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The student experience What do students need?. Some history. So much has changed, but students are reporting no change in what they get. Why? Running on shifting sands. Leaps and bounds in development, student engagement, teaching methods.
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Some history • So much has changed, but students are reporting no change in what they get. Why? • Running on shifting sands. • Leaps and bounds in development, student engagement, teaching methods. • Striding backwards in terms of student support and wellbeing. • Does anyone remember Maslow’s triangle?
Good old Maslow! NUS President Excellent teaching Go to lectures Roof over head Eat
Case not made: focussing on funding students over that of funding the institutions they come from Money in students’ pockets Students staying on course, beyond being pulled through the door Bursaries vs Waivers Increased student engagement lead to more support in the form of cash bursaries
Student finance policy A legacy of changes and tinkering with the system, based on no evidence Lack of reflection on student opinion Underpinned by assumptions: Parental support: The expectation of financial support from parents but no evidence of affordability, how they can support? All based on income assessment with no means-testing.
Lack of research Role of personal income: Parental contribution, term-time working & drawing on overdraft Meeting the gap between: bursaries, grants & maintenance loan; and cost of studying plus cost of living. Measured up against the outcomes for different groups of students.
Student finance policy Little research to understand the extent to which the nature of the repayment schedule is influential. Little done on the role of ALF, hardship & other discretionary funding in terms of take-up and impact within HE. So much more
Who we are letting down Pound in Your Pocket – Financial Wellbeing I feel a lack of control in terms of my financial situation Disabled students (53%) with NHS (52%) full-time, young and adult FE students (51%)
Who we are letting down I find it difficult to understand my financial entitlements student parents 52% NHS 51% disabled students 50%
Who we are letting down I find it difficult to concentrate on my studies due to financial worry undergraduates aged 21-24 (53%) as well as student parents and (49%) NHS (49%)
How are we letting them down? Bursaries vs Waivers Over two thirds of students, no matter which grouping, stated they would prefer cash over any other form of support. Hidden Costs Not merely publicising costs, but including them. This is an access and a performance issue. Students should neither be disadvantaged – nor advantaged! – because of their ability to pay. More than just volume? Bureaucracy and structure
How are we letting them down? Institutions have the power to address these, to continue to improve and develop, supporting their staff & students. Together we will tackle the framework and the inequalities which we all face at a national level.
The irony of the marketplace Market system insists that undergrads “be more demanding” Always been a market in Part-Time and PGT The Market has never worked for them Their expectations probably met what they got, but what these students get has rarely been good enough. There is no evidence that the market has lead to an improvement in quality.
Where next We are barely treading water Funding is constantly being cut Working against our initiatives
