine for change

Talking about experiences with purpose in a safe space can help develop students’ life skills. Here are strategies and techniques that foster an environment and feeling of security

Struggle, strength and growth: safety as an engine for change

Think back to choosing your university, securing your place, finding accommodation, making friends, keeping up with the workload and looking after yourself as an independent adult for the first time. Then imagine trying to do all this as a visually impaired person. Achieving all those milestones is still possible, but never underestimate that as an educator you can transform how a visually impaired student feels about their degree.

Despite the efforts of organisations such as the UK’s RNIB, Royal National Institute of Blind People and the Government Equality and Diversity Act of&nbsp;2010, statistics for sight-impaired and severely sight-impaired students accessing and remaining in higher education still make for disheartening reading.


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More students are progressing to specialist further education colleges, such as Queen Alexandra College in Birmingham, but the still-tiny proportion of visually impaired students in higher education is an issue that must be addressed.

I was registered as blind in 2000. I&nbsp;made it through my undergraduate degree, my master’s and my doctorate as a sight-impaired student, encountering the isolation, the lack of access to course material and the self-consciousness and anxiety that went hand in hand with sight loss. I&nbsp;made use of whatever resources in alternative formats I&nbsp;could find: I&nbsp;bought audiobooks, recorded Open University programmes from the radio and the television and made voice recordings of my ideas for assessments and exams.

In the UK, the disabled students’ allowance (DSA) had existed since 1993, but none of my lecturers or university staff knew of this invaluable resource. Some thought I&nbsp;was “unusual” to be at university at all.

Once I was given my certificate of vision impairment, doors began to open. The first gave me access to the RNIB’s talking books library, which continues to strive for equality for all sight-impaired individuals. I&nbsp;would encourage any lecturers to suggest this to their sight-impaired students. The library offers thousands of titles as digital downloads, via streaming through an Alexa device, as Braille documents or on a USB stick. It also offers one of the most extensive Braille and large-print music score collections in the world. These will all be represented as part of the student’s bibliography and is adjusted to the lecturer’s own style of referencing.

Embrace the innovation that is Braille

Braille ensures that any source of information that is available in the printed word – whether a scientific journal, a music score, a conference paper, a campus map or a work of literature – is accessible to visually impaired scholars.

While conducting my research for this series of articles, I&nbsp;discovered a number of students, academics and lecturers who work with Braille and want to share their enthusiasm and respect for Louis Braille’s innovation. Braille is a simplified version of “night writing” – a code of raised dots developed during the Napoleonic wars to communicate combat messages so soldiers couldn’t be detected and killed while using lights on the battlefield. Braille’s system has allowed visually impaired people worldwide to maintain the independence and intimacy of the written word.

Think about your surroundings

You can offer visually impaired students so many other practical things. Wearing a digital voice recorder around your neck during lectures and in seminars has proved useful for hearing- and sight-impaired students alike. It also allows lecturers to move freely as they teach.

Offer to meet your sight-impaired student before the seminars begin and discuss lighting and where they would like to sit. If they have a guide dog, give both the student and the dog plenty of space, and make sure that the other students don’t distract the dog.

Help your student to understand and navigate the layout of the room and how they might want to deliver presentations. Ensure that they can enter the lecture theatre first and leave safely afterwards. Another student may be able to go in with them to guide them to their chosen seat.

Take them to your office location, so they can access support during your office hours if they wish. If they have a mentor, library assistant or note-taker, include them in your plans and copy them into emails if the student agrees.

Engage with student services to put reasonable adjustments in place

For UK-based educators, the first question to ask when you become aware of a student’s visual disability is: have they had an assessment as part of the DSA? If the answer is “yes”, then they will be able to share with you as many of the recommendations as they feel comfortable disclosing.

If they have yet to have this assessment, sending them to student services to begin this process of assessment is a priority. Reasonable adjustments create an environment in which students with special educational needs or disabilities have an equal opportunity to display their intelligence, accomplishments and understanding. This could be extra time allowances for written assessments and exams, providing large-print or Braille hard copies of handouts and course information or having a CCTV or video magnifier in the seminar room.

If a student requires a Braille hard copy, these are produced using a Braille embosser and transcription software. Student services will give you all the information you need so you can implement these adjustments or put you in touch with the relevant reprographics staff. International students are not eligible for the DSA. A number of UK scholarships and financial assistance schemes are available for international students with disabilities and special educational needs; approaching the relevant student well-being service is the first step.

Kate Armond has taught literature and international modernism at the University of East Anglia and the University of Essex. She is now senior lecturer in literature and critical theory. 

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Create an inclusive environment for the visually impaired

Educators can make all the difference to their visually impaired students’ university experience. Kate Armond explains how

How to create an inclusive learning environment for visually impaired students

People tend to overestimate their abilities&nbsp;– in financial knowledge, work performance, driving skills and many other fields.&nbsp;Ola Svenson’s 1981 study,&nbsp;“Are we all less risky and more skilful than our fellow drivers?”, found that 88 per cent of motorists rated themselves as above average. Similar self-assessments have been observed among engineers and university professors. 

As a finance lecturer for the past 13 years, I’ve engaged in many conversations with my students, covering topics such as their trading successes, the swift accumulation of profits, trendy investments in cryptocurrencies and ambitious plans to retire at the modest age of 45, relying on passive income. This raises a couple of questions: are my finance students overconfident? And could this result in costly mistakes in their personal and future professional lives?


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Why should a business school concern itself with the concept of financial overconfidence?&nbsp;

Overconfidence can be costly. On a personal level, it leads to excessive borrowing, inadequate retirement planning and high-risk investments that increase the likelihood of losing your savings. Putting all your financial resources in one basket is a precarious strategy.

Equally concerning is the potential impact on professional financial advice. Overconfident financial professionals might inadequately manage the risks for their clients. Business schools should bear in mind the adage “prevention is better than cure” and highlight these concerns for their students. 

Initiate the overconfidence discussion in class

The natural setting to address overconfidence is within the context of behavioural finance, a key component of many finance courses. This subject delves into the concept of overconfidence bias, offering an ideal opportunity to engage students in a thought-provoking seminar. You can use a simple four-question test to assess their overconfidence, challenging them to compare their perceived financial proficiency with their actual knowledge.

Step 1: Subjective assessment&nbsp;

Ask your students to rate their financial management abilities on a scale of one to seven. This serves as an indicator of their subjective financial literacy. For an interactive twist, consider using tools such as&nbsp;Mentimeter or Poll Everywhere to collect their responses, which can be visually represented as a bar chart in front of the class.

Step 2: Analyse subjective ratings 

Once the ratings are revealed, you’ll probably observe a statistical trend in which most students rate themselves as a five or higher. Of course, statistics teach us that the majority cannot be above average. This realisation can lead to a stimulating discussion. 

Step 3: Objective knowledge assessment 

Assess your students’ objective financial knowledge. You can start with the “Big 3” test developed by Annamaria Lusardi and Olivia S. Mitchell in “Financial literacy around the world: an overview”, which presents multiple-choice questions on interest rates, inflation and risk diversification. This test targeted fundamental financial concepts and was designed for the general public. It’s perfect for first-year students or those with limited financial backgrounds.

For students in finance programmes or postgraduate studies, you have the flexibility to customise questions. Consider addressing more complex topics such as expected portfolio returns, risk-return calculations for investments and risk management using derivatives. The key here is to adapt the questions to the class’ targeted proficiency level necessary for a future career.

Step 4: Comparison and discussion&nbsp;

Finally, bring together the results for a lively and enlightening discussion. Some students might realise they overestimated their subjective knowledge when they rated themselves highly at first, yet went on to struggle with the “Big 3” test questions. Others will find themselves in the opposite scenario and realise they are better than they think. This can spark a productive conversation on overconfidence and the importance of objective self-assessment.

My research with Khaled Merhab,&nbsp;“Re-examining the Dunning-Kruger effect: objective vs. subjective financial literacy in the young and overconfident”, demonstrates the efficacy of this four-step process in identifying overconfident students while keeping the learning experience engaging. Providing contextual information about overconfidence is a good practice, fostering awareness among students about potential pitfalls. 

The good news is that education emerges as a potent antidote to overconfidence, as students’ progress correlates with diminishing levels of this trait. Age and maturity play a pivotal role, with overconfidence being more pronounced among those under the age of 21. Considering the wealth of evidence and the potential for costly mistakes stemming from overconfidence, it is a good practice to engage students in this exercise and equip them with valuable self-awareness.

Ekaterina Ipatova is a senior lecturer in finance at the University of Roehampton.

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The ‘above average’ illusion

Overconfidence among business graduates can result in costly personal and professional mistakes. Ekaterina Ipatova proposes a new approach

The ‘above average’ illusion: tackling overconfidence in the classroom

Way back in 2018, we asked ourselves: how could we change the way we provided support to be truly “student-centric”? Students were telling us that we made it hard for them to be students and that they were expending too much effort navigating our complex systems and processes. One student neatly summed up this feedback. When asked about his experience of trying to change a module, he told me: “Well, you know that we all know student admin is rubbish!” 

The immediate response from colleagues was to look to the wider sector to solve our local problems. “You should visit some of the examples of best practice” was one reply,&nbsp;so we dutifully set off on a fact-finding tour. We saw great examples of services, any number of beautiful desks, whole new buildings and bots, and all sorts of neat ideas, but lifting any of these smart solutions to Southampton to answer our problem didn’t feel right. 


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It was at this stage, right at the start of the process, that we realised we needed to understand our students’ experiences, so we could start with a blank slate. We needed to understand our problem in detail and design a solution that focused on our issues, not somebody else’s. 

Take a leaf out of tech’s design manual

At the same time, we had a web programme running that was exploiting user-experience design principles, and I was struck by the way that this programme had spent lots and lots of time engaging users to understand what they needed. 

We made the decision to adopt the same approach and run a comprehensive “discovery phase”. This significant investment in time and money added months to the start of our programme (one that people had hoped would be quick and simple). Selling this to senior colleagues took effort; copying someone else is fast and easy, but a lengthy discovery phase would change the nature of a project that was supposed to be a “quick win”. 

Our discovery phase was more than worth it. We learned, much to our shame, just how hard we were making students work. How had we not noticed that we had 14 face-to-face helpdesk functions in our Student Services Centre, all with their own opening times, web pages and phone numbers? Over time, teams had tried to deliver great services to students, but this had led to us operating more than 200 email addresses and 82 student reception points. Nobody had decided to add complexity, but clearly we needed a prune. 

Ask students what support they want

In addition to mapping our services, the process engaged thousands of students, physically following some to understand their journeys and asking lots of questions. This allowed us to answer the question: what do students really want?&nbsp;The answer was remarkably simple; they wanted one access point, physically and digitally, that was available at the time of their choosing and could help them regardless of the question.

Consolidate access to hubs and extend reach

It was at this stage that we made a series of big decisions: we were going 24/7/365; we were consolidating the access points to services down, as close as possible, to one; we would invest as hard in digital as in physical; and we would establish a co-design group of students who would help us to get the service right. The programme was structured into four work streams – people, processes, place and systems – and we brought together a big project team under each stream to get lots of engagement. 

The outcome was a new operating model that transformed the way we delivered front-of-house services to our students, and our student hubs were born. Modelled on principles of “deal with as much as possible at first point of contact”, “if the issue can’t be solved, own it and solve it”, and “don’t make students work hard; work hard for the students”. 

No matter how straightforward this all sounds, it was neither painless nor simple. Effectively closing 80-plus reception points was deeply unpopular with many colleagues internally. The strongly held view was that the loss of local support would lead to a fragmentation of the student experience. Some saw our asking all colleagues to start using new systems as adding to workloads, not reducing them. 

Doing much of this during a pandemic offered some solutions; reception points had been closed for months anyway and many students wouldn’t know that previous service offerings had been any different from our new model. However, it added complexity to our staff-engagement activities. 

What were our key takeaways from building new student hubs?

If we did this again, what would we do differently? I would start a more comprehensive staff-engagement process earlier in the programme and bring people who we knew would object in closer. I would also be much more open that we were designing for students and generate lots more data on what students wanted to answer the genuinely felt fears that this was reducing, and not enhancing, services. 

What is certain is that any pain we felt has been more than worth the gain. We now have a comprehensive “always on” service for our students, we have hundreds of online resources, and we’re continuing to invest in our digital offering. We have handled more than 50,000 enquiries and solved over 80 per cent of them at first point of contact. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved, and I know our students are too. 

Kieron Broadhead is deputy vice-president (operations) and senior executive director for students and infrastructure at the University of Southampton.

The Student Hub: University of Southampton 24/7 Student Support has been shortlisted in the Outstanding Support for Students category in the Times Higher Education Awards 2023. Click here for the full shortlist. The awards will be presented at a ceremony in Liverpool on 7 December.

Academics and university leaders from across the UK and Ireland will come together on 6-7 December at&nbsp;THE&nbsp;Campus Live UK&amp;IE&nbsp;to talk about institutional strategies, teaching and learning, the student experience and more.&nbsp;Join us&nbsp;for this two-day event in Liverpool.

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What does it mean to create student-centric support? Here, Kieron Broadhead outlines the process and challenges in re-imagining a 24-hour student administration system 

Designing 24/7 hubs for students

Self-care is easy to discuss, but it can be challenging to implement. It requires intention, practice and minor adjustments. Acknowledge that there will be days when everything falls into place seamlessly – and others when you need to channel your inner Elsa from the movie Frozen and “let it&nbsp;go”.

Professionals in higher education juggle numerous responsibilities, encompassing teaching, learning, research, leadership and student support. Personal well-being can often take a back seat, but this could be more damaging for academics and students than we realise.


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Self-care can benefit the academic community in numerous ways. It nurtures well-being, preparing us to manage our roles efficiently, make informed decisions and guide our students and teams more effectively. Prioritising self-care can help address the prevalent issue of burnout and high stress levels in academia and sets an example of healthy behaviour, helping to cultivate a culture of well-being within the community.

It also contributes to job satisfaction, boosting motivation and productivity and helping us perform better. This is important because when we are content, we are more likely to inspire our students and colleagues.

Self-care can also help us foster a positive workplace culture that supports student success and institutional achievement. Here are some practical ideas to get started.

Establish boundaries

Define limits on working hours and responsibilities, helping to prevent burnout and sustain a healthy work-life balance.

Right from the beginning, I make it a point to clearly communicate with my students, specifying my availability, such as office hours, and my preferred methods of contact, like discussion boards, email or direct messages. I&nbsp;allocate time during class to address questions that come up via email or direct messages.

Once these expectations are set, I&nbsp;consciously adhere to them and avoid responding outside of these boundaries unless it’s an emergency. I&nbsp;also schedule dedicated consultation times with my students during our regularly timetabled classes. This approach not only lets students know when they can reach out to me, but it also allows me to address their enquiries collectively, rather than having to respond to individual ad&nbsp;hoc requests.

Make time for meaningful activities

Regular routines add structure and predictability to our daily lives. This consistency can assist in efficient time management, reduce the burden of making numerous decisions and help us allocate time for self-care.

Block out dedicated time slots for various tasks. Include time for handling emails and administrative duties, as well as time for more focused and personally meaningful tasks such as writing, research or creating educational materials. Make sure there’s time for nurturing workplace relationships, such as breaks for lunch or meet-ups over coffee.

I try to prioritise tasks I&nbsp;find most meaningful at the beginning of the day, when my focus is at its peak. After my peak focus time, I&nbsp;address routine tasks such as responding to emails. To handle email overload, aim to minimise the need for multiple email exchanges. For example, if a meeting is required, propose specific times or send a calendar invitation with an integrated online meeting link that can be easily accepted or rejected.

View taking time off as an investment in your well-being and productivity, not as a luxury. Quality work requires adequate rest and rejuvenation. When planning extended periods of leave, I&nbsp;schedule a few working days within that time, making myself available to address any urgent matters. This helps me maintain a sense of control and reduces any guilt associated with being away.

Create a portfolio of supervision

In academia, supervision or mentoring is not always provided automatically, yet it can boost job satisfaction and facilitate self-reflection on your skills and career. Instead of waiting for an employer to assign a supervisor, create your own portfolio of support and supervision.

Develop a diverse portfolio of supervision experiences tailored to specific requirements, including individuals from within or outside your organisation and profession.

Explore peer or group supervision, which can be both formal and informal. Collaborating with respected peers on a project, such as writing textbooks or participating in a research team, can be extremely beneficial in gaining much-needed peer support, while also meeting academic requirements. Communities of practice have also proven valuable at various stages of my career.

Amid the multitude of roles and responsibilities we navigate, it’s crucial to remember the significance of self-care. It’s a continual work in progress for me, and I&nbsp;keep experimenting with various strategies. Some prove effective, while others may not. Self-care is a highly personal journey, and the approach should be tailored to your own unique circumstances. Through our commitment to self-care, we not only benefit ourselves but also set a positive example and help to cultivate a culture of well-being and productivity within our academic communities.

Karina Dancza is an associate professor of health and social sciences at the Singapore Institute of Technology.

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 Let’s prioritise self-care for the benefit of everyone

Self-care can make us better at our jobs, support our students more effectively and help to build a better community across academia. Karina Dancza offers her tips on how to implement self-care in your professional life

With the high cost of living, accommodation worries and the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic, students are feeling more isolated and disengaged than previous generations. This is evidenced in many surveys, highlighting a growing mental health crisis among students in higher education. Now, more than ever, universities need to closely monitor student well-being and scale up support. 

It is crucial that students have easy access to not only resources but, more importantly, to the people who can help them navigate their student journeys successfully. 

And as technology has become an indispensable tool in our students’ lives, universities must meet them where they are at and develop technology-based services for their well-being. 

As head of student engagement projects at the University of Galway, Ireland, I understand the challenges higher education institutions face in meeting the digital-focused, personalised support that students increasingly seek.

In 2021, in the middle of the pandemic, we started a project that initially set out to deliver a solution that gave easy and instant access to university information. However, our research led us to the potential of AI-driven initiatives that we knew could have a transformative impact on the student experience. Partnering with AI solutions provider&nbsp;Galvia, we developed an AI student engagement platform that is scalable and user-friendly, providing high-quality, on-demand student support that frees our staff to support students with more complex issues. 

Based on our experience over the last two years, we have identified a number of benefits of using AI to support student well-being and student success:

1. On-demand support 

Imagine having access to vital support at any time, day or night. AI-driven virtual assistants are revolutionising the way students navigate the complexities of university life. At the University of Galway, our AI-driven virtual assistant, named “Cara”&nbsp;(meaning “friend” in the Irish language), engages with students through their chosen platforms, providing 24/7 support. It actively responds with the most up-to-date information on topics related to student life, ensuring clarity and understanding. From fees and registration queries to mapping existing support pathways, Cara can also facilitate timely human support when needed. Students never hit cul-de-sacs – there is always an option to access Cara’s human colleagues.&nbsp;

We keep Cara’s responses relevant and current with the academic year and the student journey by using an adaptive knowledge base. Access to this personalised support alleviates stress by giving immediate answers, ensuring the little things don’t escalate into big things.&nbsp;


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2. Providing targeted support

Understanding the real needs of our students is crucial for universities to provide tailored and effective services. An AI student engagement platform goes beyond connecting with students; it ensures we have our finger on the pulse and truly understand what’s bugging our students! Through on-demand surveys, sentiment analysis and real-time analysis of trending topics and student queries, Cara has highlighted unexpected issues that we would not have identified previously. For example, we removed fees from our featured questions on Cara after the payment deadline. However, when Cara continued to get inquiries about fees it was clear there was a cohort of students in financial difficulties looking for support, so we reinstated fee-related features. Similarly, we found that during the quiet summer period students engaged with Cara more than we expected. We now feature questions related to the main concerns that came up in those questions: support available over the summer and how to get a summer job.

