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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Rob Jones
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND).
While the term “student experience” is used widely in universities, it is remarkably under-developed as a construct in the academic literature. This paper addresses this gap by proposing a conceptual framework for the student experience of undergraduate students.The approach taken is to identify the key influences that shape the student experience from the perspective of students. It does this by addressing two questions: firstly, what are the key influences that shape the student experience? Secondly, how and why do these influences shape the student experience? To do this the paper draws from a wide range of studies that provide substantial theoretical and empirical evidence as to how students experience university.Drawing from Bronfenbrenner’s (1994, 1999) bioecological model of human development, it identifies seven key sets of influences or microsystems that shape the undergraduate student experience. Then the paper considers how and why these influences shape students’ experiences drawing from the concepts of engagement and alienation.The paper concludes by proposing a broadly defined model for the student experience where learning and development takes place as a result of meaningful interactions between the student and the key microsystems. The implications of this model for universities and for further study are also discussed.
Author(s): Jones JR
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Journal of Further and Higher Education
Year: 2018
Volume: 42
Pages: 1040-1054
Online publication date: 25/07/2017
Acceptance date: 10/01/2017
Date deposited: 20/12/2017
ISSN (print): 0309-877X
ISSN (electronic): 1469-9486
Publisher: Routledge
URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2017.1349882
DOI: 10.1080/0309877X.2017.1349882
Notes: Acceptance for publication confirmed by e-mail from the Journal Editor on 10 January 2017. Awaiting proofs from publisher as at 28 February 2017.
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