Assessment, Learning & Teaching Reflections |
Friday 4 November
Targeting, recruiting, supporting and retaining diverse students is important for all universities and crucial for Leeds Met. High student retention is important not only for financial reasons but also because, as a university which genuinely aims to improve access to higher education, we must strive strenuously to ensure that all students we deem capable of embarking on a programme of learning with us have the best possible chance of successful completion. We should only be recruiting students who have a good chance of succeeding in their studies and managing their expectations, and we know that many students who drop out do so because they chose the wrong course or because they had an unrealistic view of what university life would be like.
At the same time, we should be working to exceed student expectations concerning what we offer in terms of student support and staff interactions with them. Another significant factor known to be linked to student drop-out/retention is the whole way in which students relate to university staff including porters, catering staff, lecturers, deans and administrators. Face-to-face contacts as well as communications by post and email all need to reflect our concerted commitment to student learning and achievement.
Sally Brown, Professor of Higher Education Diversity in Learning and Teaching
s.brown@leedsmet.ac.uk