Our assumptions about the issues that students face have been challenged and we now have evidence to support innovation in service provision, our student communications are more targeted and we proactively address emerging student needs – such as when we saw students asking Cara about places to study and we realised there was a lack of study spaces during peak demand periods. We now continuously advocate for increased study spaces, challenging how space is used throughout the year with a view to increasing both study and social spaces all year round.

AI-powered virtual assistants providing personalised support have the potential to identify students at risk of non-progression, allowing universities to reach out to struggling students. This ultimately contributes to higher retention and progression rates and demonstrates to students that we care about their success. 

3. Streamlining staff effort

Administrative tasks and information management often consume a significant amount of staff time and resources. However, with AI-powered solutions, staff can streamline their efforts and focus on what truly matters: providing quality services and engaging with students.

The content management system (CMS) we developed acts as a catalyst for staff efficiency. By automating responses to routine questions and simplifying content creation, the CMS reduces administrative overheads. This system allows vital information such as fee deadlines, exam supports, study spaces and more to be easily updated by staff and accessed by students. Not only does this equate to hundreds of hours of staff time, but it also enhances overall operational efficiency. By liberating staff from repetitive queries, we have enabled them to build more meaningful relationships and deliver personalised support to students.

As head of student engagement projects at the University of Galway, I have witnessed the transformative impact of AI-driven initiatives to support student well-being and student success. By harnessing the power of AI, universities can create a more supportive and engaging student experience. And the key to achieving these benefits is a reliable solutions provider that listens, collaborates and shares your commitment to student well-being and student success.

Josephine Walsh is head of student engagement projects at the University of Galway, Ireland.

The University of Galway won the Technological or Digital Innovation of the Year category&nbsp;at the&nbsp;Times Higher Education&nbsp;Awards 2023 #THEAwards.&nbsp;See the full list of winners. 

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Three ways AI can support student success and well-being

A virtual assistant helped free up human resources at the University of Galway and revealed student issues that staff could not have predicted

I recently spent time on a tropical beach with students on our health sciences courses chatting about mental well-being, telling bad jokes and watching a colleague try to play the ukulele. The birds were singing, the waves were washing on the beach and the palm trees were swaying in the breeze. While this would be unusual itself, even in tropical Liverpool, the meeting took place in virtual reality (VR) from the comfort of my lounge. Our students were on remote clinical placements across the UK – from Portsmouth to Dundee – and we were meeting up via Oculus Quest VR&nbsp;headsets at our regular “beach night” to check in with them and help support their mental well-being.

Virtual reality and well-being

Although 3D VR environments are increasingly being used to support communication and, in some cases, to help with meditation, these aspects had not been combined before to create a holistic support environment. Our evaluation of this solution examined how the interface of these two aspects worked to deliver genuine impact on student mental health.

We developed our VR island to provide support for our nursing and allied health profession students because they spend a lot of time away from their friends and family while undertaking clinical placements. The physical impact of shift work and the emotional strain of healthcare work, combined with academic and clinical workloads and assessments, mean that these students are at risk of mental illness. With funding from the Office for Students, we developed a VR environment that included mindfulness meditation resources, a calming and immersive location and a range of safe social spaces where students could meet with tutors or peers.

Some of the key lessons learned when developing and using VR for mental well-being support include:

Calmness by design

Our choice of a tropical beach environment was deliberate, and the space was designed to promote relaxation. Other options can hide hidden terrors for some people; for example, a peaceful forest or jungle clearing can trigger thoughts of snakes or spiders for some users. Our software developers employed an architect with specific training in designing buildings that reduced anxiety and harnessed his skills to create calming, nurturing and safe virtual spaces. Careful choice and design of the environment should be a priority for supporting mental well-being.

Anonymity through avatars

One of the lessons we learned rapidly after switching to online lectures during the Covid-19 pandemic was that many students preferred to keep their cameras off. Using avatars enabled students to free themselves from gender, age and ethnicity constraints. We developed avatars that were vaguely humanoid and highly customisable to help students with this and to help them express themselves as they wished. Use of avatars in many cases can help students to engage with others with more confidence and openness.


	A trauma-sensitive approach to teaching and learning
	The metaverse is much more than a virtual copy of your campus
	Get started with virtual reality for learning and teaching


Use the VR environment

VR-based meditation applications are emerging all the time and offer unique and immersive relaxation opportunities, yet most of these lack interactivity or any choice of where to sit and meditate. Encouraging users to find their own space and using mindfulness audio tracks to focus meditation on to key elements within the VR environment enables people to take ownership of their mindfulness practice and increase engagement. Many of our users enjoyed exploring the beach areas for themselves to find their favourite place, be that sitting by the fire pit or by the sea watching our capybara chewing grass or the butterflies. To be clear, users watch the butterflies – the capybara don’t chew the butterflies.

A stress-free escape

One of the strongest findings from our evaluation was how much students valued the ability to escape. This included escape from their placement, from their accommodation, their noisy neighbours or the stresses that they were experiencing. One of the key drivers for this project was the desire to provide students with an alternative reality that did not require them to spend even more time on a phone or in front of a laptop screens. Our feedback indicated that using Oculus Quest VR&nbsp;headsets instead was well received; some students referred to their time on the VR island as their treat they had earned and deserved. Few would say this about an online meeting.

Beyond healthcare students

Although we designed this environment for our future nurses and health professionals to support them while they undertake clinical placements, the wider applications of this for other students are considerable. While meeting in VR cannot replace the human contact available on campus, it has been shown to provide valuable social and mental well-being support. With the addition of the mindfulness meditation resources, this has the potential to help other students undertaking remote placements as part of their studies.

Doctors in the 18th-century&nbsp;would frequently prescribe their patients a visit to the seaside to cure a host of ailments both physical and mental. It may be that higher education providers should now consider a virtual version of this therapy for their students.

Pete Bridge is a senior lecturer in radiotherapy at the University of Liverpool.

The University of Liverpool has been shortlisted for Technological or Digital Innovation of the Year at the&nbsp;Times Higher Education&nbsp;Awards 2023&nbsp;#THEAwards.&nbsp;See the full list of shortlisted candidates. Winners will be announced at a ceremony on 7 December in Liverpool.


Academics and university leaders from across the UK and Ireland will come together that week at&nbsp;THE&nbsp;Campus Live UK&amp;IE&nbsp;to talk about institutional strategies, teaching and learning, the student experience and more.&nbsp;Join us&nbsp;for this two-day event in Liverpool.

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How the shores of a VR island promote student well-being

Virtual reality environments can create safe and relaxing spaces for students, offering them mindfulness meditation and social connection, says Pete Bridge

How the shores of a VR island promote student well-being and social connections

I was a first-generation college student before the phrase “first-gen” was coined. During the entire four years of my undergraduate education, I&nbsp;felt that I&nbsp;should downplay or hide the fact that nobody else in my family had matriculated. I&nbsp;had no&nbsp;connections or resources, and felt like I&nbsp;was always a few steps behind my peers. It&nbsp;wasn’t until I&nbsp;was pursuing my PhD at Johns Hopkins University that it dawned on me that being first-gen gave me advantages: I&nbsp;was strong, I&nbsp;was resilient and resourceful. I&nbsp;was always the last person standing.

A focus on deficits

The deficit narrative surrounding first-generation students often emphasises their perceived shortcomings, such as lack of familial educational background or limited access to resources. This narrative can create a sense of inadequacy and diminish first-gen students’ confidence in their ability to succeed in higher education. However, a resilience-focused narrative acknowledges the challenges faced by first-gen students while highlighting their strengths, determination and specific assets.


	How universities can ensure first-generation students and their families feel connected
	Is it time to rethink social mobility discourse and the meaning of ‘success’?
	Spotlight:&nbsp;Catching students before they fall


The key turning point in my career was the day I&nbsp;realised that, as a first-gen student, I&nbsp;brought unique strengths to the table. I&nbsp;realised that I&nbsp;was willing to persist and remain optimistic when things got difficult. This profoundly changed my outlook. To this day, I&nbsp;appreciate the perspectives of people who are typically unheard. I&nbsp;often tell students that this reframing from a focus on my first-gen “deficits” to what strengths I&nbsp;brought to the table was career-changing.

Techniques to reframe the first-gen narrative

Here are techniques that universities can use to transform the narrative around first-gen students:


	Recognise first-gen students’ resilience and strengths: First-gen students often are resourceful problem-solvers. Consider the strong work ethic, determination and perseverance they have often cultivated through overcoming obstacles. Acknowledging these qualities reframes their identity from deficit-based to one centered on resilience and capability. One way to do this is to make processes clear – on class syllabuses, for example – so that students can continue to leverage their own resourcefulness to advance.
	Offer and amplify positive role models and stories: Highlighting success stories and positive role models within the first-generation college student community can be empowering for this group. At Virginia Tech, peer and faculty mentors, including myself, share their own experiences navigating similar challenges and achieving success. These peer and faculty role models offer hope, encouragement, camaraderie and a road map to first-gen students that underlines that success is attainable despite the odds.
	Foster a growth mindset: Promoting a growth mindset is crucial in reframing the narrative for first-generation students. Faculty and peer mentors, ideally who also were and are first-gen students, can be helpful here, showcasing that abilities and intelligence can be developed through dedication and effort, rather than being fixed traits. This instils confidence and resilience. Embracing challenges as opportunities for growth and learning reframes setbacks as temporary obstacles – and learning experiences – rather than insurmountable barriers.
	Cultivate a supportive environment: Creating free wrap-around services within educational institutions is essential in shifting the narrative. In addition to mentorship programmes, Virginia Tech offers tailored counselling services (Cook Counseling Center), customised and responsive career resources, scholarship opportunities, student organisations such as&nbsp;IG@VT and 1stGG, even a dedicated living-learning community, GenerationOne, for first-gen students. These resources first acknowledge&nbsp;then help to tackle the challenges faced by first-generation students through hands-on tools for success.
	Emphasise academic and career achievements: Showcasing the successes of first-generation students further reinforces the resilience-focused narrative. Recognising first-gen students’ accomplishments in academic pursuits, leadership roles, research endeavours and professional achievements upends deficit-based assumptions. At Virginia Tech, an entire week of activities honour first-generation students’ contributions to their communities.
	Put in place inclusive policies and programmes: Institutional policies and programmes that undergird efforts on behalf of first-generation students are crucial. For example, admissions and student recruitment policies and programmes must include activities such as high school outreach, streamlined application processes and campus tours that address the unique concerns of first-gen students. Inclusion must be authentic, championed by leadership and embedded in day-to-day operations.
	Embed advocacy for first-gen students: Reframing the narrative mandates collaboration among educators, administrators, policymakers and the community. &nbsp;Advocating for inclusive practices, resources and support systems amplifies the voices and experiences of first-generation students, ensuring that their needs are recognised and addressed. As noted above, this is&nbsp;achieved only through holistic first-gen inclusion throughout the university.


Reframing the focus from what first-gen students don’t have to the strengths they bring to the table is crucial. Frankly, approaching the first-gen experience from a deficit model only reinforces those deficits. Embracing a narrative that acknowledges first-gen students’ resilience and potential means that higher education institutions can create a more equitable and nurturing environment that facilitates students’ success.

Lisa M. Lee is associate&nbsp;vice-president for research and innovation and professor of public health in the department of population health sciences in the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, and serves as a mentor to first-gen students at Virginia Tech.

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Strategies to empower first-generation university students

First-generation students bring resilience and determination to their college journey. Based on her own experience, Lisa M. Lee explains how universities can support students from a place of strength rather than deficit

Resilience and empowerment: reframing the narrative for first-gen students

Recent research by Wonkhe and Pearson suggests that a sense of belonging is one of the key factors impacting student experiences and that improving students’ mental health should be central to any strategy that seeks to develop a sense of belonging.&nbsp; &nbsp;

As a new undergraduate programme director, I faced the challenge of developing a sense of belonging in a blended learning environment. The aim was to cultivate meaningful connections, open communication and collaboration with students. Thus, at the Alliance Manchester Business School, we spearheaded the Belonging pilot project: a collaboration with the humanities faculty e-learning team and a student partner to co-create an inclusive and accessible community of practice for students in an undergraduate programme. The project closely aligns with the four foundations of belonging at university that Wonkhe and Pearson identify in their research findings: connection, inclusion, support and autonomy.

To create a safe space for collaboration and meaningful connection, we leveraged technology platforms already available across our institution. To achieve our goals of cultivating a sense of belonging and fostering purposeful interaction, we shared useful support networks and resources to promote agency among students.

Based on strategies and experiences from the pilot project, which received high engagement and positive feedback from students, here are some helpful considerations to bear in mind when creating a community of practice that nurtures a sense of belonging.

Harnessing the technology at your disposal

To encourage peer connection, collaboration and communication beyond a face-to-face setting, we encourage the use of Microsoft Teams as a secure, digital platform to build connections and share files. There are several benefits to using this platform to nurture a sense of belonging.

The private chat functionality helps build trust because it encourages one-to-one interaction between students and tutors through targeted academic, pastoral or employability support. Video calls save time and are easy to schedule, and students and staff can download the Microsoft Teams app on to mobile devices which makes it easier to respond promptly to messages.

We found the use of this collaborative technology also helped alleviate concerns around students’ mental health, as more were comfortable reaching out for support in what they saw as a safe space. There was also the added benefit of improving students’ digital literacy in readiness for the workplace given organisations’ wide usage of collaborative software and messaging platforms.

Cultivating meaningful connections and open communication

For an undergraduate programme with different year groups, creating specific channels on Microsoft Teams makes communication easy and improves connections between peers. Through these channels, you can make announcements to each year group and direct them towards tailored resources that will support their learning.


  
      
  
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To be inclusive and encourage autonomy, you can use a general channel to share announcements relevant to all students and a resources tab that links to the Blackboard site, student support website, undergraduate handbook and learning resources. By sharing these resources in one place, students can find answers to their queries quickly and feel in control of their learning. Using emojis and engaging visuals also helps to create a student-friendly space.

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While many students are familiar with using social media platforms, it’s important to set healthy boundaries by encouraging a professional and respectful attitude while engaging with platforms like Microsoft Teams. Students should feel safe and comfortable raising queries that help create a positive atmosphere. To do this, you could add a how-to guides tab that includes guidance and netiquette (internet etiquette).


  
      
  
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As employability is one of the key pillars of our undergraduate programme, it’s important that students are better connected with professional opportunities. To promote internal and external career (and social) events, we created an events channel and encouraged students to actively participate in these events.


  
      
  
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It’s a good idea to create private channels for each year group so that you can share tailored announcements and resources. As they progress to the next academic year, you can rename the channels to reflect the year of study, allowing students to remain within their peer group and continue building connections.


  
      
  
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Collaborating with student partners

Using platforms like Microsoft Teams also helps university staff to engage with student partner groups to support collaborative initiatives throughout the academic year. You can create private channels for student representatives that support committee meetings and raise issues, student ambassadors that support open-day events and coaches that provide peer-to-peer support to students.&nbsp;&nbsp;


  
      
  
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Seeking feedback to promote the student voice

Seeking student feedback at different intervals to better gauge students’ university experiences and challenges can help with identifying ways to better support them. You can also use the Insights app within the general channel to analyse statistics on students’ online engagement. You can seek feedback from students in a variety of ways such as through surveys and informal face-to-face meetings with each year group. In our case, evaluating the feedback led to the creation of structured social time for peer connection and more engaging, interactive posts within the channels.

The overall benefits of using platforms like Microsoft Teams to nurture belonging are as follows:

For staff:


	A reduction in repetitive email queries from students, freeing up more time to focus on other work
	An increased sense of belonging and more meaningful connections with students on the programme
	Less hesitancy from students when reaching out for targeted support
	Increased collaboration with student partners when seeking feedback.


For students:


	An increased sense of belonging and reduced feelings of isolation and anxiety
	An increased feeling of autonomy in students
	Ways to widen networks and find out about employment opportunities
	Engagement in social events to improve peer connection within year groups and across the programme.


Above all, this community of practice has fostered a sense of belonging and created a more positive university experience for students.

More information and support

If you’re keen to create a community of practice for your students, start by following this advice and get in touch with me for further guidance.

Reimala Sivalingam is the BSc accounting programme director at the University of Manchester.

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Building belonging in a blended learning environment

A sense of belonging and community plays a major role in maximising student engagement. But how can educators cultivate an authentic community? 

