Session Outline

UK higher education is undergoing a period of significant transformation, characterised by shifting student demographics, rising complexity of support needs, and increasing scrutiny of institutional practices. In this context, academic tutoring and student advising are being asked to play a more strategic role in helping institutions respond to diverse and interconnected challenges (Parkes et al., 2014). As many universities reassess existing approaches, a sector-wide move from small-scale experimentation to fully embedded, future-facing advising models are beginning to take shape.

This presentation shares the University of Greenwich Faculty of Business’s experience of navigating this transition, from an initial pilot to institution-wide implementation of a redesigned advising model that intentionally integrates academic and professional service expertise. Our model is built on a close partnership between faculty student advisors, based within professional services and academic colleagues with academic tutoring responsibilities. By operating at this intersection, we have been able to clarify role boundaries, support more consistent student engagement, and reduce the administrative burden on academic staff. This presentation will outline the rationale for this collaborative structure, the operational considerations involved in expanding the model beyond its pilot year, and the early evidence of impact on student experience and staff practice.

A central feature of our future-facing work is the development of a more integrated social model of disability and universal design approach to supporting disabled student’s needs (Edwards et al., 2022). Our approach advocates for, and operationalises, a “tell-it-once” principle. By enabling responsible sharing of disability-related information between faculty student advisors, academic tutors and disability services, we are working to remove avoidable barriers and ensure that students receive timely, informed and joined-up support. We will outline how our model aligns with the Disability Confident scheme, the Disabled Students’ Charter, and our University Mental Health Charter. Together, these provide not only accountability measures but also a clear direction for enhancing the inclusivity, transparency and effectiveness of advising and student support practices.

This presentation will therefore offer UKAT delegates a holistic and practice-rich insight into what it means to shift from a pilot project to a fully embedded support model characterised by shared professional and academic ownership, student-centred processes, and a strategic commitment to inclusive education. We will highlight the opportunities and challenges encountered, the learning generated, and how this informs the next phase of our development. As many institutions prepare to move from evaluation to implementation, our case study provides a timely and sector-relevant example of how future-facing advising models can respond to the evolving needs of diverse student communities.

Learning Outcomes

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