Common use of Student Success Clause in Contracts

Student Success. Our Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning Strategy states “we seek to ensure that those from groups under-represented in HE are encouraged to progress to the University and that we meet individual needs to enable them to succeed”. We aim to maintain a high level of student retention and to improve employability for all students, with a particular focus on those from under-represented or disadvantaged groups. Drawing on our Assessment of Progress in section 2.1 above, key areas of focus for 2018-19 are: • Continuous improvement in continuation of young full-time first degree entrants from low participation neighbourhoods • Continuous improvement in continuation of BME students and white working class male students • Improvement in degree outcomes for BME students as compared with white students (narrowing the gap in achievement of 1st and 2(i) degrees) • Continuous improvement in employability and progression to further study for all our students from under-represented groups, especially BME and white working class male students We will therefore engage students in a suite of initiatives which support these aims, including those outlined below. We will monitor uptake by, and impacts on, students from postcodes with low HE participation rates, disabled students, BME students, male students, care leavers, young adult carers, and mature students. • The University offers a broad academic skills programme. This includes approximately 70 generic workshops and 350 one-to-one appointments each year. Our SkillsNet pages on Canvas and the Intranet provides online support and regularly updated academic skills resources. Academic skills advisers work with programme leaders and course tutors on early intervention methods to encourage greater numbers of failing students to access support, particularly those from under- represented groups. Trained Student Peer Mentors (SMART Buddies) will continue to support students with their academic skills. • In the academic year 2016/17, the university ran Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) schemes on three programmes, with 29 second and third year students facilitating weekly PAL sessions for their first year peers. Results from this have provided a strong rationale for rolling out the scheme to more programmes in 2018/19. We will continue to evaluate the impact on retention and progression, targeting programmes for PAL interventions that have lower retention rates for under-represented groups. • Academic Skills staff liaise regularly with programme leaders and course tutors to arrange tailored academic skills workshops in timetabled sessions, delivered at appropriate times to meet the needs of students’ assignments and feedback. Approximately 180 tailored workshops are delivered each year. • A Volunteering Module will continue to be offered to most undergraduate students, encouraging students to gain accreditation for volunteering while at the same time enhancing their employability and experience. We will continue to allocate financial support to low-income students who would otherwise be unable to participate. • Students from under-represented groups will be encouraged to undertake a Common Purpose Frontrunner Course which develops skills and leadership potential. • The University has developed an annual Winchester Research Apprenticeship Programme in which students work alongside academics on a ‘placement’ giving them deeper insight into the ways in which academics conduct research and become involved in activities such as bid preparation, literature search and data collection The Learning and Teaching Development (LTD) unit in partnership with the Student Union ran an iPilot scheme across seven programmes in 2015/16 and 2016/17, providing iPads to all first year students. The scheme ensures that students from under-represented backgrounds were not disadvantaged by the cost of accessing a mobile device and could benefit, alongside their peers, from active learning in classes, improved communication, increased digital literacy, and deeper awareness and engagement within the assessment process. We plan to continue running the scheme across the next two years evaluating its impact on the academic success and retention of students from under-represented groups. A Student Fellows research project exploring what impacts students’ sense of belonging at the University of Winchester demonstrated the importance of student engagement activities including membership of sports and societies and the Student Union. We will explore ways that we can fund and support students from under-represented groups to access student union activities, sports clubs and societies. The University pursues an inclusive learning approach and works to integrate and ‘normalise’ disability support with the rest of student life. A ‘Dyslexia Café’ is run twice a term, providing homemade cake and conversation with tutors in a public environment like the student bar, to raise awareness of dyslexia and other learning differences. A ‘Familiarisation Day’ is provided before the formal start of the academic year to all students on the autistic spectrum, to provide a quiet and supported opportunity to become familiar with the campus and the University environment, and to meet other with the same condition. This has resulted in the setting up of a successful facilitated Facebook page for students to gain support and information from each other. Families can also attend the Familiarisation Day and are taken on a separate tour. The University also ran an Autism Awareness Week (to coincide with the national awareness week) to raise awareness for students and staff about the condition of autism. This included a stand in the main food hall, an idiom activity board, a Fact Board in the Library and an installation form a well-known artist addressing the experience of autism, pasted on the windows of the learning café. A 2018-19 goal is to further integrate learning resources for students with learning differences, particularly online, getting resources for dyslexic students integrated into the main Academic Skills pages, for example. Two additional Mental Health Adviser posts have been agreed and will be recruited for the 2017-18 academic year, one to work specifically with Faculties and in developing Peer Support amongst students. This reflects our figures which suggest that of those students who declare a disability, the University has four times the national average of students declaring mental health difficulties. We are redirecting some of the emphasis into prevention and work with Faculties. The former follows a successful Mental Health Awareness campaign in March 2017, in which we worked with the Student Union and many local agencies to put on a programme of events including a performance evening and a fair, destigmatising mental health and highlighting access to a range of support. We also recognise that we need a whole- institution approach to mental wellbeing, and in working more closely with faculties aim to increase positive understanding of and response to students with mental health difficulties in their academic life. We will continue to work closely with our Student Union (SU) on equality issues, for example through our Student Listeners scheme. This is a peer support service where students undergo a training programme delivered by Student Services staff. We are working together with the Student Union on a programme of ‘Respect’ talks during welcome week and the induction process, encouraging a shared attitude of respect to and from all students and staff, and building the sense of Winchester as a community which treats all of its members with respect. Following the development of our first Accessible and Inclusive Learning Policy in 2015, the institution has funded two full time posts within Student Services as a means in which to support the University with the transition. Our non-medical help co-ordinator looks at meeting the gap in support for disabled students which has appeared since the removal of some areas of funding, e.g. for note taking and library assistance, and will in time, work to develop broader practical responses to barriers to learning. Our Inclusive Practice and Support Co-ordinator works on a more holistic level to support the development and integration of inclusive practices within our University culture. In the 2016-17 we explored ways of using technology to further enhance inclusivity, developed online resources and materials for staff, and a programme (re)validation inclusivity self-assessment pro-forma. In 2018, our key priority will be addressing individual level engagement and change, for which we will use an evidence based, tailored multi-method approach. This will involve conducting research into student experience, working with known advocates/champions to disseminate effective, inclusive practices and providing opportunities for dialogue. We also offer a ‘Back to Study’ workshop for mature students two weeks before Semester 1. This session helps students to engage with higher education study, address the challenges of referencing and academic writing, and facilitates the early development of a social network amongst mature students. Areas of accommodation are set aside for mature students. There is a room set aside for the use of commuting students, which provides a social space. In addition, the Student Union has introduced a Mature and Part- time Student Officer. We have a significant proportion of under-represented students who live at home rather than in university accommodation. We have introduced a Commuter’s Lounge and continue to explore other ways of supporting. During 2018-19 we will continue to investigate whether it is appropriate and helpful to support them through travel grants or other forms of support with the cost of transport. However in 2018 we will introduce a pot of money to fund applications for support with grants for prospective students from under-represented backgrounds to access financial support for travel to attend open days, taster lectures and interviews. Employer Partnerships to work with faculties, employers, external agencies and professional bodies to develop and deliver new degree apprenticeships that provide an alternative route into and through higher education in a range of new professional areas. Degree Apprenticeships have the potential to increase social mobility and improve equality of access to a quality degree, through on-the-job experience and a professional pathway for future development. The University’s Distance and Flexible Learning Group has continued to meet and has set up an Academic Forum to sit alongside it, with specified joint membership, to further pedagogic approaches relating to teaching distance and flexible learners. In 2018-19 the Academic Skills Department is working to pilot a ‘class community’ for distance learners using the recently acquired Canvas technology, which would enable students who are seldom on site to participate in a virtual community to enhance their academic skills and programme experience. In an attempt to redirect some funding from financial support to access, success and retention, we will be exploring a number of new initiatives and areas of research in 2018-19. This includes considering progress based award schemes and the provision of core texts and study resources for first year students. An analysis of retention and degree attainment for different under-represented students at faculty level has indicated that we are currently restricted by the limits of quantitative data across small student populations to identify new areas to pilot widening participation initiatives. To effectively develop sustainable and impactful retention and success initiatives we plan to fund research into differential outcomes at both a faculty and institutional level. As the limit of the data highlights the low student numbers for under-represented student groups, mainly BME and white male students alongside fluctuating rates of access for students from low participation neighbourhoods and lower social classes, we will also undergo additional research to explore the reasons potential students from these groups choose not to go onto to study higher education at the University of Winchester. This will inform how we develop access activities, support packages and the student experience for prospective under-represented students.