Partnering with students to build belonging in a blended learning environment

Sexual misconduct is prevalent in UK universities. As institutions of learning and growth, universities bear a profound responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of their community members. Yet, all too often, responses to such grave issues have been inadequate or misinformed. It's crucial that universities implement comprehensive, informed, and compassionate measures to handle cases of sexual misconduct. We have learned key lessons while developing a sexual misconduct case toolkit through a collaborative university effort involving our academics from various disciplines and working with professional services staff. The following outlines eight critical steps that we have identified that can significantly enhance the response within higher education institutions.1. Enhanced reporting mechanism. It is crucial to offer an enhanced reporting mechanism tailored specifically for sexual misconduct complaints. A dedicated, user-friendly system (such as Report and Support) should dismantle barriers to reporting incidents. Using standard complaint forms seems inappropriate. Universities should ensure that the reporting tool is easily accessible and transparent. The system should provide information on what will happen to the report and how long it will take for someone to respond, and should identify who will be able to access the report.What does ‘taking sexual violence seriously’ look like at universities?Campus webinar: Student support and wellness strategies for a new termResource collection:&nbsp;Gender equality in higher education: how to overcome key challenges2. Video-recorded interviews. One highly effective way of making the evidence-gathering process more robust is for investigators to video their interviews with the reporting and responding parties, as well as key witnesses, with their consent. By recording these conversations, the evidence gathered is not only detailed and comprehensive, but it also ensures that both parties’ voices are equally represented when the evidence comes before a panel. This method can also drastically reduce the need for parties to repeat their accounts on multiple occasions, minimising the risk of further traumatising either party.3. Treat reporting parties as core participants. Those who report incidents should not be treated merely as witnesses in the process. To ensure fairness, reporting parties should be afforded the right to respond to any alternative version of events advanced by the responding party or other witnesses, while the case is still at the investigation stage. This can be crucial for testing discrepancies between accounts. Any introduction of new evidence or statements at the hearing should warrant a pause in proceedings, allowing the reporting party a right of reply. Update reporting parties with important developments and outcomes.4. Responsibilities to both parties. Universities face unique challenges in these cases when they hold legal and ethical duties to both parties, such as when they are students or staff. As much as possible, efforts should be made to reduce unnecessary stress on the parties during interviews. Both parties should be assigned their own points of contact and offered the opportunity to attend interviews with a supporter.5. Mandate specialised training. Eligibility for roles such as investigating officers or panel members – those who uphold or dismiss the complaint – shouldn’t be based solely on job titles. Instead, the emphasis should be on requisite knowledge, skills and training. The university should make proactive efforts to ensure that those entrusted with such responsibilities are well equipped to manage them. When initially asked to be part of an investigation, staff should reflect on their abilities before agreeing to take part. Leading topics include the myriad types of sexual misconduct, perpetrator strategies, the&nbsp;role of alcohol and drugs, the intricacies of consent, biases and myths, and the neurobiology of trauma[MP1]&nbsp;.6. Trauma-informed approaches. Incorporating trauma-informed investigative and interviewing strategies is also paramount. By staying informed about the latest research on trauma, its impact and the behavioural responses it triggers, staff can approach such cases with a heightened level of empathy and understanding. The science behind trauma reveals insights into how individuals process and remember traumatic events. Recognising the nuances of these responses, like the effects of dissociation or the impact of reflexive reactions, can improve the information elicited from those affected by trauma. This awareness not only aids in rapport building with the reporting party but also prevents potential misunderstandings that can arise due to the complex nature of trauma and memory.7. Incident-led interviews. When structuring interviews, it's advisable to first focus on the incident itself. This structure recognises and counters the challenges survivors face when recalling traumatic incidents. Guilt, shame and self-blame are common emotions for survivors. They might, consciously or unconsciously, make omissions in their recounting to cover up embarrassing or seemingly conflicting things they did – or did not do – before or after the incident. By addressing the incident directly, investigators can reduce the likelihood of such omissions. However, it is then important to address events or contacts, before or after, which can provide important context to help with understanding the complaint.8. Supporting staff. Dealing with cases involving trauma can leave an emotional imprint on those handling them. By acknowledging this, universities should put support systems in place. These can range from offering counselling sessions to conducting debriefing and reflection exercises, ensuring that staff have the necessary resources to manage and mitigate the effects of secondary trauma.By integrating these measures, universities can cultivate a compassionate, informed and fair system to address and combat sexual misconduct effectively.Melissa Hamilton is a professor of law and criminal justice at the University of Surrey;&nbsp;Ioana Enany is head of student conduct and compliance at St. George’s, University of London;&nbsp;Amy Knight is case manager in the Office of Student Complaints, Appeals and Regulation, also at the University of Surrey.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Measures to enhance UK universities’ response to sexual misconduct cases and create a more compassionate and effective system

Eight ways to improve responses to sexual misconduct in universities

Failing a course twice can put students in a difficult situation. Typically, the course is required and a third attempt requires special approval. However, this provides an opportunity to snatch success from the jaws of failure. 

In our resource-limited urban public university, we’d like to provide all that better-resourced universities can afford. We cannot. But there’s opportunity to level the playing field. 

In my role as department chair, I developed a structure for a two-strikes approach to turning course failure into a pass. Guiding students to articulate challenges and reformulate approaches, we build an improvement plan during a one-on-one meeting and a letter-writing task. The process, applicable beyond coursework, emphasises personal conversations, quality writing and reflective exercises that promote academic commitment and achievement.

Reframing failure as skill-building opportunity

The first step is a face-to-face conversation with the student. Verbal delivery is easy and succinct. Without using the word, I ask what brought past failure and what might bring future success. Is a teacher to blame? I sometimes point to Steven Zucker’s article “Telling the truth”: most college learning responsibility rests with the student; most learning takes place outside the classroom. This is general, inspiring reading, not an easy fix. Responses such as “I don’t need any more maths”, or “This course is holding me back from…”, or “I was always bad at maths” often lead me to bring up George Orwell’s 1984 and its Newspeak. 


	Spotlight:&nbsp;How to fail well
	Decolonising learning through access to primary sources
	Why students are best placed to help students understand feedback


I suggest reframings, which might read: “No additional maths courses are required for my programme, though taking such may strengthen my background”, “Completing this class rounds out my programme. It’s required for my degree, with good reason” and “I may even become good at maths; think of maths as a new strength”. 

I don’t post general suggestions online (on, say, web pages on course repeat policy), avoiding being prescriptive. I vary meeting themes. The writing guidelines are met without resistance, often with a smile. 

Writing a path to success

The homework assignment comes next. Students write a request letter, outlining a path to success. I provide instructions, encourage hand note-taking and discourage electronics. “These are instructions, not dictation.” It should be made clear that quality writing is expected – English-paper grade, yet using the student’s own words. Plain-text format is required – no attachments, no graphics, colours or fonts. This emphasises word choice and gains logistic advantages:


I could express my thoughts…with a limited set of words and grammatical structures, as long as I combined them effectively and linked them together in a skilful manner. Haruki Murakami


The formatting requirement is always initially accepted, although submission in non-compliant form often follows. Attention to detail is important for all classes. Deviation from instructions is acceptable, but only with clear rationale. Alternatives are negotiable.

Writing guidelines follow. For clarity, a formal sentence is expected: “I request…support for...” This contradicts in your own words; no one objects. Next, when and with whom did you take the class? Everyone remembers when; many forget whom. “Look it up.” Detailed recall helps later.

Failure analysis comes next. Were first-strike lessons insufficient for second-attempt success? The student should list reforms, initiatives or new ideas for success. I offer suggestions, leveraging campus resources: tutoring, office hours, study groups… Some students with disabilities acknowledge special resources yet untapped; others learn of these for the first time. I encourage students to add ideas; friends and family are mentioned. Students’ ideas emanating from new directions (job, relatives, commuting) signal a successful conversation. 

Specific study days/hours are reserved for this class and detailed in the letter. Not “two hours on Tuesday”; instead “Tuesdays, 2:30-4:30” reinforces the need to devote more outside than in-class time. (A 2:1 ratio is standard.) Students acknowledge that study-time allocations might have been meagre in the past. Length of time is not the only factor – time must be well spent (and instructor guidance is particularly valuable for that). Uncertain work schedules are mentioned. Then I suggest making a best guess, committing to later compensations, with no net loss. This section of the request letter is often weak. Careful re-reading of instructions and attention to detail yield improved revisions and will help future coursework. (Some write more than requested, including, for example, dog-walking schedules.)

Writing skill shortcomings emerge. Usage weaknesses appear among non-natives (“grab some lunch”) and natives (“reason being as”). I point out that good mathematics and good writing go hand in hand, linking to the writing centre.

Other considerations in the process


	What if a study schedule is made up? This rarely happens, I believe. Questions and remarks suggest sincere intentions. Why is whole-plan specificity important? Making choices is psychologically taxing. Weekly study-time decisions can be consuming. 
	Weakness of fixed schedules? Benedict Carey’s How We Learn says that varying study venues helps. Why not vary time? Timing will vary, best intentions notwithstanding. Not to worry – there’s value in planning itself.
	Dividends are the good things emanating from course success. Sometimes a brief discussion of dividend is needed. The (ironic) post-Soviet peace dividend is recalled. Students go beyond grades and requirements in articulating success dividends – learning readiness or not needing to outsource mathematics in the workplace, for example. Envisioning dividends increases course value buy-in, driving success.&nbsp;Alongside positive dividends are negatives. Imagine a third strike. Envisioning negatives has greater impact than positives. Asymmetry can be leveraged.
	Priorities and responsibilities:&nbsp;During repeat, what’s the commitment load? Where does this course fit in? Excess specificity is common here. Don’t say&nbsp;“Taking my cousin to dialysis”; say&nbsp;“Family responsibilities.” Course priority need not be tops, but it should be high. Totality of responsibilities is also important. Is it right sized? Can we realistically expect to meet all expectations? Have these aspects been considered?
	Obstacles:&nbsp;What might impede success? How to circumvent them? We digress on obstacle. I cite a student offered 80 work hours in one week – good money, but school suffers. A prior commitment of 25 work hours makes it easier to say&nbsp;“Thanks; opportunity appreciated but I made a commitment…” Otherwise, resistance is hard.&nbsp; 


This process seems longwinded when it’s written down; verbal delivery can be rapid. Successful requests are often short. When strong portions are present, with no red flags (poor writing, instructor blaming, dismissing course value, not following instructions), review is rapid. Feedback yields adequate revision in most other cases.

Mindset and positive (and contrapositive) psychology influence the process. Instruction copies are not provided, placing emphasis on conversation. There’s no script; delivery varies, guided by real-time student reactions.&nbsp; 

Outcome statistics are not available. Negative recountings never arrive, positives sometimes: 


&nbsp;Dear Professor, You supported my third retake request. I was thrilled… I earned a [high grade]… The appeal letter I wrote…helped tremendously! 


Eric L. Grinberg is a professor in the department of mathematics at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

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A process to help twice-failed students pass mathematics

A detailed conversation and a letter begin a support process that can take students from repeated course failure to success and confidence. Here, Eric Grinberg explains how it works 

One write way to student success in mathematics

The data is clear: students want networks. When asked what skill they most regret not cultivating in college, nearly half of recent graduates cited networking, according to a 2020 Strada-Gallup College Alumni poll. 

The data is also clear that access to networks is not equally distributed: first-generation students and students of colour are much less likely than their peers to participate in networking with alumni or to talk to faculty about their career interests. Those gaps are a troubling harbinger of unequal labour market outcomes, given an estimated half of internships and jobs come through personal connections. 

The unfortunate and unfair reality is that the enormous role of networks remains at the heart of a hidden curriculum that helps certain graduates convert hard-earned degrees into careers.

But there are ways to demystify network-building and make access to social capital a more explicit and equitable feature of students’ college experience. Here are three actions that would bring that hidden curriculum into the light for all students on campus: 

1. Teach networking as a skill as part of your career services

While career services offices may offer everything from career fairs to alumni directories for students to expand their professional networks, far fewer have the resources to teach students how to network. That’s a missed opportunity: on a long list of career-related skills, networking is where college seniors report feeling least confident, by a wide margin. That lack of confidence can hamper the best efforts of career offices – if students don’t know how to ask faculty for help, approach prospective employers at a job fair, or lean on one another for support, simply brokering access to employers or alumni will not yield results. 


	Collection on higher education and industry: how to work well together
	Do our students need to be book smart or street smart? They need to be both
	If we truly want a level playing field, we must focus on social capital


If colleges are building their own training, they should consider evidence-based approaches, such as Connected Futures, a free training resource developed by experts in clinical and developmental psychology to help enhance networking skills. It offers students a set of brief, asynchronous modules to build their understanding of networks, with prompts to reflect on and practise building their networks offline.

There is also an emerging market of courses and learning. For example, social enterprise Social Capital Builders teaches network building as a literacy, akin to financial literacy. Its approach is deeply asset-based, offering lessons aimed at helping students tap into their existing networks and identify “gateway connections,” or second-degree connections, who might help them accomplish their goals. Another curriculum provider,&nbsp;Career Launch, partners with two- and four-year colleges to offer a mix of short, text-message based “micro-learning videos,” an interactive workbook, and group coaching sessions geared toward boosting students’ ability to successfully engage in “cold outreach” with professionals in their fields of interest.

2. If you’re trying to centre equity, make network-building credit-bearing

As helpful as skill-building curricula could be for students, making networking lessons an opt-in activity has a downside: some students don’t have time to engage in non-credit bearing activities. When studying if and how students formed networks on campus, researcher Joseph Ferrare found that a subset of students suffered from what he called “the social alienation of financial constraint.” In other words, lack of resources meant that some students from low-income households couldn’t afford to live on campus, were working full-time, and didn’t have bandwidth between jobs and commuting to participate in programmes that would help them build their networking know-how and know-who.

Making network-building credit-bearing would ensure that students furthest from opportunity are taught this hidden curriculum. For example, universities can encourage faculty to build assignments that prompt students to connect with industry, seeking feedback on project work or conducting informational interviews on topics they’re studying. Faculty can act as brokers by integrating outside guest speakers such as alumni or individuals from professors’ own professional networks into their coursework. That integration can be fairly low-lift for professors and guest speakers alike if talks are hosted over Zoom. Faculty could also use proprietary tools such as Riipen, which links up employers, educators and students to collaborate on projects that faculty can embed directly into their syllabi. 

Universities should consider offering access to more paid work-integrated learning experiences for students. This could be through their own commercial partners and networks or using tools such as Parker Dewey, a marketplace where students can apply for short, paid micro-internships with employers. 

Universities taking a deeper approach could add new coursework, building for-credit career preparation courses, specifically geared towards first-generation students. The non-profit organisation, Braven, partners with colleges to offer a three-credit elective course that includes strength-based coaching on crafting resumés, building professional networks, and securing internships.&nbsp; 

3. To boost return on investment, elevate social capital in your campus-wide strategy

In studying how universities and their partners expand students’ networks, we’ve observed that some of the boldest work has emerged from college presidents who are laser-focused on improving students’ career outcomes. In an outcomes-based post-secondary world, networks that open doors to career options and opportunities really matter. 

For example, as part of its campus-wide “Integrative Learning and Life Design” model, Johns Hopkins University sought to engage all students, particularly those from low-income households, the first in their family to attend college, and students of colour, in immersive experiences throughout their time on campus. In addition to radically expanding access to internships and study abroad, the initiative focuses on relationships. These experiences outside the classroom help students graduate with a diverse network across industries. 

Students are assigned mentors who are tasked with encouraging mentees to try courses and work experiences they might deem too risky because they are not directly tied to their major, don’t pay well, or are not popular among their peers. It’s paying off: student satisfaction with career services at Johns Hopkins has nearly doubled. And six months after graduation, first-generation college graduates are now employed or enrolled in graduate school at the same rate as their peers, according to the institution’s First-Destination survey.

Extra credit: measure your results

Across all these efforts, measuring progress is key. That means paying closer attention to the quantity, quality and structure of students’ networks, as well as whether they’re increasing their ability to mobilise those networks. While few colleges currently track student network data per se, there may be indicators, such as how connected students feel to one another or to faculty, in the data you’re already collecting on student satisfaction and belonging, and alumni surveys. If you’re looking for other ways to gauge progress, check out this collection of sample survey items designed to measure students’ networks and social capital, compiled by the Christensen Institute. 

Most colleges aren’t shy about marketing themselves as hubs of connection. But if colleges care about equity and access, there’s a deeper task in front of them: taking the chance out of chance encounters and ensuring that students graduate with networks, not just credentials, in hand.

Julia Freeland Fisher is director of education research at the Clayton Christensen Institute and author of the book Who You Know: Unlocking Innovations that Expand Students’ Networks.

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How to support students in developing networking skills that will enhance their future career prospects

Three steps to unearth the hidden curriculum of networking

The mental health crisis on college and university campuses is getting worse. The number of students facing mental health issues is staggering; according to the Journal of Affective Disorders, more than 60 per cent of college students met the criteria for at least one mental health problem during the 2020-21 school year. 

The university I lead, Montclair State University, is no exception. Since the semester began last month, we’ve seen a record number of calls to our university police department and student-run ambulance corps related to mental health concerns. 


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Experts attribute this to a wide range of factors. The pandemic obviously has had a huge impact on our students; and the isolation that many felt – especially those in their formative teen years – affected their emotional development in ways that cannot be overstated. Moreover, it’s not surprising that students who are navigating the daily balancing act of intense school, work and family obligations amid a societal environment featuring increases in mass violence, social discord and climate uncertainty are experiencing unprecedented levels of stress. 

An increase in campus mental health services

However, we’re aware of mental health issues on campus today for reasons that may not be new at all and even&nbsp;show progress in a positive direction; a reduction in the stigma around asking for help has encouraged students to feel more comfortable in doing so. As a result, universities have increased their mental health services. That wasn’t always something that a school provided at scale. But we’re morally obligated to help our students with whatever they are going through to foster their success, and that includes depression, anxiety and myriad other conditions. 

Thankfully, resources are becoming more readily available to complement the university’s significant investment in mental health services, though keeping pace with the need is still a challenge. This year, the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE) awarded Montclair an $850,000 (£694,000) grant to help expand our mental health resources for students, such as immediate access to counselling. Montclair will use the grant to take important steps to increase much-needed support for students. 

Seven initiatives to support student well-being

This crisis is one we all must combat together, on every campus across the world. Here are some of the approaches we’re taking, led by the division of student development and campus life, which includes several departments dedicated to student well-being, as well as our department of psychology:


	Encourage connection with other students going through similar challenges. We’ve set up weekly student groups that target specific circumstances: for example, student athletes coping with the pressure and recovery from injuries; survivors of suicide attempts; first-generation college students; international students; and those impacted by their own or a family member’s substance use. There’s not a topic that is off the table here. 
	Widespread training. In addition to increased training for our faculty and staff, we’re ensuring that all students have access to suicide prevention training and depression screenings. 
	Access to immediate counselling. This summer, we partnered with Uwill, a student mental health and wellness tele-therapy service, to offer students an immediate, secure and convenient way to receive tele-therapy counselling services should the need arise. We’ve already had more than 500 students use the service and hope to see it continue.
	&nbsp;Introduce&nbsp;nap pods. Research shows even short naps can boost energy levels, and we know that lack of sleep has a connection to anxiety, depression and performance. We want to help ease that, especially for our commuter students. Nap pods will allow students to recharge in small private areas around campus when they don’t have access to a bedroom. 
	Bring emotional support animals to campus. Give students something to love. The OHSE funding covers Pebbles, Montclair’s new “pupscot” and therapy dog in training, who we hope to have certified within the year. Pebbles lives on campus with our assistant director for resident life and attends all kinds of campus events. She’s always available to bring joy to our students’ day-to-day life. Students say animals make a huge difference in lifting their spirits. 
	Rethink&nbsp;the role of campus police. Montclair’s university police department has a different philosophy from a municipal police department. Our officers are dedicated not just to safety and compliance; they also embrace their role in the development of our students and the need to create a campus culture that is inclusive and welcoming. They make it clear to students that they are there to have a positive impact and to support them in moments of distress, not just to discipline. Our officers&nbsp;go above and beyond by having direct feedback sessions with students to hear their concerns and studying for certifications in student affairs and college student development.
	Reduce mental health disparities among youth by conducting in-depth research into root causes, interventions&nbsp;and solutions. Initiatives at Montclair include our Youth Mental Health Service Lab and Evidence-Based Practices &amp; Interventions in Communities Lab (EPIC) Lab.&nbsp;Jazmin Reyes-Portillo, Carrie Masia&nbsp;and Jude Uy&nbsp;also received an American Foundation for Suicide Prevention pilot award; the findings of the research have the potential to serve as a model to increase treatment engagement among at-risk students who would otherwise not seek help, expand&nbsp;mental health services on college campuses&nbsp;and improve efficiency.


Just as there’s no one way to feel, respond or behave in regard to mental health issues, there’s no one solution to the mental health crisis. These are small steps to help solve a huge issue, and we realise more funding and resources are needed on a national and local level to make a bigger impact. In the long run, we hope to equip Montclair students with the tools to better manage their own mental health and support each other. It is a set of skills that are an absolute necessity to thrive in the modern world.

Every day – and not just on World Mental Health Day – let’s pledge as leaders to innovate, experiment and collaborate as we work together to address one of the most critical challenges of our time.

Jonathan Koppell is president of Montclair State University.

If you’re having suicidal thoughts or feel you need to talk to someone, a free helpline is available around the clock in the UK on 116123, or you can email&nbsp;jo@samaritans.org. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is&nbsp;1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international suicide helplines can be found at&nbsp;www.befrienders.org.

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From staff training to nap pods and on-campus emotional support animals, universities have well-established and novel ways to help students to better mental health and well-being

How to combat the mental health crisis on campus

In 2022, the US Senate passed a bipartisan resolution declaring September to be National Student Parent Month. The goal, according to sponsors, was to send “an&nbsp;important message to Americans who are trying to balance college coursework and raising children” and advance support “so they can focus on getting an education that will help them provide a better future for their families”.

The action occurred 27 years after the Senate passed bipartisan legislation that sent a very different message to low-income women with children, overwhelmingly single mothers. The 1996 welfare reform advanced by President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, purported to help Americans with children by pushing them to get a job – any job – reducing any potential for “dependency” on government support. Critically, that effort focused on work first, overtly deterring parents from pursuing college education. In the years that followed, enrolment in college among low-income parents (particularly Black and Latina women) fell across the nation, and many college support programmes to help them were shuttered.

A generation later, many of those parents are still in poverty, and their children now have children. If they want to pursue college, they often have to do it without safety net programmes such as food stamps, childcare and income subsidies that were more readily available before welfare reform. That’s especially harsh because college prices are higher than ever, and financial aid has not kept pace.

The effects are clear. Nearly one in five undergraduates (about 3&nbsp;million people) has a child, but another 12&nbsp;million parents started college and never finished. Two-thirds of currently enrolled parenting students – 70&nbsp;per cent of whom are mothers – live in poverty. My analyses of new federal data shows that 29&nbsp;per cent experience food insecurity and 7&nbsp;per cent experience homelessness. Most work while also studying and parenting: 59&nbsp;per cent are employed full-time, and 11&nbsp;per cent work more than one job, and as a result, 41&nbsp;per cent attend college exclusively part-time. Further adding to their challenges, 20&nbsp;per cent of parenting students have some type of disability.

What parenting students lack in terms of funding or time, they make up for with extraordinary drive, focus and maturity. That’s likely why among low-income students with similar resources, parenting students often succeed in college at higher rates. We can’t simply set aside that lack of time or money. We must address it to build on their promise and embrace the clear intergenerational advantages created when parents complete higher education.


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To be effective and scaled, support for parenting students must be respectful, treating them with dignity, and explicitly attentive to intersectional issues including race, sexuality and family types that affect how students learn about and receive that support. When thinking about planning this work, we also must recognise that extant data on parenting students likely overlooks many people, especially non-custodial fathers.

Giving students money for their bills, no strings attached, is an important first step. The financial aid system is a highly bureaucratic and inefficient way to do this, so I&nbsp;find the new guaranteed income programmes, along with emergency aid, to be much more promising. Even small amounts of money can make a big difference. During the pandemic, tens of thousands of parenting students were helped by emergency aid and the child tax credit, along with increased funds from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Given the recent surge in child poverty, those efforts clearly need to be restarted and continued.

We also need to reduce the bills that parents face in college, particularly by making two big-ticket items – housing and childcare – much less expensive. Initiatives such as the Family Scholar House, which blend and braid public and private funds, are a good place to start. In addition, parenting students should be offered dedicated on-campus housing (Berea College offers a great model), especially since they – more so than other students – have little time to spare and need the institutions in their lives (including college and childcare) co-located near where they live.

When it comes to childcare, I’m especially excited by initiatives such as&nbsp;Kids on Campus, a collaboration between the National Head Start Association and the Association of Community College Trustees, which will help bring health, nutrition and education services to more current students’ children, while also helping more low-income parents access college. Of course, the federal Child Care on Campus Means Parents in School Program should be expanded as well. After all, 53&nbsp;per cent of parenting students have a child under&nbsp;six.

Nearly half of all parenting students attend community colleges that are strapped for cash and struggling to stay alive, so innovation from philanthropy and the private sector is especially important. The ECMC Foundation is doing intensive work to help single mothers, and that effort is strengthened by leadership from Amber Angel, a former student parent. Parenting students are also powering the work at Generation Hope, Raise the Barr, Aspen Ascend and the SPARK Collaborative, helping to ensure that solutions are well-designed and used.

Parental education, and particularly maternal education, shapes a person’s life outcomes more than most other factors. Whether you are concerned about the economy, democracy, health or other aspects of life, your goals are far more likely to be realised through a collective investment in today’s kids through devoted support and finances to their parents’ education. Stephanie Land’s forthcoming book, Class, beautifully illustrates the struggle of motherhood, hunger and higher education and challenges us all to recognise the big mistakes of the late ’90s welfare reform. Whether it’s during September, National Student Parent Month, or beyond, if you see an opportunity to encourage and support someone going to college with kids, please take it.

Sara Goldrick-Rab is author of Paying the Price, College Costs, Financial Aid, and the Betrayal of the American Dream, a senior fellow at Education Northwest and founder of the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice.

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We must do more to support parenting students

Dedicating funds and resources to parenting students, most of whom are mothers and single, is also an investment in the prosperity of future generations, writes Sara Goldrick-Rab

Twenty per cent of US undergraduates have children – we must do more to support them

We are continuously looking for ways to improve our student support in order to boost academic outcomes and well-being across the university. 

As part of this, we are trialling several pilot schemes within the University of Bristol’s School of Economics. Here are our insights on the progress of each scheme so far, with suggestions for how universities can innovate to improve student support.

Hire dedicated student success advisers

Student advisers should provide proactive, student-led support rather than waiting for students to fall into difficulties before offering help. 

We have hired three new full-time Student Success Advisers, dedicated to creating resources to help in areas where we often see students struggling, such as the transition from school to university.

The advisers will look at past data and trends to actively identify students who might need more support and make contact early to ensure they can access the help they need to achieve their potential.

Advisers can refer students to more specialised help from well-being, academic and professional services teams. We hope this will reduce the anxiety that some students feel about whether a specific service is appropriate for them.


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Restructure careers advice 

With most of our students coming from overseas and growing pressure to choose courses with a solid career path in mind due to rising living costs, careers support should be interwoven with the academic programme as early as possible.

In practical terms, this means introducing regular talks from employers throughout the academic year, providing CV and cover letter writing assistance through personal tutors and working with our Professional Liaison Network (PLN) – which runs activities designed to connect businesses with students and academics – to increase the number of students joining our mentorship scheme.

The mentorship scheme pairs students with alumni who studied the same degrees and are using them in their jobs. We take the students’ career aspirations and interests into consideration. This means mentors have real insight into the challenges students might be facing and can answer their questions, provide tailored support and offer new perspectives on possible careers. Mentors also provide students with mentoring challenges – small pieces of work or research designed to focus the content of meetings, further develop students’ skills and produce evidence of those skills for job applications.

The PLN engages students with companies and organisations that are relevant to their academic subjects and organises talks and paid internships. This year, we are introducing pop-up careers and employability drop-ins, as well as expanding career-focused live events, so that students who are hesitant to attend one-to-one careers appointments, or want general advice, can engage more casually.

Embed workplace skills in each programme

We ensure important skills such as problem-solving and data analysis are worked into our programmes to prepare students for the future workplace. Optional modules on communicating economics and data science have been introduced to most undergraduate courses. These have direct, real-world application and get our students thinking about some of the challenges they might face in the future. 

We are well placed to do this because our school hosts the Economics Network, a renowned centre for economics education and pedagogy, and the Economics Observatory, which bridges the gap between academic research, government policy and the public. Our connections with industry keep us up to date on necessary workspace skills that should be included in the curriculum.&nbsp; 

Our new interdisciplinary master’s in economics with data science takes these principles a step further, as the students complete real industry projects in place of traditional dissertations. Students work in groups and solve real-life problems jointly designed by academics and industry partners, while receiving support from the PLN and personal tutors. 

The aim is to help students demonstrate the tangible benefits of their studies to future employers, build their resilience and confidence as communicators and ease their transition from education to employment.

Research barriers to postgraduate students taking up support

A one-size-fits-all approach does not reflect the needs of all students at different stages of study. At postgraduate taught (PGT) level, our diverse, predominantly international students need academic advice tailored to their subjects, on top of pastoral and well-being support to help them manage the challenge of living abroad and adapting to changes in culture, language and learning style. 

Our academics recently undertook Royal Economic Society-funded research to identify specific barriers to PGT students seeking support and develop ways to overcome these. Analysis of 105 student interviews and more than 500 student surveys revealed that PGT students value approachable, proactive academic personal tutors, but are often hesitant to reach out due to language concerns, cultural barriers and adverse prior experiences in higher education. Students who perceive their spoken English as “not good enough” or those who have concerns over their tutor’s gender have higher barrier indexes. 

From workshops with higher education colleagues at UK Advising and Tutoring Association and Advance HE conferences, our academics collated challenges faced by academic advisers. The top concern was academic workload, along with engagement and monitoring issues from both the tutors’ and students’ sides. 

To overcome these challenges, we introduced a team of advisers made up of academic and professional services staff representing a mix of genders, ethnicities and spoken languages. We evaluate initiatives on an annual basis with a survey linked to PGT dissertation submission to maximise participation. 

Build peer support networks 

A powerful way to support students’ learning is to help them develop alongside their peers as part of a community of learners. Collectively working on problems builds students’ teamwork skills and helps them develop a deeper understanding of academic materials.

Starting this academic year, we are introducing a new peer-assisted learning and support scheme for our first-year students, called Sage (Student Assisted Guidance in Economics). The Sage leaders are second-year students, with selection based on their first-year academic performance. 

They will run weekly one-hour drop-in study support sessions for each core unit across our programmes, helping new students transition to university life and develop good academic practices. The scheme offers peer support alongside formative tasks, including working through problem sets and tutorial questions covered during term via discussion rather than teaching.

Sage sessions will give first-year students a friendly and safe space to review and enhance their learning through conversation with peers on the same or similar courses to themselves. However, these sessions do not replace tutorials or office hours offered by academics.

We also facilitate the formation of study groups among students across all years of study. While some students organically form study groups, others need support to build their networks. Part of our new student success advisers’ role will be to help students find others to form networks, as well as identifying spaces on campus where the groups can meet. 

We will be carefully monitoring the success of these projects over the coming year in the hope of seeing tangible improvements to student well-being. 

Andy Wistow is school manager in the School of Economics at the University of Bristol.

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What fresh approaches could provide more proactive, tailored and cohesive student support? Andy Wistow shares insights from pilot schemes designed to do just that

Student support: four ways to innovate for improvement 

Long before the cap and gown, today’s students turn to careers centres for guidance and support as they begin to develop their career plans. Whether a student is pursuing a career in healthcare, law enforcement or corporate business, university careers centres must provide resources and services that serve students’ career goals.&nbsp;Yet many careers centres need to catch up to the times. A recent survey revealed that nearly 40 per cent of college graduates expressed concern over their institution’s ability to help them successfully transition into the workplace. Most respondents also admitted to feeling emotionally unprepared to survive the professional work environment.&nbsp;The three Cs of the 21st-century workplace: cognition, character and careerHow to coach in-employment lifelong learners for successEngaging students with careers resources early and oftenWhile boardrooms embrace flexible and remote environments, welcome emerging industries and dabble in artificial intelligence, careers centres remain the same. A victim of the perception of them as an ad hoc service, careers centres have not been given enough attention or funding to keep up with graduate needs. For decades, institutions approached education as a life juncture: support students for four (or more) years and then release them into the world.&nbsp;Job done.Until now.&nbsp;Many institutions have pivoted to a holistic, lifelong approach to learning. In this new pedagogy, the careers centre plays an essential and cyclical role in the higher education experience.For Post University, where I work, it took a willingness to change and the creativity of its team to realise true transformation. The university spent an entire year adapting its careers centre to better align with the evolving needs of students and the dynamic job market. Now the centre welcomes online and in-person students and serves as a bustling nexus between academia and careers.&nbsp;Below, I share how other institutions can follow Post’s model for modernising careers services.Conduct an audit of services and visitsIf a university notices fewer students using its services, thoroughly evaluate current services and the resources offered. In the case of Post University, the results demonstrated a need to entirely restructure the centre. Immediately, the university set about reorganising the programmes and identifying opportunities for alignment where possible.&nbsp;Retire outdated resources and refresh strategiesPut an end to using resources and programmes that are considered outdated in today’s job market. Onboard new technologies and courses such as Handshake and Forage, which cater to today’s digital natives and our significant number of online students, and integrate career services into the curriculum.Welcome new, energetic staffMore than new services and programmes, expanding a university’s careers centre team is sometimes necessary. Advisers should also be encouraged to bring fresh ideas and expand the centre’s access to industry professionals with local and national contacts. Completing National Career Development Association (NCDA) training to become nationally certified career advisers should also be required if not already.&nbsp;Focus on individual student needsDefining what postgraduation success means on a personal level naturally helps establish professional goals and identify support opportunities. Careers advisers can glean this information through one-on-one coaching sessions where students can engage in meaningful conversations. This approach allows the team to gain deeper insight into career aspirations and develop personalised strategies tailored to the student’s unique path. Whether it is a freshman coming in for their first time, an adult learner scheduling a virtual meeting or an alumnus seeking career advancement, the university careers centre should offer a wide range of career services to support individuals at every stage of their professional journeys.Launch an engagement strategy focused on flexibilityParamount to the success of students are frequent professional development experiences. Offering various activities – in-person and virtual careers fairs, professional development events, career coaching, employer spotlights and more – enables students to explore various opportunities. The university careers centre should also recognise that students, especially non-traditional students, might not have situations that allow for much time to network outside the classroom. A careers centre team must develop various specialised workshops and events, virtual careers fairs and flexible scheduling including evening and weekend appointments to support its diverse population.Remain connected with alumniIt’s important for a university to recognise that some alumni will need continued guidance as they navigate career changes, promotions and new challenges. Be sure to incorporate alumni meetings to understand their needs and develop programmes that will serve alumni long after graduation.By shedding outdated resources and programmes, a university’s careers centre can become a dynamic hub of innovation where students can access the most current and relevant tools for their career development. Looking forward, plan to home in on industry partnerships and expand networks, not only where the university is geographically located but nationwide, to create a pipeline of diverse and meaningful internship and job opportunities for students. The goal is to provide industry partners with a continuous stream of accomplished and prepared students ready to contribute their skills and expertise to the professional world.&nbsp;Moving forward, universities should continuously adapt and modernise careers services to empower future students with the skills, knowledge and resources necessary to navigate their careers with confidence – upon graduation and for a lifetime.Camille Dumont is director of the Center for Career and Professional Development at Post University, US.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the&nbsp;THE Campus&nbsp;newsletter.

Camille Dumont gives advice on how to adapt a university careers centre to better align with the evolving needs of students and the job market

Want student success? Modernising your careers centre is vital

In the era of disruption by technology such as generative AI, coupled with an increasingly tech-savvy generation of digital natives, traditional teaching and learning at universities must evolve to better serve learners. Indeed, as industry transforms at an accelerated pace, the workforce must move in tandem so people are better equipped to innovate and tackle new challenges.As such, it is no longer adequate to expect the approximately 15 years of education packed into someone’s early years to serve them for the entirety of their subsequent 40-year working life. Education will need to ensure the workforce has more up-to-date skill sets and competencies that are better aligned with current industry needs, most likely through more regular upskilling and reskilling throughout a lifetime. If we provide more just-in-time education throughout a student’s working career, it could potentially change the education landscape into one that requires what might be best termed institutes of continuous learning (ICL).Learning pedagogy for digital nativesThe history of formal education can be traced back thousands of years, although it has mainly focused on educating children and young people, starting from primary school all the way to college to prepare them for their first job. While this has worked well given continuous innovation in education, the shifts towards online and distance learning accelerated by the pandemic mean we cannot go back to business as usual. While it will surely remain a big draw to attend a world-renowned college to obtain a degree, the motivation is perhaps becoming skewed more towards the campus experience and interaction with peers and faculty rather than sitting through hours of lectures and tutorials.Resources on lifelong learningWhy we need a new model for professional development credentialsHow to coach in-employment lifelong learners for successWhile many of us can remember the days when physical letters took weeks to reach our recipients, with the advent of the internet, email, messaging apps, generative AI and more, it is not difficult to grasp why the younger generations, who were born into the digital era, expect more instantaneous responses and interactions. Requiring learners to sit through long hours of lectures is no longer effective because of&nbsp;shortening attention spans, plus, with most knowledge available at their fingertips online, higher-order thinking and analytical skills should be prioritised anyway. Bearing these evolutions in mind, moving towards a more interactive, asynchronous mode of delivery where learning can happen any time anywhere will be a more attractive proposition for most learners. This might be where microcredentials come in.Microcredentials: volume and depth of learningThere are currently no commonly accepted norms for a microcredential’s learning volume. While the word “micro” means a small volume of something, microcredentials can still range from a course of a few hours to a boot camp of a few days to a more intensive certificate leading towards a formal qualification.Most microcredentials are generally highly focused on a particular discipline or skill and aligned towards industry needs or competencies. Given the expectation of the rigour required to gain a university degree, if the microcredentials in question are to be stackable toward a degree, they should be substantial in volume and depth. Within each microcredential, the content must be carefully curated to ensure fundamental concepts and theories are scaffolded together with industry competencies so the learner can apply them immediately.With microcredentials that go into sufficient depth mapped to relevant industry competencies and skills, this will help learners perform a new job role or function in the workplace. Indeed, well-designed microcredentials can also be offered as standalone qualifications to support working professionals who are keen to upskill or reskill throughout their careers.Other considerations for stacking microcredentials toward a degreeThe design of microcredentials for standalone delivery or those that can stack toward a degree for in-employment learners requires many considerations. In addition to well-designed microcredentials with appropriate volume and depth, pedagogy that offers flexibility, support from employers and recognition of industry-acquired skills are critical.Working with employers and industry bodies to identify the skill gaps for learners in their industry is crucial, while providing recognition for completion of microcredentials will motivate learners to progress while managing multiple commitments. Most in-employment learners also accumulate a wealth of relevant knowledge from their work experience and prior learning – validation of such learning should take place by it being recognised and counted towards their knowledge acquisition.Beyond academic and employer support, learners juggling work, study and personal commitments will sometimes require an extra push to get them over the line. Providing such support, in the form of success coaching, for example, could be key to helping them succeed.Finally, setting aside time for the pursuit of microcredentials is paramount. This involves a longer-term commitment from both the employer and learner to work together to carve out the flexibility and hours needed to acquire these skills, because it is always worth remembering that these microcredentials will probably take years to stack toward a degree.&nbsp;Forest Tan is assistant provost (continuous learning) at Singapore Institute of Technology.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus&nbsp;newsletter.

What’s needed for stackable microcredentials?

