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Retention and Wellbeing Calling 

 

 

About the Project

 

As a response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Greenwich Students’ Union partnered with the University to establish the Greenwich Students’ Union Wellbeing and Retention Project, a peer-delivered telephone wellbeing check for every undergraduate student from September to December 2020. This campaign focused on meeting students where they are at, to provide a proactive, early intervention to resolve issues they might be facing.  

The Project’s success saw it grow and extend to cover all students at Greenwich. The project in 2021/22 has evolved to provide more targeted support to those who we know are statistically more likely to drop out. We work with the faculties and central University staff to deliver supportive calls to students who have been flagged for nonattendance and, using APP data, we also focus check-ins on students most at risk of withdrawing.

The project has been shortlisted for a Times HE Award 2022 for Outstanding Student Support 

 

THE Awards 2022

 

What we speak to the students about

During the calls, we ask students about their studies if they know their personal tutor, their experience of loneliness and any pressures they might be facing. We tell students about GSU and the university support services available to them.

Where students need it we make a direct referral to an appropriate service.

The project has been hugely beneficial to individual students who have a peer-led conversation about the challenges they are facing and the resources and support available to them. Through the coding and recording of the responses to these calls, we have been able to better understand the overarching issues students are facing and work with SU services and University colleagues to resolve the structural challenges our students encounter.  

 

Who we call

We have called:

  • Students flagged for non-attendance through the Student Engagement Policy
  • International students
  • Final year undergraduate students on some low scoring NSS courses
  • Students prioritised by APP group
  • PGR students to inform them of PGR specific support
  • Ukrainian, Russian and Belarusian students
  • Sri Lankan Students 
  • Bangladeshi students 

Request a check-in for a student 

University staff members can request we check-in with a student. We'll ask them about their experience so far and link them with support if they need it.

Please email the team at - gsu-retention@greenwich.ac.uk

 

If you have questions about the project get in touch with:

Colum Mackey
Head of Advocacy and Policy
c.mackey@gre.ac.uk

 

 

 

2023/24 Student Trends

 

 

 

 

Term 1 

 

14,238

Total number of calls made

3,180

Calls completed with students 

101

Direct referral for support

 

 

Termly Reports

 

 

 

2022/23 Student Trends

 

 

 

Annual Summary 

58,624

Total number of calls made

9,300

Calls completed with students 

403

Direct referral for support

Click here to read our - 2022/23 Annual Summary (PDF, opens in new window)

 

 

Termly Reports

 

 

2021/22 Student Trends

 

 

 

Annual Summary 

53,994

Total number of calls made

8,615

Calls completed with students 

753

Direct referral for support

 

Click here to read our - 2021/22 Summary Report 

 

Term 1 - 2022

Term 1 2021/22 Report

Term 2 - 2022

 

Term 3 2021/22

Term 3 Report

 

1) See an improvement of 5% for Question 25 in the National Student Survey.

2) Website page views increase by 30%.

3) Rating pages useful get a 90% satisfaction score.

4) Awareness of services increases by 10% by the end of the year.

5) 80% of students report feeling supported in the GSU staff survey.

6) Exit survey responses are positive with 80% satisfied with the Advice Service.

7) Students report lower levels of loneliness in our retention calls over time.

8) Increase in the number of students engaged with Engagement and Opportunities team activity.

9) Three new external service relationships will be brokered.