Student support in the university classroom

Today’s students face many challenges. Financial pressures, stress, isolation, academic and workload struggles can, if left unchecked, lead to disengagement or, worse, to the discontinuation of their studies. In the US, attrition rates remain stubbornly high, with roughly a third of students failing to complete their degrees within the six-year window. In the UK, the dropout rate for full-time undergraduates sits at about 10 per cent – one of the lowest overall dropout rates among richer nations – but this rises to one in five for some institutions, with higher rates for mature, first-generation, Black, and disabled students.

Student support must start in the classroom, tutorial, lecture hall or lab. Educators have a crucial role to play in preventing students from falling too far behind, by spotting the signs of disengagement early, building their teaching on a foundation of empathy and care and installing strategies and activities to make sure the classroom is a welcoming place in which students feel safe to share, discuss and debate. This collection offers tips on integrating support into the very fabric of university education.

“Student support … is not a parallel activity to teaching. It is embedded within it,” writes Virginia Tech’s Carrie Fearer. She warns educators against treating support as something that happens elsewhere, and shares practical ideas for reinforcing belonging through teaching: Effective support means meeting university students where they are.

How to spot signs of struggling students early

Are your students failing to turn up to lectures, complete assignments or participate in class discussions? A quiet epidemic of student disengagement, accelerated since the pandemic’s enforced isolation and remote working, risks worsening academic outcomes and mental health, and produces graduates who are ill-prepared to meet the world that awaits them. If lecturers can spot early warning signals and intervene quickly with appropriate support for students, they can prevent problems spiralling. Here, find advice on what should give university educators cause for concern and how to get students back on track.

Five steps to prevent student disengagement: Follow Layal Hakim of the University of Exeter’s action plan to ensure students at risk of dropping out of their studies feel supported to get back on track.

Three ways to spot someone struggling – and six ways to support them: Institutional policies can only go so far when it comes to mental health. Find out how to spot a student or colleague in crisis – and what you can do to help. Academics from Dubai Medical University offer advice.

A plan to prevent disengagement: What can educators do to overcome three common causes of student disengagement with learning? Adeola Matthew of the University of the West Indies provides concrete steps to take.

How to help a student in mental health distress: Students are vulnerable to mental health struggles, and exam time can be especially stressful. Here’s how to help in an emergency and offer long-term support for those with ongoing issues, by a team of educators from Universiti Teknologi Petronas.

The role of academic support services

While academic support services are currently under threat from budget cuts, they can offer students a lifeline when they’re struggling to manage the demands of their studies alongside other responsibilities. Covering academic skills, mental health and career advice, such services can be invaluable. Here, find insights on how to ensure your support services meet student needs.

Seven questions to ask when reforming academic skills services: With academic skills services facing a perfect storm of challenges, many are under review. The University of Bedfordshire’s Steven Briggs and Ralitsa Kantcheva share the seven questions to ask to make sure your students’ needs are being effectively met.

How to scale up well-being and support services: With demand for student support services skyrocketing since the pandemic, how can universities address this need? Kate Wigham of Loughborough University provides five ways to scale up.

How academic coaching influences student performance and institutional outcomes: As colleges and universities grapple with stagnant graduation rates, academic coaching offers a tangible means to improve individual student performance as well as institutional outcomes, Lindsay F. Tierney of Virginia Commonwealth University explains.

Modelling good practice through your teaching

Students new to higher education often lack key skills they will need to complete their degree, whether that be the practicalities of writing an abstract or understanding the principles of academic integrity and respectful communication. Here’s how lecturers and tutors can show them the way, by embodying those skills in their teaching and academic practice.

How to model good academic practice: By modelling good practice in your own teaching, you can help students build confidence, work more effectively and set habits that support both academic and personal success. Natalie K. D. Seedan of the University of the West Indies shows how.

How can we model empathy in the classroom? Curiosity, connection and communication are vital components of empathetic teaching, says Bhawana Shrestha of Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. She explains how to make students feel safe, seen and supported.

Sticky labels: why language shapes identity (and how to say better things): The words we use in creative education – and the ones we don’t – shape how students see themselves. The University of Lincoln’s David Thompson explores how labels affect self-image and how university educators can shift language to build creative confidence.

Non-verbal cues: learn how to use them effectively in teacher-student communication: If the goal is to get students interested in the learning process, these non-verbal cues used in teacher-student communication can enable you to build trust and enhance your impact as a teacher and a communicator, writes Shruthi V. Shetty of Manipal Academy of Higher Education.

Empathy in teaching

Incorporating kindness into teaching doesn’t mean giving students an easy ride or failing to demand high standards from today’s graduates. It means supporting students so they feel confident to stretch themselves and take on new challenges. In short, to learn. It means demonstrating an understanding of the unique challenges different students may face to create a framework in which they can thrive. Here’s how to build your teaching on a foundation of empathy. 