Forest Tan describes how to begin creating a flexible pathway where learners can accumulate microcredentials aligned to industry that can stack towards a degree

What’s needed for stackable microcredentials towards a degree?

Students belonging to groups that are under-represented in higher education – for example, young members of certain ethnic groups, disadvantaged or first-in-family university students – face unique obstacles in adjusting to the academic community. Due to socialisation that differs from the majority and typically lower educational preparedness, they are frequently not familiar with the norms of the academic environment. 

These students often report feeling stuck between two cultures or groups. As under-represented minority students try to adjust to their new academic environments, their ties with their communities of origin are weakened since they cannot easily share their academic experience or challenges. And while their community ties are weakening, their ties to the academic community are not strong enough to allow for successful adjustment.&nbsp; 


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Balancing between the origin (that is, a low-status family) and the host (the academic world) environments creates tensions and leads to different coping and adjustment strategies. However, what successful adjustment to college means is a matter of debate in studies investigating under-represented minority students: to what extent is it necessary to assume the identity of the majority society? And is separation from their community of origin a requirement or an inevitable consequence? 

Ties matter

Students’ social relations and the resources available through them play a decisive role in adjustment to college. Both the kinds of ties students can rely on and the extent to which they can embed into the academic community strongly determine whether an individual will drop out and the successful completion of semesters and years spent in higher education, as well as their psychological well-being. 

The case of Roma students

The case of Roma university students is special for many reasons. The Roma population is not only the most populous but also the most disadvantaged minority group in central and eastern Europe. The situation of Roma university students is intersected by their ethnicity, by their generally low social status and by the discrimination they face from the majority society. We intended to get a deeper understanding of Roma students’ adjustment to college from a social aspect by capturing students’ real ties. 

Our research involved 124 Roma university students from the Roma Colleges for Advanced Studies Network (RCASN), which aims to support Roma university students in obtaining degrees. Colleges for advanced studies are dedicated to supporting talented university students in their studies and academic work. These colleges provide special courses and offer accommodation in dormitories; students can also be awarded scholarships. 

Exploring students’ personal networks

We aimed to understand what types of egocentric networks can be identified among Roma students, and what kinds of resources these provide. By analysing Roma university students’ egocentric networks, first, we explored the main groups in students’ personal networks:


	Origin group: Roma persons with lower than secondary education attainment
	Fellow group: Roma persons with secondary or higher education 
	Host group: non-Roma persons with secondary or higher education
	Other group: non-Roma persons with lower than secondary education.


We identified the three most characteristic network types among Roma university students by cluster analysis based on the proportion of origin, fellow and host groups in students’ personal networks (see Figure 1).



  
      
  
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Figure 1: most characteristic network types among Roma university students



&nbsp;

Personal network strategies 

Of the three clusters, the host-based cluster (48 per cent) is the most extensive and provides the most structural resources for students. Previous research showed that, for upward social mobility, the multicultural, extended network is the most ideal for under-represented minority students. Students with host-dominated networks who are able to preserve their origin ties possess both the emotional stability and the structural resources required to adjust to the academic environment.

The fellow-based cluster (35 per cent) illustrates well how small communities can have a key role in students’ adjustment to college. This cluster is a small network that is determined by the RCASN community. Small academic communities similar to RCASN colleges are able to stabilise the egocentric networks of students finding themselves in a social vacuum. However, it is important to note that while these communities provide stability in the network of under-represented minority students, they also limit the enrichment of university ties. 

Networks in the balancing cluster (17 per cent) are the most well distributed regarding the proportion of the origin, fellow and host groups, although this network type also demonstrates how challenging it is to integrate these groups into one network. Research has shown that simultaneous connection to groups facilitates the formation of the complex identity of an individual, which suggests higher self-esteem and the ability to experience multiple layers of identity. However, conforming to the norms of different groups can be mentally demanding. While cluster membership does not show significant differences on the variables of self-esteem, life satisfaction, subjective state of health and trust, our results suggest that the students in the balancing cluster have poorer subjective well-being and trust than students in the other two clusters.

A foot in two worlds

Our study identified three main network strategies for under-represented students’ adjustment to college. All demonstrate that higher-educated Roma have a foot in two worlds: the community of origin and the academic environment. This constant balancing is the cost of mobility from the social network perspective. 

As universities, we must emphasise the role of small fellow communities – such as RCASN communities – that can provide stability for students falling into a social vacuum by interconnecting the origin and the host environment. Communities with students of similar origins and with similar backgrounds create opportunities for students to experience their ethnic identities and, at the same time, provide them with the opportunity to engage with the university as a community with its own subculture, rather than internalising the norms and values of the majority.

Ágnes Lukács J. is a sociologist and assistant lecturer of the department of social sciences in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Semmelweis University, Hungary. She is an associate editor at the European Journal of Mental Health.

Beáta Dávid is the director and coordinator of the sociology doctoral programme&nbsp;of the Institute of Mental Health Sciences and deputy dean of scientific and educational affairs in the Faculty of Health and Public Administration at Semmelweis University. She is also head of the research department of the Center for Social Sciences, president of the Hungarian Network for Social Network Analysis, chair of the board of trustees at Home Start Hungary, and editor-in-chief of the European Journal of Mental Health.

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How community ties affect students’ social mobility

Personal networking strategies can influence successful academic integration and emotional stability of students from under-represented communities in higher education. Here are ways to support these groups, based an analysis of the egocentric networks of Roma students 

What is the cost of students’ social mobility from a community ties perspective?

Lifelong learning is crucial in today’s rapidly evolving world, enabling individuals to adapt to new technologies, industries and societal changes. However, for many lifelong learners, the reality of juggling work responsibilities and personal commitments – such as to their families – can be challenging, even more so when academic ambitions are thrown into the mix. Understanding these challenges and how to overcome them might empower learners to develop much-needed resilience and take ownership of their academic journeys.This article is shared from a success coaching perspective at the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), where we work. Below, we offer some insights from journeying with in-employment learners who are on an upskilling pathway studying for degrees through competency-based, stackable microcredentials.Time management and academic challengesTime management is mentioned more than anything else in our coaching conversations with learners. The crux of the matter is finding the right balance between the different commitments in their lives. Many learners are in full-time jobs, with fixed or shift-based work schedules, leaving unimaginably small pockets of time to cater to assignments, lectures, group work and their personal lives.Resources on lifelong learningLearning to learn: developing students into effective lifelong learnersHow we can use AI to power career-driven lifelong learningTo overcome this, a “few-pronged” strategy is required. The first step is to develop a clear and achievable academic plan – how much to do, when to do it and how to do it. Learners will also need to understand their limitations and unique circumstances, temper their ambitions and re-prioritise their life goals and non-critical/non-work commitments. Go too fast and learners risk burnout, affecting more than just their studies. Go too slow and they risk complacency and lack of motivation.Harnessing time-management techniques such as the Pomodoro Technique and leveraging digital tools, integrated calendar apps and task-management software will help learners organise their academic, personal and work schedules.Another strategy is having a systematic approach, adaptive mindset and discipline in task management and prioritisation. Learning to identify crucial deadlines and examinations will allow the learner to develop a schedule for study, work and play.Being able to step up to the rigour and complexity of university studies is another concern. Learners are encouraged to reach out to academic staff and to build learning communities to learn better together.Environmental factors: learning and working environmentsThe learning environment is something most learners underestimate as a crucial factor for success. While some learners report having private and conducive spaces to study, many report that they only have shared rooms or common spaces, which might be unconducive for quiet studying. These learners have rationalised that studying at their dining tables, at cafes or even staying back to study at their work locations are the best solutions for them. Establishing a regular study space and a routine that works within or outside of family arrangements is key to success.To work towards a supportive work environment, having open conversations with employers about their aspirations and commitment to study while working is important. Learners are encouraged to share their plans on how they will balance their work responsibilities and academic commitments. Having regular conversations, seeking feedback and finding strategies to be productive at work and study can be helpful.Well-being challengesMany learners report some form of personal issue that might have a direct impact on their programme completion. These range from family issues to health-related issues that could affect learners’ mental health, focus and motivation.Our immediate advice to learners with potential mental health issues is to gain knowledge of the counselling services provided by their universities and the professional services they can be referred to. Health-related issues can be tricky and might require learners to take breaks in their academic schedules or reconsider their candidatures entirely. As a first step, an open conversation is required to understand the extent of the issue. From there, further academic support can be rendered.Stress and burnout are two other common concerns. While learners share that they have coping mechanisms, the constant balancing act might take a toll on their resilience or mental and physical health, affecting their productivity and performance. To help overcome this, we advocate creating a success plan, customised according to each learner’s strengths and personal and work commitments. We also encourage adequate opportunities for rest, exercise and good nutrition. This might seem obvious, but long periods of over-commitment without rest can lead to burnout and physical or medical problems.ConclusionUndertaking a tertiary education programme, while commendable, is an endeavour that demands resilience, commitment and tenacity. Often, lifelong learners embark on such programmes without fully understanding the rigour required of them and struggle or even bow out, often just before the finish line.By making students aware of these challenges and acknowledging any limitations, learners can understand how and where to seek support and resources to aid them in their academic journeys. Collaboration between the institution, employers and learners is also crucial in shaping an environment where learners can succeed.Though there isn’t a cookie-cutter template to support learners, empathy and encouragement should be universal and, with that, we can foster an inclusive landscape that embraces the diverse requirements of all learners.Chow Peck Chee and Julian Matius are success coaches, and May Lim is associate professor and assistant provost (applied learning), all at Singapore Institute of Technology.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus&nbsp;newsletter.

A team from Singapore Institute of Technology offers insights from working with in-employment learners who are seeking to upskill by studying for degrees

How to coach in-employment lifelong learners for success

Trauma is a term frequently used in health and social care contexts, and it has increasingly made its way into everyday conversations. It is not unlikely that, while browsing social media, you will encounter posts in which individuals share their experiences related to mental health, including trauma. As the use of the word becomes more common, it is important that people understand the meaning of trauma, as well as what it means to be trauma-informed.There are various types of trauma that affect the brain and our development in diverse ways.1. Acute trauma: Occurs due to a single event, such as a natural disaster.2. Chronic trauma: Arises from situations that are prolonged and repetitive, such as chronic illness, exposure to violence or living in long-term poverty.3. Complex or developmental trauma: Involves any form of abuse or neglect experienced during upbringing, exposure to domestic violence and situations categorised as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), among others.This is why adopting a trauma-informed approach is essential for the well-being of both students and staff. We can never truly comprehend what someone has gone through without them explicitly sharing, and this can be challenging for trauma survivors.So how can academic settings embrace the five principles that underlie trauma-informed care?Safety: Safety is not only a facet of trauma-informed care, but also a fundamental aspect of human needs, as outlined in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Prioritising the emotional and physical safety of both staff and students is essential for productive work within academia. This could manifest as respecting and protecting staff break times, and ensuring students have easy access to campus security and well-being teams to address concerns about their mental health or personal safety.Trustworthiness: The adage “honesty is the best policy” holds true when considering the significance of trustworthiness in trauma-informed care. Establishing appropriate boundaries within universities for both staff and students fosters trust in processes and individuals. Staff should feel confident approaching their managers, free from judgement or toxic work environments such as gossiping cultures. Building trust among students involves simple acts of honesty, such as being transparent about availability. For example, if a student requests an appointment for tomorrow, but scheduling isn’t possible until next week, a trauma-informed approach advocates for honest communication rather than making unfulfillable promises.Resource collection:&nbsp;How to create a happy campusStudents learn better on caring campuses – here’s how to create oneHow to foster student well-being with online mindfulness trainingChoice: Granting individuals some degree of control over their environment can contribute significantly to a trauma-informed approach. Staff could be allowed to exercise autonomy over scheduling their diaries and appointments. Similarly, students could benefit from being offered choice over the nature of the assignments or assessments they complete. For instance, making students aware that alternative assessment methods are available besides group work would accommodate those who struggle with anxiety and prefer one-on-one assessments.Collaboration: Collaboration is pivotal in maintaining a trauma-informed approach. Those who have experienced trauma often feel a loss of personal power. Recognising the importance of shared power and understanding that working collectively often yields optimal results for both students and staff is crucial. Regular supervision sessions for staff to review goals and aspirations are essential. Students can benefit from similar reviews, including regular check-ins with personal tutors. Additionally, facilitating collaboration through roles like course representatives, where student voices are heard, reinforces this principle.Empowerment: The ability to make choices, leverage existing strengths and build resilience is integral to recovery for trauma survivors and represents the final vital principle of being trauma-informed. In academic settings, staff empowerment can involve opportunities to enhance skills and explore new professional avenues. Similarly, students can be empowered by assistance in taking ownership of the transition that comes with attending university. Providing training sessions on budgeting, practice in life skills such as effective communication and assertiveness, and placement opportunities to gain real-world experience can all contribute to student empowerment.Understanding trauma and embracing trauma-informed care principles can have a transformative impact on the well-being of individuals and the wider academic community. As we navigate the complexities of human experiences, integrating these principles creates an environment of support, understanding and growth.Imogen Varle is a mental health intervention officer and author at the De Montfort University.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus newsletter.

As awareness of trauma and its effects on individuals grows, Imogen Perkins delves into what it means to be trauma-informed, and how its five principles could look within an academic setting.

Trauma-informed care within academic settings

A student-centred approach is core to most universities’ strategies, and implicit in this is the notion that students will be successful at the end of their tenure on campus. Universities develop metrics, such as the grade point average (GPA) and the number of research citations, to assess the performance of students in their core activities of teaching and research. But such quantitative measures do not tell the full story as to whether students have been “successful” at university.

Student success is often not best measured while a student is enrolled in the university itself, researchers Amy Salazar and Lisa Schelbe state. Instead, an assessment of the final product, the student-alumni after graduation, may be a better measure of success than the work-in-progress, enrolled student. And while many variables may impact the decisions and outcomes for alumni after they leave the campus ecosystem, such individuals embody, in a summative way, the influence of the university on the lives of its students. We examine three characteristics that universities can use to define student success by focusing on alumni.

1. Interest in further higher education

A bachelor’s degree should not be viewed as an end point in higher education. Effective undergraduate degree programmes should not only provide students with new knowledge and competencies, but also whet their appetites to learn more through independent study, research and postgraduate courses. Innovative instruction and assessment activities should continually challenge students to explore topics beyond what is presented in lectures.


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No one becomes an expert in their field by completing a bachelor’s degree. Professional, career and academic seminars are important for providing students with career and further study options as they mull over what to do next. These events help students to identify postgraduate programmes that complement their present studies as they move towards their career goals. 

2. Attractive to industry

In all professional spheres – corporate, public services or the arts – employers seek out talented university graduates who are equipped with the required technical skills and competencies. In developing and revising curricula, universities often consult with industry stakeholders to assess human resources needs. Unfortunately, few universities provide feedback to these stakeholders about the final contents of their programmes after the revision process. Thus, those in the professional world are not always sure what knowledge and skills graduates coming from particular programmes may bring.

Through collaboration and continual dialogue, universities and industry can update each other about changes needed and changes made to the curriculum. This would help universities to become more agile in developing in-demand programmes that are relevant to the evolving needs of industry, while industry stakeholders would be assured of a steady flow of competent and work-ready prospective employees. Such partnerships close the gap between the theoretical, conceptual-based nature of academic study and the practical, implementation-based requirements of industry. The ability to seamlessly transition from the classroom to the office is a marker of student success. Internship programmes, set up in partnership with industry, can aid this process.

In addition to high IQs, employers want candidates that demonstrate emotional intelligence. Successful university graduates are well equipped with the interpersonal and “soft” skills needed to work with others. Time-management, professional flexibility, empathy and work-life balance are some of the components included in psychometric tests used in hiring processes.

3. Involvement with university 

Most students spend between three and six years studying, and sometimes living, on a university campus. Student success can lead to a student-campus relationship that lasts for a lifetime. Students who have an exceptional social and academic experience on a campus are more likely to maintain an interest in the activities of the university after leaving.

Universities often engage alumni through financial solicitation. But alumni can offer value in their social and professional capacities as mentors to students. Alumni who remain at the university as employees tend to become an important part of building and maintaining the campus’ legacy, organisational traditions and culture. 

It is what follows that counts

The real measure of student success is found in evaluating what students do after they graduate. It falls to university alumni offices to stay in contact with former students and keep track of their progress after their tenure of study is completed. Alumni-based student success can be measured by collecting and evaluating data in areas including: 


	the number of undergraduate students re-enrolling as graduate students;
	employment rates of graduates;
	impact of internship programmes on job-readiness, based on surveys with host internship partners;
	involvement of alumni in campus life.


University faculty and administrators alike have a role to play in creating and maintaining a campus environment that allows students to achieve their primary goal of securing desired academic credentials but also supports a broader definition of long-term student success.

Adeola Matthew is recruitment officer at&nbsp;University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus.

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Three focal areas by which universities can track student success by looking at what graduates go on to do after completing their courses

Alumni as a benchmark of student success

The campus career centre is often viewed as the place that helps students find a job after college. It is regularly used as a last-minute resource in the semester before graduation. And because the term “career” is mainly associated with full-time employment, a narrative has been created that students don’t need support right now and that they “have time to figure it out”. 

The reality is that campus career centres should aim to teach students early on how to be quality candidates in all aspects of the job search process. We interact with students and their families at new student orientations for those who plan to attend Georgia Institute of Technology in the upcoming semester, and at campus preview days for prospective students, explaining the services offered by the centre and why they need to engage in our programmes starting from their first year.&nbsp;


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Based on our experience at Georgia Tech, we strongly believe that a career centre strategy must use the four stages of the continuous career development cycle – explore, prepare, engage and reflect – early on with students.

Encourage students to explore career options

Connecting with students early to drive curiosity has value both within their academic programmes and for their future careers. For career educators, interdepartmental collaboration, specifically with admissions and orientation teams, helps increase awareness and visibility to students before they arrive on campus. 

To implement a culture of discovery for students, collaboration with campus partners through first-year and transfer seminar courses is essential. Since students often have many options and questions regarding career paths, career centres must provide tools to encourage this exploration. 

Our team supports students through one-on-one coaching using tools such as MBTI, TypeFocus and the University System of Georgia’s Steppingblocks. We facilitate workshops and discussions on topics such as “major and career exploration”. Thanks to our partnership with the exploratory advising team, students have a place to ask questions related to academic programmes and possible changes to graduation progression. This process also allows students to interact with advisers, faculty, senior students and professionals from different fields.

Prepare students to look for a job 

Career centres must offer students opportunities to prepare themselves for their job search. Students should have access to all resources from the first day of classes. For example, the centre can support first-year and transfer seminars to include résumé writing in their course. We have found that hosting in-person résumé-review days (where students receive feedback from employers), daily drop-in hours to discuss career development, and one-on-one appointments with career development advisers, career educators and specially trained student office staff better prepares students not only for future job searches but helps them to make sound career decisions. 

We recognise that refining a résumé is a tiny part of the job search process, so we also host workshops on career development topics such as networking, interview technique and salary negotiations to increase student confidence when interacting with potential employers in formal and informal settings. 

For us, feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, which suggests the need for increased early student engagement each semester. If students become active in their career development and job search process early in their academics, they have as much time as possible to explore career paths. 

