LATEST ON THE ON THE STUDENT FUTURES COMMISSION FROM THE UPP FOUNDATION – ALONG WITH THE FULL MANIFESTO FOR THOSE WHO ARE INTERESTED
Only 33% of students said they were slightly or very satisfied with the support their university had provided to help them find a job or work experience over the last 12 months
Research by the Student Futures Commission, chaired by the former Ucas chief Mary Curnock Cook, found that this year some universities ran a “re-induction” or even a freshers’ week for returning students because so many had their first year disrupted by Covid. This should become normal, the commission said. In a survey of 2,000 students only 42 per cent of second and third years felt they had the support they needed to prepare for the start of term, compared with 68 per cent of first years. Sixty-seven per cent of those surveyed agreed that inductions would be helpful for returning students. The Student Futures Commission was set up to explore the impact of the pandemic on student experiences of teaching and learning, mental health and employability. Its final report is billed as a blueprint for how staff and students can work together to improve the university experience.
It said that students needed support before reaching university, an induction every year and a clear outline of what teaching they will receive and the tools required to access it.
In this its final report, the UPP Foundation Student Futures Commission has called for joint action between universities and students to tackle problems caused by the pandemic. This report provides a blueprint for how universities and students can work together to develop Student Futures Manifestos, which set out concrete actions to improve students’ experience of university.
Through its evidence gathering, the Commission report sheds new light on the future of teaching and learning in higher education, the importance of helping students regain their sense of ‘belonging’ to their university, and the need for clearer pathways to graduate outcomes. It sets out six key themes for student futures:
Support for students before they reach university
An induction into university life for each year of study
Support for mental health and wellbeing
A clear outline of the teaching students will receive and the necessary tools to access it
Activities inside and outside the curriculum that build skills, networks and communities
A clear pathway towards graduate outcomes
The Commission hopes that the production of the Manifesto will help give the sector a clearer focus on the priorities of students, and to better communicate and champion its commitments to successful student futures.
The report includes results from a poll of more than 2,000 university students and recent graduates that demonstrate the scale of the challenges facing higher education institutions as they navigate out of the coronavirus crisis.
73% of students reported that the pandemic had a very or somewhat negative impact on their mental health;
57% of students said the pandemic had a negative impact on the knowledge they needed to succeed on their course;
52% of students felt they were somewhat or much below where they personally expected to be in their academic studies;
90% of students said they strongly or somewhat prefer in person teaching where content is also recorded.
Only 33% of students said they were slightly or very satisfied with the support their university had provided to help them find a job or work experience over the last 12 months
The Commission report has called on universities to commit to developing and publishing a Student Futures Manifesto, with their students, by the end of the 2022/23 academic year.
Chair of the Commission, Mary Curnock Cook CBE said:
“A Student Futures Manifesto, co-created and co-owned by students and their university, will be a powerful expression of intent about what students need to support successful lives and careers. We acknowledge the tragedy and disruption of the pandemic but our proposals are resolutely optimistic and build on the extraordinary resilience and creativity demonstrated by colleagues and students across the sector during the crisis.”
The Commission is further calling for three broader areas of work:
A new sector technology infrastructure strategy, led by Jisc, to accelerate the shift to modern digital systems, ensuring the increased use of digital tools is sustainable and cost effective.
A review of online teaching and assessment, commissioned by an independent body such as Advance HE, at a national level to establish best practice for mixed-mode and digitally enhanced delivery.
A new, targeted challenge fund, funded by Government and run by the Office for Students, to support student mental health and wellbeing
A Student Futures Manifesto
UPP Foundation
Student Futures Commission
WonkHE
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