Retention levels come under scrutiny, but universities are on the case
Universities must focus on retention as much as they do on widening the pool of applications and enrolments, a report by the the Social Market Foundation suggests.
Student communications: cutting through the noise
Keeping students informed about life at university is complex but Suzanne Wigley of the University of Derby likes a challenge. She shares what they've been doing to ensure students have the information they need and also reveals what didn't quite work.
Gold is the only colour that matters to students, survey reveals
Research by the Higher Education Policy Institute has revealed that more than two in three university applicants say a gold Teaching Excellence Framework rating is important to them.
Lean: taking the strain out of admissions
Middlesex University has boosted staff confidence, reduced mundane tasks and produced a better student experience, simply by improving their admissions system. Karolin Arvidsson sets out how they did it.
Developing student and staff personas: a practical guide
If you want to be sure you're meeting the demands of your stakeholders as they use your services, creating personas to identify their needs will help sharpen your focus. As consultant Jean Mutton explains, it's a technique that's becoming more widely used and it needn't be a difficult process.
Change agents: students driving curriculum innovation
Working with students to stimulate positive change in universities is increasingly becoming standard practice across the sector. Sarah Knight has overseen the development of Jisc's Change Agents' Network (CAN) which was set up in 2013 to support that. She reflects on this year's CAN conference and the benefits the network has spawned since its launch.
Using students to help stop students dropping out
Who better to ask about why students drop out than students themselves? Jamie Rawsthorne was in his first year at the University of West of England when he met with vice chancellor Steve West to see how he could help prevent students leaving before the end of their courses. The result was the start of his company Unique Insights. Jamie explains why and how he took on the retention challenge.
How universities can use learning analytics to boost retention
Boosting retention is an area where learning analytics could have a big part to play in supporting fair access. Universities pulling together access agreements for next year should have learning analytics in their sights according to Jisc's Phil Richards and Joel Mullan.
Split in dropout rate trends across UK – HESA
Data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency reveals slight increase in dropout rates in England and Wales generally, though Scotland and Northern Ireland saw a decline in the number of students not completing their courses.
We call it data – students call it life
Big data will back up the new breed of personal tutors in universities. But Brian Hipkin worries that relying on statistics without a meaningful human context will create a support system that will ultimately fail students.
