The UALL Student Experience Network invites you to a series of afternoon online sessions reflecting on the experiences of part-time, mature, and widening participation learners throughout their higher education journey.

Tuesday 9 March (12pm – 1.30pm):  How long is lifelong? Approaches, and perspectives on, the mature student lifecycle.

How do a mature student's journey into, through, and then out of higher education differ from that of a school leaver? Are our existing internal processes and mechanisms of support fit for purpose or are we trying to fit a proverbial square peg into a round hole?  What could / should we be doing to better support mature students in their HE journey and in particular before they start their studies as well as during the various transition stages - and beyond as they develop their eventual identities as graduates. Facilitated by Paul Devlin (Student Support Officer, University of Leeds)

Tuesday 27 April (12pm – 1.30pm): Mature Student Communities - Maintaining and Rebuilding.

Remote learning and working have changed the way we interact and connect with one other, impacting students' sense of belonging and community. In this session, we will explore mature students' experience of community in a virtual environment, the positives, and negatives, as well as how we might transition these into physical spaces when we return to campuses. How do we balance the disparities of what works best for different students and re-engage those whose experience so far has been completely remote/virtual? Facilitated by Lauren Huxley (Student Experience Officer, University of Leeds)

Tuesday 18th May (12pm – 1.30pm): The Covid effect:  the positives and negatives for the Student Experience.

All our lives have been affected by the pandemic, and both students and staff in Higher Education have had to adjust their teaching and learning methods.   It has been a steep learning curve for many, and the impact of the changes is uncertain.  In this session, we will identify and explore what might have made a positive contribution to the student experience over the past year, and what might have been difficult and disappointing. Facilitated by Pauline McManus (Centre for Lifelong Learning, University of Warwick)

What to expect:  These will be participative, collaborative events to share creative ideas and good practice: ‘what works’ (or not!). 

Book your place here.