Press Release

Universities urged to Nourish Students' Souls

8 February 2008

Today’s students are as interested in personal development as they are in learning about their subject or finding a well-paid job, university and student leaders have said.
 
Disillusioned with the consumerist society they have grown up in, students are seeking out a learning environment that emphasises sustainability and values human interaction, they argue.
 
Speaking ahead of a debate on student experience and satisfaction at a Higher Education Summit in London next week, Pamela Taylor, principal of Newman University College in Birmingham, said universities and colleges must better understand the personal as well as the intellectual and financial needs of students if they are to meet their expectations.
 
Mrs Taylor, a panellist at the Summit organised by The Guardian, pointed to the findings of the recent Future Leaders survey conducted by UCAS and Forum for the Future as evidence that today’s students expect higher education to do more than just teach and improve their employment prospects.
 
Universities and colleges that support more face-to-face interaction between students and their tutors and encourage questioning of ethical values are likely to become the most popular, she suggested.
 
“Although the Government’s policies are pushing for institutions to improve students’ employability, I think that is not the only thing that students are seeking. While it is true that they are going to want to gain a good job, there is evidence that students are now becoming more interested in their own personal development and altruistic issues,” she said.
 
Gemma Tumelty, President of the National Union of Students, who will also join the panel debate at the Summit, said the 2009 review of tuition fees would be critical in determining what higher education is for as well as how it is funded.
 
She said: “Student life is about far more than just taking exams, and it is crucial that the importance of the student experience is recognised. Developing the work of the National Student Survey and investigating the wider student experience are vital issues for both NUS and the future of higher education."
 
Mrs Taylor said smaller institutions such as those represented by the representative body GuildHE, of which Newman University College is a member, are often better placed to focus more on the student as an individual and are “more up-front about questioning their own values”.
 
“Meeting students’ expectations and satisfying their needs is about helping them to feel comfortable about the place in which they chose to study. Institutions need to be less obsessed with league tables and more focussed on what today’s students value most,” she said.
 
Alice Hynes, Executive Secretary of GuildHE, said: "Whilst GuildHE recognises the importance of upskilling the workforce, it should be remembered that our students are also professional individuals seeking a more holistic development than simply gaining qualifications to enhance employability.
 
“Life skills and a sense of personal responsibility are equally important in producing graduates who can make a positive contribution to society, particularly in the practitioner oriented courses offered by our member institutions. Their more personal approach fosters an environment that encourages this, and they are often better placed to respond quickly to meet the wider needs of their student body.”

• Copyright 2008 Dod's Parliamentary Communications Ltd
• About ePolitix.com
• Stakeholders
• Contacts
• Terms & Conditions
• Blog guidelines