Student Success. Our Widening Participation The University continues to undertake a wide range of activity to support student success. This involves, among other activities:  A new approach to work on induction, transition and Lifelong Learning Strategy states “we seek first year experience is now being designed and delivered. This includes:  Continuing participation by programmes across six Schools in the second phase of the national ‘What Works’ Student Retention and Success initiative. This initiative sets out to develop and evaluate interventions aimed at enhancing a sense of belonging in participating students;  Extension of the Level Up online support initiative, delivered from the point of confirmation in 2012 in the School of Media, across many Schools and programmes;  Development of a staff development module on the MEd to train staff in developing an effective first year experience within curriculum design;  Preparations to host the European First Year Experience conference in 2017 which will allow much further work across the university.  Appointment of Student Success Advisors in all Faculties. These roles, initially piloted in one Faculty from 2013, are undertaken on a full-time basis by recent graduates and serve to provide a wide range of informal support and bridging between students and staff. The role and numbers of graduates appointed has been rising with some Schools now recruiting their own; 1 xxxx://xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx/live/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/education-in-england-web.pdf  Full support for students to ensure that those they are able to develop and record achievement of employability attributes. This work is being piloted and will be available for all students from groups under-represented September 2016 under the banner ‘Graduate+’ This will result in HE are encouraged a personalised approach to progress identifying student attitudes, motivations and skills that will be supported through online and workshop delivery of memorable events.  An integrated approach to Welcome Week delivering stronger induction to the wider University and that we meet individual needs to enable them to succeed”alignment with Graduate+ initiative;  Expansion of outreach work with key local FE providers;  Successful initiatives in Student Academic Mentoring (50 projects funded in 2015-16) are being expanded across the institution, including exploration of the potential roles for senior students in providing personal tuition for junior students;  Enhanced co-ordination of mentoring initiatives through the Centre for Enhancement of Learning and Teaching;  New university policy and guidance on the personal tutor role with developmental support for staff provided by the Centre for Enhancement of Learning and Teaching. We aim to maintain a high level Also integration with Graduate+ initiative;  Joint work with Birmingham City University Students’ Union (BCUSU) seeking xxxxxx roles for students in all aspects of student retention curriculum design and to improve employability for all students, with a particular focus on those from under-represented or disadvantaged groups. Drawing on our Assessment of Progress in section 2.1 above, key areas of focus for 2018-19 are: • Continuous improvement in continuation of young full-time first degree entrants from low participation neighbourhoods • Continuous improvement in continuation of BME delivery including Student Academic Partners programme where students and white working class male students • Improvement in degree outcomes for BME students as compared with white students (narrowing the gap in achievement of 1st staff work together to identify and 2(i) degrees) • Continuous improvement in employability and progression to further study for all our students from under-represented groups, especially BME and white working class male students We will therefore engage students in a suite of initiatives which support these aims, including those outlined below. We will monitor uptake by, and impacts on, students from postcodes with low HE participation rates, disabled students, BME students, male students, care leavers, young adult carers, and mature students. • The University offers a broad academic skills programme. This includes approximately 70 generic workshops and 350 one-to-one appointments each year. Our SkillsNet pages on Canvas and the Intranet provides online support and regularly updated academic skills resources. Academic skills advisers work with programme leaders and course tutors on early intervention methods to encourage greater numbers of failing students to access support, particularly those from under- represented groups. Trained Student Peer Mentors (SMART Buddies) will continue to support students with their academic skills. • In the academic year 2016/17, the university ran Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) schemes on three programmes, with 29 second and third year students facilitating weekly PAL sessions for their first year peers. Results from this have provided a strong rationale for rolling out the scheme to more programmes in 2018/19. We will continue to evaluate the impact on retention and progression, targeting programmes for PAL interventions that have lower retention rates for under-represented groups. • Academic Skills staff liaise regularly with programme leaders and course tutors to arrange tailored academic skills workshops in timetabled sessions, delivered at appropriate times to meet the needs of students’ assignments and feedback. Approximately 180 tailored workshops are delivered each year. • A Volunteering Module will continue to be offered to most undergraduate students, encouraging students to gain accreditation for volunteering while at the same time enhancing their employability and experience. We will continue to allocate financial support to low-income students who would otherwise be unable to participate. • Students from under-represented groups will be encouraged to undertake a Common Purpose Frontrunner Course which develops skills and leadership potential. • The University has developed an annual Winchester Research Apprenticeship Programme in which students work alongside academics on a ‘placement’ giving them deeper insight into the ways in which academics conduct research and become involved in activities such as bid preparation, literature search and data collection The Learning and Teaching Development (LTD) unit resolve student experience issues;  Work in partnership with BCUSU to develop a full range of extracurricular activities aimed at enhancing employability and building community through Graduate+;  Encouragement of programme directors and other key programme teams to make better use of timely data on student performance, with early identification of those ‘at risk’;  Adoption of a Careers Team approach that places emphasis on work located in Faculties closer to curriculum delivery and is aligned with Graduate+ work;  Embedding posts of Employment Advisers linked to each Faculty, dedicated to supporting students to achieve graduate-level employment or further study;  Expansion of the Student Union ran an iPilot scheme across seven programmes in 2015/16 and 2016/17University’s student jobs scheme, providing iPads to all first year students. The scheme ensures that students from under-represented backgrounds were not disadvantaged by the cost of accessing a mobile device and could benefit, alongside their peers, from active learning in classes, improved communication, increased digital literacy, and deeper awareness and engagement within the assessment process. We plan to continue running the scheme across the next two years evaluating its impact on the academic success and retention of students from under-represented groups. A Student Fellows research project exploring what impacts students’ sense of belonging at the University of Winchester demonstrated the importance of student engagement activities including membership of sports and societies and the Student Union. We will explore ways that we can fund and support students from under-represented groups to access student union activities, sports clubs and societies. The University pursues an inclusive learning approach and works to integrate and ‘normalise’ disability support with the rest of student life. A ‘Dyslexia Café’ is run twice a term, providing homemade cake and conversation with tutors in a public environment like the student barOpportUNIty, to raise awareness exploit fully the range of dyslexia and other learning differences. A ‘Familiarisation Day’ is provided before the formal start of the academic year to all students employment opportunities on the autistic spectrum, to provide a quiet and supported opportunity to become familiar with the campus and the University environment, benefits of such employment for students;  Ensuring that all students can undertake a work-related experience in each year of study and creation of new opportunities through Graduate+;  Entrepreneurship support to meet other with the same condition. This has resulted in the setting up of a successful facilitated Facebook page be available for students to gain support and information from each other. Families can also attend the Familiarisation Day and are taken on a separate tour. The University also ran an Autism Awareness Week (to coincide with the national awareness week) to raise awareness for all students and staff about the condition of autismfor three years after graduation. This included a stand in the main food hall, an idiom activity board, a Fact Board in the Library and an installation form a well-known artist addressing the experience of autism, pasted on the windows of the learning café. A 2018-19 goal is In addition to further integrate learning resources for students with learning differences, particularly online, getting resources for dyslexic students integrated into the main Academic Skills pages, for example. Two additional Mental Health Adviser posts have been agreed and will be recruited for the 2017-18 academic year, one to work specifically with Faculties and in developing Peer Support amongst students. This reflects our figures which suggest that of those students who declare a disabilitythis, the University has four times is supporting the national average of students declaring mental health difficulties. We are redirecting some of the emphasis into prevention and work with Faculties. The former follows a successful Mental Health Awareness campaign in March 2017Students’ Union project, in which we worked with the Student Union and many local agencies to put on a programme of events including a performance evening and a fair, destigmatising mental health and highlighting access to a range of support. We also recognise that we need a whole- institution approach to mental wellbeing, and in working more closely with faculties aim to increase positive understanding of and response to students with mental health difficulties in their academic life. We will continue to work closely with our Student Union (SU) on equality issues, for example through our Student Listeners schemeBCU Active. This is a peer support service where Sport England/University funded widening participation project which provides students undergo a training programme delivered by Student Services staff. We are working together with the opportunity to take part in sport and physical activity. All the activities provided have coaches, equipment and transport provided for as low a cost as possible to enable better access for hard-to-reach groups. The sessions are all focused around trying new activities and meeting new people in a fun, safe and friendly environment, helping to build support networks outside of the academic environment. The University was successful in being awarded by HEFCE call (circular 04/2015) to pilot and evaluate measures of learning gain. This partnership project is being led by Birmingham City University with partners at Coventry, Liverpool Xxxx Xxxxxx and Staffordshire. This work includes measures around student improvement in knowledge, skills, work readiness and personal development. It will be aligned to measures offered through the UK Engagement Survey. The University has increased its support for students to cope with the ‘hidden costs’ of Higher Education, by providing information on the types of additional costs that students may encounter. This activity complements activity that is being undertaken by the Students’ Union. In 2017-18, it is planned to build on this work by introducing a scheme that provides targeted support towards course materials and other costs which may be a barrier to study. The most recent Student Income & Expenditure Survey indicated that full-time students in 2011-12 spent on average £459 on direct course costs, whilst those studying courses in creative arts and education (two subject areas that are core parts of the University’s portfolio) reported the highest expenditure at an average of £515. The University of East London has shown that there is a correlation between expenditure on course books and degree attainment, as students who achieved a first class degree spent on average £239 on books