Bridging the gap: a new approach to student academic support at the University of Exeter

A review carried out during the spring of 2023 identified a need for a new approach to student academic support at the University of Exeter. The model places pastoral mentors within departments to bridge the ‘third space’ gap between academic and professional services student support. For students...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Nicky King, Jess Johnson, Hannah Jordan, Hannah Lyons
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Association for Learning Development in Higher Education (ALDinHE) 2025-01-01
Series:Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journal.aldinhe.ac.uk/index.php/jldhe/article/view/1206
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1832576265050128384
author Nicky King
Jess Johnson
Hannah Jordan
Hannah Lyons
author_facet Nicky King
Jess Johnson
Hannah Jordan
Hannah Lyons
author_sort Nicky King
collection DOAJ
description A review carried out during the spring of 2023 identified a need for a new approach to student academic support at the University of Exeter. The model places pastoral mentors within departments to bridge the ‘third space’ gap between academic and professional services student support. For students who are struggling or starting to struggle, they connect the various strands of support systems that can be overwhelming and become a known friendly and non-judgemental advocate within their department who can make a real difference to their ability to succeed in their studies. Implementing a rapid rollout of these third space roles is not without challenge with quantitative indicators of success some way off and well-documented financial issues resulting in universities having to prioritise scarce resources. However, by sharing the experiences of our pastoral mentors to date, we aim to demonstrate how these third space roles, with the focus, expertise, and capacity to look at the whole student experience, can make a tangible difference to student engagement, progression, and outcomes.
format Article
id doaj-art-1d928b84a3d649fb831dc75250433dfc
institution Kabale University
issn 1759-667X
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher Association for Learning Development in Higher Education (ALDinHE)
record_format Article
series Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education
spelling doaj-art-1d928b84a3d649fb831dc75250433dfc2025-01-31T07:56:46ZengAssociation for Learning Development in Higher Education (ALDinHE)Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education1759-667X2025-01-013310.47408/jldhe.vi33.1206Bridging the gap: a new approach to student academic support at the University of ExeterNicky King0https://orcid.org/0009-0007-7864-9669Jess Johnsonhttps://orcid.org/0009-0009-8970-2431Hannah JordanHannah Lyons1https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5382-3379University of ExeterUniversity of Exeter A review carried out during the spring of 2023 identified a need for a new approach to student academic support at the University of Exeter. The model places pastoral mentors within departments to bridge the ‘third space’ gap between academic and professional services student support. For students who are struggling or starting to struggle, they connect the various strands of support systems that can be overwhelming and become a known friendly and non-judgemental advocate within their department who can make a real difference to their ability to succeed in their studies. Implementing a rapid rollout of these third space roles is not without challenge with quantitative indicators of success some way off and well-documented financial issues resulting in universities having to prioritise scarce resources. However, by sharing the experiences of our pastoral mentors to date, we aim to demonstrate how these third space roles, with the focus, expertise, and capacity to look at the whole student experience, can make a tangible difference to student engagement, progression, and outcomes. https://journal.aldinhe.ac.uk/index.php/jldhe/article/view/1206third spacestudent supportwellbeingbelonging
spellingShingle Nicky King
Jess Johnson
Hannah Jordan
Hannah Lyons
Bridging the gap: a new approach to student academic support at the University of Exeter
Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education
third space
student support
wellbeing
belonging
title Bridging the gap: a new approach to student academic support at the University of Exeter
title_full Bridging the gap: a new approach to student academic support at the University of Exeter
title_fullStr Bridging the gap: a new approach to student academic support at the University of Exeter
title_full_unstemmed Bridging the gap: a new approach to student academic support at the University of Exeter
title_short Bridging the gap: a new approach to student academic support at the University of Exeter
title_sort bridging the gap a new approach to student academic support at the university of exeter
topic third space
student support
wellbeing
belonging
url https://journal.aldinhe.ac.uk/index.php/jldhe/article/view/1206
work_keys_str_mv AT nickyking bridgingthegapanewapproachtostudentacademicsupportattheuniversityofexeter
AT jessjohnson bridgingthegapanewapproachtostudentacademicsupportattheuniversityofexeter
AT hannahjordan bridgingthegapanewapproachtostudentacademicsupportattheuniversityofexeter
AT hannahlyons bridgingthegapanewapproachtostudentacademicsupportattheuniversityofexeter