Enhancing student participation and access through always-on support

The fundamentals of student support have not changed. Universities still need to know how their students are faring, be aware of the challenges they face, and have strategies in place that address the different needs of a diverse cohort. But technology is rapidly transforming how universities deliver support.

At a session held during THE Digital Universities UK 2023, held in partnership with Studiosity, David Pike, head of digital learning at the University of Bedfordshire, explained how technology had allowed the university to scale up student support services to meet the needs of a diverse campus. Bedfordshire welcomes large numbers of international students each year, Pike said. Many of its students have commitments outside of their studies. “We know from our data that a lot of students are carers,” he said. “They have perhaps two or three jobs in some cases. And they also commute from London, which is quite interesting.”

Taking a data-centric view of the digital learning journey, including data insights from Studiosity usage, Pike was able to see how Bedfordshire’s students were engaging with their course and how they managed their assessments and engaged with the content. Here, Studiosity has helped. Studiosity offers “in-the-moment” help for students at times when university staff cannot reach students. Its services are available every day of the year, 24/7. Studiosity specialists offer written feedback on draft essays and assignments to help students develop their academic writing, and there is a live service to help with study problems.

This can be a crucial service for international students who might lack confidence writing in English, or for first-in-family students. “That’s a really important issue for us for widening academic participation,” Pike said. “You might come to university, and you might not know what the rules are, you might not know what the norms are. Knowing what to do and having people around you who can guide you in the right direction is absolutely vital, and that’s where we think Studiosity helps our students a lot.”

Isabelle Bristow, managing director for the UK and Europe at Studiosity, agreed that the company’s services were designed to complement what the university was already doing. By working in partnership, it simply becomes part of the university’s existing student support ecosystem. By presenting universities with more data about their students, educators can better understand what students need, and how best to support them.

Find out more about Studiosity.