over the duration of their course, whilst those who achieved a third class degree spent just £146. Enabling students from a financially disadvantaged background to help acquire course books and materials without causing additional financial hardship will therefore support them to reach their full potential. It is however intended to extend the scope of this scheme with options beyond just course materials, by including support for costs which may be acting as barriers to participation for other groups. Possibilities under consideration include childcare and travel vouchers. The Students’ Union on will be a programme fundamental part of ‘Respect’ talks during welcome week decisions about which costs are the greatest barrier to access and progression, and what should be included as part of the induction processscheme. The University has well-established Disability and Mental Health/Counselling teams, encouraging who offer tailored support ranging from 1:1 sessions to a shared attitude Life Skills Summer School for entrants with Autistic Spectrum Disorders. The services the teams offer are regularly evaluated, and have been expanded over recent years where they have been successful. Demand for Counselling services has increased greatly over recent years, with the team receiving 850 referrals in 2014/15, and over 1000 in just the first half of respect 2015/16. The team is considering alternative models of support to the traditional 1:1 and group sessions, to determine how best to respond to this increased level of need. Finally, the University is currently reviewing its undergraduate courses, with all new and revised courses being introduced from September 2017. The underpinning academic strategy means that courses will be more flexible and more accessible for all students (including disabled, mature and staff, and building part-time learners). As part of the sense of Winchester as a community which treats all of its members with respect. Following the development of our first Accessible and Inclusive Learning Policy in 2015review, the institution has funded two full time posts within Student Services as a means in which University also intends to support the University with the transition. Our non-medical help co-ordinator looks at meeting the gap in support for disabled students which has appeared since the removal expand its range of some areas of funding, e.g. for note taking higher apprenticeships and library assistance, and will in time, work to develop broader practical responses to barriers to learning. Our Inclusive Practice and Support Co-ordinator works on a more holistic level to support the development and integration of inclusive practices within our University culture. In the 2016-17 we explored ways of using technology to further enhance inclusivity, developed online resources and materials for staff, and a programme (re)validation inclusivity self-assessment pro-forma. In 2018, our key priority will be addressing individual level engagement and change, for which we will use an evidence based, tailored multi-method approach. This will involve conducting research into student experience, working with known advocates/champions to disseminate effective, inclusive practices and providing opportunities for dialogue. We also offer a ‘Back to Study’ workshop for mature students two weeks before Semester 1. This session helps students to engage with higher education study, address the challenges of referencing and academic writing, and facilitates the early development of a social network amongst mature students. Areas of accommodation are set aside for mature students. There is a room set aside for the use of commuting students, which provides a social space. In addition, the Student Union has introduced a Mature and Part- time Student Officer. We have a significant proportion of under-represented students who live at home rather than in university accommodation. We have introduced a Commuter’s Lounge and continue to explore other ways of supporting. During 2018-19 we will continue to investigate whether it is appropriate and helpful to support them through travel grants or other forms of support with the cost of transport. However in 2018 we will introduce a pot of money to fund applications for support with grants for prospective students from underwork-represented backgrounds to access financial support for travel to attend open days, taster lectures and interviews. Employer Partnerships to work with faculties, employers, external agencies and professional bodies to develop and deliver new degree apprenticeships that provide an alternative route into and through higher education in a range of new professional areas. Degree Apprenticeships have the potential to increase social mobility and improve equality of access to a quality degree, through on-the-job experience and a professional pathway for future development. The University’s Distance and Flexible Learning Group has continued to meet and has set up an Academic Forum to sit alongside it, with specified joint membership, to further pedagogic approaches relating to teaching distance and flexible learners. In 2018-19 the Academic Skills Department is working to pilot a ‘class community’ for distance learners using the recently acquired Canvas technology, which would enable students who are seldom on site to participate in a virtual community to enhance their academic skills and programme experience. In an attempt to redirect some funding from financial support to access, success and retention, we will be exploring a number of new initiatives and areas of research in 2018-19. This includes considering progress based award schemes and the provision of core texts and study resources for first year students. An analysis of retention and degree attainment for different under-represented students at faculty level has indicated that we are currently restricted by the limits of quantitative data across small student populations to identify new areas to pilot widening participation initiatives. To effectively develop sustainable and impactful retention and success initiatives we plan to fund research into differential outcomes at both a faculty and institutional level. As the limit of the data highlights the low student numbers for under-represented student groups, mainly BME and white male students alongside fluctuating rates of access for students from low participation neighbourhoods and lower social classes, we will also undergo additional research to explore the reasons potential students from these groups choose not to go onto to study higher education at the University of Winchester. This will inform how we develop access activities, support packages and the student experience for prospective under-represented studentslearning.

Student Success. Our Widening Participation As previously reported in our Access Agreements, Senate in 2011 adopted recommendations from its working group on retention, progression and Lifelong achievement. More recently these have been augmented and incorporated into a university-wide initiative: „Partners for Success‟ which is being implemented from 2012-13. Partners for Success incorporates a comprehensive Project Plan, divided into four main categories: Target Setting; Admissions and Transition; Student Engagement and Support; Employability and Employment. A Project Board has been formed to oversee the Partners for Success work and a Project Manager appointed to lead work in this area. Progress will be monitored through reports to Senate and as part of annual monitoring at programme, faculty and professional service level. Partners for Success actions include: • evaluation of previous work on transition and induction with development of student-delivered induction material. For example, the Level Up online support initiative, delivered from the point of confirmation in 2012 in the School of Media, will be trialled elsewhere in the University; • expansion of outreach work with key local FE providers; • successful initiatives in Student Academic Mentoring are being expanded across the institution, including exploration of the potential roles for senior students in providing personal tuition for junior students; • enhanced co-ordination of mentoring initiatives through the Centre for Enhancement of Learning Strategy states and Teaching • programme teams being encouraged to develop new approaches which ensure full scope for personalisation of learning • joint work with Birmingham City Students‟ Union (BCSU) seeking xxxxxx roles for students in all aspects of curriculum design and delivery • work in partnership with BCSU to develop a full range of extracurricular activities aimed at enhancing employability • encouragement of programme directors and other key programme teams to make better use of timely data on student performance, with early identification of those „at risk‟; • expansion of the Careers Team and adoption of an approach that places additional emphasis on work located in faculties closer to curriculum delivery; • expansion of our “we seek OpportUNIty” programme to exploit fully the range of employment opportunities on campus and the benefits of such employment for students; • ensure for all students a work-related experience in each year of study; • provide full support for students to ensure that those from groups under-represented in HE they are encouraged able to progress to the University develop and that we meet individual needs to enable them to succeed”. We aim to maintain a high level of student retention and to improve employability for all students, with a particular focus on those from under-represented or disadvantaged groups. Drawing on our Assessment of Progress in section 2.1 above, key areas of focus for 2018-19 are: • Continuous improvement in continuation of young full-time first degree entrants from low participation neighbourhoods • Continuous improvement in continuation of BME students and white working class male students • Improvement in degree outcomes for BME students as compared with white students (narrowing the gap in record their achievement of 1st and 2(i) degrees) employability attributes; • Continuous improvement in employability and progression to further study for all our students from under-represented groups, especially BME and white working class male students We will therefore engage support students in a suite of initiatives which preparation for employment through, for example, CV development and mock interviews; • make available entrepreneurship support these aims, including those outlined below. We will monitor uptake by, and impacts on, students from postcodes with low HE participation rates, disabled students, BME students, male students, care leavers, young adult carers, and mature students. • The University offers a broad academic skills programme. This includes approximately 70 generic workshops and 350 one-to-one appointments each year. Our SkillsNet pages on Canvas and the Intranet provides online support and regularly updated academic skills resources. Academic skills advisers work with programme leaders and course tutors on early intervention methods to encourage greater numbers of failing students to access support, particularly those from under- represented groups. Trained Student Peer Mentors (SMART Buddies) will continue to support students with their academic skills. • In the academic year 2016/17, the university ran Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) schemes on three programmes, with 29 second and third year students facilitating weekly PAL sessions for their first year peers. Results from this have provided a strong rationale for rolling out the scheme to more programmes in 2018/19. We will continue to evaluate the impact on retention and progression, targeting programmes for PAL interventions that have lower retention rates for under-represented groups. • Academic Skills staff liaise regularly with programme leaders and course tutors to arrange tailored academic skills workshops in timetabled sessions, delivered at appropriate times to meet the needs of students’ assignments and feedback. Approximately 180 tailored workshops are delivered each year. • A Volunteering Module will continue to be offered to most undergraduate students, encouraging students to gain accreditation for volunteering while at the same time enhancing their employability and experience. We will continue to allocate financial support to low-income students who would otherwise be unable to participate. • Students from under-represented groups will be encouraged to undertake a Common Purpose Frontrunner Course which develops skills and leadership potential. • The University has developed an annual Winchester Research Apprenticeship Programme in which students work alongside academics on a ‘placement’ giving them deeper insight into the ways in which academics conduct research and become involved in activities such as bid preparation, literature search and data collection The Learning and Teaching Development (LTD) unit in partnership with the Student Union ran an iPilot scheme across seven programmes in 2015/16 and 2016/17, providing iPads to all first year students. The scheme ensures that students from under-represented