The University’s ambitious Education and Student Experience Programme has had an exciting first six months of the year as it continues to support the delivery of the Education and Student Experience strategic plans.
The Programme will enhance the overall experience of our students, on and off campus, and equip them to flourish in the world of the future.
Championed by sponsors Professor Deborah Gill, Vice President Education & Student Experience, and Kieron Broadhead, Senior Executive Director for Students & Infrastructure and Deputy Vice President Operations, the Programme is home to seven of our Strategic Major Projects (SMPs):
We are pleased to share some recent project highlights with you below:
The Student Experience Process Transformation project has made significant advances to simplify an agreed set of student administration processes that offer students and staff a more predictable and consistent experience at our University.
Notably, a student review of the changes made to the Special Considerations process showed a 50% increase in student satisfaction, alongside a high staff satisfaction score.
Acknowledgement of a Special Considerations request has now been automated, which means students receive this immediately as opposed to waiting up to 30 days, as was the case prior to this project. Previously, under the regulations, Special Considerations cases were held until end of the semester boards, meaning there were sometimes long delays for students in getting an outcome to their case. Following changes made by the project, 38% of students are now receiving an in-semester decision.
Work continues to remove friction and ensure a “student first” approach to a selection of other processes, including suspension and return to study, Programme changes, module registration, and PGR admissions.
The Advancing Assessment Project has established six workstreams to transform assessment thinking and practice with a focus on four key areas: academic process and practices; administrative process and practices; digital systems and tools; and assessment regulations and policy.
The Project has also launched the Southampton Transformative Assessment Redesign with Students initiative, also known as STARS. Colleagues in Health Sciences are currently using this tool to take a student-centred, whole Programme approach to reviewing and revising their assessment and feedback practice.
The Successful Futures Project is making great progress with the development of Employability Statements for our Programmes thanks to the thoughtful work by Programme Leads in mapping skills development in their Programmes. These statements will be accessible to prospective students this Autumn and could be transformational in how we attract, engage, and recruit students.
The project is now working with Schools and departments to plan the launch of a skills self-assessment tool and supporting resources to students in the new academic year, a crucial step towards embedding employability and enterprise skills into the curriculum and improving Graduate Outcomes.
Kieron Broadhead said: “Bringing together these seven projects within a unified Programme helps us maximise synergies across the portfolio and make the most of opportunities to encourage our students and graduates to thrive. This coordinated approach allows us to partner more effectively with our students and collaborate efficiently and meaningfully with colleagues in our Faculties and Professional Services.”
Deborah Gill added: “The SMPs within the Programme cover various aspects of education and the student experience. Collectively, they help our students develop a sense of pride and belonging as members of our community, to thrive in their education programmes and establish themselves as successful graduates with the capabilities of the leaders of tomorrow.
“The Programme complements our other smaller scale improvement initiatives across the University to support the achievement of our education and student experience strategic goals.”
The Education and Student Experience Programme team would like to thank all our colleagues across the University who have contributed their time to these SMPs so far this year.
For more information about each SMP, visit our Education & Student Experience Programme SharePoint site or contact [email protected]