Higher education needs to hold students’ hearts, not hands: During times of financial constraint, don’t rush to define kindness to students as an unaffordable luxury. Instead, let’s change the way we think, writes Dalhousie University’s Rachelle McKay.

A pedagogy of kindness: the cornerstone for student learning and wellness: The University of Toronto Mississauga’s Fiona Rawle outlines a pedagogy founded on human connection, care and compassion that improves student learning outcomes.

What does empathy look like in the classroom? How to demonstrate empathy for students – and self – to improve classroom interactions and ensure equity. Neha Wadhwa of Manipal Academy of Higher Education offers advice on how to do so.

University students need emotional support as well as intellectual challenge: Empathetic teaching is about more than lectures and grades – it’s about helping the whole student grow. Universiti Teknologi Petronas’ M. Devendran Manogaran and Nor Adilla Rashidi explain more here.

Fostering a secure and happy classroom environment

A welcoming, inclusive learning environment allows students to feel safe enough to take creative risks, to collaborate and to bring their authentic selves to the classroom. This leads to better engagement, academic outcomes and improves student well-being, most educators agree. Follow these ideas and strategies for building belonging amongst your students.

Everyday strategies to build belonging and well-being: With a focus on emotional safety, connection and clear communication, these actions build belonging and support well-being across any discipline. Lauren Flannery of the University of East Anglia provides her tips.

Exercises to strengthen students’ socio-emotional skills: Simple, structured activities can strengthen students’ socio-emotional skills, from active listening to emotional regulation, helping them navigate academic and interpersonal challenges. The University of Applied and Environmental Sciences’ Tatiana del Pilar Amado Castellanos shows how.

Five ideas for fostering belonging and collaboration in the classroom: From “getting to know each other” activities to outdoor learning and ongoing check-ins, Anglia Ruskin University’s Jamie Heywood offers strategies for creating a welcoming, collaborative classroom.

A warm welcome is a strategic imperative for higher education: If we want incoming students to flourish, we must stop treating belonging as a bonus and start seeing it as an essential condition for learning. Virginia Tech’s Scott Dunning offers strategies on welcoming students to succeed.

Understanding specific student needs to offer tailored support

No educational experience should be one-size-fits-all. Every student deserves care and resources that enable them to reach their academic potential. Individual factors such as neurodivergence, lack of family support or past trauma can make elements of university study more difficult. But the right adaptations will enable these students to succeed. Find out what Campus contributors have done to address specific challenges for their students.

Prevent overstimulation and support autistic students in the laboratory: Lab sessions can prompt overstimulation in autistic students. University of Salford student Beth Crofts and her educator Matthew Jones detail the tweaks they made to allow her to function well in her classes.

How can we create accessible and inclusive learning environments for neurodivergent students? Emilie Edwards of the University of Middlesex offers practical guidance for fostering accessible and inclusive learning environments that honour diverse thinking and learning styles.  

Intervene with empathy to support students in need: With mental health challenges increasing on campus, structured tools that capture students’ thoughts, feelings and behaviour can help educators spot concerns early and tailor support. Eduardo de Jesús Faz Flores of Tecnológico de Monterrey provides advice.

Trauma-informed care within academic settings: As awareness of trauma and its effects on individuals grows, Imogen Perkins of De Montfort University delves into what it means to be trauma-informed, and how its five principles could look within an academic setting.

New students leaving care need extra support to beat the odds (again): The University of Law’s Corin Barton says universities must recognise the various effects a lack of family support can have on care-experienced students and offers simple steps to promote success.

Gatekeepers or greeters? We must demystify university for first-gen students: Colorado State University Global’s Stone Meredith gives advice on using positive introductory phrases and how this can help first-generation students navigate university.

Supportive ways of providing feedback

When feedback focuses on the work, not the person, offers specific advice and balances the good with ways to improve, it becomes a dialogue, enabling students to reflect without feeling defensive. Here’s how to make it work.

Make feedback a conversation to empower the student voice: Nurture feedback literacy through collaborative evaluation. The University of Edinburgh’s Frederik Dahl Madsen and Kay Douglas show how a new approach works in two contrasting courses. 

Effective feedback techniques for struggling students: Giving feedback on work that does not meet the required standard requires tact and understanding of your students, says Tecnológico de Monterrey’s Ilse Mariana Leyva Barrera.

A simple feedback strategy centred on a pedagogy of care: Royal Holloway, University of London’s Lucy Gill-Simmen shares the template she’s designed to give meaningful feedback and opportunities for development for undergraduate and postgraduate students.