Supporting Student Success Critical points in successful student support

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Supporting Student SuccessCritical points in
successful student support

• Professor Caroline MacDonald
• Deputy Vice-Chancellor
• (Learning and Student Experience)

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International Benchmarking Project supporting
student success

• Established April 2008 as 1 of 2 interim year
  projects (other was indicators of enhancement
  project)
• Working group established and has met regularly
  to scope and manage the project
• Jane Denholm undertaken underpinning research
• Funded by SFC and run by QAA in conjunction with
  SHEEC
• Complementary to broader projects to support
  students to become autonomous learners and
  develop graduate attributes

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What does the project entail?

• Benchmarking defined as identifying, considering,
  comparing and learning from practice
  internationally (outside Scotland)
• Not just established practice but looking for
  innovation, ideas and new developments even if
  not well established
• Not evaluating ideas best practice is
  subjective and what suits one situation/institutio
  n may not suit another
• Not judging performance or developing a league
  table

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What is included within the term student support
services

• All student facing activity
• Holistic approach and role of central
  services/discipline based activity something we
  considered
• Important to consider support in a positive
  rather than remedial way
• Supporting student success

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Approach taken the learner journey

• Strategies and policies for student support
• Support for students prior to entry
• Academic/campus orientation
• Library and information resource services
• Range and balance of services
• Engaging students building student communities
  and a sense of belonging
• Peer support and mentoring
• Students associations/unions
• Use of technology
• Life and study skills
• Careers and employability support
• Service learning voluntary and the
  co-curriculum
• Support for alumni
• Staff training and development

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Issues we considered

• Who comprises the student body
• When do they start/stop being a student
• Diversity full time/part time
• Undergradute/postgraduate
• Campus based/distant/work
• Mature
• International
• Balance between generic and subject specific
• Role of academic tutors
• Face to face/technological delivery
• Role of Students Association
• Impact on staff
• Evaluation of success

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Activities and Outputs - 1

• All Scottish HEIs asked to
• Provide update on activity
• Describe how student support in organised
• Identify up to 3 examples of developments and
  practice in student support

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Activities and Outputs - 2

• 2 meetings held with sector
• June 2008
• to establish a network of people interested in
  contributing to the project by helping identify
  examples of good practice within Scotland and
  externally
• 2. November 2008
• to showcase some examples of good practice in
  Scotland and invited speakers from University of
  Guelph-Humber

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Activities and Outputs 3

• Scottish case studies
• 2. Scoping international developments report
• 3. Benchmarking Report

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Scottish Case Studies

• Available on QAA enhancement themes web site
• To date 37 case studies submitted from 13
  institutions. Live resource to be added to not
  too late to submit
• Presentations to November conference and some
  giving workshops at this event

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Report Scoping International Developments

• Will be published on the enhancement theme
  website
• Description of the developments, practice and
  activities aimed at supporting student success in
  HE drawn from rest of UK and further afield
• Desk research undertaken by Jane Denholm with
  over 700 emails and over 20 telephone interviews
• 70 examples from 35 HEIs in 11 countries
• Grouped under headings the learner journey

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Approach taken the learner journey

• Strategies and policies for student support
• Support for students prior to entry
• Academic/campus orientation
• Library and information resource services
• Range and balance of services
• Engaging students building student communities
  and a sense of belonging
• Peer support and mentoring
• Students associations/unions
• Use of technology
• Life and study skills
• Careers and employability support
• Service learning voluntary and the
  co-curriculum
• Support for alumni
• Staff training and development

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Examples from outside Scotland - 1

• Strategies and policies for Student Support
• University of Leeds Leeds for Life
• Set out values, skills and attributes with aim
  of developing a more consistent personal tutoring
  model
• University of Guelph-Humber STAMP
• Student transition and mentoring scheme which
  begins before they start their course from
  cradle to grave
• Support for students prior to entry
• University of Guelph, Ontario START Online
• An on-line community to facilitate transition to
  university life and welcome and engage students
• Academic/Campus Orientation
• University of Sydney SWOT programme and O-week
• Academic and social orientation activities run
  in parallel but
• co-ordinated

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Examples from outside Scotland - 2

• D. Library and information resource services
• University of Otago, New Zealand
• Integrated student learning support, library,
  meeting and eating spaces
• G. Peer Support and Mentoring
• University of Wollongong (and others) PASS
• Trained students facilitate study sessions and
  support to lower year students
• University of Bournemouth PAL
• Peer assisted learning scheme
• H. Student Associations/Unions
• University of Surrey DAVE
• Peer led student training Development,
  Accreditation, Volunteering and Employability
• I. Use of Technology
• University of Leeds Leeds for Life
• Web resources for students in all years

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Examples from outside Scotland - 3

• Service Learning Volunteering and the
  co-curriculum
• Macquarie University, Australia
• All students to undertake some form of
  participation e.g. mentoring, work integrated
  learning or global futures (aid projects)
• Staff training and Development
• University of Sheffield Supporting the
  Supporters
• Web site, publications and development
  activities guide for staff, new training
  programme and redesigned staff web pages

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Report for SFC

• Benchmarking report
• Record of group activities
• Discuss findings
• Provide conclusions and lessons learned for
  future benchmarking activities

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Membership of the Group

• Chair
• Caroline MacDonald Deputy Vice-Chancellor
  (Learning and Student Experience), University
  of Teesside,
• previously PVC at Glasgow Caledonian
  University
• Officers
• David Bottomley Assistant Head of Office, QAA
  Scotland
• Heather Gibson Development Officer, QAA Scotland
• Heather Norton Administrative Assistant, QAA
  Scotland
• Bill Thomson QAA Scotland
• Consultant
• Jane Denholm Critical Thinking

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Membership of the Group continued

• Members
• Chris Baxter Vice-President of Welfare and
  Education, SUSA, University of Stirling
• Josh Capaldi President of the RGU Union, Robert
  Gordon University
• David Carse Democratic Services Manager, Students
  Association, Glasgow Caledonian Uni.
• Duncan Cockburn Development Advisor, sparqs
• Ellie Douglas Head of Student Support Services,
  University of Dundee
• Jill Hammond Head of Student Counselling ,
  Glasgow School of Art
• Eve Lewis Education and Welfare Manager,
  Student Association, Heriot Watt University
• Gillian Mackintosh Academic Registrar, University
  of Aberdeen
• Denise McCaig Vice-President Support and Advice ,
  Students Assoc. Glasgow Caledonian Uni.
• Linda Savage Student Services Support
  Co-ordinator , UHI Millennium Institute
• James Shields Director of Representation, Student
  Association, University of St Andrews
• Jordan Smith Vice-President of Representation ,
  Students Association, University of Dundee
• Judith Vincent Vice-Principal (Teaching and
  Learning), University of the West Scotland
• Lande Walsey Head of Student Services, Queen
  Margaret University
• Jane Weir Director of Career Services,
  University of Glasgow
• Philip Whyte Academic Affairs Officer, USSA,
  University of Strathclyde