backgrounds were not disadvantaged by the cost of accessing a mobile device and could benefit, alongside their peers, from active learning in classes, improved communication, increased digital literacy, and deeper awareness and engagement within the assessment process. We plan to continue running the scheme across the next two years evaluating its impact on the academic success and retention of students from under-represented groups. A Student Fellows research project exploring what impacts students’ sense of belonging at the University of Winchester demonstrated the importance of student engagement activities including membership of sports and societies and the Student Union. We will explore ways that we can fund and support students from under-represented groups to access student union activities, sports clubs and societies. The University pursues an inclusive learning approach and works to integrate and ‘normalise’ disability support with the rest of student life. A ‘Dyslexia Café’ is run twice a term, providing homemade cake and conversation with tutors in a public environment like the student bar, to raise awareness of dyslexia and other learning differences. A ‘Familiarisation Day’ is provided before the formal start of the academic year to all students on the autistic spectrum, to provide a quiet and supported opportunity to become familiar with the campus for three years after graduation 3. Monitoring and the University environment, and to meet other with the same condition. This has resulted in the setting up of a successful facilitated Facebook page for students to gain support and information from each other. Families can also attend the Familiarisation Day and are taken on a separate tour. The University also ran an Autism Awareness Week (to coincide with the national awareness week) to raise awareness for students and staff about the condition of autism. This included a stand in the main food hall, an idiom activity board, a Fact Board in the Library and an installation form a well-known artist addressing the experience of autism, pasted on the windows of the learning café. A 2018-19 goal is to further integrate learning resources for students with learning differences, particularly online, getting resources for dyslexic students integrated into the main Academic Skills pages, for example. Two additional Mental Health Adviser posts have been agreed and will be recruited for the 2017-18 academic year, one to work specifically with Faculties and in developing Peer Support amongst students. This reflects our figures which suggest that of those students who declare a disability, the University has four times the national average of students declaring mental health difficulties. We are redirecting some of the emphasis into prevention and work with Faculties. The former follows a successful Mental Health Awareness campaign in March 2017, in which we worked with the Student Union and many local agencies to put on a programme of events including a performance evening and a fair, destigmatising mental health and highlighting access to a range of support. We also recognise that we need a whole- institution approach to mental wellbeing, and in working more closely with faculties aim to increase positive understanding of and response to students with mental health difficulties in their academic life. We will continue to work closely with our Student Union (SU) on equality issues, for example through our Student Listeners scheme. This is a peer support service where students undergo a training programme delivered by Student Services staff. We are working together with the Student Union on a programme of ‘Respect’ talks during welcome week and the induction process, encouraging a shared attitude of respect to and from all students and staff, and building the sense of Winchester as a community which treats all of its members with respect. Following the development of our first Accessible and Inclusive Learning Policy in 2015, the institution has funded two full time posts within Student Services as a means in which to support the University with the transition. Our non-medical help co-ordinator looks at meeting the gap in support for disabled students which has appeared since the removal of some areas of funding, e.g. for note taking and library assistance, and will in time, work to develop broader practical responses to barriers to learning. Our Inclusive Practice and Support Co-ordinator works on a more holistic level to support the development and integration of inclusive practices within our University culture. In the 2016-17 we explored ways of using technology to further enhance inclusivity, developed online resources and materials for staff, and a programme (re)validation inclusivity self-assessment pro-forma. In 2018, our key priority will be addressing individual level engagement and change, for which we will use an evidence based, tailored multi-method approach. This will involve conducting research into student experience, working with known advocates/champions to disseminate effective, inclusive practices and providing opportunities for dialogue. We also offer a ‘Back to Study’ workshop for mature students two weeks before Semester 1. This session helps students to engage with higher education study, address the challenges of referencing and academic writing, and facilitates the early development of a social network amongst mature students. Areas of accommodation are set aside for mature students. There is a room set aside for the use of commuting students, which provides a social space. In addition, the Student Union has introduced a Mature and Part- time Student Officer. We have a significant proportion of under-represented students who live at home rather than in university accommodation. We have introduced a Commuter’s Lounge and continue to explore other ways of supporting. During 2018-19 we will continue to investigate whether it is appropriate and helpful to support them through travel grants or other forms of support with the cost of transport. However in 2018 we will introduce a pot of money to fund applications for support with grants for prospective students from under-represented backgrounds to access financial support for travel to attend open days, taster lectures and interviews. Employer Partnerships to work with faculties, employers, external agencies and professional bodies to develop and deliver new degree apprenticeships that provide an alternative route into and through higher education in a range of new professional areas. Degree Apprenticeships have the potential to increase social mobility and improve equality of access to a quality degree, through on-the-job experience and a professional pathway for future development. The University’s Distance and Flexible Learning Group has continued to meet and has set up an Academic Forum to sit alongside it, with specified joint membership, to further pedagogic approaches relating to teaching distance and flexible learners. In 2018-19 the Academic Skills Department is working to pilot a ‘class community’ for distance learners using the recently acquired Canvas technology, which would enable students who are seldom on site to participate in a virtual community to enhance their academic skills and programme experience. In an attempt to redirect some funding from financial support to access, success and retention, we will be exploring a number of new initiatives and areas of research in 2018-19. This includes considering progress based award schemes and the provision of core texts and study resources for first year students. An analysis of retention and degree attainment for different under-represented students at faculty level has indicated that we are currently restricted by the limits of quantitative data across small student populations to identify new areas to pilot widening participation initiatives. To effectively develop sustainable and impactful retention and success initiatives we plan to fund research into differential outcomes at both a faculty and institutional level. As the limit of the data highlights the low student numbers for under-represented student groups, mainly BME and white male students alongside fluctuating rates of access for students from low participation neighbourhoods and lower social classes, we will also undergo additional research to explore the reasons potential students from these groups choose not to go onto to study higher education at the University of Winchester. This will inform how we develop access activities, support packages and the student experience for prospective under-represented students.evaluation

Student Success. Our Widening As reported in the Access Agreements for 2014-15 and 2015-16, the University is delivering a wide ranging initiative entitled ‘Partners for Success’. This incorporates a comprehensive Project Plan, divided into four main categories: Target Setting; Admissions and Transition; Student Engagement and Support; and Employability and Employment. A Project Board has been formed to oversee the Partners for Success work and a Project Manager appointed to lead work in this area. Progress is monitored through reports to Academic Board and as part of annual monitoring at programme, faculty and central service level. Partners for Success actions include:  Extension of previous work on induction, transition and first year experience is now being designed and delivered. This includes:  Participation by programmes across six Schools in the second phase of the national ‘What Works’ Student Retention and Lifelong Learning Strategy states “we seek Success initiative. This initiative sets out to develop and evaluate interventions aimed at enhancing a sense of belonging in participating students;  Extension of the Level Up online support initiative, delivered from the point of confirmation in 2012 in the School of Media across many Schools and programmes;  Appointment of Student Success Advisors in all Faculties. These roles, piloted in one Faculty from 2013, are undertaken on a full-time basis by recent graduates and serve to provide a wide range of informal support and bridging between students and staff;  Full support for students to ensure that those from groups underthey are able to develop and record achievement of employability attributes. This work will be delivered as part of a University wide development, across all years, of an Employability Framework. This will include support for CV development and mock interviews, individual portfolio construction, and a wider range of employer-represented in HE are encouraged driven work experience;  A new integrated approach to progress Welcome Week delivering stronger induction to the wider University;  Expansion of outreach work with key local FE providers;  Successful initiatives in Student Academic Mentoring (40 projects funded in 2014-15) are being expanded across the institution, including exploration of the potential roles for senior students in providing personal tuition for junior students;  Enhanced co-ordination of mentoring initiatives through the Centre for Enhancement of Learning and Teaching;  Enhancement of the personal tutor role with developmental support for staff provided from the Centre for Enhancement of Learning and Teaching;  Joint work with Birmingham City University Students’ Union (BCUSU) seeking xxxxxx roles for students in all aspects of curriculum design and delivery;  Work in partnership with BCUSU to develop a full range of extracurricular activities aimed at enhancing employability;  Encouragement of programme directors and other key programme teams to make better use of timely data on student performance, with early identification of those ‘at risk’;  Adoption of a Careers Team approach that we meet individual needs places emphasis on work located in faculties closer to curriculum delivery;  Additional posts of Employment Adviser linked to each Faculty, dedicated to supporting students to achieve graduate-level employment or further study;  Expansion of the University’s student jobs scheme, OpportUNIty, to exploit fully the range of employment opportunities on campus and the benefits of such employment for students;  Ensure for all students a work-related experience in each year of study;  Entrepreneurship support to be available for all students and for three years after graduation. The University is also planning to implement activity to reduce the ‘hidden costs’ of Higher Education, by providing targeted support to enable them students to succeed”access course materials and books. We aim to maintain a high level of student retention and to improve employability for all students, with a particular focus on those from under-represented or disadvantaged groups. Drawing on our Assessment of Progress in section 2.1 above, key areas of focus for 2018-19 are: • Continuous improvement in continuation of young The most recent Student Income & Expenditure Survey indicated that full-time first degree entrants from low participation neighbourhoods • Continuous improvement in continuation of BME students and white working class male students • Improvement in degree outcomes for BME students as compared with white students (narrowing the gap in achievement of 1st and 