Customising Best Practice In Studies Advice For Undergraduate Engineering Students

Authors

Margaret MORGAN, Ulster University, United KingdomFollow
Clare MAHON, Ulster University, United KingdomFollow
Robert MCMURRAY, Ulster University, United KingdomFollow
Alan BROWN, Ulster University, United KingdomFollow
Pearse O'GORMAN, Ulster University, United KingdomFollow
George BURKE, Ulster University, United KingdomFollow
Ruth HOLMAN, Ulster University, United KingdomFollow
Michaela KEENAN, Ulster University, United KingdomFollow

Document Type

Conference Paper

Abstract

The attrition rates from undergraduate engineering programmes in the UK remains stubbornly high, despite the best efforts of course teams to engage and support students on their learning journeys. It is generally accepted that there is no single reason for attrition rates from engineering programmes being higher than from other vocational-type university programmes, but many academics believe that an effective Studies Advice system that works for students and staff, could lead to reduced numbers of disengaging and/or failing students. Much has been written on effective approaches to the provision of Studies Advice at University, but it is not clear if the implementation of discipline specific approaches would yield better outcomes. This practice paper describes work that is currently underway at Ulster University to examine engineering students’ perspectives on the Studies Advice approach and to explore how best practice in the university sector might be effectively customised for engineering students. The work describes an initial scoping study, a co-creation exercise with students to establish their baseline understanding of the current system and their ‘wish-list’, and a follow-up focus group session where a number of discipline-specific interventions were explored. Preliminary findings indicate that professional support departments could be more effectively integrated with academic support to provide a wrap-around or ‘single contact point’ for Studies Advice, that formal organised studies advice sessions should be explicit on programme schedules and that an informal ‘buddy or mentor’ student-to-student support system would be beneficial in addressing the UK engineering student attrition issue.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.21427/TA4R-9J43

Recommended Citation

Morgan, M., Mahon, C., McMurray, R., Brown, A., O'Gorman, P., Burke, G., Holman, R., & Keenan, M. (2023). Customising Best Practice In Studies Advice For Undergraduate Engineering Students. European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI). DOI: 10.21427/TA4R-9J43

Creative Commons License

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