Research Paper On Student Support Services
Research Paper On Student Support Services
Research Paper On Student Support Services
The aim of this small-scale study is to explore the effectiveness of the support available to
students registered for programmes of study in the colleges. This paper presents a review of
literature on the provision of student support for the increasingly diverse body of students in
higher education. This research paper sets out findings from qualitative research with a range
of higher education institutions in Indore to explore the impact of the new student support
arrangements on the policies, planning and behaviour of universities and higher education
colleges. It brings together findings from an initial investigation, prior to the introduction of
the arrangements, with experiences.
INTRODUCTION:
The provision of student support services including personal and financial counselling,
careers guidance and support for students with disabilities is an established part of the support
available to students in all higher education institutions (HEIs) The Student Support Services
Program (SSSP) is a federally funded comprehensive support service designed to provide
academic assistance and advising, personal counselling, and cultural enrichment
opportunities for eligible students at the Colleges. The goals of SSS are students are to
maintain good academic standing, persist in college, and graduate with a baccalaureate
degree. As an SSSP, student will have the opportunity to use group and individual tutoring
services, work with a peer mentor, participate in workshops, and travel to attend regional and
local cultural events. SSSP is a program that will help Students to achieve academically
while encouraging to grow personally. The mission is to create a supportive that will make
College experience a positive one.
When students enter a new learning environment, they must successfully adapt to their new
surroundings to effectively learn. For some students, adaptation is as simple as becoming
accustomed to a new physical environment. For others, such as those with language-learning
needs, physical handicaps, or developmental delays, adaptation is a much more complicated
process. To ensure that the education you provide to your pupils is optimal, you must help
them adapt to the learning setting as quickly as possible.
Role of SSSP
Assess student needs, both mental and physical. Use observation and formal
assessments such as diagnostic tests to determine what your students may need. Make
note of any student that appears to require special adaptation assistance, such as those
with physical disabilities or learning difficulties.
Select group or individual accommodations to allow for the overcoming of obstacles.
Create a plan for helping students overcome their struggles. If the entire class has the
same difficulty, create a group accommodation. If individual students need assistance,
plan educational modifications specifically for them.
LITRATURE REVIEW:
This literature review is structured around a number of key questions in relation to the
provision of student support in HEIs which has been shaped by the development of a mass
higher education system that needs to support students with differing needs on more flexible
programmes of learning. This includes, for example, part-time as well as full-time students,
home and international students, students with disabilities (Avramidis & Skidmore, 2004),
students with caring responsibilities as parents and as carers for elderly relatives and those on
distance learning courses (Rahman, 2002; Stewart, 1993). In addition to these differences the
need for support on more conventional campus-based teaching and learning programmes is
increasing in order to improve retention rates (Gutteridge, 2001) and the quality of higher
education. While the body of research on student support is vast, this literature review
particularly focused on findings from two types of existing research: (1) studies on supports
factors can create a positive environmentboth inside and outside the classroomthat offers
the support students may need to realize their educational goals. The following section
provides a brief summary of research themes by success factor, including both information on
how students experience these factors and what colleges can do to promote them in their
learners experience.
Objectives of Student Support Services:
Strengthen relationships.
Provide mentoring from staff and peers to help students find the potential that exists
in each of them.
Equip students with tools to successfully navigate college and successfully support
them to achieve their academic goals.
Provide unique experiences and leadership opportunities which will expand their
vision and view of the world as well as enhance cultural awareness and competence.
LEARNER
INTERVENTION
PHASE
INSTRUCTION
FACULTY ADVISING
HELP DESK SUPPORT
STUDENT SUCCESS
PROGRAMS
LEARNER SUPPORT
PHASE
ENVIRONMENT
MANAGEMENT
FOSTERING SENSE OF
BELONGING
COUNSELING, ACADEMIC
ADVISING
INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT,
TUTORING
LIBRARY SERVICES
DISABILITY SERVICES
LEARNER INTAKE
PHASE
LEARNER
TRANSITION PHASE
GOAL SETTING
GOAL REASSESSMENT
ADMISSIONS,
REGISTRATIONS
TRANSFER
ARTICULATION
ORIENTATIONS
INTAKE ASSESSMENT
AND ADVISING
FINANCIAL AID
HOMEPAGE SUPPORT
MEASUREMENT
PHASE
COURSE
EFFECTIVENESS
RETENTION AND
PERSISTENCE
GRADUATION RATES
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Because so many college students spend limited time on campus, they have fewer
opportunities to make use of all of these services. Colleges can address this challenge by
taking steps to integrate support services, using technology where appropriate, into other
activities and experiences that students have on campus. Additionally, attempts are being
made to offer support services through a more centralized approach, rather than in the
decentralized fashion that is customary at many institutions. In a study of effective strategies
for student service programs at colleges, it was recommended that institutions offer more
enhanced student services.Such programs would then be linked to other services, but also
integrated into existing campus-wide reform strategies, thereby allowing student services to
be offered, in a coordinated fashion and over an extended period of time. Since many students
encounter ongoing challenges throughout their academic career related to academic, social,
and financial needs it is imperative to offer students linked and sustained services in all
areas of the college. SSS is an educational program that provides first-generation students
with opportunities that help them successfully complete their degrees/credentials, offering
academic development, counselling, financial guidance, and career development
opportunities. Colleges have also experimented with the one-stop approach to student
services.
This paper has highlighted some efforts and strategies related to student success, particularly
in the area of student support services. Due to space limitations, the paper does not provide an
exhaustive list of examples, but highlights promising practices that support key areas of
research. However, the examples highlighted here as well as those not included confirm
that what we think should help college students in fact, does. However, these institutions
are resource constrained and often have to make tough decisions and trade-offs simply to stay
afloat. For additional information or resources, please feel free to contact the staff at the
Institute for Higher Education Policy.
Conclusion
Students also indicate that they are making use of drop-in study skills support and this is a
useful consideration as some colleges move towards embedded study skills in the
curriculum. The other findings concern the disparity in the provision of student support
services on the different campuses of the colleges and the issues this raises in relation to
accessibility of these services to all students as well as the quality of these services in meeting
the needs of the students. Finally, students offer some suggestions for improving the nature of
induction to the college, including making it more of a process than an event.
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