2(i) degrees) • Continuous improvement in employability and progression to further study for all our students from under-represented groups, especially BME and white working class male students We will therefore engage students in a suite 2011-12 spent on average £459 on direct course costs, whilst those studying courses in creative arts and education reported the highest expenditure (an average of initiatives which support these aims, including those outlined below. We will monitor uptake by, and impacts on, students from postcodes with low HE participation rates, disabled students, BME students, male students, care leavers, young adult carers, and mature students. • The University offers a broad academic skills programme. This includes approximately 70 generic workshops and 350 one-to-one appointments each year. Our SkillsNet pages on Canvas and the Intranet provides online support and regularly updated academic skills resources. Academic skills advisers work with programme leaders and course tutors on early intervention methods to encourage greater numbers of failing students to access support, particularly those from under- represented groups. Trained Student Peer Mentors (SMART Buddies) will continue to support students with their academic skills. • In the academic year 2016/17, the university ran Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) schemes on three programmes, with 29 second and third year students facilitating weekly PAL sessions for their first year peers. Results from this have provided a strong rationale for rolling out the scheme to more programmes in 2018/19. We will continue to evaluate the impact on retention and progression, targeting programmes for PAL interventions that have lower retention rates for under-represented groups. • Academic Skills staff liaise regularly with programme leaders and course tutors to arrange tailored academic skills workshops in timetabled sessions, delivered at appropriate times to meet the needs of students’ assignments and feedback. Approximately 180 tailored workshops are delivered each year. • A Volunteering Module will continue to be offered to most undergraduate students, encouraging students to gain accreditation for volunteering while at the same time enhancing their employability and experience. We will continue to allocate financial support to low-income students who would otherwise be unable to participate. • Students from under-represented groups will be encouraged to undertake a Common Purpose Frontrunner Course which develops skills and leadership potential. • The University has developed an annual Winchester Research Apprenticeship Programme in which students work alongside academics on a ‘placement’ giving them deeper insight into the ways in which academics conduct research and become involved in activities such as bid preparation, literature search and data collection The Learning and Teaching Development (LTD) unit in partnership with the Student Union ran an iPilot scheme across seven programmes in 2015/16 and 2016/17, providing iPads to all first year students. The scheme ensures that students from under-represented backgrounds were not disadvantaged by the cost of accessing a mobile device and could benefit, alongside their peers, from active learning in classes, improved communication, increased digital literacy, and deeper awareness and engagement within the assessment process. We plan to continue running the scheme across the next two years evaluating its impact on the academic success and retention of students from under-represented groups. A Student Fellows research project exploring what impacts students’ sense of belonging at the University of Winchester demonstrated the importance of student engagement activities including membership of sports and societies and the Student Union. We will explore ways that we can fund and support students from under-represented groups to access student union activities, sports clubs and societies£515). The University pursues an inclusive learning approach of East London has shown that there is a correlation between expenditure on course books and works to integrate and ‘normalise’ disability support with the rest of student life. A ‘Dyslexia Café’ is run twice a termdegree attainment, providing homemade cake and conversation with tutors in a public environment like the student bar, to raise awareness of dyslexia and other learning differences. A ‘Familiarisation Day’ is provided before the formal start of the academic year to all students on the autistic spectrum, to provide a quiet and supported opportunity to become familiar with the campus and the University environment, and to meet other with the same condition. This has resulted in the setting up of a successful facilitated Facebook page for students to gain support and information from each other. Families can also attend the Familiarisation Day and are taken on a separate tour. The University also ran an Autism Awareness Week (to coincide with the national awareness week) to raise awareness for students and staff about the condition of autism. This included a stand in the main food hall, an idiom activity board, a Fact Board in the Library and an installation form a well-known artist addressing the experience of autism, pasted on the windows of the learning café. A 2018-19 goal is to further integrate learning resources for students with learning differences, particularly online, getting resources for dyslexic students integrated into the main Academic Skills pages, for example. Two additional Mental Health Adviser posts have been agreed and will be recruited for the 2017-18 academic year, one to work specifically with Faculties and in developing Peer Support amongst students. This reflects our figures which suggest that of those as students who declare achieved a disabilityfirst class degree spent on average £239 on books over the duration of their course, whilst those who achieved a third class degree spent just £146. Enabling students from a widening participation background to acquire course books and materials without causing additional financial hardship will therefore allow them to reach their full potential. Scoping work is currently underway to investigate how best to undertake this activity. In addition to this, the University has four times is supporting the national average of students declaring mental health difficulties. We are redirecting some of the emphasis into prevention and work with Faculties. The former follows a successful Mental Health Awareness campaign in March 2017Students’ Union project, in which we worked with the Student Union and many local agencies to put on a programme of events including a performance evening and a fair, destigmatising mental health and highlighting access to a range of support. We also recognise that we need a whole- institution approach to mental wellbeing, and in working more closely with faculties aim to increase positive understanding of and response to students with mental health difficulties in their academic life. We will continue to work closely with our Student Union (SU) on equality issues, for example through our Student Listeners schemeBCU Active. This is a peer support service where Sport England/University funded widening participation project which provides students undergo a training programme delivered by Student Services staff. We are working together with the Student Union on opportunity to take part in sport and physical activity. All the activities provided have coaches, equipment and transport provided for as low cost as possible to enable better access for hard-to-reach groups. The sessions are all focused around trying new activities and meeting new people in a programme fun, safe and friendly environment, helping to build support networks outside of the academic environment. The University will also be submitting an expression of interest, in response to the HEFCE call (circular 04/2015) to pilot and evaluate measures of learning gain. This expression will most likely be collaborative in nature as we seek to work with and learn from colleagues at similar institutions to consider the ‘Respectdistance travelled’ talks by our students during welcome week and the induction process, encouraging a shared attitude of respect to and from all students and staff, and building the sense of Winchester as a community which treats all of its members with respect. Following the development of our first Accessible and Inclusive Learning Policy in 2015, the institution has funded two full time posts within Student Services as a means in which to support the University with the transition. Our non-medical help co-ordinator looks at meeting the gap in support for disabled students which has appeared since the removal of some areas of funding, e.g. for note taking and library assistance, and will in time, work to develop broader practical responses to barriers to learning. Our Inclusive Practice and Support Co-ordinator works on a more holistic level to support the development and integration of inclusive practices within our University culture. In the 2016-17 we explored ways of using technology to further enhance inclusivity, developed online resources and materials for staff, and a programme (re)validation inclusivity self-assessment pro-forma. In 2018, our key priority will be addressing individual level engagement and change, for which we will use an evidence based, tailored multi-method approachtheir studies. This will involve conducting research into include measures around student experienceimprovement in knowledge, working with known advocates/champions to disseminate effectiveskills, inclusive practices work readiness and providing opportunities for dialogue. We also offer a ‘Back to Study’ workshop for mature students two weeks before Semester 1. This session helps students to engage with higher education study, address the challenges of referencing and academic writing, and facilitates the early development of a social network amongst mature students. Areas of accommodation are set aside for mature students. There is a room set aside for the use of commuting students, which provides a social space. In addition, the Student Union has introduced a Mature and Part- time Student Officer. We have a significant proportion of under-represented students who live at home rather than in university accommodation. We have introduced a Commuter’s Lounge and continue to explore other ways of supporting. During 2018-19 we will continue to investigate whether it is appropriate and helpful to support them through travel grants or other forms of support with the cost of transport. However in 2018 we will introduce a pot of money to fund applications for support with grants for prospective students from under-represented backgrounds to access financial support for travel to attend open days, taster lectures and interviews. Employer Partnerships to work with faculties, employers, external agencies and professional bodies to develop and deliver new degree apprenticeships that provide an alternative route into and through higher education in a range of new professional areas. Degree Apprenticeships have the potential to increase social mobility and improve equality of access to a quality degree, through on-the-job experience and a professional pathway for future personal development. The University’s Distance and Flexible Learning Group has continued to meet and has set up an Academic Forum to sit alongside it, with specified joint membership, to further pedagogic approaches relating to teaching distance and flexible learners. In 2018-19 the Academic Skills Department is working to pilot a ‘class community’ for distance learners using the recently acquired Canvas technology, which would enable students who are seldom on site to participate in a virtual community to enhance their academic skills and programme experience. In an attempt to redirect some funding from financial support to access, success and retention, we will be exploring a number of new initiatives and areas of research in 2018-19. This includes considering progress based award schemes and the provision of core texts and study resources for first year students. An analysis of retention and degree attainment for different under-represented students at faculty level has indicated that we are currently restricted by the limits of quantitative data across small student populations to identify new areas to pilot widening participation initiatives. To effectively develop sustainable and impactful retention and success initiatives we plan to fund research into differential outcomes at both a faculty and institutional level. As the limit of the data highlights the low student numbers for under-represented student groups, mainly BME and white male students alongside fluctuating rates of access for students from low participation neighbourhoods and lower social classes, we will also undergo additional research to explore the reasons potential students from these groups choose not to go onto to study higher education at the University of Winchester. This will inform how we develop access activities, support packages and the student experience for prospective under-represented students.

