To be sustainable, a whole-of-institution approach should be taken to embedding student success. All staff and students, across all areas, should be supported and engaged in identifying what is currently working and why, and in clarifying areas that need further development. Those involved may include:
- Senior management with decision making responsibilities
- Staff from different contexts, across all functional areas, at different career stages and employed through a variety of contractual arrangements.
- Students from different backgrounds at all stages of the student journey including prospective students and alumni
- External and community partners as appropriate.
Each institution should identify a Student Success Lead for the institution whose role is to facilitate the whole-of-institution approach to embedding student success. The Student Success Lead chairs a whole-of-institution steering group that works with partners from each functional area to take stock of how student success is currently embedded across the institution, that builds consensus on institutional enhancement targets and that develops and communicates an implementation plan for embedding student success. Further, the Student Success Lead reviews and evaluates how student success is being embedded and ensures institutional targets identified are achieved.
Each functional area across the institution should identify a Student Success Partner who works with the Student Success Lead and other partners to embed student success. Each Student Success Partner is responsible for identifying aspects of student success that are working well and those that need to be further developed within their functional area. This requires that each Student Success Partner works with their staff and students to take stock of how student success is currently embedded within their functional area, to contribute to the whole-of-institution steering group in developing the institutional enhancement targets and implementation plan and to translate institutional targets to key actions within their functional area.
For details of who your institutional Student Success Lead is please contact the National Forum Student Success Team on studentsuccess@teachingandlearning.ie.