Residential courses should still have a home in university programming

Residential courses often conjure somewhat eye-rolling images: blindfolded MBA students doing clichéd team-building activities, sodden environmental students peering into muddy wire quadrants, or cliques of law students pretending to work on tomorrow morning’s jurisprudence presentation over margaritas in the hotel bar.

In that sense, some observers might rather welcome the decline in such courses since the Covid era forced everything from teaching to conferences online.

Virtual courses are seen as easy to access for most students, and low lecture attendance might appear to suggest that they prefer them – especially in a cost-of living crisis that has forced many of them to balance studying with paid work.

Of course, the crisis is affecting universities, too, making them anxious to make savings – especially if those savings also contribute to their environmental sustainability commitments and lower their exposure to potential health and safety issues in an increasingly risk-averse society.

But not so fast. Residential courses – from subject-specific field trips to doctoral summer schools and Open University weekends – are often memorable experiences that have a significant effect on learning, leading to better marks. Research has shown that marginalised groups seem to get a disproportionately large grade boost, so residential courses are a good way for a university to demonstrate access and inclusion.

Residential courses also offer an opportunity for poorer students to enjoy some independence, even if only briefly. Living with friends was taken for granted when I was a student, but equality charity the Sutton Trust says 20 per cent of university students in England lived at home pre-Covid, and up to 34 per cent of current A-level students plan now on doing so – mainly because of the rise in the cost of living.

Academic studies show that when they are part of a degree course, residential courses foster a strong connection between classmates and help reassure students that they are keeping up with their peers. They also enhance students’ bonds with their subject and help them form coherent career plans by putting that subject in a real-world context. In certain subjects they can also be a chance to see in action activities that are hard to replicate in the classroom; observational market research is one example in management degrees.

As extracurricular offerings, meanwhile, residential courses can offer students the opportunity to try more hands-on and experiential activities – such as entrepreneurship – without being constrained by the pressure of assessment. They are also great for cross-disciplinary activities and helping students understand what other subjects could bring to the table.

Extracurricular activities in general have a positive effect on students, reducing loneliness, increasing networking opportunities and helping improve soft skills. It is often the first opportunity students have to develop a professional network and is especially important for MBA courses, where forging new business connections is a key benefit. Having run such courses myself, I have seen much impromptu networking taking place during organised leisure activities, such as local walks, quizzes and, of course, pub nights.

Strong friendships also form, especially within groups that keep in touch. That can be via social media, but electronic forums are no substitute for residential courses themselves. Despite the existence of some inventive ways to create networking chatrooms, online platforms offer much less serendipity that you get in person, such as sitting next to someone new at dinner or a chance “water cooler” conversation.

We have found that overseas students are especially keen to get involved in residential courses, particularly if they involve travelling. I ran a residential course in the Lake District, for instance, which was a big draw. With discussions continuing around value for money and concerns about declining international recruitment, they could help shore up overseas recruitment. They could also address the latest Student Academic Experience Survey’s suggestions that lack of in-person contact with both staff and other students is among the top reasons for a poor university experience.

Regardless of economic conditions or technological advances, university students should still be given the chance to attend residential courses. So many positives derive from an immersive experience they are likely to remember for the rest of their lives – perhaps especially the bit when they put on the blindfold, get wet to the skin or give a presentation with a thumping margarita hangover.

Robert A. Phillips is a senior lecturer at Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester.