Discover and share good practice for smarter working universities

Finding ‘pain points’ in the student journey

Like all service users, students have their stories of where their experience could have been improved. Jean Mutton presents some of the findings from a Jisc study seeking to identify these 'pain points'.

Student mental health and wellbeing – why does it matter?

While universities can do much to support their students by developing policies and practices, students can also benefit from the support of charities. In this blog Grace Anderson outlines what Student Mind offers.

Student Records Officer Conference – key issues

Today, the Efficiency Exchange team is at the Student Records Officer Conference in Loughborough. Here are a selection of posts that focus on some of the issues that will be covered during the day and on other subjects that might interest delegates.
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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.

How to make volunteering matter to university students

Do you want to get more from your university experience than just your degree? Are you someone who wants to help in the community, but feels a student life won't offer the time to get involved? In this blog Joe Crook from the University of East London, talks about volunteering, student life and explains how it can all fit into a busy student lifestyle.
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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.

Trying to come up with a nuanced view of ‘Value for Students’

Value for students is a hot topic. In this blog Eric Stoller discusses how enhancing a student’s experience can add value to their investment as a paying customer.

Sir Ian Diamond: ‘We can improve… by sharing best practice’.

In an interview with Efficiency Exchange, Professor Sir Ian Diamond reflects on how universities have adapted to become more efficient.
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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.
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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.