This Theme aims to advise providers in developing effective approaches to student support, encompassing curriculum design, and learning and teaching. The guidance applies across all areas of provision, and focuses on active engagement with students and staff to ensure the continual evaluation and development of the student experience.
Expectations and Practices for Enabling Student Achievement
Expectation for quality
From admission through to completion, all students are provided with the support that they need to succeed in and benefit from higher education.
Practices
Core practices for quality
The provider has sufficient appropriately qualified and skilled staff to deliver a high-quality academic experience.
The provider has sufficient and appropriate facilities, learning resources and student support services to deliver a high-quality academic experience.
The provider supports all students to achieve successful academic and professional outcomes.
The provider designs and/or delivers high-quality courses.
The provider actively engages students, individually and collectively, in the quality of their education experience.
Common practice for quality
The provider reviews its core practices for quality regularly and uses the outcomes to drive improvement and enhancement.
Guiding Principles
- Strategic and operational plans for supporting students and enabling achievement to align to the student journey.
- Clear, accessible and inclusive policies and procedures to enable students and staff to identify when support mechanisms may be required for academic and personal progression.
- Training and resources are allocated to student support services to enable effective delivery, ensure comprehensive evaluation and subsequent development.
- Clear, consistent and accessible communication about opportunities and support available to students from pre-entry through to completion and beyond.
- Equality of opportunity for all students to develop academic and professional skills.
- Provide an accessible, inclusive and engaging community that incorporates staff and students to facilitate a supportive environment.
- Enable students to take responsibility for their own learning and become resilient individuals, equipped for a rewarding career.
- Clearly communicate course outcomes and graduate attributes to all current and prospective students, staff and associated organisations.
- Actively seek the feedback and engagement of students and staff to ensure continuous improvement of the learning environment.
General guidance
- Enterprise and Entrepreneurship: Guidance for UK Higher Education, QAA (2018)
- Academic Advising for Employability Toolkit, Advance HE
- Enhancing teaching and learning in higher education, Advance HE
- Developing an integrated institutional approach to student success, Doug Cole, Head of Student Success, Advance HE, 2018
- Student Surveys: Higher Education annual surveys to ascertain students' academic experiences and engagement, Advance HE
- Students (focusing on admissions, finance, support and experience), Universities UK
- Graduate Attributes Framework, Advance HE
- Student Barometer (Focuses on tracking and benchmarking the student experience from prospective student to alumni), i-graduate
- Fees and Access Plan, Higher Education Funding Council for Wales
- What Works? Student Retention and Success - Supporting student success: strategies for institutional change, Paul Hamlyn Foundation
- Standalone: Supports graduates who are estranged from their family or family member
- Matrix Standards: Advice and support services
Equality and diversity
Disabled students' allowance
- Undergraduate student finance England
- Student Awards Agency Scotland
- Student finance Wales
- Financial help for students with disabilities - Northern Ireland
- Manage your NHS bursary - NHS England
- Student Award Services - NHS Wales
- Student finance - Guernsey
- Disabled student's allowance - Isle of Man
- Financial assistance for disabled students - Jersey
Organisations
- Association of Higher Education Professionals (AHEP)
- The Student Services Organisation
- The Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Service (AGCAS)
- RNIB
- Action on Hearing Loss (formerly RNID)
- National Autistic Society
- British Dyslexia Association
- Mind (mental health charity)
- Equality and Human Rights Commission
- Gender Identity Research and Education Society
- LGBT Consortium
- Equality Advisory & Support Service
- ASET, The Work Based Learning and Placement Learning Association
- Student Volunteering Network
- Association of Volunteer Managers
- National Union of Students
- Comprehensive Guide to Learning & Teaching
- Student Minds-student mental health charity
- Carers UK-advice - information and support