Loughborough University:

Supporting students to achieve their ‘Personal Best’ 

Loughborough’s innovative student development programme ‘Personal Best’ has been co-created with students for students. It gives them the opportunity to develop the skills required to achieve their future ambitions. The TEF panel recognised the university as excellent in the delivery of educational gains for its students.

The Personal Best programme fosters an environment where students can recognise, nurture, and articulate their skills and attributes. This process cultivates greater self-awareness, empowering students to thrive academically and in their future endeavours.

The programme's structure aligns with the university's motto, ‘Veritate, Scientia, Labore’, with each word representing a key dimension of a student's Loughborough experience: academic, professional and personal. This framework encompasses 15 elements, as illustrated in the diagram below.

In a competitive employment market, it is recognised that employers will be looking for students to develop valuable skills and experience alongside their studies. The university drew on extensive research by professional bodies that provides insight into what employers want from today’s graduates (QS Global Employer Survey 2022). Skills including ‘communication, teamwork, problem-solving and flexibility’ are deemed important on a global scale. In the era that follows the coronavirus pandemic, the biggest area of concern cited by employers was ‘career management: the ability to manage your career, your boss and those around you as well as the ability to negotiate and influence’ (Institute of Student Employers).

The Personal Best programme was developed in response to these requirements from employers and helps students to evidence their personal and professional development while at university, allowing them to stand out to future employers and be the best version of themselves.

The programme was co-created with students, starting with focus groups where students explored the skills that are most important to them and what they wanted to gain from their university journey. Academic and professional services colleagues added value to the process by bringing in their knowledge and experience, which was particularly important for the delivery of the programme. This tailored and evidence-based approach also considered the different points of entry and transition for students and incorporated areas of particular importance to students (e.g., mental wellbeing and global citizenship).

The programme is delivered through a core module in all first year programmes. This was launched in 2019 after two successful pilots. The Personal Best programme has been further developed through a process of continual feedback from students, reflection, and evaluation of engagement. It now includes self-evaluation tools, tailored feedback and recommendation reports, and a mobile app option. The app supports a dynamic and engaging learning environment and is available to all year groups including those making the transition into university.

The app guides students on their personal and professional development pathway, prompting them to:

• review and articulate their skills
• set their own goals
• record activities and personal development
• reflect on progress
• enhance applications for placements and graduate roles.

It provides access to a wide range of opportunities, resources and information in a manner that suits students’ individual learning preferences and lifestyle. This enables every participating student to build a unique profile, which includes an individualised record of their activities and skills to act as a portfolio of personal and professional development across all stages of their university journey.

This starts with a focus on the successful transition to university through ‘Ready Set Loughborough’ and its four introductory topics: community, wellbeing, expectations and study success. As students progress on their educational journey, the programme continues to support them through relevant activities, resources and online courses, for example, ‘successful collaborative working’ and ‘developing interpersonal skills’.

Personal Best modules are embedded into the curriculum on every degree programme for first year students, increasing the programme’s profile and access for students. This is done through a series of lectures and a credit-bearing assignment, which is complimented by a fully embedded support programme. For first year students, the support focuses on aspects such as self-awareness, goal setting, looking after your mental health, and wellbeing. A programme of extra-curricular activities on topics such as digital skills, money management and sustainability (global citizenship) complement this classroom-based provision and provide a comprehensive package of support focused on life-long skills from second year through until postgraduation.

Reflection activities support students to make decisions about their future careers and to create impactful CVs and job applications that highlight their key skills and experiences. This leads to the recognition and completion of a student’s Personal Best Award, which is added to their degree transcript upon graduation.

Since the launch of the app in 2019, students have completed 66,257 badge activities. 98 per cent of all first year students have engaged with the app in 2022-23. 84 per cent of all first year students in 2022-23 also completed the skills profile, rating themselves against the 15 elements of Personal Best, and went on to set goals in areas such as study skills, digital success and wellbeing to further improve their skills.

The TEF submission by the university’s student body praises the programme, stating that it has helped them both academically and vocationally. The TEF panel found excellent practice in how the university sets out and delivers educational gains for its students.

The university continues to develop the programme in response to student, staff and employer feedback, monitoring its effectiveness in light of alumni and employer experiences. A leading resource for students searching for work experience shared that the support was ‘special’ and that students were clearly benefitting from it. They praised the individual or group level support and consideration of students’ needs and interests.

In response to student and staff feedback, the programme’s award has been streamlined to maximise engagement, while the new Student Success Academy delivers timely and embedded extra-curricular opportunities to further develop students’ resilience and confidence, with a particular focus on students traditionally underrepresented in higher education.