Student Success. Our Widening Participation The University continues to undertake a wide range of activity to support student success. This involves, among other activities:  An evolving approach to work on induction, transition and Lifelong Learning Strategy states “first year experience that is informed by previous participation in the HEA‟s national „What Works‟ Student Retention and Success initiative, including through implementation of a „What Works‟ retention project. „What Works‟ set out to develop and evaluate interventions aimed at enhancing a sense of belonging in participating students, and the University‟s work has received national recognition and is often featured by the HEA as an exemplar of best practice.  Continued development of the Level Up online pre-transition initiative, delivered from the point of student confirmation of place into their first few months at university. This has now been adopted by an increasing number of Schools and programmes across the University;  Appointment of Student Success Advisors in all Faculties. These roles, initially piloted in one Faculty from 2013, are undertaken on a full-time basis by recent graduates and serve to provide a wide range of informal support and bridging between students and staff. The role and numbers of graduates appointed has been rising with some Schools now recruiting their own. There are presently thirteen across the University;  The Graduate+ initiative that seeks to align student personal development, employability and belonging. Through initial participation in activities such as Welcome Week, we seek to ensure make sure that those from groups understudents make connections with staff and students across the university. Once connected, we then start to explore their sense of purpose and how we can help them develop the resources to achieve that. In the first year of operation over 5000 students registered for this extra-represented curricular award and we aim to double that number in HE the next few years. Early evaluative data suggests that a significantly higher proportion of BME students (51.3% vs 45%) are encouraged accessing the award programme and we need to progress better understand why that is happening.  An integrated approach to Welcome Week delivering stronger induction to the wider University and alignment with Graduate+ initiative;  Successful initiatives in Student Academic Mentoring (40 projects funded in 2016-17) are being embedded across the institution, including exploration of the potential roles for senior students in providing personal tuition for junior students;  Joint work with Birmingham City University Students‟ Union (BCUSU) seeking xxxxxx roles for students in all aspects of curriculum design and delivery including through the Student Academic Partners programme, where students and staff work together to identify and resolve student experience issues;  Encouragement of programme directors and other key programme teams to make better use of timely data on student performance, with early identification of those „at risk‟. The University was successful in being awarded by HEFCE call (circular 04/2015) to pilot and evaluate measures of learning gain. This partnership project is being led by Birmingham City University with partners at Coventry, Liverpool Xxxx Xxxxxx and Staffordshire. This work includes measures around student improvement in knowledge, skills, work readiness and personal development. It will be aligned to measures offered through the UK Engagement Survey. Additionally, the University has been successful in attracting HEFCE Catalyst B funding as part of a regional university/FE colleges partnership (DRIVER). This initiative looks at a West Midland‟s approach to the BME attainment issue and how universities and colleges might learn from each other and share data to address BME attainment gap issues. The University has increased its support for students to cope with the „hidden costs‟ of Higher Education, by providing information on the types of additional costs that students may encounter. This activity complements activity that is being undertaken by the Students‟ Union. A Student Incentives Scheme, aimed at providing targeted support towards course materials and other costs which may be a barrier to study, is being introduced (subject to successful procurement) in 2017/18, and this will be continued into 2018/19. The Students‟ Union will be a fundamental part of decisions about which costs are the greatest barrier to access and progression, and what should be included as part of the scheme. The University has well-established Disability and Mental Health/Counselling teams, who offer tailored support ranging from 1:1 sessions to a Life Skills Summer School for entrants with Autistic Spectrum Disorders. Furthermore, it has provided funding for the Students‟ Union to employ a Mental Health Awareness Coordinator to raise awareness of the internal and external services available for students. The services offered are regularly evaluated, and have been expanded over recent years where they have been successful. Demand for Counselling services continues to increase, with 1,138 referrals in 2015/16 and a current caseload of 1,614 students (including, but not exclusively, many students with mental health disabilities). The team deliver support using various models: from the traditional 1:1 and group sessions covering issues from anxiety management, relationships, and mindfulness, through to sessions delivered by external agencies (such as Forward Thinking Birmingham) in relation to CBT. The University acknowledges that students with a Specific Learning Difficulty (whether formally diagnosed or not) may find the transition to higher education challenging and therefore piloted a day of events and activities in September 2016 for new students to introduce the key skills required for study at HE level. A similar event, reaching even more new students will be run in 2017 and continued thereafter if shown to be effective. The University wishes to support a range of students‟ learning differences, whether declared or not. In 2016/17 we meet individual needs will deploy two key assistive software packages on all open access machines, across all campuses. University staff are receiving training so that they can encourage students to enable them utilise these facilities. Finally, the University has recently completed a review of all of its undergraduate courses, with new and revised courses being introduced from September 2017. The underpinning academic strategy means that courses will be more flexible and more accessible for all students (including disabled, mature and part-time learners). The University also intends to succeed”. We aim expand its range of higher apprenticeships and other forms of work-based learning in order to maintain a high level of student retention and to improve employability facilitate access for all students, with a particular focus on including those who are known to be less likely to enter more traditional forms of higher education, such as those from underwhite socio-represented or economically disadvantaged groups. Drawing on our Assessment of Progress in section 2.1 above, key areas of focus for 2018-19 are: • Continuous improvement in continuation of young full-time first degree entrants from low participation neighbourhoods • Continuous improvement in continuation of BME students and white working class male students • Improvement in degree outcomes for BME students as compared with white students (narrowing the gap in achievement of 1st and 2(i) degrees) • Continuous improvement in employability and progression to further study for all our students from under-represented groups, especially BME and white working class male students We will therefore engage students in a suite of initiatives which support these aims, including those outlined below. We will monitor uptake by, and impacts on, students from postcodes with low HE participation rates, disabled students, BME students, male students, care leavers, young adult carers, and mature students. • The University offers a broad academic skills programme. This includes approximately 70 generic workshops and 350 one-to-one appointments each year. Our SkillsNet pages on Canvas and the Intranet provides online support and regularly updated academic skills resources. Academic skills advisers work with programme leaders and course tutors on early intervention methods to encourage greater numbers of failing students to access support, particularly those from under- represented groups. Trained Student Peer Mentors (SMART Buddies) will continue to support students with their academic skills. • In the academic year 2016/17, the university ran Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) schemes on three programmes, with 29 second and third year students facilitating weekly PAL sessions for their first year peers. Results from this have provided a strong rationale for rolling out the scheme to more programmes in 2018/19. We will continue to evaluate the impact on retention and progression, targeting programmes for PAL interventions that have lower retention rates for under-represented groups. • Academic Skills staff liaise regularly with programme leaders and course tutors to arrange tailored academic skills workshops in timetabled sessions, delivered at appropriate times to meet the needs of students’ assignments and feedback. Approximately 180 tailored workshops are delivered each year. • A Volunteering Module will continue to be offered to most undergraduate