Investigating Support Measures That Could Help Students Succeed at Kingston University, London

Abstract

Students face a diverse range of academic and non-academic challenges throughout the duration of their course and universities offer a wide mix of support. For example, because of the diversity of students at Kingston University, London, many have complex responsibilities outside their degree programme; for example, financial obligations to work, long-distance commutes and family care. This small-scale project used a questionnaire to investigate undergraduate students’ experiences of support needs and their take-up of support.  Responses revealed that most students had not accessed university support services, despite the many challenges. This paper considers possible reasons for why they hadn’t; it discusses students’ views of what would constitute ‘effective support’; it concludes that further exploration of both student and staff perspectives of what kind of support is needed, expected and offered could well improve future provision.