What is a mature student?

A mature student is anyone over 21 years of age at the beginning of their undergraduate studies, or over 25 at the beginning of their postgraduate studies

Since lockdown began, the availability of online learning, desires to change career and want of a new challenge has led to the highest increase in mature students applying to university than ever before. With more and more adults considering going back to school, is your marketing targeting them effectively? Here are our 5 tips on how you can use social media to attract and engage with mature students.

Our latest survey of students using our Engage app shows that app technology is still the method of communication most preferred by today’s learners.

Predictive analytics will be the next logical step for many organisations, as educational institutions become increasingly data-led when making strategic decisions and the results, reports, and insights gained from predictive analytics continue to become more accessible. With more staff and stakeholders gaining access to data, predictive analytics will be integral to different roles across the institution.

Adapt, adapt, adapt. Perhaps one of the most used words by higher education educators in 2020, and it will no doubt remain on everyone’s lips well beyond this academic year. A challenge made even harder when the institution’s legacy administrative systems and operating models, far from simplifying, are teetering between over-complexity and inertia. 

In fact, the first question must be why is student engagement so important?

Well, its the lifeblood of your university. Without happy, inquisitive, thought-provoking and challenging students, a university would be a very sterile place – not conducive to learning, stifling creative thinking or crushing ambition. 

Common misconceptions about predictive analytics in the education sector

Examples of predictive analytics are everywhere, and the education sector is no exception. The approach uses historical student data to create models that help forecast future problems or opportunities. Educational institutions are using existing student data to gain insights on current or future student performance.

There are currently around 2.4 million students at UK universities, with one in three suffering from clinical levels of psychological distress during these formative years.

Predictive analytics is invisible, yet its benefits are highly tangible. The use of predictive analytics can bring a range of advantages to all educational settings; the ability to easily access and interpret results and attainment data is integral to any institution’s forward-planning. A holistic, systematic approach to using data will unquestionably drive improvements to standards across the whole institution.

Safeguarding student wellbeing and mental health is a challenge faced by all universities and colleges. As time has passed, student wellbeing has become a major focus for Higher Education institutions as student support services come under increased pressure. Wellbeing and mental health are vital parts of creating a positive student experience, with any issues impacting both social and academic student life.

There is no doubt that the past twelve months has made everyone, regardless of sector, think on their feet and adapt to new ways of living and working. One sector that has shone throughout is Higher Education, switching their focus from centuries of face-to-face teaching to a completely digital provision within days, showing just how adaptable and resilient they are.