Student Support In Higher Education Research Articles

Systematic literature review of online academic student support in higher education

COVID-19 led to an increase in the provision of online higher education courses. Online academic student support is often provided to students to assist them in developing the skills and knowledge to successfully complete their course. However, it remains unclear whether online academic student support in higher education is successful, and if so, what makes it successful. This systematic literature review seeks to provide an overview of research on online academic student support in higher education. Out of 5385 initially identified publications from 2013 to 2022, 12 papers were included for review; seven studies were quantitative and five were mixed methods. The synthesis of the findings reported outcomes on students’ improved engagement, access to support and usage patterns, satisfaction, academic performance, motivation, creativity, self-efficacy, retention or course completion, and social benefits. This range creates a challenge for higher education providers who are considering implementing best practice in the provision of online academic student support in higher education due to the diversity of approaches. Future research, that is methodologically strong, is needed to demonstrate the impact of online academic student support detailing how higher education providers can improve the quality, learning outcomes, and retention

Higher Education Student Support Program Expansion: A Decade of Progress and Success for English as an Additional Language (EAL) and International Students

One method to support English as an additional language (EAL) students in higher education is through the development of an extracurricular support program catered to the specific academic and psychosocial needs of post-secondary EAL students within an individual faculty. In 2009, the Mount Royal University (MRU) EAL Nursing Student Support Program (NSSP) was created to support the EAL student population within MRU's Bachelor of Nursing (BN) faculty. Following over a decade of support program success documented in a series of scholarly publications, this study aims to capture the longitudinal impact of EAL NSSP on the continued success of its alumni within the academic, professional, and personal domains. A hermeneutic approach to phenomenology was used to measure the perceived impact of the student support measures on their professional and personal development. Participant interviews revealed six themes: (a) skills and knowledge obtained from membership in the support program, (b) continued engagement in professional development and leadership opportunities following support program involvement, (c) accomplishments attained following support program membership, (d) future goals, (e) eagerness to help future generations of EAL students, and (f) the need for continued EAL student support. The findings from this study demonstrate the importance of EAL student support in higher education, showcasing the profound, long-term impact that an effective and intentional EAL student support program design can have.

Enhancing academic support for students in higher education

PurposeThe need to enhance student support is evident in higher education (HE) curricula. In addition to the complications created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the current strategies used in academia are criticised for their lack of appropriate student support in HE. The study focused on the themes under Section 4 of the National Student Survey (NSS): availability to contact tutors, receiving good advice and guidance and availability of good advice. The study aimed to provide recommendations for enhancing academic support by developing drivers that need implementation during course delivery.Design/methodology/approachA documental analysis and a qualitative survey were adopted for this study. A documental analysis of 334 mid-module reviews (MMRs) from levels three to six students in the built environment (BE) discipline. Critical themes identified from the MMRs were fed forward in developing a questionnaire for academics. A sample of 23 academics, including a Head of school, a Principal lecturer, Subject leads and Lecturers, participated in the questionnaire survey. Content analysis is adopted through questionnaire data to develop drivers to enhance academic support in BE. These drivers are then modelled by interpretive structural modelling (ISM) to identify their correlation to NSS Section 4 themes. A level partition analysis establishes how influential they are in enhancing academic support.FindingsThe study identified nine drivers, where two drivers were categorised as fundamental, two as significant, four as important, and one insignificant in enhancing academic support in HE. Module leaders’/tutors’ improving awareness and detailing how academic support is provided were identified as fundamental. Differentiating roles in giving advice and the importance of one-to-one meetings were identified as significant. A level partitioning diagram was developed from the nine drivers to illustrate how these drivers need to be implemented to promote the best practices in academic support in HE.Practical implicationsThe identified drivers and their categories can be used to set prioritised guidelines for academics and other educational institutions to improve students’ overall satisfaction.Originality/valueNovelty from the study will be the developed drivers and the level partitioning diagram to assist academics and academic institutions in successfully integrating academic support into HE curricula.

