Gary Clarke, from Campus Living Villages UK, believes lessons can be learned from international universities which have already adapted to the impact of fee increases on students’ outlooks
Universities in the UK have undergone a number of changes in recent years. With new funding structures in place, students are demanding more in return from their investment and UK universities are reviewing their marketing accordingly. But is the sector doing enough to ensure it can compete on a national and global market? Since 1988, the average cost of an undergraduate degree in the US has risen by 375 per cent.
In the US, the rise in tuition fees has created a more consumer- orientated student and US universities quickly learnt that to thrive they would need to ensure they had a ‘product’ or ‘experience’ that would meet the demands of their customers. Academic performance is the biggest influencer but other factors play a role in a student’s university choice. As a result, student accommodation has changed dramatically in the US, not only in terms of the facilities available but also in how the environments and communities within them function.
Campus Living Villages US (CLV) incorporated the company’s global Live, Learn, Grow programme to help students’ personal growth. The programme creates a community in each of the company’s villages and is a big attraction to students as well as being extremely popular with parents who are footing the bill for their child’s education and want to ensure their child is getting the most out of the experience. But over 10 years ago, CLV US found that students were also beginning to ask what else they were doing to support their studies and they began to look at innovative ways to help.
Studies from universities across the US show that students who live on campus are more involved in campus life, more likely to complete their education and perform better than those that live off campus. CLV US believed that bringing all aspects of student life together was vital and began to encourage students to become even more engaged with their community and for universities and faculties to connect with students outside of the classroom and in the residential realm. Previously, the faculty would exist as a separate entity and didn’t involve itself in the home life of its students, but CLV believed that study should spill out of the classroom and that students should ‘live and breathe’ their degree.
In response, CLV developed what it called Living, Learning Communities. These are residential populations in which participating students attend lectures together and live together on the same floor. CLV finds that these students form stronger connections and settle into university life quicker. CLV US also works with universities to provide students with unique opportunities to interact with their faculty outside of the classroom through a calendar of educational and entertaining events in the residences, including films, talks and study sessions.
Living, Learning Communities are now well established at CLV accommodation in the US, but have taken a while to mature into the thriving communities the company sees today. CLV US took small steps at first so that the faculty would see the value of bringing learning to life in the accommodation setting. It began with inviting the faculty into the students’ accommodation to talk about something they felt passionate about. Students and universities instantly saw the benefits of improved relationships, retention and satisfaction. The presence of faculty staff is now a part of everyday life in student living spaces in the US.
Engaging events that have been offered in the residences in the US through the Living, Learning Communities programme include the ‘cinema and supper series’, where faculty members share their expertise on topics in their field that relates to themes in current films or in the media and pop culture. ‘Fireside chats’ see professors choose a topic of debate that is current and within their expertise, such as US foreign policy, to spark conversation among residents. Village residents report that connecting the worlds of academia and residential living in this way provides students with an enriched experience.
Student expectations in the US have developed even further in the past five years; the ripple effect of the recession resulted in state cutbacks and a bigger burden on US students to make up the difference.
University life has changed with an increased number of students opting to live at home and commute to university. Others attend community college for two years with the option of transferring credits to university in the third year. For those US students who find the money to go away from home, a focus on succeeding in study goals, customer service and an added- value experience is even more important.
CLV is now moving its focus to work with UK universities to ensure its academic, social and living spaces work together to offer the best all- round experience for students. CLV plans to introduce its Living, Learning Communities into the UK and expects that the model will be welcomed by universities here given the success it has had in the US and given that UK students are becoming more study focused. Through Living, Learning Communities, participating universities will be able to reassure students that they take their future prospects seriously and that they are setting them up for success. By constantly evolving to meet the needs of their students, UK universities will hold greater appeal to the student body.
Many institutions are tackling this challenge by partnering with private companies to help meet student demands while ensuring their own focus remains academic. This responsibility has fallen to accommodation providers in the US and this is increasingly being seen in the UK. These providers must listen to students and work closely with universities to provide an all- round experience – one which ensures students will succeed in their personal and academic goals.
For further information please visit www.campuslivingvillages.com