Connect Benefit Series - Student Success

This part of the Student Success project focusses on embedding employability in higher education, based around the publication ‘Employability: a review of the literature 2016-2021’, a research project conducted by Oxford Brookes University.

The review informs a number of outputs, including a webinar in which the researchers discuss their findings with Advance HE members and a series of podcasts exploring key areas from measuring employability and the impact of work-integrated learning to addressing inequality and looking at employability from the perspectives of our global membership.

Outputs also include a compendium of case studies representing discussions arising from the Advance HE Employability Symposium 2021, focussing on ‘Employability, Enterprise, and Entrepreneurship: Solving Wicked Problems.’ Members were also invited to reflect on the theme at a number of participative online summits.

This part of the project explores the key areas of access, retention, attainment and progression (ARAP) in higher education, focusing on the findings of ‘Access, retention, attainment and progression: a review of the literature 2016-2021’ conducted by researchers at Sheffield Hallam University.

The review shows sector developments and/or changes in these areas, collating and updating evidence since Advance HE's previous research review from 2017: 'Enhancing access, retention, attainment and progression in higher education'.

Outputs include a webinar in which the Sheffield Hallam team discuss the review with Advance HE members and a series of four podcasts, each focussing on one of the areas within the project: access, retention, attainment and progression.

Based on the research study ‘Flexible learning: a literature review 2016 – 2021’ conducted by Professor Mark Loon of Northumbria University, this area of focus identifies and explores practical, evidence-based approaches to flexible learning in higher education.

Collating the findings of 105 research articles, the review identifies and examines the key drivers of flexible learning, from the influence of Covid-19 to the development of technologies and technology-dependent initiatives and the willingness of educators to experiment with combinations of pedagogies.

Outputs from this theme include a webinar in which Professor Loon speaks to his findings and conducts a Q&A session with participants, and a series of three podcasts focusing on key areas of flexible learning, embracing technological, systemic, cultural, and global perspectives.

This part of the Student Success project will focus on our recently commissioned literature review 'Impacts of Higher Education Assessment and Feedback Policy and Practice on Students: A Review of the Literature 2016-2021'.

Conducted by researchers at the University of Kent, the review provides an insight into the literature, recognising that assessment and feedback practices are amongst the most powerful levers educators have for improving student learning. The authors advocate a broad conception of assessment and feedback to centre student learning and prompt a rethinking of traditional views of assessment and feedback, providing several recommendations for practitioners, policy makers and researchers.

Following publication of the review, events and outputs will include a webinar, podcasts and interactive summits.

In this podcast Kim Ansell, Senior Advisor at Advance HE is joined by Dr Kay Hack, Senior Advisor, Advance HE and Kate Mori, Quality and Standards Specialist at the Quality Assurance Agency to discuss the links between student success and education for sustainable development and how together they form part of the part of the sustainable development ecosystem.

Advance HE Connect our online network that is open to all those who work in HE providing a space where the sector can share, connect and collaborate in one place with 22,000 HE peers from 100 countries around the globe. The platform features special interest groups, events and collaborative projects.