Engage with employers and networks 

Engagement is one of the most active parts of the career development cycle; it puts the “explore” and “prepare” stages to work. For most of our students, the job search is employer-driven, where students rely heavily on an employer’s campus presence to land employment opportunities. But for some, the search will be more self-driven, where students may have to put in extra effort or may need additional assistance to identify opportunities and market their work skills.

A careers centre should have services available to support both approaches.

The employer-driven approach

We all know the saying: “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” Employer-driven approaches should include opportunities such as panel events, career fairs or on-campus tabling. In our case, these efforts typically target our in-demand programmes in areas such as technology and engineering. We offer our All-Majors Career Fair each fall, spring and summer semester. We have also engaged students through “boutique” fairs such as the Start-Up Career Fair, Government and Non-Profit Career Fair, the Building Construction Career Fair, and the Architecture and City and Regional Planning Career Fair. 

The self-driven approach

Not all majors are created equal. Unfortunately, this means there is a limited understanding of some of our students’ backgrounds and capabilities. The career educator model was created in 2021 to level out the field. It aims to equip students in under-represented colleges such as the College of Design, the College of Sciences, and the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts with the tools for a more self-driven search and to market their talent. Career educators empower students whose job search may look different from their peers in more sought-after programmes. They may need skills such as networking, how to leverage professional or student organisations or to identify and highlight their abilities, understanding the hiring landscape for specific industries, and connecting with employers. 

Career Treks provide year-round opportunities for students to visit companies to gain an in-depth understanding of the company from their first semester.

Teach students to reflect on their skills

In the reflection portion of the career development cycle, students ask themselves about their experiences to identify skills and interests better. Reflection allows students to challenge misconceptions they may have about their career goals and make necessary shifts without shame or criticism. Reflection puts students in a position of power and gives them the freedom to adjust their approach as needed so they are more fulfilled when choosing a career. 

Some students, for example, may discover they would prefer to work for a small- to medium-size firm after completing an internship at a large corporation. Others may recognise a need to practise technical skills to be competitive for a job after graduation. 

As a career centre we support students throughout the career development cycle by encouraging them to explore, prepare, engage and reflect on their career goals. By engaging early, not only do students gain work experience, but they also have more time for reflection on the direction of their career goals. 

Amaka Nwoko and Widalys Santiago are career development advisers, and Davia Woulard is a career educator in the College of Design, all at the Georgia Tech Career Center at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus&nbsp;newsletter.

Here’s how career centres can reach out to students before they’ve even set foot on campus, and why it matters for their future job search and development

Engaging students with careers resources early and often

Generation Z and Gen Alpha crave guidance and accountability partners, both of which can be found through mentoring relationships. However, with these generations’ socio-emotional skill development delayed post-pandemic, traditional mentoring can be anxiety producing for them. 

This cohort needs a different approach from the traditional mentoring model.

Introducing students to potential mentors before they have developed trusting relationships with them can make the experience less impactful. Students often engage in traditional mentoring programmes once but then fail to continue. Virtual, on-demand or just-in-time micro-mentoring can be less stressful, more appealing and create better outcomes than one-to-one in-person mentoring. Breaking the experience into bite-size and shorter exchanges increases their appetite to keep going.


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This approach can be described as micro-mentoring. Micro-mentoring, which takes place over shorter blocks of time (as little as days, hours or even minutes) than a traditional mentoring relationship, focuses first on skills development or barrier removal. Micro-mentoring can pave the way for meaningful long-term mentoring relationships. Offering skills- and talent-based micro-mentoring opportunities at the beginning of transitional periods (such as new-student orientation, major declaration, senior year or early postgrad) can be a less intimidating avenue for Gen Z and Gen Alpha to find the guidance and accountability they are seeking. 

Micro-mentoring can also focus on life skills and wellness development, rather than on career or a major, and does not require students to be paired with alumni, faculty or others who are in related disciplines or vocational paths.

When promoting a micro-mentoring programme, it’s useful to meet students where they are. Using an institution’s learning management system (LMS), workflow or chat-space applications, and student employment platforms can offer a way to cross-promote micro-mentoring opportunities in spaces that students frequent. Creating recognition and excitement through social media campaigns that acknowledge student achievements in the micro-mentoring programme can also increase the interest of other students. Certificates or badges that recognise micro-mentoring experiences can also motivate students to continue in their journey. 

Training mentors in slow communication

Training mentors is a critical aspect of any mentoring programme. Training for a micro-mentorship programme should go beyond the outcomes of mentoring; it should include acknowledgement of generational differences and trauma-informed practices, with research shared that supports the methods used. Mentors should be trained in how to start slowly in their communication with a focus on developing trust. Early content should not require the mentee to ask questions or engage in challenging dialogues. 

A map of the mentoring journey can assist new mentors in understanding when it is appropriate to dive into more personal and demanding topics. Early sessions should be focused on the mentor sharing until the mentee feels comfortable engaging in a mutual relationship.

The value of peer mentoring

Research has consistently indicated that peer mentoring is an important component of a mentoring strategy for college-aged students. Like virtual and micro-mentoring opportunities with caring adults, peer-mentoring initiatives should go beyond traditional para-professional roles such as resident assistants, peer mentors or orientation leaders. Providing virtual peer groups led by a trained leader can offer a more emotionally safe space for students to share common needs and concerns. 

Additionally, virtual meet-ups for low-stakes networking can also build community and deepen relationships among peers, opening student interest in future mentoring.

Show students what mentoring offers them

Cultural considerations should also be made when selecting mentors. Gen Z and Gen Alpha desire culturally competent, relevant and aligned relationships. Emotional safety is paramount to this generation. Consider creating specific mentoring strategies and programmes for black, indigenous and people of colour (Bipoc), LGBTQ+ and other student populations who are under-represented at the institution. These populations could also include affinity groups at the institution, paying attention to connecting students to mentoring based on how they identify at the institution (for example, matching athletes with athletes). 

Finally, when promoting mentoring opportunities to students, provide potential learning outcomes and value-add educational takeaways. In every co-curricular experience, students are asking: “What is in this for me?”, “Why should I spend my time on this (and not that)?” Showing the connection between the mentoring experience and student success is vital. Using student voice and stories in evidencing these outcomes is most enticing. If students see themselves in the success stories, that will also drive their motivation to engage. 

In summary, allow students to choose how deep a connection they wish to engage in from the outset. In moving from traditional long-term and in-depth mentoring relationships, institutions should seek to begin student engagement in mentoring with “micro” or “flash” mentoring; design a programme with an aim to lower anxiety and increase emotional safety; and provide on-demand assistance when students need it. Promoting these opportunities as low stakes and high impact through a lens that students can relate to will encourage mentoring as a safe activity and a place to find answers to problems or barriers. 

Raphaella Prange is vice-president for student life at Maryville University of Saint Louis. She also consults on trauma-informed practices and generational research for higher education.

If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus&nbsp;newsletter.

Breaking the support experience into bite-size exchanges does more to increase younger students’ appetite to keep going than the traditional one-to-one mentoring model

Why micro-mentoring works for Generation Z

Barely a day goes by without new research, or a news item, coming into our inboxes about the mental health crisis among young people and the growing burden on NHS and third-sector support services. This has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and the rising cost of living, which mean that UK university services are under greater pressure than ever before.Alongside a recent debate in Parliament about universities having a statutory duty of care for their students, for senior leaders with responsibility for student well-being, it can feel overwhelming and, dare we say it, impossible to tackle at times. There is general agreement across the sector about the need to take a ”whole-university approach” to mental health and well-being and to embed this across our institutions. But this is much easier said than done.Why students and faculty alike need mental health first-aid trainingFrom cohort to community: how to support student-led initiativesYou’re not alone: tips to help academics avoid social isolationWe are, therefore, sharing what we have learned over the past two years in shaping, alongside colleagues and students, our university’s approach to health and mental well-being, which we call “Be Well” at Bath.Remember that there is no such thing as the perfect university, especially when it comes to the well-being of our community. Some stress, anxiety and obstacles are unavoidable and a part of life and work for our students and staff. These challenges will exist regardless of how much support is in place, how well we communicate our offer, and how much training we provide. Keeping this in mind means we can recognise how our strategies can improve our community’s experience, but also that we will not be able to solve every problem for everyone. Once you accept that fact, hopefully, it will lift the burden and enable you to define your objectives more clearly.Developing a mental health and well-being strategy, and implementing it, is a journey. It might be a cliché, but it’s true. Even more of a challenge, this journey probably doesn’t have an endpoint. As we have mentioned, there is no&nbsp;such thing as perfect in this area of work, and so in reality we will be constantly reviewing our support offer, our practices and policies, and our culture. We will try to make improvements to enhance well-being dependent on ever-changing factors such as the type of courses we offer, our diverse community, societal changes and government guidance.Recognise that no individual is the sole expert. This one might seem obvious, but it is essential to recognise that colleagues from across our institutions have expertise and experience that we need to tap into, listen to and use. We are talking not just about colleagues in professional mental-health and therapeutic services but also academics with experience and research in this area. At the University of Bath, we are fortunate to have colleagues with expertise in health, psychology and sociology, undertaking amazing research on these topics, which relates to our own communities and of which we need to make better use.Remove siloes and join up your communities. Universities are often large organisations and can easily divide into siloes, which results in a lack of coordination and minimal sharing of best practices between those supporting students and those supporting staff. By linking up, we can share expertise and resources, avoid duplication and hopefully offer a more coherent vision for both students and staff (for example, our Be The Change – Tackling Harassment initiative). If we are going to ask our staff to help support students, then we need to make sure they also feel confident that they have the support and training to do this, as well as access to professional support themselves when needed.Finally, don’t be afraid to try something new. Enabling different services to try new and innovative approaches to improving health and mental well-being won’t always be completely successful, but evaluating and recognising when things don’t work and changing course means nothing is a wasted process. Co-creating initiatives with students and staff is an excellent way of testing the waters; while Bath has done some of this, it is still a work in progress across our organisation. We are fortunate to have a small seed fund for colleagues to try out new student experience initiatives (such as MENtion it and Bereavement social group), which are often focused on mental health and well-being and are in line with our strategic objectives.“Be Well” at Bath is an ongoing process, and we know there’s still a lot to do on our journey. However, so far it’s been valuable in bringing together a whole-institution approach, and we’ve learned so much. We hope these tips based on our experience will be valuable in your institution.Ben Goose is the policy and programmes manager (student experience) and Cassie Wilson is pro vice-chancellor (student experience), both at the University of Bath.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Lessons from shaping a whole-university well-being strategy

Challenges to staff and student well-being are part of university life, regardless of how much support is in place. But iterative strategies can improve the entire community’s experience, write Ben Goose and Cassie Wilson

Perfect doesn’t exist and other lessons from developing a whole-university well-being strategy

“But what league table position are you?” I remember when I first started working in recruitment at another university, that was one of the key things my team was repeatedly asked. The answer varied depending on whether the ranking was global or UK-based, or whether they wanted a result for their subject field specifically. But one thing remained the same – decisions from students on where to spend the next three or more years of their lives were often based on cold, hard data.&nbsp;

Of course, I’m simplifying things. This wasn’t the only factor that drove student choice. Degree content played a major part, too, so a detailed prospectus entry was vital. But the decision process felt much faster and simpler than it is for students today. After doing their research on course make-up and league table positions, students generally attended one open day for each of their university choices before submitting their shortlist to UCAS. In some ways, the process was very streamlined; but in other ways, it felt very clinical and spreadsheet-based.&nbsp;

&nbsp;


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Things have certainly evolved over the years, and league tables and course content are of course still important, but questions about ranking positions have been replaced recently by “What do you stand for?” and “What are your values?” – as well as a desire for us to show, not just tell. The days where university recruiters can rely on shiny league tables and spreadsheets are over – and Covid-19 has expedited that.

How do we know this? Well, at the University of Sheffield we anecdotally saw a shift in what was driving student choice, but this was also mirrored by insight from YouthSight and other trusted sources, as well as our own focus groups about student decision-making in terms of prospective Gen Z students and what mattered to them. The upshot was that students want an excellent university, but they also want to choose one that aligns with their values and beliefs.

In light of this, what do we need to do as recruiters? Well, we need to start by adjusting our recruitment approach from data-driven to people- and values-driven and realise the importance of putting people first, not spreadsheets. As we begin to shift from the values-conscious, pragmatic and shrewd consumerism of Generation Z to the values-driven, individualistic style and expectant consumerism of Generation A, we need to be prepared to really show what our institutions are, rather than simply tell. It’s not enough to “try” to be authentic in a curated way; we have to genuinely “be” authentic and transparent.&nbsp;

At Sheffield, we’ve responded to this by ensuring we build meaningful interactions with prospective students so they get an idea of what we stand for before they invest. One open day at the start of the application cycle is no longer enough. In addition to five pre-application days, we now hold five open days for offer holders, giving them multiple opportunities to engage with us at a deeper level further on in their journeys.

There is a real demand for this. Our offer-holder days for 2023 saw a 15 per cent increase in attendance compared with 2022 events. University prospectuses and websites can tell students only so much; it’s only by students immersing themselves in university life by visiting campuses that they get a real feel for what to expect – something today’s students want. However, this needs to be on their terms, to suit their schedule and needs. We’re acutely aware that the cost-of-living crisis might limit the number of visits students can make, so we need to ensure we don’t further limit this by minimising those opportunities. In my opinion, providing multiple opportunities for students to visit and engage should be the sector standard, with online opportunities bolstered and improved, particularly for those who are feeling the financial crisis more keenly or those with a need to work, which inhibits the opportunity to visit.

But to really showcase what a university stands for, students need more than just a tour of campus. Universities need to use face-to-face events as a show-and-tell platform for what they stand for. This can range from providing changing facilities for transgender students to be their authentic selves and providing a quiet space for neurodiverse visitors to reimbursing travel for disadvantaged students to attend open days and making prayer rooms available to those that visit, to ensure people feel their religions and beliefs are respected.

In many ways, post-pandemic, it might have been expected that the lack of physical interaction that defined the lockdown months might have changed students’ need for that moving forward, but in our experience the opposite seems to have happened. In a world where all the talk is about AI and replacing people, what this market actually craves is real, in-person, meaningful interaction. And of course the two sit side by side; one does not negate the other.

Another example of meaningful interaction that university recruiters can call upon is the creation of more opportunities for prospective students to engage online with current students. The main question our student volunteers are asked is: “What’s it like to be a student in Sheffield?” Applicants want to hear a genuine student voice that hasn’t been curated by a university in order to get a real sense of what to expect, and this can be crucial in supporting the decision-making process.

Sustained personalised interaction is important and takes time, but it is an investment universities have to make moving forward. As responsible recruiters we need to change our practices to meet the demands of today’s students, and it is important that we take a more proactive role than ever before in helping to facilitate this.&nbsp;

Dan Barcroft is director of student recruitment, marketing and admissions at the University of Sheffield, UK.

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Modern institutions must adjust their recruitment approaches from data-driven to values-driven and realise the importance of putting people, not spreadsheets, first, says Dan Barcroft

Universities need to show – not just tell – students what they stand for

Supported social groups offer students with a shared experience – such as bereavement, exploring LGBTQ+ identities, family estrangement or loneliness – the chance to come together and realise they are not alone. At the University of Bath, we have found that connecting students who share a lived experience is a powerful and effective way to enable peer support in a safe space. Hearing other people ask questions and share relatable stories helps students feel understood and less alone, and the groups can develop into potentially lifelong support networks.


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We have set up several supported social groups, and they are invaluable for normalising and validating students’ lived experiences. Those attending report feeling heard, comforted and relieved when they are in the company of others who “just get it” and talk their language. 

“It’s nice to have friends who don’t consider losing someone an uncomfortable subject”: Esmée

I often get enquiries about how we set up these groups at Bath, and these pointers on how to approach this successfully are based on my experiences.

Getting started setting up supported social groups

It’s brave to even consider attending group support, let alone turn up. So make it as easy for them as you can.


	Keep registration simple via self-referral and a single link on your website that gathers the information you need but isn’t onerous.
	Send a personalised informal welcome email. Acknowledge that students might feel nervous or awkward and provide friendly reassurance. Offer context – why you’re running it, average attendance and what tends to go on in a session. Let them know they can leave at any time and don’t have to speak.
	Always have free drinks and snacks.
	Have activities such as colouring books, fiddle toys or card games on the table to reduce anxiety and awkwardness upon arrival.
	Ensure directions to venues are clear, ideally with visuals.
	Consider diverse needs,&nbsp;in particular neurodivergent students (including those who identify on the autism spectrum regardless of a formal diagnosis), who might find large group environments difficult. Students tend to feed back that they like a maximum of 15 students in a group, with some preferring fewer.


“I really liked that the emails detail what to expect, which reduces my anxiety massively”: anonymous

What do the students want?

A vital question to ask yourself and the students regularly is: what do students want from this group? My experience is this:


	You can never predict what a group will want; it always depends on who shows up. Be ready with fun activities and games, as well as for deep conversations. Prepare to guide the groups but also to feel almost redundant. Be flexible and allow yourself to be led by the students at each session. 
	If your group is specifically for students experiencing loneliness and social anxiety, you are likely to be more heavily involved in the facilitation. A dedicated activity such as board games or rock painting is essential (but make participation optional), especially as some students might not feel able or comfortable to speak. These students value the chance to be in an environment – and belong to a community – where that is OK. As these groups might be those students’ only social events, meetings need to be regular (weekly or fortnightly). 
	Activities are particularly important when delivering support specifically for men. 
	If the group is formed around an experience such as bereavement or estrangement, those students are more likely to lead the group themselves (with prompts), and you will mainly just hold the space, supporting where needed. The loneliness these students live with is in the context of a specific, isolating experience, which many of their peers cannot relate to (as opposed to loneliness resulting from social anxiety). These students are often heavily engaged in busy student life,&nbsp;so monthly groups are ideal. 
	I always have&nbsp;arts and crafts available,&nbsp;but these are often&nbsp;background activities&nbsp;and not the main focus. 
	If you don’t have capacity to run a regular group, but know a few students are saying similar things about an issue or experience, and communicating their isolation, ask them individually if they’d like to all meet for a coffee. Go along, connect them and they can take it from there.
	Lived-experience groups can also be an opportunity to provide psycho-education (systematically or ad hoc) around topics such as grief and loss or skills development for managing neurodivergence or anxiety and developing self-esteem. 


“There is enough structure to alleviate anxiety but enough freedom to gain a little confidence with decision-making and choosing how you do things”: anonymous

“For the first time, I’ve been able to get to know other people my age in a similar situation. When X can be such an isolating experience, this makes all the difference”: Alisha, final year

Collaborate and co-create


	I start most of my groups in an informal and friendly manner, with an invitation for free pizza and the chance to meet others and tell me what support they need.
	Be curious and adaptable, and use the sessions to talk about and reflect on what everyone needs from the sessions. Develop your group together with the students; it should always be their space.
	Be creative, collaborate and seek out diversity to enrich your environment. Explore the expertise in your local community – we have collaborated with individuals and organisations that specialise in certain areas of work (shout out to Grief Kid and the Roman Baths) and have lots more planned. This will enhance a sense of community and belonging, not just to the university but to the world around them.


