“We make the invisible visible”: Investigating and evaluating the one-to-one consultation service at a UK higher education institution

Abstract

One-to-one consultation services comprise key forms of student academic writing support at higher education institutions across the globe. Evaluations of these services are central to sustaining provision and for supporting effective pedagogy and service development (Bell, 2000; Stevenson and Kokkinn, 2009). In line with such evaluation goals and to supplement previous consultations research (e.g. Ma, 2019; Pfrenger et al., 2017; Tiruchittampalam et al., 2017), this paper presents a mixed-methods evaluation of a consultation service operating at a UK university. This study, in contrast to the range of previous consultation evaluation research, investigates perceptions and impact of consultations delivered by professional EAP practitioners across multiple student disciplines and degree levels. Evaluation data was gathered through student focus groups, consultation feedback and impact questionnaires, and through consultant interviews and observations. These multiple sources evidenced positive perceptions of the consultation service by students and consultants and pointed to positive impact on degree performance. Characteristics of effective consultations and consultants were identified, including partnership and engagement, focus on student need, consultant expertise and flexibility, consultation preparation, listening to students, being polite and respectful, and providing something concrete for students to take away. Recommendations are made to support the development of effective consultation services.