Providing learning support to nursing students: a study of two universities

In universities where significant numbers of nursing students come from non-traditional backgrounds, and where an equally significant proportion of students have English as a second language, provision of learning support is essential to ensure success and progression, and to prevent attrition. This paper presents an evaluative study of the support services provided to undergraduate nursing students in two universities in the United Kingdom (UK). Both universities have significant numbers of students from non-traditional backgrounds and who have English as a second language, and both institutions have in place a large array of student support mechanisms. The aims of the study were to identify all existing student support mechanisms across the two universities, to illuminate the profile of students who enter pre-registration programmes at the two universities (age, gender, educational background) and to measure the perceptions of students of the use and usefulness of the support mechanisms provided by their university. Survey method evaluative research was the chosen research approach. Findings showed that the support services that appear to have the greatest impact on student success in their nursing programme are the programme leaders/module teachers, small study skills groups (known as APPL and L2L) and, for the 50% of students who required it, academic literacy and numeracy support sessions. For students who have English as a second language and with non-traditional entry qualifications, numeracy and academic literacy support is particularly valued.