Tatjana Damjanovic, TASO’s research officer, and our advisory student panel had an in-depth conversation with Sandra Binns, the Higher Education Student Support Champion Project Manager, about work of the Higher Education Student Support Champion (Professor Edward Peck) Champion is doing with the sector to reconsider student support from a student needs perspective, leading to the development of the Student Needs Framework.

Sandra talked to the panel about the work the Student Support Champion is doing with the sector to reconsider student support from a student needs perspective, leading to the development of the Student Needs Framework.

The student panel led this conversation and posed questions based on their interests and experiences.

This conversation took place whilst we were developing our Student Mental Health Evidence Hub. The hub aims to provide information that the higher education sector can use to improve the efficacy of their mental health interventions and evaluation practices and respond to diverse student mental health needs. We synthesised evidence of research and evaluation activities designed to support improvements in student mental health to develop evaluation guidance which will help assess the impact of student mental health support.

The conversation

Have you encountered universities with standout systems of student support, perhaps resembling an idealised version?

Sandra Binns: Universities have various student support systems and offer lots of support to their students. Some that we have spoken to over the past year are considering how to redesign their student support to be more efficient, evidence led and coordinated across their institutions. Most universities are at a different stage on this journey. Some are delving deep into service redesign, while others are just at the beginning, recognising the impetus for change.

Regarding student analytics, the Higher Education (HE) Student Support Champion has collaborated with Jisc to produce the ‘Student analytics core data specification’  which identifies 11 key data points that can be used to predict student wellbeing. These data points act as a proxy to gauge if students may be at risk of non-continuation or poor wellbeing. This approach has been tested at the University of Northumbria, and it has shown promise.

The future will be about predictive analytics, which will become increasingly sophisticated. Additionally, many universities are leveraging AI, like chatbots, to guide students and alleviate the load on staff.

What is the most common problem that hinders universities from sharing information effectively?

Sandra Binns: The main challenge is the sheer volume of data held by Higher Education Providers (HEPs) and that it may be held in several places, across many departments. Universities often juggle multiple data systems, and this diversity can create complexity.

While many institutions have Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, these platforms often evolve to serve purposes beyond their initial intent. It’s hard to pinpoint a single system as the ultimate solution. Instead, the HEPs should reflect on the essential information needed to support students, who need to know that information and consider how to streamline the information flow process.

The HE Student Support Champion is exploring ways to share such insights through the student support redesign project. This includes considering the tools HEPs are using to manage data as well as the culture shift required to ensure staff know how to interpret and act on the picture these data insights provide. It is important to not underestimate the role that human judgement plays in this too. Streamlining years of ever expanding data systems will be a significant endeavour but we have seen positive reactions from the sector willing to make these changes.

What are the viable solutions to this issue, and what roles are regulatory bodies like the Office for Students (OfS) and the HE Student Support Champion playing?

Sandra Binns: The OfS does sometimes provide funding for OfS priority issues (In fact, OfS provided funding for the University of Northumbria project) and disseminate evaluations of these programmes, but they do not direct universities to adopt any specific interventions.  Sector bodies like Universities UK often publish guidance on good practice which universities are encouraged to adopt.

The HE Student Support Champion was appointed to identify and promote good practice among the sector and he does this through things like the publication of the Core Specification of Student Analytics and continued sector engagement.

What measures are in place to support a mentally healthy transition from university to the professional realm?

Sandra Binns: One of the primary focuses is refining and clarifying the systems to ensure students are adequately prepared for the transition. Suppose a proactive approach is adopted and students’ needs are identified early on. In that case, we can address potential issues before they escalate, contributing to a good mental health which supports a positive transition into the working world.

What do you perceive to be the biggest challenge or barrier currently? What’s hindering improvements?

Sandra Binns: Personally, I think the biggest challenge is meeting the increased demand for mental health support, getting the right systems in place to try to be proactive in identifying risks and having a strong evidence base about what works to support students.  With growing needs, universities are under pressure to adapt and it is a big job for universities to develop new ways to meet these needs.

That said, there is a sense of goodwill, collaboration and desire to share best practices and tackle these issues across universities.

How do ‘top’ universities compare to others in implementing mental health guidelines, such as the Mental Health Charter or Suicide Safer Universities?

Sandra Binns: I don’t have specific data comparing ‘top’ universities to others. However, most universities will review these guidelines and identify areas for improvement. The new HE Mental Health Implementation Taskforce is being established to improve mental health across the sector. One of its initiatives will encourage more universities to commit to the Student Minds Mental Health Charter. The goal is to encourage a more consistent approach across the sector, providing a more level playing field for all institutions.

When you engage with universities and their stakeholders, do the ideas and group discussions we had today resonate with what you’ve observed in these institutions?

Sandra Binns: Indeed, there have been dialogues around co-creation, such as peer support models and efforts in implementing them. There have been examples where universities have actively involved students to guide and shape the projects they initiate, and they have mechanisms in place to evaluate the effectiveness of these models and projects.

From your perspective, are universities prepared to alter how they provide mental health support significantly?

Sandra Binns: Universities are doing commendably well, striving to improve their support structures. Their dedication to ensuring robust support is palpable. But the magnitude of needs, especially those tied to complex mental health challenges, is significant. The keen interest I’ve observed in universities revolves around enhancing student support in diverse and effective ways, and exploring innovative approaches to achieve that.

Read more about the Student Needs Framework on the AdvanceHE website.