JISC

The purpose of this project is to increase the HE community’s understanding of the different operational processes and use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) systems that can be deployed to support the student lifecycle from post-registration to graduation, in order to enhance the student experience and identify ‘at risk’ students thereby reducing non-completion rates and improve progression. The intended outcomes are to make recommendations and provide a Service Design to inspire other institutions to enhance their capabilities in relationship management, underpinned by strong evidence of effective practice in the relationship management processes. Loughborough University currently has a staff and student relationship management system ‘Co-Tutor’ in use across the university which has over 10 years worth of data relating to personal tutorial meetings, attendance and progression. This data will be analysed to form a set of learner profiles to help inform a series of Service Design workshops. The project will pull together more information about students from additional ICT systems including; coursework hand-in systems (both physical and virtual), online activity within the VLE, interim marks and final module marks. Additionally, we intend to show our students information on their progression and attendance and give them more choice in methods of communication and involvement with their tutors. This project will identify key features of the systems that improve the quality of the relationship between staff and students and also provide a research base that connects the use of targeted ICT systems and interventions to support learners and improve their retention and progression.