Student support in higher education: campus service utilization, impact, and challenges

Worldwide, university student support services facilitate student performance, contribute to students' success, and increase students' chances of degree completion. Student support services programs' success depends on students' help-seeking behavior. This study explores the help-seeking behavior of Foundation Program and Undergraduate students at Qatar University (QU) through their use of campus services to better understand students' use of these services. The study examines the association between help-seeking behavior, as indicated through services, on student success and persistence in two consecutive semesters, Spring 2019 and Fall 2019. Findings report a significant association between students' services and student success and persistence. A significant difference was reported between at-risk students’ majors and at-risk students in STEM and non-STEM majors. Also, there was a difference in the help-seeking behavior among males and females, nationals and non-nationals, and student classifications.

Investigating the Effects of Academic Coaching on College Students’ Metacognition

Academic coaching is an increasingly prevalent form of student support in higher education, although empirical research on the intervention is relatively limited (Robinson, 2015). Academic coaching is intended to advance student learning, well-being, and success in a context external but complementary to the classroom (Richman, Rademacher, & Maitland, 2014; Robinson, 2015). This exploratory study used a randomized control trial design to investigate the effects of academic coaching on college students’ metacognition, a primary component of self-regulated learning. We recruited undergraduates who had not previously participated in academic coaching and randomly assigned them to three groups: in-person academic coaching, online academic coaching, and control. All participants completed a pre- and post-test instrument that included the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI; Schraw & Dennison, 1994). Results showed that students who received academic coaching had increased metacognition as measured by MAI subscales. Increases in metacognitive awareness occurred in both the in-person and online academic coaching conditions. However, repeated measures ANOVAs did not reveal differences between the three conditions. Overall preliminary results suggest that academic coaching may be a promising student support intervention for helping develop college students’ metacognition outside of the classroom environment.

Reading and Writing Workshops: The Student Assistance Psychological Practice in the University

Abstract The article analyzes the use of reading and writing workshops as a psychological practice for student support in higher education, by promoting a mediating space for the exercise of creative reading and writing and for problematizing authorship in academic practices. The workshops were held with groups of undergraduate students from two public universities, and the method consisted of dialogue circles and reading and writing activities in different textual genres. Bakhtinian discursive analysis was used to analyze the statements and writings produced by the participants. The results discuss the workshops as a space for psychological assistance capable of promoting the sharing of meanings about academic relations and practices and about the possibilities of being author-reader-writer.

The Covid-19 pandemic and the dissolution of the university campus: implications for student support practice

PurposeThis paper problematises student support in higher education during the Covid-19 crisis and proposes an original approach of social network analysis for developing effective support for students from different socio-economic backgrounds.Design/methodology/approachIn this forward-thinking essay, the authors draw on theoretical ideas from Hannah Arendt in conceptualising the destructive and productive nature of societal crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic. We also draw on literature on social network analysis in exploring student support.FindingsThe authors propose a number of recommendations for university staff to consider when developing effective student support, ranging from nurturing their own professional capital to mapping student support networks and the role of faculty within these.Originality/valueThis paper emphasises the importance of developing effective student support that works for students from different socio-economic backgrounds. This is essential to avoid regression in widening participation policies and practices, and to promote inclusive university environments.

Research trends of student support in higher education using topic modeling

Research trends of student support in higher education using topic modeling

The autumn statement and healthcare delivery

British Journal of Healthcare ManagementVol. 22, No. 1 CommentThe autumn statement and healthcare deliveryBryan McIntoshBryan McIntoshSearch for more papers by this authorBryan McIntoshPublished Online:13 Jan 2016https://doi.org/10.12968/bjhc.2016.22.1.6AboutSectionsView articleView Full TextPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail View article References Council of Deans of Health (2014) Nursing, Midwifery and AHP Pre-registration Education: the Funding Gap. Briefing Paper. Council of Deans of Health, London Google ScholarDepartment of Health (2015) Education and Training Tariffs: Tariff Guidance for 2015-16. Department of Health, London Google ScholarFerretti F, McIntosh B, Jones S (2015) Biomedical researchers, economic growth and the harmful effects of student loan debt. Economic Modelling 49(1): 308–13 Crossref, Google ScholarHM Treasury (2015) Policy Paper. Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spending-review-and-autumn-statement-2015-documents/spending-review-and-autumn-statement-2015 Google ScholarJohnson J (2015) Higher Education Student Support: Written statement—HCWS160. Available at: www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2015-07-21/HCWS160/ Google Scholar FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails 2 January 2016Volume 22Issue 1ISSN (print): 1358-0574ISSN (online): 1759-7382 Metrics History Published online 13 January 2016 Published in print 2 January 2016 Information© MA Healthcare LimitedPDF download

