Students’ views of support in higher education: a study of current practice and future directions

This article reports findings from an empirical study of students’ views on support in higher education. Findings from questionnaires and telephone interviews suggest that the characteristics and sources of support can be understood in relation to university and non-university led systems. Students identified non-university led support, for example, friends on the course and in the university, and family and friends outside the university, as the most significant sources of support. The article concludes that university led systems, such as induction and timetabling, should recognise the significance of non-university support. Both forms of support should combine to provide effective structures which support student learning.