The Needs of a Diverse Student Population

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The Needs of a Diverse Student Population
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Diversity of a Student Population

• Diversity has become something of a mantra for HE
• Universities now attract students with a number
  of different
• Educational backgrounds
• Non-educational backgrounds
• Range of experiences
• Ages
• Additional responsibilities

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Different Types of Study

• Full Time
• Part Time
• Evening Only
• To retain this diverse population requires a
  balance of the interrelating roles of Student
  Affairs and Academic Affairs

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Recruitment Issues

• Summer School
• Compact Schemes
• First Campus
• Adult Learners Week
• Ability to build a portfolio of learning
• Pre-entry information

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Retention Issues

• Study Skills
• Lack of employability opportunities
• Knowledge of help available
• Pastoral Guidance
• Feeling of isolation
• Flexibility of study
• Meeting Student Expectations

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Study Skills

• Study Skills Audit
• Referencing highlighted as needing particular
  attention
• IT Skills, Time Management and Summarising Skills
  thought necessary by over 90 of respondents
• How skills were delivered
• 75 - Course Handbook
• 65 - Electronic Resources
• 59 - Sessions during Induction
• 35 - Learning Centre

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• Express views on how support of academic Study
  Skills could be structured
• One standard of academic skills should be
  required across each School if not UWIC
• Planned and structured combination of UWIC and
  School based resources
• Instead of individual lecturers producing
  resources, use a central support unit
• Greater use of e-learning for open access
• Diagnostic process during induction
• 1st year induction semester 1, concentrating on
  Study Skills which is reinforced within modules

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• Recommendations
• There is a need for the level of study skills
  provision and attainment to be benchmarked
  throughout UWIC.
• Study Skill provision needs to occur throughout
  the student life cycle, pre entry, induction,
  first term/semester and moving on through the
  course
• Further marketing regarding the drop in centre
  provision to both students and staff
• Centralised thinking within UWIC concerning Study
  Skills provision, leading to less confusion
  amongst students

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Study Skills Questionnaire

• Results of audit used and further research used
  to compile questionnaire
• Questionnaire was issued in the joining packs in
  July and August through the Marketing department
• Questionnaire consists of 30 questions which asks
  a student to strongly disagree, disagree, agree
  or strongly agree with
• Mixture of negative and positive questions
• Over 450 replies received, from over 70 courses

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• Results
• 30 of students agreed that they had difficulty
  in taking notes and listening to a lecturer
• Over 25 of respondents did not know how to use
  different memory techniques
• 23 of students found it difficult to
  differentiate between essential and non-essential
  information in class
• Over 65 of students did not know how to
  reference a piece of work
• 28 agreed that they found it difficult to
  summarise information from a section of text

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• Recommendations
• The questionnaire could be used as a form of
  diagnostic test to make both students and staff
  aware areas of strength and weakness
• The questionnaire has a mark sheet so could be
  marked by the student themselves or a system
  developed to return results
• Could this be used as part of a progress file or
  discussed with a tutor / mentor ?
• Being sent out pre-entry allows information to
  be gathered before they arrive, would there be a
  higher return rate if it occurred as part of
  induction and was then processed together?

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Mentoring

• Assist with the transition from school/college to
  university
• Assist with feelings of loneliness
• Mentors 2nd year students
• Mentees - 1st Year Students
• Length of scheme 1st term
• Each tutorial group will be allocated a mentor

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• Initial meeting during induction week
• Social evening organised for start of term
• Contact between mentees and mentors will be by
  e-mail
• Mentors role seen to be providing informal
  support and directing the student to already
  existing UWIC support

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Information and Assistance

• Website
• Handbook
• Withdrawal Leaflet 60 of students did not
  receive exit advice
• Staff Knowledge
• E-counselling

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Careers

• Prospectus to embellish careers information in
  specific areas through the development of study
  area booklets
• Create closer links between the careers service
  and programmes with low retention rates
  referral system
• Increase Career Education and Guidance in the
  curriculum.

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Flexibility of Study

• Teaching methods and Styles
• Part time portfolio
• 9-5 culture
• Credit Framework

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• Whats Next?
• Debate provision for retention support
• Central or school based or both?
• Project based or written into operational plan
• How can it be structured? the use of the HEFCE
  (2001) Student Lifecycle Model
• Pre-entry advice and guidance
• Admissions and Induction
• First term / semester
• Moving through course
• Employment / Progression

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