Student success

By Miranda Prynne, 13 April, 2023

Advice on how to support students to success in higher education and future employment. Learn about effective initiatives that reach beyond the lecture hall or lab to ensure student safety, well-being and participation in campus life, provide careers advice and equip graduates with the life skills that they will need to flourish after university.

By Laura.Duckett, 12 December, 2025

How can we model empathy in the classroom?

A teacher comforting a student in class
Curiosity, connection and communication are vital components of empathetic teaching, says Bhawana Shrestha. She explains how to make students feel safe, seen and supported
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 9 December, 2025

A warm welcome is a strategic imperative for higher education

Group of four smiling college students walking
If we want incoming students to flourish, we must stop treating belonging as a bonus and start seeing it as an essential condition for learning. Scott Dunning offers strategies on welcoming students to succeed
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 5 December, 2025

Motivating students isn’t magic – it’s music

Illustration of music as motivation
When students see purpose, believe they can succeed and know educators care, you won’t have to pull them through the course. They’ll walk, maybe even run, on their own. Brett Jones explains how to change their tune
By kiera.obrien, 1 December, 2025

Diversify university mental health services beyond CBT

An illustration of a woman, her face obscured by a giant scribble
With the number of students experiencing mental health issues rising, CBT is being applied as a one-size-fits-all solution. Here’s how to branch out into other approaches
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 27 November, 2025

Campus talks: the real-world power of soft skills

podcast graphic
How do universities ensure their curricula meet the demands from industry, government and students for career-ready graduates equipped with vital transferable skills? Three experts explain how institutions are working to align higher education and skills development
Reading time
80minutes
By kiera.obrien, 24 November, 2025

Co-created research to boost a student mentoring scheme

Students discuss ideas in a focus group
A foundation mentoring scheme helped students widen their networks. But how to increase participation? Involving students in a co-creation research project provided the answer
Reading time
4minutes
By Laura.Duckett, 17 November, 2025

Intervene with empathy to support students in need

Students sitting in a circle haveing a discussion with a teacher
With mental health challenges increasing on campus, structured tools that capture students’ thoughts, feelings and behaviours can help educators spot concerns early and tailor support
By kiera.obrien, 3 November, 2025

‘Support is not remedial. It is pedagogy’

A student in a lab coat smiles
STEM foundation years are key to widening participation. Find out how to make them supportive and structured, with well-being at the centre
Reading time
4minutes
By Laura.Duckett, 31 October, 2025

The power of breakfast to boost student attendance

Students eating breakfast together
Learn how a free weekly breakfast initiative has strengthened student belonging, improved attendance and proved surprisingly easy to sustain on a small budget
Reading time
4minutes
By kiera.obrien, 29 October, 2025

Support students’ mental health with bespoke workshops

One student comforts another with a hand on the shoulder
With mental health concerns and student suicide rates increasing, a partnership with St John Ambulance offered a practical way to support students to ask for help when they need it. Here’s how it worked
Reading time
4minutes
By kiera.obrien, 28 October, 2025

How to help autistic students adjust to life on campus

Students laugh over a coffee
With autistic students’ drop-out rate spiking, here’s how to help them ease into their university career, allow for neurodiversity-friendly socialising and reduce their anxiety with a furry friend
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 23 October, 2025

Mapping employability skills across curricula

Young woman looking thoughtful
A mandatory university-wide initiative shows how mapping professional skills against all programmes can tailor students’ work readiness no matter their career path
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 18 October, 2025

Compassion cuts through polarisation

Group meditation session
Compassion, not empathy, is the emotion that will cut through group polarisation and motivate constructive intergroup dialogue in higher education. Training in mindfulness-based compassion meditation can be scaled at a relatively low barrier to entry
Reading time
4minutes
By Laura.Duckett, 26 September, 2025

Tips for inducting student reps into your faculty

Students chatting in class
Clear guidance and tailored training can empower student representatives. Mary Woolley shares strategies that have strengthened student-staff collaboration and led to more constructive feedback
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 3 September, 2025

Greeting first-year university students with ‘structured serendipity’

Multiracial group of students
Students start university with a mix of excitement and uncertainty. Institutions should address that emotional landscape early – to help incoming cohorts adjust to newfound independence, discover what it takes to succeed academically and find their place to belong
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 1 September, 2025

Designing inclusive welcome experiences in creative education

Fashion students in a studio
In creative education, where students’ confidence in identity and self-expression are central, their question at induction might not be ‘Where’s my timetable?’ but ‘Do I belong?’ This consideration is key for universities welcoming diverse cohorts
Reading time
3minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 28 August, 2025

‘Every faculty member should go on campus tours’

Campus tour
When one university professor went undercover to find out how different colleges welcome prospective students and their parents, he found out what institutions should, and should not, do in their visit programming
Reading time
3minutes
By Laura.Duckett, 22 August, 2025

Design thinking can transform first-year orientation

Students sitting in a queue
Design thinking offers a student-centred approach to orientation. By following these five steps, universities can strengthen first-year experiences and set them up for academic success
Reading time
4minutes
By kiera.obrien, 21 August, 2025

Six ways to welcome students to university life

Students welcome each other on campus
Find out how to design meaningful welcome experiences for first-year students as they arrive at university, and equip them with the tools to start their academic journey
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 15 August, 2025

The transfer student advantage: soft skills in motion

Multiracial group of university students
Transfer students bring more than credits to their new institution; they come with resilience, self-advocacy and real-world experience. With soft skills more essential than ever, it’s time to see these learners not as behind the curve but ahead of the game
Reading time
4minutes
By Laura.Duckett, 8 August, 2025

The power of podcasts to enhance student support

A podcaster interviewing a guest speaker
A university podcast can help cut through the noise of traditional communications. By meeting students where they are, it can be a powerful way to build community, reduce stigma and ensure support services reach those who need them
Reading time
5minutes
By miranda.prynne, 8 August, 2025

Make good mental health a university priority

Spotlight guide: Make mental health a university priority
With poor mental health now rife across higher education, what can be done to create a supportive campus environment that strengthens well-being and resilience among university students and staff?
By Laura.Duckett, 7 August, 2025

It starts with connection: rethinking the enrolment journey

A doorway with an "admissions" sign next to it
The old enrolment model no longer fits today’s diverse student population. To truly support modern learners, universities must prioritise flexibility, empathy and trust over scripts and yield targets, writes Agnam Memeti
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