Supporting Students throughout University Career: The STAY IN Project

Abstract

The STAY IN project seeks to contribute to an improved guidance and counselling provision for higher education students, focusing on online support services. The action is aimed at enhancing the quality of educational services and at improving retention rates. The action focuses particularly on the ongoing study career, both in presence (student offices) and especially at a distance, by means of a multi-level channel of communication and a continuous dialogue with the student.Between January and May 2013 a research analysis was carried out, in order to identify the students’ needs, and act to fill in the gap between support needs and support provision. The overall methodology adopted combined three methods of data collection and analysis: a set of Key Informant Interviews; a Literature Review of theory, research and practice on student guidance and counselling; a Student Survey. The survey (546 completed questionnaires) in particular offered some interesting data, by making explicit:•