Lifelong Learning and the Future of the Student Experience
Since the Government announced plans to transform the student finance system with the introduction of a Lifelong Loan Entitlement (LLE) in 2020, universities and those working within them have been reflecting on what this might mean for the future of the student experience.
Many have been welcomed the opportunities the scheme would offer for mature learners to enter higher education and fill skills gaps in local economies. Others have raised concerns such as the accessibility of the loan system, how it might affect student choice and the availability of maintenance funding.
What is clear, is that a shift to a system of modular learning and short courses will transform the delivery of higher education and, in turn, mark a major change in what the student experience looks like.
In this article, we identify 5 key areas in which practitioners might expect to see change and pose some questions for reflection that might inform future practice.
Belonging, Inclusion and Wellbeing
The LLE could make higher education more accessible for mature learners and those coming from non-traditional backgrounds.
Yet the LLE may present some additional challenges to cultivating a sense of belonging in universities. For example, it might encourage growth in numbers among non-traditional students, such as commuter students, mature learners, those with full-time job or caring commitments and even those who only spend a short amount of time in the institution to complete a short course or module, as opposed to the traditional 3-year undergraduate degree.
In general, these students tend to spend less time on campus, live further from the university and be more time poor. As a consequence, getting them to engage in other opportunities that can contribute to a positive student experience, such as extra-curricular activities, can be challenging.
Universities should consider how to design and deliver belonging, inclusion and wellbeing interventions with these barriers in mind. Key questions might include:
How can we create a sense of belonging and connection to the institution for students on modular learning or short courses? This will be especially important as the LLE may enable students to attend multiple institutions across their lifetime.
How can we deliver a joined-up approach across institutions to ensure cohesive services and access to support across the lifecycle of a learner?
How do you maintain a connection with students engaging in modular or distance learning and short courses to track their wellbeing and progression?
Entry and Exit Points
With the introduction of the LLE, alternative forms of learning, such as short courses and modular, distance or blended learning, will become more commonplace in higher education.
The traditional entry and exit points for degree programmes may not apply to these courses because of their length or the qualification obtained at the end of the student lifecycle. As such, practitioners will have to consider how they can support students when they begin and complete their time in the institution.
Key action points professionals should consider in order to support LLE students on entry include:
Setting entry requirements that reflect the demands of a course or module by incorporating Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) or Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL). The University of Hertfordshire’s APEL framework is a good example.
Providing clear information, advice and guidance (IAG) about eligibility criteria, learner pathways and awards systems. QAA’s 2021 Credit Framework for England may provide a useful starting point.
Ensuring induction processes are inclusive, accessible and engaging, including signposting students to relevant services for when they don’t understand and supporting students to integrate in the university community through social events.
Integrating modules that develop universal skills, such as teamwork and time management, and those that will support students in HE, such as notetaking and referencing, into induction and/or course design.
And as for exit points, consider the following:
Maintaining ongoing contact or touchpoints across different modules and institutions.
Supporting students in career planning, by embedding employability into course design and signposting to the services provided by employability professionals.
Linking LLE modules to wider qualifications.
Supporting students to maintain networks with wider professional and educational communities on completion.
Living Costs and Maintenance
While access to loans to fund tuition fees are outlined in the Government’s White Paper on LLE, no specific policy measures addressing maintenance have been announced. This leaves questions as to what this will mean for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.
For mature learners who the LLE attempts to attract, there are also further questions. For one, those at later stages in life tend to be more debt-averse due to existing financial commitments, such as dependants and mortgages. It’s also potentially harder to discern socioeconomic inequality among older learners, as data such as parents’ earnings or coming from a school with a low progression rate are not as easily applicable or relevant.
How this affects universities will depend on the government’s response to the feedback. However, professionals can ask themselves the following questions to prepare for how the LLE might affect student living costs and maintenance:
What measures will you put in place to support the needs of the students the LLE will attract, particularly those from underrepresented, disadvantaged or non-traditional backgrounds?
How can you ensure students entering your institution via the LLE will have consistent and clear access to financial advice, support and counselling?
What do students who are ‘at risk’ of or ‘vulnerable’ to financial hardship look like under the LLE, and how will you deliver and signpost support so that it reaches and benefits these students?
How can you better integrate students’ other commitments, such as part-time work, into teaching provision to encourage skills-based learning and self-sufficiency?
A Sector-Wide Approach to the LLE
A major focus for providers will be developing a system that allows for the seamless transfer of credit between institutions. The ability for learners to stack their learning across different modules, courses and institutions will be fundamental in ensuring the wellbeing, positive outcomes and progression for students.
While we await further guidance from the government, universities should start to think about how they can develop a seamless, cohesive experience that joins the gaps between different providers and courses. Key areas of concern for universities in this arena might include:
The development of learning pathways to qualifications that are shared and recognised by many institutions and employers.
The approach to regulation and assessment, which takes into account the complex needs of the learners the LLE will attract and the distinct challenges it presents to universities.
How to avoid overly complicated bureaucratic processes in the transition between different programmes that may discourage uptake of the LLE.
The sector must work together to develop and implement a successful LLE system. Collaboration with other key stakeholders, such as UCAS, Guild HE and the Universities Alliance, all of whom have published individual responses to the Government’s white paper, will also be crucial. Practitioners should consider the potential issues and concerns flagged in these responses and reflect on their own institutional processes accordingly.
