Hi Ed,
Quick one: we've tapped into the 'local communities' aspect of retention by allocating liaison roles with different Faculties to each member of the team. Academics seem happier to recommend that students visit a particular Study Adviser, and we develop some expertise in what is happening in our allocated depts in terms of assignments, referencing etc. It also means we get invited to sit on Faculty Boards of Teaching and Learning, and are more involved in curriculum design and embedded teaching. So win-win all round.
These liaison roles don't dictate the shape of all of our work - we still all work with students across campus - but they do help to build bridges and give us an input.
Hope that's helpful.
Kim
________________________________
Dr Kim Shahabudin, FHEA, Study Adviser, Study Advice & Maths Support
1st floor The Library, Whiteknights, University of Reading, RG6 6AE
• 0118 378 4645 • www.reading.ac.uk/studyadvice twitter: @unirdg_study
Please note that I now work part-time and am not usually on campus on Mondays and Tuesdays
________________________________________
From: learning development in higher education network [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Foster, Ed [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 02 May 2013 10:26
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Roundtable discussion on student retention & success
This may be a silly question, but…
Dear all
I've been invited to attend a round table discussion with HEFCE & OFFA about student success, retention & success.
It's part of an ongoing consultation exercise, the other roundtables are:
* Outreach and collaborative working
* Widening participation in a changing environment
* Evaluation and monitoring across the student lifecycle
* Equality and diversity in widening participation
* Outreach to, and support for, mature and flexible learners
As part of the discussion there is an interim report and call for evidence:
http://www.hefce.ac.uk/news/newsarchive/2013/name,78843,en.html
http://www.hefce.ac.uk/whatwedo/wp/currentworktowidenparticipation/natstrat/
I'm clearly going to need to represent my institution and, to some extent, the research we did as part of the 'What Works? Student Retention & Success Programme', but I would be really interested in the views of the network.
Clearly we as learning developers have a role in the success & retention of students
Retention orthodoxy is increasingly focussed within the curriculum on quality of learning and teaching, engagement between students and tutors/ peers and, very importantly, generating a sense of belonging. So where does learning development fit in?
Potentially we support student success at a number of points
Most of us will see relatively few students (in percentage terms) one to one, but will have a potentially high impact on each of them
However
Do we have more impact where we work in educational development type roles – persuading academics to consider different ways to teach/ provided embedded teaching within the curriculum?
Or even in policy roles working with university senior managers to help improve the transition of students to HE?
Does anyone have a view that they'd care to share?
I'll try and take as many views as possible to the meeting
Thank you
Ed
DISCLAIMER: This email is intended solely for the addressee. It may contain private and confidential information. If you are not the intended addressee, please take no action based on it nor show a copy to anyone. In this case, please reply to this email to highlight the error. Opinions and information in this email that do not relate to the official business of Nottingham Trent University shall be understood as neither given nor endorsed by the University. Nottingham Trent University has taken steps to ensure that this email and any attachments are virus-free, but we do advise that the recipient should check that the email and its attachments are actually virus free. This is in keeping with good computing practice.
|