Student Support in Higher Education

Today every country is striving to enhance higher education qualitatively and quantitatively, because the economy of any country is directly influenced by the “intellectual capital” of that country. An important factor affecting the quality and quantity of higher education is the support that an institution provides to its students. The present study is an attempt to find the achievements of as well as challenges to the student support services in higher education institutions [HEIs] of developing countries with particular example of those in Pakistan. Employing the Delphi technique, the study explored the (a) achievements, (b) the problems and issues, and (c) means to address problems and issues in the student support services in HEIs of Pakistan. It was found that the HEIs in Pakistan were facing many challenges as the achievements were less than the requirement. Allocation of proper resources and restructuring the system of support are the most important means to address the challenges.

Reconceptualising student support: from ‘support’ to ‘supportive’

This article explores concepts of student support in higher education. It draws on findings from a research project that considered what students understood by ‘support’ and what for them was, or had been, more or less helpful. The project drew on the perspectives of five cohorts of undergraduate and postgraduate students, based in three departments of one higher education institution in the UK. The views of all students within these cohorts were explored (i.e. not just those who had accessed support as defined by the institution). Within the changing contexts of higher education, and in response to perceived changing student needs, support structures within institutions have continued to grow and develop. Although there are no easy answers to the provision of support, the reconceptualisation proposed in this article suggests a shift from ‘support’ as a mainly reactive response to perceived student problems, to ‘supportive’ (and proactive) cultures and contexts.

Student Support in Higher Education: Understandings, Implications and Challenges

AbstractThis paper attempts to offer a critical examination of the notion of student support in higher education in the UK. It compares some of the key ways in which student support is understood across the sector and contrasts a humanistic view with understandings driven more by instrumental and therapeutic concerns. The possible risks and effects that could be associated with these differing understandings are also examined. Against this background, consideration is additionally afforded to international students studying at UK universities. Finally, the paper identifies a number of questions worthy of institutional consideration.

How effective are institutional and departmental systems of student support? Insights from an investigation into the support available to students at one English university

This article explores the provision and effectiveness of student support in higher education through a review of literature and a case study of the support available to students in one English post‐1992 university. Our investigation focuses on students’ awareness and experience of both university‐wide student support and guidance services and the more localised departmental support provided by tutors and study skills advisors. Data were collected through focus groups and a follow‐up questionnaire to students and semi‐structured interviews with academic staff. The findings indicate low awareness and little take‐up of institutional support services and high take‐up and generally positive experiences of departmental support. However, within this generally positive trend, there is some variation in individual experiences of accessing and using departmental support. Suggestions for improving support stress that consistent and equitable support for all students should be equally available and accessible across all the campuses of a university.

Zintegrowany system wsparcia studentów we współczesnej edukacji – dobre praktyki

The paper argues about the role of higher education not only in terms of knowledge transfer andacquisition of vocational skills among young people, that is, the creation of qualified human capital for the needs of the economy, but also in terms of implementation of the educational role of the university, one currently underrated. It is aimed at the education of creative, open-minded, responsible graduates, capable of understanding a dynamically changing reality, able to adapt to changes flexibly, and accept responsibility for their own development. The article presents an example of good practices in the field of comprehensive student support in higher education as developed by the University of Dąbrowa Górnicza. This approach, in addition to improving the professional potential of students, is also focused on forming their values, goals, attitudes and beliefs which will significantly affect their behavior and the way they use the acquired knowledge in the future.