Seeing the whole student: what the Know Your Student survey reveals

Why the Know Your Student survey matters

The Know Your Student survey was launched on University Mental Health Day on 12 March, creating a timely opportunity to pause and take stock, as a sector, of how effectively we are using data and technology to support students. Delivered in partnership with Jisc and hosted on the online surveys platform, the survey asked 23 questions about how student data is being turned into actionable insight to improve experience, wellbeing and progression.

For Jisc, this work builds on a much longer journey. Our involvement in this space stepped up significantly following the Universities UK annual conference in September 2018. Many people in the room will remember James Murray, the father of Ben, a University of Bristol student who tragically took his own life, sharing the stage with the university’s vice chancellor to reflect on what had happened and what warning signs may have been missed.

It was a difficult and deeply affecting session. But James brought clarity and, importantly, hope. The university held a great deal of data about Ben which, when viewed together, showed that something was wrong. The challenge was that this information sat in separate administrative silos across multiple systems. Had it been joined up and visible to the right people at the right time, routed through expert human support that exists in every university, things might have been different.

For me, the enduring question raised that day was a simple one. If our sector can join up vast datasets to deliver world class research, why could we not do something similar with data that supports student wellbeing. At the time, we were actively promoting learning analytics and dashboards for student success. Translating those approaches into a wellbeing context felt like a relatively small, but profoundly important, next step.

That moment, and the challenge James laid down, continues to shape this work. The Know Your Student survey is part of that ongoing effort to understand how far we have come, how institutions are using data today, and what more needs to be done to support students with care, insight and humanity.

Mental health, data and responsibility

This blog is being published during Mental Health Awareness Week. That moment in the calendar encourages reflection, but the issues it highlights are not confined to a single week. For those reading this after the week has passed, the message is unchanged.

University should be a time of opportunity and growth. For too many students, it is also a period of vulnerability. Around 160 students die by suicide each year, and many more experience suicidal ideation, make plans or attempt to harm themselves. Each statistic represents a life, and people who care deeply about them.

This is why the thoughtful use of data matters. Not as a predictive solution or a replacement for human judgement, but as a way of helping skilled professionals see the fuller picture of a student’s experience earlier, and respond with care, context and compassion.

How the sector has responded

More than 85 institutions responded to the survey, with many others asking to contribute even after the deadline. That level of engagement speaks volumes. It reflects a sector that cares deeply, that has made meaningful progress over the past decade, and that remains committed to learning and improvement.

What comes through strongly is a whole university approach. Academic, professional and technical staff all recognising their role in student wellbeing. Data and analytics are increasingly embedded within multidisciplinary, human led models of support, rather than being viewed as purely technical tools.

There is also a welcome humility in the responses. Institutions are clear about the limits of current analytics, particularly in relation to individual mental health risk, and are rightly focused on ethics, privacy, transparency and trust.

What the survey tells us

Several findings stand out clearly.

Much credit is due to the previous student support champion for England, Professor Edward Peck, now chair of the Office for Students. His core specification for engagement and wellbeing analytics has directly informed current practice, shaping the approach of 86 percent of survey respondents.

Attendance, virtual learning environment activity and assessment submissions are now the primary indicators of student engagement, aligned with that specification and commonly augmented by personal circumstances, such as mitigating factors, as key wellbeing signals. Together, these provide a practical foundation for identifying when students may need support, while still relying on professional judgement to interpret what the data means in context.

More broadly, student engagement analytics are now well established across the sector, with institutions using these indicators to prompt early, proportionate and supportive interventions.

There is also growing recognition that academic progress, wellbeing and personal circumstances need to be considered together, within a joined-up model of student support.

Human judgement remains central. Respondents consistently emphasised that analytics should inform, not replace, professional decision making within safeguarding and support processes.

At the same time, data fragmentation remains a significant barrier. Only a small proportion of institutions report having a true single view of the student. For most, relevant information still has to be manually brought together across multiple systems, creating delay and additional burden for already stretched staff.

Encouragingly, there is strong momentum for further development, with interest in more integrated platforms and workflow improvements that give professionals more time to apply their expertise where it matters most.

Where we go next

The initial survey findings offer real grounds for cautious optimism. They show how far the sector has come, while also pointing clearly to where attention should now be focused.

At Jisc, we are looking forward to supporting the next phase of this work. That includes sharing effective practice, helping reduce data silos, and continuing to promote approaches that are evidence led, ethically governed and human centred – and most importantly, to sustain the interest and collaboration the survey has created.

Mental health and wellbeing really is everybody’s business. Sometimes it is a dashboard that brings clarity. Sometimes it is a conversation, a follow up, or a small act of kindness at the right moment. If this work helps even one student feel seen, supported and able to go on, then it is work that truly matters.