Australian and UK Universities come together to weather the storm

By Michelle Gillespie, Chief Student Officer, Victoria University

With the cost-of-living crisis, international student caps, growth in part-time students, rising costs, and more universities across Australia are staring at challenging times ahead. But we’re not weathering the storm alone. Despite being on opposite sides of the world, we’re navigating the very same challenges as many UK universities.

Australia’s higher education industry hasn’t always practiced the art of collaboration. Yet over the last three years I’ve been fortunate enough to take part in a one-of-a-kind international program that has seen some of our top universities lower the drawbridge and welcome its UK counterparts with open arms.

The Global Mobility Program, hosted by TechnologyOne, focuses on fostering valuable connections between Australian and UK universities. Last month, seven UK universities, including London School of Economics, University of Hertfordshire and Leicester University, traveled to Australia to deep dive into the workings of our leading campuses. The program created a safe space to be open, honest, listen, learn and share knowledge. The 10-day program was an unexpected rollercoaster of emotions: from questioning long-held perceptions to taking great comfort in decisions made. Here are my three biggest learnings:

O-Week creates a false sense of security for students

O-Week is an integral introduction to university life in Australia. However, Orientation Week – by its very definition – is designed to welcome students and help them begin university life. For many, once the celebrations are over that safety net is taken away all too suddenly. Almost overnight, students go from being surrounded by a support network to fending for themselves, which can be incredibly overwhelming. New York author, Rick Hanson, said, “Your brain is like Velcro for negative experiences and Teflon for positive ones.” In other words, negative experiences stick with us a lot more than positive ones.

Yes, students are looking for high teaching standards, but today there are increasing expectations for the wider student experience to be as positive as the academic one. According to the World Economic Forum, campuses that show dedication to student wellbeing can help increase academic performance, retention, and graduation rates.

Unlike Australia, many UK universities extend their focus on a tailored, personalised wellbeing and student support program way past orientation. Speaking to the University of Hertfordshire, it became clear how much effort and resource is poured into keeping students engaged and supported from their very first to their very last day. By wrapping support around new students and then tailoring that support as they move from one year to the next, the University guides the student through a variety of transitions that ends with a specialised preparatory program to enter the workforce.

A fail shouldn’t mean the end

At the heart of the Universities Accord is the drive to provide educational opportunity and choice for all Australians. It specifically calls for greater participation in higher education from traditionally under-represented groups, including the aim of having 20 percent of students from the lowest socio-economic status (SES) backgrounds attend university. Improving access for students who fall into this category to gain entry to higher education is the very first step but there are several key changes institutions can make to aid their journey.

In Australia, most universities offer students one shot to pass their exams. Getting the chance to take them again often requires resitting an entire subject, which comes at a price of time and money. Students can apply for ‘special consideration’ if their performance has been affected by extenuating circumstances but there are hoops to jump through, such as gaining a doctor’s certificate.

Those from lower socio-economic backgrounds are three times more likely to fall behind in school and only 15 per cent go on to get degrees. Those who do make it to higher education are likely to be up against magnified pressures across finance, health, family and more. These factors sit completely outside the control of students, yet they have the power to completely derail their performance on any given day – including exam day.

In the UK, most universities provide students with the option to redo assignments or resit exams, no questions asked. In fact, not only is there a second chance in many institutions but a third. Removing this barrier is such a simple way to give students a real shot at performing at their optimum capability – and a lifeline for disadvantaged students who feel that dropping out is their only option.

Human support is vital, and technology holds the key

I was surprised by the number of questions delegates from the UK universities had for us around our technology systems and the impact it had on staff and students. They were impressed by our level of automation and data management and were keen to dive deeper into how we successfully rolled the systems out and encouraged adoption.

In comparison to our UK partners, it appears we are streets ahead in future-proofing our back-end systems. What this means for UK students is that they get much smaller windows of human support because so much time is still being poured into manual admin tasks. Often admin offices are open for a handful of hours each week, whereas we provide human support 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday and even some hours over the weekend. For some students, having a reliable point of contact and empathetic support system can make all the difference.