“Academic supervision of Pre-Registration BSc nursing students; what do they want?”

This is a mixed methods research project undertaken at Swansea University and investigates the students’ perceptions of the academic support they received when writing assignments. The participants were all current students on a pre-registration BSc nursing programme. The rationale for this project was the current recognition in higher education that the views of the student should be considered at all levels of study. This is evident in the perceived importance of the National Student Survey (NSS) throughout the sector and specifically at Swansea University the undergraduate Student Experience Survey (SES) and the two postgraduate student surveys. However, most surveys of students are broad in context and don’t ask detailed questions about particular areas of the student experience. Specifically in the context of this study, when considering support received by students the NSS asks only 3 questions about this, and only one of those asks specifically about academic support. When reviewing the literature it is clear that there is very little written about the provision of academic support from the students’ perspective. This is especially limited when considering undergraduate students, with the majority of studies investigating postgraduate research students’ experiences of academic supervision. The research had a number of specific objectives. •To identify and explore students’ views on the quantity and quality of academic supervision they currently receive•To identify and explore students’ reasons for engaging (or not) in academic supervision•To explore the students’ views on the availability of academic supervision•To identify and explore the students’ expectations on the timing of supervision •To identify and explore the students’ preferences for type and style of academic supervision•To identify students’ perceived strengths, challenges and areas for improvement in the current system of academic supervision•To explore the students’ views on future development for the provision of academic supervisionThe potential benefits identified by undertaking this study include;•Recognition of areas of student perceived good practice in academic supervision•Establishment of student led evidence for the development of new policy or guidance on academic supervision•Identification of student areas of concern in relation to academic supervisionThe initial data finding and analysis will be presented with suggestions for future directions of enquiry