“Sometimes it can be easy to get lost when you’ve been through something which not many people our age have…Having a safe space like this has made me and so many others feel so welcomed and not alone in such a big community”: Josh, studying BSc in architecture

Keep going! 


	You might spend some sessions thinking: “They’re all sat here planning their escape; this was a terrible idea!” This can be particularly pertinent if you have a quiet or anxious group, or in the early days of a new group. Don’t give up&nbsp;and remember that, if people come back, you are probably doing OK.
	Numbers will ebb and flow, but will usually settle over time. Our well-established groups now see eight to 14 students at every session. 
	Find comfort with silence and not being able to fix things, welcome any tears and make sure you have tissues.
	Be selective with what you share – provide the information that you know will help the people in that room at the time. Talk with a purpose (and not too much).
	Be ready for group dynamics and student needs to change, and always read the room!


You don’t need to know everything about the issue – the groups are not about us! Our role is to bring students together, to create a warm, inclusive, safe, caring and fun space, to prompt conversations and manage tensions that arise. Our presence as facilitators allows students to focus their energy on connecting with their peers and processing their experiences. One student recently said: “No offence, but I love that I don’t have to make any effort here. You organise it all and I just turn up and chat.”

Hannah Moore is the social interventions lead at the University of Bath. 

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Connecting students who share a lived experience such as bereavement, family estrangement or loneliness can help to foster a sense of community and belonging at university, explains Hannah Moore

How supported social groups create safe spaces

Student interest groups and societies are an integral part of campus life. They offer a platform for students to pursue their passions, develop their skills and talents and form meaningful relationships with their peers. However, the potential of student interest groups goes beyond the success of individual students. They can also be a powerful instrument for the university’s advancement in various areas. By identifying areas of mutual benefit between student interest groups and institutional goals, universities can leverage student interest groups to drive positive changes. 

Based on our partnership experience with student interest groups at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), below you will find insights into how universities can work with these groups to pursue shared interests, adding value to both student development and the university’s broader objectives. 

Campus experience

Freshmen orientation: The first few weeks of university life can be overwhelming for freshmen, especially non-local students. Student interest groups can help these students integrate into the campus community. By partnering with student interest groups, universities can organise orientation events that cater to the diverse interests of freshmen. For example, a performing arts club can organise lunchtime concerts for those who are music enthusiasts, while a sports club can offer trial experience sessions for those who enjoy physical activities. These events can help freshmen feel welcome and connect with like-minded peers.


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Cross-cultural integration: Universities are increasingly diverse, with students arriving from all over the world. Student interest groups can promote cross-cultural understanding and integration. By leveraging these groups’ strengths and interests, universities can organise a series of cultural exchange events that showcase the rich diversity of the student community. For example, a recreational club can offer a world board games night, while a cultural club can host traditional food-tasting events during different festivals. These activities help foster cross-cultural understanding and appreciation, ultimately enriching the campus experience for all students.

Extracurricular growth: Partnering with student interest groups to offer a wide range of student-centred activities can foster students’ extracurricular growth beyond classroom learning. For example, to nurture potential emcees for university events, universities can partner with public-speaking groups to run themed workshops. Universities can also engage recreational groups to provide fun and fulfilling activities for disadvantaged groups, such as the elderly or underprivileged families. Student members of the interest groups not only serve the needy through their interests and passions but also reflect on and learn from the encounters. 

University development

High school student recruitment: Recruiting high-quality high school students is a top priority for many universities, and student interest groups can be a valuable asset in attracting students who are seeking vibrant university experiences. By incorporating student societies into high school student recruitment events such as “information days”, universities can showcase the diverse and enriching campus life they offer. Additionally, current club members can serve as ambassadors, sharing their personal experiences and enthusiasm for the university with prospective students. These interactions can have a significant impact on the decisions of prospective students, because they can gain a deeper understanding of the university’s culture and community through the perspectives of current students.

University image building: A strong and diverse offering of student groups and societies can significantly enhance a university’s image. By supporting and promoting these groups, the university can demonstrate its commitment to providing a well-rounded education and nurturing a vibrant campus environment. To reinforce its branding, the university can regularly showcase successful initiatives and external awards garnered by student groups that align with its preferred image. These initiatives can be promoted across different marketing channels to attract positive attention from prospective students, alumni, donors and the local and global communities. For example, news about a student entrepreneurship club winning an external award can add value to the university’s international reputation as a “pioneering” institution.

Sense of belonging: Fostering a sense of belonging among students can greatly contribute to their overall satisfaction with the university experience. By partnering with student interest groups, universities can offer students a platform for them to connect with like-minded peers and form lasting friendships. These groups can offer various workshops, events, competitions and many other opportunities for members to connect with one another. This sense of belonging not only contributes to students’ personal well-being but also enhances their engagement with the university community. Students who feel a sense of belonging are more likely to contribute positively to university life and develop social skills that can benefit them beyond their academic pursuits.

Student interest groups are a great asset to the university. Partnering with student interest groups can help universities create a campus conducive to whole-person development, which can benefit the university in the long run. The key is to engage these groups in a meaningful way that aligns with their interests and passions as well as with the university’s goals. By doing so, universities can leverage the potential of student interest groups to foster a positive campus experience, advance university development and benefit the wider community.

Kelly Lam is associate dean of students at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU).

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Kelly Lam shares how universities can work with student interest groups to add value to the university and aid student development

The benefits of leveraging student interest groups

Comprehensive and inclusive support for student well-being 

Student well-being is made up of a complex array of elements that include physical, spiritual and emotional wellness as well as mental health. In this video, Luoluo Hong reflects on four ways institutions can make an impact

Four ways to make support for student well-being comprehensive and inclusive

There is a growing recognition in higher education of the importance of students engaging in extracurricular activities, beyond their day-to-day studies. While such participation does not count towards course credits or graduation, it does have a bearing on students’ future success. Engagement in extracurricular activities brings benefits for skills development, students’ happiness and well-being, the development of students’ sense of belonging and enhanced job opportunities, studies have shown. The percentage of students enrolled in out-of-class activities remains low in many countries, with the US being a notable exception. But even in the US, where more than 60 per cent of students get involved in extracurricular activities, the numbers could be increased. There are several research-based actions that will encourage students to engage in the broader university offering of clubs and societies covering a vast range of interests, sport, music, arts, entrepreneurship, voluntary work and socialising. &nbsp;

Give time and credit to extracurricular activities

Most students are overloaded with academic work. Students spend an average of 35 hours studying each week, past studies have shown, although the exact numbers vary by country and course. So, releasing time to meaningful extracurricular activities, giving them credit towards a student’s degree or counting such activities in the student curriculum might boost interest.&nbsp;&nbsp; 


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When designing curricula, allocate some hours to extracurricular projects, which open opportunities for students beyond classes and assignments. Some universities already recognise students’ involvement in extracurricular activities. For example, Queen Mary, University of London announced the Drapers’ Skills Award for Undergraduates: an optional two-year programme that gives students credit for extracurricular activities such as work experience, active club or society membership, field trips or group projects. 

Communicate the benefits of extracurricular opportunities

Make students aware of the benefits of participation in the extracurricular life of the university. As well as the obvious gains in making new friends and finding enjoyment and fulfilment, highlight the skills that can be honed by taking part in different activities and how this will be useful in employment. For example, leadership skills can be developed through involvement in student organisations which require delegation, teamwork, management and strategic planning. Likewise, playing sport can develop leadership and teamwork skills, requiring an understanding of where strengths and weaknesses lie, a resilience to losing and a willingness to cope with uncertainty.

Students may not know that employers will consider students’ involvement in extracurricular activities as a second screening after academic achievements. This can be an important deciding factor when recruiters have to choose between candidates with similar educational credentials. Students participating in extracurricular activities receive more interview invitations and job offers, résumé studies reveal. Many employers believe that graduate involvement in purposeful activities, other than academic studies, demonstrate qualities they want in future employees.

Invite successful graduates to share their stories

Listening to other people’s success stories can give students new insights on what they want to do in future and how certain activities can move them a step closer to their goals. Student organisations such as student unions, student newspapers and other student enterprises can resemble real companies with students playing the role of managers, developing real projects with clear targets and outcomes. Students can also get involved in a wide variety of voluntary and campaigning initiatives that contribute to social change. These are all things worth shouting about.

Build infrastructure to support activities

The university environment is not only a place for study, its role goes far beyond academic knowledge transfer. Attending a university should help students to build social capital and enable them to meet and get to know students of different backgrounds. The university infrastructure and learning spaces should be multifunctional in their design and comfortable for educational and for extracurricular activities. 

Co-working space is one way of organising space to facilitate easy collaboration between students aimed at boosting innovation. For example, the 30,000 sq ft Harvard Innovation Lab is flexible in its configuration so provides an opportunity for students to shape and use the co-working space as they see fit. Similarly the University of Melbourne has created a 2000 sq m technology hub that offers a selection of flexible private offices, dedicated desks, meeting rooms, project spaces, media studios and event spaces. 

Outdoor and indoor recreation spaces and sports support greater social connectedness encouraging interactions with peers and boost students’ well-being. Sports at XJTLU include badminton, belly dancing, billiards, boxing, Chinese martial arts, football, golf, roller skating, tae kwon do, ultimate Frisbee and yoga. Students can get a taste of different activities, meet new friends and stay fit and healthy.

Listen to students’ feedback

Students are key stakeholders in any higher education institution, and their feedback on the services provided should serve as an important source of direction for improvement. To create attractive extracurricular programmes and improve awareness of what is on offer, collect feedback from students about what activities they are interested in, what they see as the benefits of extracurricular activities and how best to attract more students. Students like to be heard; they are happy to share ideas if they believe that they are valued. Amplifying students’ voices promotes their self-worth and sense of belonging. 

The main task of education is to prepare students for life beyond school or university, and learning outside the classroom can be an effective supplement to conventional teaching methods. When students’ in- and out-of-class experiences offer meaningful interconnected components of the learning process, the overall contribution of the university experience will be greater.

Irina Shcheglova is an assistant professor in the department of educational studies at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. 

If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the&nbsp;THE Campus&nbsp;newsletter.

Getting involved in campus life beyond the classroom brings multiple benefits for students, so how can universities encourage greater participation in the range of activities on offer? 

How to encourage students to engage in the broader university offering

As college students across the US return to campus this fall, the staff and faculty who greet them should be equipped with new information: according to my analysis of first-of-its-kind data from the federal government, about 4 million of these students (23 per cent) will experience food insecurity, and 8 per cent will experience homelessness. Unless, of course, we do something to stop it.

Eating ramen and couch-surfing during college are popular tropes, reflecting a longstanding sense that temporary poverty is a suitable affliction – at least for some – while paying for school. But the real challenge is far more serious. Poverty is marring the critical college years for 35 per cent of African Americans, 30 per cent of Native Americans and 25 per cent of Hispanic students, pushing many out of school. Often in debt but without degrees, these former students aren’t experiencing higher education as a ticket to upward mobility, but rather an insidious betrayal of the promises of a better life through the vehicle of higher education.

Even students who seem immune to food insecurity – at least on paper, according to their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and/or their high school academic records – are at risk. The federal data indicate that 18 per cent of students with a B average or better in high school, and 21 per cent of students whose full “demonstrated financial need” is met, experience food insecurity. These problems aren’t relegated to open-access community colleges or state universities; they also affect students at private doctoral-granting universities, some of the most gated in the country. Graduate students, international students, those attending historically black colleges and universities and especially students enrolled at taxpayer-supported for-profit colleges all deal with food insecurity and homelessness.

While educators and schools will never be able to end poverty for these students, and by no means should colleges and universities turn into social service agencies, there are many things that concerned faculty and staff can and should be doing. Even what seem like minor efforts are what Faye Allard, a community college professor, calls “little big things” that make students feel seen and valued.

For example, add a statement to the syllabus that acknowledges the reality of basic needs insecurity (in other words, that some students don’t have enough to eat or a safe place to sleep) and its impacts on learning, and that has information to help students find the necessary resources.&nbsp;Faculty at many institutions are finding this a useful way to ensure students know such “non-academic” factors matter and their professors want them to be OK. Going further with a welcome survey to help faculty better know their students, why they might be late to class or need extra support, can also convey that a professor cares, a strategy that science says pays off.


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Beyond the classroom, today’s college students need the sorts of supports provided to elementary and high school students who have financial difficulties. The National School Lunch Program provides those meals until students graduate from high school, and considering both the evident need and the evidence that feeding students promotes college graduation, it ought to be expanded to higher education. This allows students to count on eating meals on campus between classes and provides much more sustenance than mere food pantries offer.&nbsp; 

Since the vast majority (84 per cent) of students live off-campus, they also need support with affording groceries. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is effective for adults (and children – one in five college students has a kid) but is designed in a way that makes it especially difficult for college students to obtain support. Those rules need to be changed so that people are rewarded, not penalised, for going to school. Also, colleges need to inform students about their eligibility for SNAP, lest they continue to go hungry without that knowledge.

Rent and utilities are major costs that can add up fast and contribute to the risk of homelessness. Utility bills can be especially difficult to cover, as energy costs are unpredictable and heating costs rise in the winter, which begins just as financial aid for the fall term is running out. Requests for support paying for utilities are commonly received by campus emergency aid funds but could instead be handled by connecting students to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and other community resources.

Another support available to help students, particularly in spring when their financial aid is running out, is the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). This is a refundable credit available to students who file taxes on their own; the value ranges from $600 for a single individual up to $6,600 (for a family with two children) or even more. Helping a student access those funds could eliminate their need for an emergency grant, enable them to afford to eat during final exams and/or allow them to register for summer courses. Many forward-thinking institutions share information about the EITC with their students and some even operate a voluntary income tax assistance site on campus to make filing easy and free. For students with children, connecting them to federal benefits like Temporary Assistance to Needy Families and the Child Care and Development Block Grant, while also ensuring that the institution participates in the Child Care Access Means Parents In School programme will help.

The current financial aid and college pricing system is so extensively broken, often communicating a misleading version of the real price of college, and that makes these efforts to go well beyond financial aid important. We should work to solve those structural problems while also improving service provision – including effective and equitable implementation – of public benefits access programmes, emergency aid and other support frameworks on college campuses. Our students can’t wait. Far too many of them are hungry to learn but are losing out on critical opportunities every single day.

Sara Goldrick-Rab is the author of Paying the Price: College Costs, Financial Aid, and the Betrayal of the American Dream, senior fellow at Education Northwest, and the founder of The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice.

If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus&nbsp;newsletter.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Food insecurity and homelessness affect all our campuses

Nearly a quarter of undergraduate students will experience food and housing insecurity in the US. Sara Goldrick-Rab suggests ways faculty and institutions can intervene before it’s too late
	



Food insecurity and homelessness affect all our campuses. Here’s what we should do about it   

Around the world there is a perception that real-world work experience is important to help tertiary students transition into graduate work. For some students, such as those seeking to practise as lawyers in South Australia, this is a condition for professional accreditation, while for veterinary science students in the same jurisdiction it is a degree requirement. Other students, meanwhile, are responding to industry pressure, with 2019 survey evidence from the UK suggesting that 40 per cent of companies are “not very likely” or “not at all likely” to recruit graduates without practical experience. More recent UK data showed that nearly a quarter of graduate recruitments were hired as a result of an internship placement with the same company.

Internships have also been enthusiastically endorsed by many Australian universities and our government as a way to help students develop relevant skills to transition into the graduate labour market. As a result, academics and careers advisers are often encouraging students to get out there to try to secure internships to maximise their career prospects.

This means that many Australian students are doing unpaid work as part of their courses. A 2016 national survey of 3,800 Australians found more than half (58 per cent) of respondents aged 18 to 29 had done unpaid work at least once in the previous five years, with nearly a third (29.9 per cent) of those placements being part of a tertiary education course. There is also data suggesting that more than a third (37.4 per cent) of Australia’s university students are doing courses that involve real work as part of their tertiary studies. In 2017, that amounted to 451,263 work-related learning experiences. And this is not a uniquely Australian phenomenon. In 2023, an EU survey of 26,334 people found that 78 per cent of those aged 18 to 35 had done at least one internship, with just under half of those being unpaid.

There’s a downside to internships that stakeholders are reluctant to discuss. Namely, not all students are able to secure or complete them. Those who can’t afford to do unpaid work or lack the connections to secure a placement, or who face intolerable conditions at work, may be left behind. This can be a tragedy for the individual, whose dreams of work in a particular industry might be over before they’ve even begun.

And we know this happens. There is statistical evidence that not all Australian students are participating in academic internship placements equally. A 2016 national survey of unpaid work found that young Australians (18 to 29 years old) from lower-socio-economic status (SES) backgrounds, as defined by parents’ highest level of education, were less likely to have completed an internship, as were those who lived outside state capital cities and women. This confirms Universities Australia data, which found that First Nations students, those from low SES backgrounds and students from regional and remote areas were much less likely to undertake work placements as part of their study.


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A significant consideration for students is the cost associated with completing an internship, which may consist of travel and accommodation to attend the placement, as well as potentially sacrificed income. These are not insubstantial obstacles, as the following quote (from 2021 research funded by ACEN) from a student facing a degree requirement to undertake a work placement demonstrates: “I was really worried about how I was going to eat, basically…So once I kind of realised that I wasn’t sure how I was going to feed us, I was like: ‘Holy crap, I’m in trouble here.’”

But money is not the only obstacle facing students. Discrimination on a variety of grounds, including sex, race, age, disability and religion, may also limit some students’ capacities to secure internships. Not to mention the fact that participants are also vulnerable to discrimination or harassment during a placement, which may prevent their completing it. 

In addition to the personal costs for students struggling to secure and complete unpaid or low-paid placements, the proliferation of internships has the potential to have a much broader impact. It risks entrenching existing disadvantage and limiting diversity in professions. If the phenomenon continues to expand, it may begin to displace paid employment and undermine labour standards, as employers replace paid workers with a revolving door of interns who are treated as “cheap, dead-end labour”.

Calls for reform with regard to traineeships

The European Parliament recently endorsed a proposal to amend the EU 2014 Quality Framework for Traineeships to ensure all trainees in EU countries are fairly remunerated. On top of this, more European nations have increasingly tough regulations regarding internships. For example, France banned open-market internships in 2014 and now only allows regulated internships, which are completed by a university student as part of their studies. Belgium, Estonia, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal and Slovenia have also implemented specific laws requiring payment for open-market traineeships.

The EU’s response to concerns about unpaid internships highlights the need for Australia to consider its position.&nbsp;Australian policies fail to regulate internships in any comprehensive way and, in fact, encourage placements for tertiary students to be unpaid, so they fall into the “vocational placement” exemption in the Fair Work Act 2009. 

Should we recommend students do internships?

The situation puts Australian academics and careers advisers in a quandary. There is evidence that completing an internship placement can have employment benefits for individual students. But we also know some without professional connections will not be able to secure an internship, some will be discriminated against or harassed, and some will have to endure extreme sacrifices to complete a placement. 

