Student retention: Challenges and Innovation in London

AccessHE is pleased to announce the first of a new series of briefing events titled London Student Outcomes. These half-day events will explore four key emerging themes in widening participation across the full student lifecycle and seek to establish the nature of the work to be undertaken in each area.

On Wednesday 22^nd November 2017, 09:30 – 13:00, we will be hosting our first event – Student retention: Challenges and Innovation in London – at Senate House, University of London, chaired by Professor John Raftery, Vice-Chancellor at London Metropolitan University.

Attendees will be able to:

• – Learn more about the current state of play of student retention in London based on available data and consultation with a wide range of higher education institutions;
• – Listen to a keynote presentation from Kathryn Petrie, Economist at the Social Market Foundation and co-author of ‘On course for success? Student retention at university’;
• – Hear examples of best practice from other institutions in supporting the retention of widening participation learners;
• – Participate in a collaborative session exploring ways forward.

Research such as the ‘On course for success?’ report notes the emergence of a complex London effect upon analysing the higher than average drop-out rate at the capital’s universities. Understanding how different student characteristics and variables act to influence this is vital to improve outcomes for students from under-represented backgrounds in London.

Who should attend?

The event will be of particular interest to university staff working to support student retention, including those in widening participation or support/wellbeing teams, as well as those from research, policy and voluntary sector organisations with an interest in this area.

Attendance is FREE for AccessHE members and £25 for non-members. Due to limited spaces, we ask that only one space is booked per institution if possible.

Future events in the London Student Outcomes series will explore enabling success for learners from widening participation backgrounds, degree apprenticeships as a widening access opportunity and post-HE progression for learners from under-represented groups. Please visit www.accesshe.ac.uk/london-student-outcomes for more information and to register your interest in attending future events.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Sam Turner, London Programmes Coordinator, at sam.turner@londonhigher.ac.uk.