Supporting Trailing and Failing Students: Timing and Awareness

Abstract

A continuation of the ‘Changing Futures Project’ this work aims to directly tackle student failure in engineering education at Higher Education. This stage of the project focuses on the experiences of 88 Engineering and Applied Science students who were classified as ‘failing’ in one or more modules during the Summer Term. A comparison of findings is made between the first stage (conducted during the Autumn Term) and the current findings of this research. Whilst the mental health findings of the initial stage of the project were present in the second stage, they were not as pronounced and the emphasis for the students appeared to have shifted to practical concerns and a need for information about the ‘next steps’. All students were offered individual support, including signposting to the support facilities available to them. The initial findings surrounding the students’ experiences indicate that many students do not initiate contact with the university and lack awareness of the channels of support and communication available to them. To counter this finding, a series of informative workshops are being devised for students to take place during the 2017-18 academic year.