In this context, should we be encouraging students to build internships into their tertiary experience, or suggesting the personal and social costs are too high, even if that might limit students’ prospects?

At this stage it seems unlikely that internships will cease, or will cease to be important. Therefore, all those involved in tertiary education need to consider how their engagement can reduce negative outcomes and maximise benefits. This might involve seeking out and promoting financial supports students could access, assisting students who may face disadvantage to locate placements, encouraging flexible and part-time placements and/or suggesting other ways students can network with their future profession. 

We should also advocate for change in stakeholder attitudes to internships. As well as acknowledging the benefits, we need to encourage a nuanced perception of work experience that recognises that full-time work without pay is an obstacle some students cannot overcome. Change, or at least flexibility, is required unless we want an education and employment system in which requirements to complete unpaid work exclude&nbsp;the disadvantaged from careers they desire and in which they would excel.

Anne Hewitt is an associate professor at the University of Adelaide Law School, Australia.

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With employability at all costs now dominating HE, we seem to be ignoring the very real problems of a system built on free labour and work placements, says Anne Hewitt

The scramble to push students towards internships is troubling

Higher education institutions (HEIs) need to engage students to ensure they are best placed to succeed. Universities have grappled with how to improve student engagement for decades, but we are yet to crack this multifaceted issue. However, technological advances now make it easier to determine which students may be disengaged, and how automated initiatives can be implemented to provide cost-effective solutions.

The University of Canterbury (UC) has introduced its Analytics for Course Engagement (ACE) system to identify students who are at risk of disengaging from their learning and offer them support to get back on track. The three-part programme targets all undergraduate students, and includes student-facing dashboards, course-related information for teaching staff, and a proactive re-engagement programme.


	Offer students a personal touch through peer support
	From cohort to community: how to support student-led initiatives
	Look after the intangibles and the metrics will look after themselves


Because ACE is critical technology in identifying and supporting our most vulnerable students, we have open-sourced the dashboard code for the greater public good.

Here’s how it works and what it has taught us.

Student- and teaching-focused dashboards

Access to personalised dashboards within their learning management system (LMS) aids students’ self-regulated learning. They can see how the time they have spent on online learning compares with the class average. Extra features enable students to understand how much time to dedicate to their studies, and which items to focus on for the week. ACE includes assessment information in the same space, encouraging better time management.

Similarly, ACE empowers teaching staff to identify students at risk, reflect on their teaching, and enhance resources and support for students. As they are at the coalface, teaching staff help inform what data is needed to accurately monitor students and improve outcomes within individual courses. These dashboards enable reflection on course design and how information is presented to students.

Targeted re-engagement programme

Recent research has shown that ACE is effective in nudging students to re-engage with learning resources. When students become disengaged from digital learning resources, they receive a personalised text message and email. If they do not reply to the message or re-engage with their digital learning resources, student advisers try to connect with the student by email or phone. Students who receive a message from ACE show engagement levels about 33 per cent higher than those who aren’t contacted.

ACE uses data that is automatically collected within the LMS, and HEIs can tap into this rich data source to target disengagement. When this data is integrated with a student relationship management system that has text message and email capabilities, an automated system can nudge students who are disengaged. In this way, most outreach can be handled in a cost-effective way, freeing up more intensive, human-centred intervention for the students who need it.

What the ACE system has taught us

1. Build your partners, find your champions

Cultivate external partnerships with providers such as edtech companies and internal champions who understand what the programme is trying to achieve. Great partners are those willing and able to co-design and for whom collaboration is at their core. Building strong networks with respected members within your institution will generate the buy-in you need to implement a new programme and effect change. These people, who may be academic or professional staff, are the champions of your product. Choose them wisely!

2. Stay agile, and think about scale

Start small if you don’t have the budget for a full-scale initiative. UC created a minimum viable product in three months and it developed from there. This allowed us to tweak and change as we went, providing basic dashboards at the beginning with a mail-merge email and SMS outreach programme before creating a business case for further funding. If you’re starting in one programme or faculty, consider how it can be scaled but remain manageable.

3. Not about us without us

Students are your most valuable resource in developing this kind of programme. Making assumptions about their needs and behaviour runs the risk of completely missing the mark. Run focus groups to ask what would be helpful in an engagement dashboard and what types of communication they prefer. The same goes for your lecturing staff. What are the burning questions that they need to answer to make their teaching better?

Students today face many demands in an increasingly connected but distracting world. By harnessing technology and automation, HEIs are better able to increase engagement and ultimately impact student success.

Ellie Kay is acting director of Kia Angitu | Student Success and project lead for the Analytics for Course Engagement programme at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury.

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Nudge technology can help students re-engage 

Early-intervention initiatives to tackle student disengagement can be challenging to implement. A centralised, targeted approach using a communication nudge can encourage students to re-engage with online learning

Student belonging in and out of the classroom correlates with improved resilience, persistence and academic success. However, social inequities, financial precarity, mental and emotional health challenges and pandemic-related stressors detract from students’ ability to feel included and engaged. 

Holistic student success in higher education involves students, faculty and staff in a joint effort to build a cohesive community of learners. This year at Georgia Tech, we are embracing the challenge of promoting student belonging. A hallmark element of our approach is integrating the work accomplished through first-year and transfer student seminars with professional development for instructors explicitly around the topic of belonging. This includes a success workshop series, an asynchronous student success site, exploratory advising and peer mentoring. In this way, we use a professional learning community framework for instructors and synchronous and asynchronous resources to boost the sense of belonging among our student community. 

Voluntary success seminars anchor belonging work

The success seminars are voluntary; annually, about 2,000 students enrol, with about 60 per cent of the first-year class and 20 per cent of transfer students participating. They are taught by a combination of credentialled faculty, staff and administrators, and peer facilitators/mentors act as team leaders. 


	Undergraduate research to enrich teacher education
	Offer students a personal touch through peer support
	Build community into the curriculum to improve in-person attendance


The seminars have broad reach and support from across campus, both in providing instructors and resource offerings, so we chose them as a site from which to build out our belonging work. The first-year and transfer seminars focus on students’ understanding and amplifying their strengths; the seminars aim to cultivate study, time-management, leadership, communication and collaboration skills, and include opportunities to reflect on and plan for academic, co-curricular and career-readiness experiences. They provide organic opportunities for incorporating belonging into course elements and discussion, even if the term itself is not always invoked. 

Smaller classes (generally 20 to 25 students) allow students to get to know each other well and consider their identities as college students, specific majors, future career holders and members of our community. Promoting “engagement in educationally purposeful activities”, according to research by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has been directly correlated with an improved sense of belonging, persistence and academic success. Therefore, intentional reflection and active learning are key principles that should be part of first-year and transfer seminar course methodology.

Strengthening the professional learning community

This work is not just about students. Engaging in conversation about belongingness and its value better prepares instructors to meet students where they are, whether in times of success or challenge and to support them holistically as they navigate their way forward. Instructors also benefit from better pedagogical resources and professional development around the theme of belonging. 

For us, this began with providing copies of Geoffrey Cohen’s 2022 book Belonging: The Science of Creating Connections and Bridging Divides at our annual instructor training conference. This year, instructors will be encouraged to participate in the Reading Circles programme. These small reading groups will explore and discuss the book and consider how the concepts might be applied in and out of the classroom. Through the reading groups and dedicated Teams sites, instructors will get to know colleagues from around campus, strengthening our seminars’ professional learning community. 

A Belonging Bonus Challenge encourages instructors to generate and share a list of belonging-enhancing practices that we have tried or will try in our student-facing roles. Our work will be enhanced and supported further by Georgia Tech’s programming and online resources for inculcating inclusive pedagogy. 

In-person and online workshops can provide additional student success support, through exploratory advising, peer mentoring and other resources. Creating belongingness for first-year students is not a one-size-fits-all effort; our team facilitates customised programmes and experiences across areas that connect our first-year students with the institute and each other. First-year students may choose from individual, group and asynchronous opportunities throughout their first semester. This creates a sense of ownership and inclusion, promotes internal motivation and advances a stronger, more personalised connection. 

Timely workshops can impact student experience

Workshops that promote community and are centred around academic events (for example, when progress reports come out or withdrawal deadlines) can significantly impact a first-year student’s experience. 

We have created “right time” delivery for presentations and workshops to complement the success seminars and as a supplement for those students not enrolled in a student success course. The presentations are offered on a day and time not reserved for classes to maximise availability. The series, which is curated for populations such as first-generation and transfer students, includes topics such as “What’s the hidden curriculum of the college experience?” and “Being first: centring your journey for college success”, as well as career-related areas like “The first-year guide to the GT Career Fair” and “Co-op and internships 101: the value of engaging in experiential learning”. Other topics align with the academic calendar. 

Knowing that sometimes the best advice for navigating your first year comes from fellow students, we run an “Ask me anything” student-leadership panel at the beginning and the end of the semester. For first-year students who want to take a deeper dive into the metacognition of learning and developing better strategies for academic success, an asynchronous self-paced course is available in the institute’s learning management system.

The role of advisers, coaches and mentors

As an extra support layer, exploratory advisers, academic coaches and peer-to-peer mentorship programmes can help connect and reconnect first-year students to the university. Understanding that being uncertain or not progressing in a major can lead to stress and feelings of disconnectedness, exploratory advisers help students discover their passion and make informed decisions about their major. Opportunities to interact with advisers, faculty, upper-class students and professionals from different fields can offer support and guidance. 

While exploratory advisers help students define their academic identity and connect with their academic home, academic coaches partner with students to implement individualised non-course-specific success strategies related to mindset, motivation and action plans. 

With exploratory advising and academic coaching, students collaborate with professionals. 

Peer-to-peer mentorship, on the other hand, provides social and academic connections for all students, but especially first-generation and transfer scholars – populations more likely to experience impostor syndrome. Peer mentors reinforce to these students that they deserve to be part of our community and will be successful here. 

Aligning and connecting student success offerings can expand students’ access to campus opportunities, empower them to be agents of their educational success, and amplify their sense of belonging as not just valued members of our learning community but also welcomed contributors to it. 

Lorett Swank is executive director of academic success and advising and Catherine Thomas is associate director of undergraduate transition seminars, both in the Office of Undergraduate Education at Georgia Tech.

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A whole-campus approach to boost student belonging

Joint efforts among faculty, staff and students themselves can support first-year and transfer scholars to feel included and engaged, write Lorett Swank and Catherine Thomas

A whole-campus approach to boost belonging for student success

Universities are increasingly looking to student partnerships and co-creation to improve the student experience; from inclusion and decolonisation to assessment and transitions. Student internships can facilitate meaningful partnerships, enabling staff to collaborate with students while giving students paid employment alongside the chance to make genuine changes in their university.

Last summer, we piloted a new approach to the long-running Students as Change Agents programme. Rather than having students volunteer to work on their own change projects alongside their studies, we recruited six student interns to lead on distinct pieces of work within three student experience projects. The interns worked full-time over six weeks, and it was rewarding to see their confidence and skills develop over this short period. Although a successful experience, it was also a steep learning curve.

Our experience highlighted that embracing teamwork, offering the right support and structure and focusing on tangible outputs are all vital to developing meaningful student internship and project experiences. I explore each of these themes in more detail below.


	Resource collection:&nbsp;Why knowledge exchange is important for universities
	Contextual learning: linking learning to the real world
	Real-world education: embracing project-based learning


Enable teamwork

If you’re recruiting multiple interns, or hiring for several projects, consider bringing your interns together as a team. This can have several benefits. As staff, you can draw on additional perspectives and access a broader range of skills and experience. For the interns, teams foster a sense of camaraderie and offer peer support. Learning to navigate the team dynamic is itself a valuable skill. To foster a successful team from the outset, encourage the students to establish team values, and check in with them periodically to gauge how well these are being embedded. One of our best decisions was to have our interns work as a team across all three of our projects, rather than assigning them to individual projects. I witnessed how they each grew into their roles, developing&nbsp; confidence and refining their communication and teamworking skills. 

Provide reliable support

Students leading projects or undertaking internships can be some of the most impressive and talented students you will encounter. However, even among the best and the brightest, their experience of the working world may be limited. Although they will undoubtedly have the ability to produce great work, if they’re going to thrive, regular contact and a reliable support network are essential. Whether it be their line manager, or other staff linked to their project(s), student interns need someone who can make them their number one priority – someone to act as a sounding board, answer questions, provide reassurance and offer guidance. For our projects, although we had three project leads, I line managed all six interns from my base in academic development and acted as their principal contact. I was able to bring them together as a team, support them in their day-to-day work and help to balance the competing needs of each project. A central line manager or support contact could feasibly be drawn from any number of professional or academic teams at your institution, as long as they are able to consistently show up for their interns and make them their priority for the duration of the projects.

Offer clarity and structure

A significant challenge when partnering with students is striking the balance between offering guidance and giving them autonomy to shape projects. In our experience, the more clarity and structure you can provide at the outset, the more likely they will be to hit the ground running and make the projects their own. Providing a clear and detailed initial brief, which outlines a range of initial tasks and recommended outputs, will go a long way towards reassuring and galvanising your interns. 

Providing structure to the working week can be equally beneficial. This is not about micromanaging, but about giving interns a framework and level of routine in which they can work. A successful decision we made was to introduce the interns to some of the principles of agile working. With the support of our digital team, we combined elements of the popular Scrum and Kanban methods to adopt our own “scrumban”&nbsp;project management approach for the duration of the internships. This included brief daily “stand-up” meetings, as well as weekly “refinement” and “retrospective” meetings, where interns could collectively plan and review their week. This not only introduced the interns to a new way of working, it gave them a clear routine they could work within. Whatever the chosen framework, providing interns with a level of structure in their working week will be reassuring and will offer them a balance of support and accountability. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Focus on tangible outputs

Every intern deserves the opportunity to finish their experience having made a meaningful contribution to their institution. Whether leading an entire project, or supporting a broader initiative, ensuring they have something tangible to show for their time is a must for supporting continued motivation and engagement. Although our three projects remain ongoing a year later, we ensured that when designing the internships our students could lead on producing distinct and varied outputs; including reports, portfolios and a range of creative pieces. These gave the interns something concrete to present following their internships to demonstrate their impact.

Although our project and internship needs will undoubtedly vary in the future, these principles will remain at the core of our planning and support. We hope they can help shape some successful opportunities for partnership and co-creation at your institutions.&nbsp; 

Craig McEwan is an academic developer at the University of Exeter.

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Student internships are an effective way to facilitate student-staff collaboration but, to work well, they require teamwork, the right support and structure, and a focus on tangible outputs

Teamwork, support and structure: the core principles of rewarding student internships 

Content warnings have been used in popular media for decades to alert individuals to potentially sensitive or uncomfortable content. However, within an educational context, their implementation has been less common. Sensitive content is almost inevitable in a university setting, especially in subjects like history that require a retelling of past brutality and injustices. Without clear guidelines on how to handle such content, both students and staff can face confusion and discomfort. 

In response to this challenge, we conducted a project at the University of Exeter as part of the Students as Change Agents programme to explore the use of content warnings in a learning environment. This culminated in the development of a day-long interactive experience that aimed to curate ideas and perspectives, directly from students and staff, concerning the use of content warnings. 


	Socio-emotional learning online: boosting student resilience and well-being
	Engaging in controversial topics in teaching and research
	A trauma-sensitive approach to teaching and learning


To make the day as creative and collaborative as possible we created four activity stations, each concerned with one of the Ws of content warnings: who, what, where and why. We used different resources, such as Scrabble, Lego, interactive whiteboards and sticky note forums, through which participants could engage with each station. This allowed everyone to share their thoughts on each of the Ws in a holistic and visible way. At the end of the day, we chaired an online and in-person discussion based on the findings at each station. This provided valuable insights into the perspectives of staff and students regarding content warnings, and shaped the key takeaways presented in this article.

Content v trigger

Understanding rhetoric is crucial when approaching the topic of content warnings. Rhetoric, defined as the art of persuasive speaking or writing, plays a vital role in how content warnings are communicated and perceived. Discussions highlighted the importance of inclusive rhetoric in establishing the purpose and use of content warnings. At the Scrabble centred creative station, students highlighted phrases such as “everyone” and “compassion”, emphasising the need for inclusive language. We recommend using the term “content warnings” rather than “trigger warnings” to avoid assumptions and violent connotations and to help staff foster an inclusive environment.

What is the importance of rhetoric when approaching the topic of content warnings?

To establish guidelines for content warnings, we note that rhetoric must promote inclusivity and allow individuals to make their own judgements on whether they find the content potentially emotionally harmful. Content warnings offer students the choice to engage with material or opt out if it becomes overwhelming. We suggest staff provide students with choice to organise their studies around topics they’re more comfortable with, which can continue to foster engagement and motivation, even among more sensitive topics.

Who is responsible?

To explore the topic of inclusive responsibility, we posed a challenging question: “If everyone is responsible, does this risk meaning that no one is?” We’re all familiar with the idea of shared responsibility but what does this mean in an academic environment? On a practical level, students and staff do not share the same level of active authority when creating a compassionate learning space. The very same applies to the topic of content warnings. We must acknowledge and engage with the reality that there are differing spheres of responsibility within the academic environment. 

To create any clear guidelines for content warnings, it became clear through our discussion that staff and students need distinct policies that hold their distinct groups accountable. Ultimately, within the academic environment, there are differing capability levels between staff and students, concerning the implementation of content warnings, and we advise that any content warning policy should reflect this. For example, staff undoubtedly have far greater agency than students in deciding what content gets featured in lectures and seminars. Staff policy should therefore allow for this. If a staff member is considering using potentially sensitive material within lectures or seminars, it should be policy that they caution students, several days ahead of exposure to the content.

Key takeaways

Our fourth station was perhaps the most reflective: a sticky note forum in which people could leave their thoughts and feelings on why content warnings mattered to them. This provided valuable insight for our discussion and allowed us to create guidance that married student thought and staff experience. We have curated four key takeaways from this project that we hope will aid any ongoing discussion and development of content warning policy.

1. Respect student autonomy: Allow students the choice to engage with challenging material or opt out if they find it overwhelming. Provide alternative materials alongside potentially sensitive content.

2. Communicate clearly: Implement content warnings based on clear institutional policies rather than leaving it to individual lecturers’ discretion.

3. Timing matters: Provide warnings in advance, allowing individuals to mentally prepare and make informed decisions.

4. Contextualise material: Use content warnings to educate students and peers about potential sensitivity, explaining why specific material requires a warning. This promotes understanding and clarity.

This project is the first step towards implementing universal campus guidelines. By combining student and staff input in the preliminary stages, we hope to provide a useful starting point for this work to be carried forward. A next step could be to use these initial findings to develop and inform a series of workshops and guidance documentation, which helps to embed clear, concise and compassionate policies on the use of content warnings within the university.

Andrea Namirembe and Ella Taviner are both third year BA history students at the University of Exeter.

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Basic principles to guide the use of content warnings in higher education, based on a student-led day-long workshop which invited input from university staff and students

Student success

Student cohorts are increasingly diverse in their needs and objectives. Here universities share how they are working in new ways to help them enter, progress in and complete a university degree

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