students, encouraging students to gain accreditation for volunteering while at the same time enhancing their employability and experience. We will continue to allocate financial support to low-income students who would otherwise be unable to participate. • Students from under-represented groups will be encouraged to undertake a Common Purpose Frontrunner Course which develops skills and leadership potential. • The University has developed an annual Winchester Research Apprenticeship Programme in which students work alongside academics on a ‘placement’ giving them deeper insight into the ways in which academics conduct research and become involved in activities such as bid preparation, literature search and data collection The Learning and Teaching Development (LTD) unit in partnership with the Student Union ran an iPilot scheme across seven programmes in 2015/16 and 2016/17, providing iPads to all first year students. The scheme ensures that students from under-represented backgrounds were not disadvantaged by the cost of accessing a mobile device and could benefit, alongside their peers, from active learning in classes, improved communication, increased digital literacy, and deeper awareness and engagement within the assessment process. We plan to continue running the scheme across the next two years evaluating its impact on the academic success and retention of students from under-represented groups. A Student Fellows research project exploring what impacts students’ sense of belonging at the University of Winchester demonstrated the importance of student engagement activities including membership of sports and societies and the Student Union. We will explore ways that we can fund and support students from under-represented groups to access student union activities, sports clubs and societies. The University pursues an inclusive learning approach and works to integrate and ‘normalise’ disability support with the rest of student life. A ‘Dyslexia Café’ is run twice a term, providing homemade cake and conversation with tutors in a public environment like the student bar, to raise awareness of dyslexia and other learning differences. A ‘Familiarisation Day’ is provided before the formal start of the academic year to all students on the autistic spectrum, to provide a quiet and supported opportunity to become familiar with the campus and the University environment, and to meet other with the same condition. This has resulted in the setting up of a successful facilitated Facebook page for students to gain support and information from each other. Families can also attend the Familiarisation Day and are taken on a separate tour. The University also ran an Autism Awareness Week (to coincide with the national awareness week) to raise awareness for students and staff about the condition of autism. This included a stand in the main food hall, an idiom activity board, a Fact Board in the Library and an installation form a well-known artist addressing the experience of autism, pasted on the windows of the learning café. A 2018-19 goal is to further integrate learning resources for students with learning differences, particularly online, getting resources for dyslexic students integrated into the main Academic Skills pages, for example. Two additional Mental Health Adviser posts have been agreed and will be recruited for the 2017-18 academic year, one to work specifically with Faculties and in developing Peer Support amongst students. This reflects our figures which suggest that of those students who declare a disability, the University has four times the national average of students declaring mental health difficulties. We are redirecting some of the emphasis into prevention and work with Faculties. The former follows a successful Mental Health Awareness campaign in March 2017, in which we worked with the Student Union and many local agencies to put on a programme of events including a performance evening and a fair, destigmatising mental health and highlighting access to a range of support. We also recognise that we need a whole- institution approach to mental wellbeing, and in working more closely with faculties aim to increase positive understanding of and response to students with mental health difficulties in their academic life. We will continue to work closely with our Student Union (SU) on equality issues, for example through our Student Listeners scheme. This is a peer support service where students undergo a training programme delivered by Student Services staff. We are working together with the Student Union on a programme of ‘Respect’ talks during welcome week and the induction process, encouraging a shared attitude of respect to and from all students and staff, and building the sense of Winchester as a community which treats all of its members with respect. Following the development of our first Accessible and Inclusive Learning Policy in 2015, the institution has funded two full time posts within Student Services as a means in which to support the University with the transition. Our non-medical help co-ordinator looks at meeting the gap in support for disabled students which has appeared since the removal of some areas of funding, e.g. for note taking and library assistance, and will in time, work to develop broader practical responses to barriers to learning. Our Inclusive Practice and Support Co-ordinator works on a more holistic level to support the development and integration of inclusive practices within our University culture. In the 2016-17 we explored ways of using technology to further enhance inclusivity, developed online resources and materials for staff, and a programme (re)validation inclusivity self-assessment pro-forma. In 2018, our key priority will be addressing individual level engagement and change, for which we will use an evidence based, tailored multi-method approach. This will involve conducting research into student experience, working with known advocates/champions to disseminate effective, inclusive practices and providing opportunities for dialogue. We also offer a ‘Back to Study’ workshop for mature students two weeks before Semester 1. This session helps students to engage with higher education study, address the challenges of referencing and academic writing, and facilitates the early development of a social network amongst mature students. Areas of accommodation are set aside for mature students. There is a room set aside for the use of commuting students, which provides a social space. In addition, the Student Union has introduced a Mature and Part- time Student Officer. We have a significant proportion of under-represented students who live at home rather than in university accommodation. We have introduced a Commuter’s Lounge and continue to explore other ways of supporting. During 2018-19 we will continue to investigate whether it is appropriate and helpful to support them through travel grants or other forms of support with the cost of transport. However in 2018 we will introduce a pot of money to fund applications for support with grants for prospective students from under-represented backgrounds to access financial support for travel to attend open days, taster lectures and interviews. Employer Partnerships to work with faculties, employers, external agencies and professional bodies to develop and deliver new degree apprenticeships that provide an alternative route into and through higher education in a range of new professional areas. Degree Apprenticeships have the potential to increase social mobility and improve equality of access to a quality degree, through on-the-job experience and a professional pathway for future development. The University’s Distance and Flexible Learning Group has continued to meet and has set up an Academic Forum to sit alongside it, with specified joint membership, to further pedagogic approaches relating to teaching distance and flexible learners. In 2018-19 the Academic Skills Department is working to pilot a ‘class community’ for distance learners using the recently acquired Canvas technology, which would enable students who are seldom on site to participate in a virtual community to enhance their academic skills and programme experience. In an attempt to redirect some funding from financial support to access, success and retention, we will be exploring a number of new initiatives and areas of research in 2018-19. This includes considering progress based award schemes and the provision of core texts and study resources for first year students. An analysis of retention and degree attainment for different under-represented students at faculty level has indicated that we are currently restricted by the limits of quantitative data across small student populations to identify new areas to pilot widening participation initiatives. To effectively develop sustainable and impactful retention and success initiatives we plan to fund research into differential outcomes at both a faculty and institutional level. As the limit of the data highlights the low student numbers for under-represented student groups, mainly BME and white male students alongside fluctuating rates of access for students from low participation neighbourhoods and lower social classes, we will also undergo additional research to explore the reasons potential students from these groups choose not to go onto to study higher education at the University of Winchester. This will inform how we develop access activities, support packages and the student experience for prospective under-represented studentsbackgrounds.

