JISC

Facebook photo albums, online clips and video briefings for international students are among examples of best practice highlighted in a new report aimed at helping universities and colleges better inform their first-years about life at university.
 
Well-informed students are less likely to drop out, so the report illustrates innovative ways of communicating with prospective freshers, to inform and advise them while managing their expectations of higher education.
 
The report has been produced as part of a JISC-funded project led by the 1994 group.  The 'student expectations of university' project is aimed at enhancing applicants' understanding of higher education.
 
Dr Harriet Dunbar-Morris, who wrote the report, said: “Government proposals to increase graduate contributions will make it more important than ever for universities to demonstrate the benefits they offer. Prospective students need solid information on what university life will be like, both in and outside of the lecture theatre, if they are going to make informed decisions on where to apply. The examples in our report show some of the steps 1994 Group universities are taking."

The examples come from institutions around the UK who are working to ensure that all groups of students are catered for, including unemployed, mature and international students and those with experience of living in care.

“There is still more that can be done however," added Dr Dunbar-Harris. "Our universities are committed to opening the doors to talent from a wide range of backgrounds. We want to ensure that those unfamiliar with university life have access to a wide range of information. To aid this, the next step of this project will be a new online resource which offers a starting point for research into universities.”
 
Malcolm Read, Executive Secretary, JISC, said: "Within universities and colleges there are many excellent ideas for managing students' expectations that others could usefully learn from.  In many places, new technologies play a crucial role in communicating with tech-savvy freshers.  By highlighting these examples we want to help the whole sector become more competitive in attracting and retaining students of the highest calibre from the UK and beyond."
 
A Higher Education Academy survey in 2006 showed that of first year students at university, 41% of those who knew little or nothing about their course before enrolment had thought about leaving, compared to 25% of those who knew a moderate amount or a lot - strongly suggesting that the more students know about their institutions and courses before enrolling, the less likely they are to consider dropping out.

Listen to a podcast about what JISC's doing to help motivate and retain students
(Duration: 7.53)

Find out more and download the report

Visit the 1994 group website