Session Outline

‘Student advising is like onions.’ This metaphor captures the layered complexity of supporting students in a time of profound change. Higher education institutions face interconnected challenges: increasing regulatory demands, financial constraints, widening participation, and diverse student needs. As Professor Edward Peck observed, “Student support is as important to many students as the academic input they receive” (UK Government, 2025). Advising is no longer a peripheral function; it is central to student success and institutional resilience.

Yet, traditional models of personal tutoring have remained largely static, assuming a one-size-fits-all approach. Today’s students are time-poor, balancing study with work and welfare priorities, while presenting increasingly complex needs. Institutions must therefore rethink advising as a strategic, holistic, and student-centred practice.

This presentation showcases Teesside University’s participation in a multi-institution project exploring innovative approaches to advising. Using the data-people-theory framework (McVitty & Maxwell, 2024), Teesside has articulated a layered model of student support that integrates governance, contextualised advising, and proactive interventions. At its core, the framework ensures that advising remains student-centric while leveraging data and theory to build consistency across the student experience.

Teesside’s approach focuses on students identified as disengaged through engagement analytics. A central student success team – which includes Student Journey Advisors and Student Success Tutors - work alongside dedicated apprenticeship academic mentors and coaches as well as academic personal tutors to provide timely, meaningful interventions. Piloting in each space has enabled the university to understand what advising looks like for different student profiles and to move beyond traditional tutoring towards a dynamic, inclusive model.

Attendees will gain insights into:

• How the data-people-theory framework can guide strategic advising in times of change.

• Practical lessons from Teesside’s layered approach, including governance structures, analytics, and cross-team collaboration.

• How institutions can embed advising as a driver of student success while addressing external pressures such as regulatory compliance, EDI priorities, and financial constraints.

By peeling back the layers of advising, this session demonstrates how institutions can adapt and thrive in a changing higher education landscape - without losing sight of the student at the centre.

Learning Outcomes

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