Student Success. Our Widening Participation As previously reported in our Access Agreements, the University is undertaking an ambitious university-wide initiative: ‘Partners for Success’. This was launched in 2012-13 and Lifelong Learning Strategy states “we seek has been further expanded in 2013-14. Partners for Success incorporates a comprehensive Project Plan, divided into four main categories: Target Setting; Admissions and Transition; Student Engagement and Support; Employability and Employment. A Project Board has been formed to ensure that those oversee the Partners for Success work and a Project Manager appointed to lead work in this area. Members of the Project Board, including Students’ Union officers, meet with senior management teams within faculties and professional service areas to discuss progress and share good practice. Progress is also formally monitored through reports to Senate and as part of annual monitoring at programme, faculty and professional service level. Partners for Success actions include:  evaluation of previous work on transition and induction with development of student-delivered induction material. For example, the Level Up online support initiative, piloted from groups under-represented the point of confirmation in HE are encouraged 2012 in the School of Media, has been extended to progress other areas of the University;  the University is working closely with Birmingham City University Students’ Union (BCUSU) to improve and expand on its offer during ‘Welcome Week’ in order to engender a greater sense of belonging to the University and contribute to improved retention;  expansion of outreach work with key local FE providers;  successful initiatives in Student Academic Mentoring are being expanded across the institution, including exploration of the potential roles for senior students in providing personal tuition for junior students;  expansion of the work of ‘Student Success Advisers’ already being piloted in some faculties;  enhanced co-ordination of mentoring initiatives through the Centre for Enhancement of Learning and Teaching  programme teams being encouraged to develop new approaches which ensure full scope for personalisation of learning  joint work with BCUSU seeking xxxxxx roles for students in all aspects of curriculum design and delivery  work in partnership with BCUSU to develop a full range of extracurricular activities aimed at enhancing employability  encouragement of programme directors and other key programme teams to make better use of timely data on student performance, with early identification of those ‘at risk’;  expansion of the Careers Team and adoption of an approach that we meet individual needs places additional emphasis on work located in faculties closer to enable them curriculum delivery;  strategic review of employability, employment and enterprise throughout the university;  expansion of our “OpportUNIty” programme to succeed”. We aim to maintain a high level exploit fully the range of student retention employment opportunities on campus and to improve employability the benefits of such employment for students;  ensure for all students, with students a particular focus on those from underwork-represented or disadvantaged groups. Drawing on our Assessment related experience in each year of Progress in section 2.1 above, key areas of focus study;  provide full support for 2018-19 are: • Continuous improvement in continuation of young full-time first degree entrants from low participation neighbourhoods • Continuous improvement in continuation of BME students to ensure that they are able to develop and white working class male students • Improvement in degree outcomes for BME students as compared with white students (narrowing the gap in record their achievement of 1st and 2(i) degrees) • Continuous improvement in employability and progression to further study for all our students from under-represented groups, especially BME and white working class male students We will therefore engage attributes;  support students in a suite preparation for employment through, for example, CV development and mock interviews;  expansion of initiatives which support these aims, including those outlined below. We will monitor uptake by, and impacts on, students from postcodes with low HE participation rates, disabled students, BME students, male students, care leavers, young adult carers, and mature students. • The University offers a broad academic skills programme. This includes approximately 70 generic workshops and 350 one-to-one appointments each year. Our SkillsNet pages on Canvas and the Intranet provides online support and regularly updated academic skills resources. Academic skills advisers work with programme leaders and course tutors on early intervention methods to encourage greater numbers of failing students to access support, particularly those from under- represented groups. Trained Student Peer Mentors (SMART Buddies) will continue activities to support students with their academic skills. • In the academic year 2016/17, the university ran Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) schemes on three programmes, with 29 second and third year students facilitating weekly PAL sessions for their first year peers. Results from this have provided a strong rationale for rolling out the scheme to more programmes in 2018/19. We will continue to evaluate the impact on retention and progression, targeting programmes for PAL interventions that have lower retention rates for under-represented groups. • Academic Skills staff liaise regularly with programme leaders and course tutors to arrange tailored academic skills workshops in timetabled sessions, delivered at appropriate times to meet the needs of students’ assignments and feedback. Approximately 180 tailored workshops are delivered each year. • A Volunteering Module will continue to be offered to most undergraduate students, encouraging students to gain accreditation for volunteering while at the same time enhancing their employability and experience. We will continue to allocate financial into graduate employment  make available entrepreneurship support to low-income students who would otherwise be unable to participate. • Students from under-represented groups will be encouraged to undertake a Common Purpose Frontrunner Course which develops skills and leadership potential. • The University has developed an annual Winchester Research Apprenticeship Programme in which students work alongside academics on a ‘placement’ giving them deeper insight into the ways in which academics conduct research and become involved in activities such as bid preparation, literature search and data collection The Learning and Teaching Development (LTD) unit in partnership with the Student Union ran an iPilot scheme across seven programmes in 2015/16 and 2016/17, providing iPads to all first year students. The scheme ensures that students from under-represented backgrounds were not disadvantaged by the cost of accessing a mobile device and could benefit, alongside their peers, from active learning in classes, improved communication, increased digital literacy, and deeper awareness and engagement within the assessment process. We plan to continue running the scheme across the next two years evaluating its impact on the academic success and retention of students from under-represented groups. A Student Fellows research project exploring what impacts students’ sense of belonging at the University of Winchester demonstrated the importance of student engagement activities including membership of sports and societies and the Student Union. We will explore ways that we can fund and support students from under-represented groups to access student union activities, sports clubs and societies. The University pursues an inclusive learning approach and works to integrate and ‘normalise’ disability support with the rest of student life. A ‘Dyslexia Café’ is run twice a term, providing homemade cake and conversation with tutors in a public environment like the student bar, to raise awareness of dyslexia and other learning differences. A ‘Familiarisation Day’ is provided before the formal start of the academic year to all students on the autistic spectrum, to provide a quiet and supported opportunity to become familiar with the campus for three years after graduation 3. Monitoring and the University environment, and to meet other with the same condition. This has resulted in the setting up of a successful facilitated Facebook page for students to gain support and information from each other. Families can also attend the Familiarisation Day and are taken on a separate tour. The University also ran an Autism Awareness Week (to coincide with the national awareness week) to raise awareness for students and staff about the condition of autism. This included a stand in the main food hall, an idiom activity board, a Fact Board in the Library and an installation form a well-known artist addressing the experience of autism, pasted on the windows of the learning café. A 2018-19 goal is to further integrate learning resources for students with learning differences, particularly online, getting resources for dyslexic students integrated into the main Academic Skills pages, for example. Two additional Mental Health Adviser posts have been agreed and will be recruited for the 2017-18 academic year, one to work specifically with Faculties and in developing Peer Support amongst students. This reflects our figures which suggest that of those students who declare a disability, the University has four times the national average of students declaring mental health difficulties. We are redirecting some of the emphasis into prevention and work with Faculties. The former follows a successful Mental Health Awareness campaign in March 2017, in which we worked with the Student Union and many local agencies to put on a programme of events including a performance evening and a fair, destigmatising mental health and highlighting access to a range of support. We also recognise that we need a whole- institution approach to mental wellbeing, and in working more closely with faculties aim to increase positive understanding of and response to students with mental health difficulties in their academic life. We will continue to work closely with our Student Union (SU) on equality issues, for example through our Student Listeners scheme. This is a peer support service where students undergo a training programme delivered by Student Services staff. We are working together with the Student Union on a programme of ‘Respect’ talks during welcome week and the induction process, encouraging a shared attitude of respect to and from all students and staff, and building the sense of Winchester as a community which treats all of its members with respect. Following the development of our first Accessible and Inclusive Learning Policy in 2015, the institution has funded two full time posts within Student Services as a means in which to support the University with the transition. Our non-medical help co-ordinator looks at meeting the gap in support for disabled students which has appeared since the removal of some areas of funding, e.g. for note taking and library assistance, and will in time, work to develop broader practical responses to barriers to learning. Our Inclusive Practice and Support Co-ordinator works on a more holistic level to support the development and integration of inclusive practices within our University culture. In the 2016-17 we explored ways of using technology to further enhance inclusivity, developed online resources and materials for staff, and a programme (re)validation inclusivity self-assessment pro-forma. In 2018, our key priority will be addressing individual level engagement and change, for which we will use an evidence based, tailored multi-method approach. This will involve conducting research into student experience, working with known advocates/champions to disseminate effective, inclusive practices and providing opportunities for dialogue. We also offer a ‘Back to Study’ workshop for mature students two weeks before Semester 1. This session helps students to engage with higher education study, address the challenges of referencing and academic writing, and facilitates the early development of a social network amongst mature students. Areas of accommodation are set aside for mature students. There is a room set aside for the use of commuting students, which provides a social space. In addition, the Student Union has introduced a Mature and Part- time Student Officer. We have a significant proportion of under-represented students who live at home rather than in university accommodation. We have introduced a Commuter’s Lounge and continue to explore other ways of supporting. During 2018-19 we will continue to investigate whether it is appropriate and helpful to support them through travel grants or other forms of support with the cost of transport. However in 2018 we will introduce a pot of money to fund applications for support with grants for prospective students from under-represented backgrounds to access financial support for travel to attend open days, taster lectures and interviews. Employer Partnerships to work with faculties, employers, external agencies and professional bodies to develop and deliver new degree apprenticeships that provide an alternative route into and through higher education in a range of new professional areas. Degree Apprenticeships have the potential to increase social mobility and improve equality of access to a quality degree, through on-the-job experience and a professional pathway for future development. The University’s Distance and Flexible Learning Group has continued to meet and has set up an Academic Forum to sit alongside it, with specified joint membership, to further pedagogic approaches relating to teaching distance and flexible learners. In 2018-19 the Academic Skills Department is working to pilot a ‘class community’ for distance learners using the recently acquired Canvas technology, which would enable students who are seldom on site to participate in a virtual community to enhance their academic skills and programme experience. In an attempt to redirect some funding from financial support to access, success and retention, we will be exploring a number of new initiatives and areas of research in 2018-19. This includes considering progress based award schemes and the provision of core texts and study resources for first year students. An analysis of retention and degree attainment for different under-represented students at faculty level has indicated that we are currently restricted by the limits of quantitative data across small student populations to identify new areas to pilot widening participation initiatives. To effectively develop sustainable and impactful retention and success initiatives we plan to fund research into differential outcomes at both a faculty and institutional level. As the limit of the data highlights the low student numbers for under-represented student groups, mainly BME and white male students alongside fluctuating rates of access for students from low participation neighbourhoods and lower social classes, we will also undergo additional research to explore the reasons potential students from these groups choose not to go onto to study higher education at the University of Winchester. This will inform how we develop access activities, support packages and the student experience for prospective under-represented students.evaluation