EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT & SUPPORT CENTRE
Statement of
Service
A Guide for Clients and Staff
Please note:
1. The Educational Support & Development Service was re-launched
as the Student Support & Development Service in June 2006.
2. The content of this document is under review.
University of Leicester
Educational Development and Support Centre
Statement of Service
This Statement of Service is available on the EDSC website, in
hard copy, and, on request, in alternative formats such as Braille,
audio-cassette or CD.
1. Introduction
The Educational Development and Support Centre (EDSC) provides an integrated development and
support service for University of Leicester students and a range of specific provision for University of
Leicester staff, prospective students, and graduates. The EDSC also provides services at an institutional
level, and for the national and international Higher Education sector.
The EDSC aims to:
• stimulate and support the development of learning and teaching of the highest quality and
appropriate to the requirements of a diverse staff and student body
• provide opportunities to promote students’ achievement in learning, the fulfilment of their
potential and their future success
• promote the health and well-being of students and staff
• contribute to the development of relevant knowledge and understanding, and to debates on policy
and practice at local, national and international level.
Many EDSC services are provided though its specialist units (the Careers, Counselling and Welfare
Services, the Student Learning Centre, the Teaching and Learning Unit, the AccessAbility Centre and the
Hugh Binnie Sick Bay). This statement outlines the services provided centrally both by those staff who
comprise the EDSC directorate 1 , and other staff in specialist units working in an EDSC capacity. It
should be read in conjunction with the Statements of Service for each of the EDSC units.
For more information about the EDSC, the principles that inform its work, and the individual EDSC units,
please see the EDSC website (www.le.ac.uk/edsc/); the EDSC Mission Statement is accessible from the
home page of the site.
2. What we offer
The EDSC directorate provides the strategic direction for, and overall coordination, management and
support of, the specialised units detailed above. In collaboration with other EDSC colleagues, as
appropriate, they also provide a range of additional services that are outlined below. Services and
resources provided to the staff and students of the University of Leicester are normally free of charge;
those provided to external bodies may be charged at current market rates.
Information, advice and guidance
EDSC staff members have expertise and experience in a range of aspects of learning, teaching and
assessment, equal opportunities, and student development, support and guidance. This can be provided in
a number of ways including:
individual responses to specific enquiries
committee membership (internal and external)
consultancy (to individuals, groups, institutions or other bodies, internally and externally)
design and delivery of training (workshops, training programmes)
contributions to conferences or seminars.
1
The EDSC Directorate includes the central EDSC staff (the Director of the EDSC, the EDSC Administrator, the
Director’s secretary and the DLHE Clerk) and the Heads of each of the EDSC units.
Publications and other resources
The EDSC produces a range of information resources and guidance materials relating to its areas of
expertise and experience. These range from targeted self-help guidance leaflets (for example, on study
skills or career development topics) and web-based resources (for example, staff training materials for
mental health awareness) to more substantial documents and reports (for example, Helping Students in
Difficulty: a Guide for Personal Tutors and Other Staff and a series of annotated bibliographies on
learning and teaching). Most of these resources were originally developed by specialist staff for internal
use, but many have now been adapted for other institutions and are available for purchase. EDSC staff
members have also contributed to guidance and good practice documents published by organisations such
as UniversitiesUK and the Association of Managers of Student Services in Higher Education
(AMOSSHE).
Research
The EDSC carries out research to inform its activities and/or the advice offered to clients. Examples
include research projects based on surveys of student psychological well-being, graduate career
development, and the impact of mental health initiatives on the development of UK HE policy and
practice.
Projects and other specific initiatives
The EDSC raises resources for, manages, and, when appropriate, disseminates the outcomes of, a range of
developmental initiatives; it also participates in inter- and intra-institutional projects. Current and recent
initiatives in which EDSC staff have been involved include: the development of volunteering
opportunities for University of Leicester students and staff; employability skills for students with specific
learning difficulties and disabilities; learning and teaching in archaeology; the development of mental
health policies and practices for students in HE.
Please contact the EDSC for further information about any of the resources, services or activities outlined
above; a bibliography of publications by EDSC staff and further information about EDSC activities,
including recent conference presentations, is available on our website.
Referral
The EDSC endeavours to respond positively to enquiries but there may be occasions when we refer you
to another source of help, either within the University or outside. Reasons for this referral will normally
be discussed and adequate information given to help you to make effective contact with relevant services
or agencies.
Members of University staff who are unsure which of the separate EDSC units is most likely to be able to
respond to their query or request for information should contact any member of central staff in the first
instance. All enquiries from those external to the University should be addressed to the Director of the
EDSC using the contact details given below.
3. EDSC staff
All staff employed in the EDSC are professionally qualified and/or trained and have experience relevant
to their roles. Qualifications held by members of EDSC units are outlined in the relevant statements of
service; qualifications and professional affiliations of the EDSC central staff include, in addition to
academic qualifications: Postgraduate Certificate of Education; membership of the Association of
Managers of Student Services of Higher Education (AMOSSHE); and Fellowship of the Royal Society of
Arts.
All EDSC staff members are offered regular opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge through
training and development activities. Information about current staff is available on the EDSC website.
4. Feedback and evaluation
We value the feedback that we get from our clients, both formal and informal, and use it in regular
evaluations of our services and to guide future developments. Examples of the ways in which client
feedback has been used to develop provision are given on the EDSC website.
From time to time we will seek such feedback in the form of questionnaires on specific aspects of our
service; any feedback provided will be treated with discretion and no information about individual
respondents will be made available to others. Clients who wish to comment on any aspect of the EDSC,
either positively or negatively, should use one of the comments forms available in College House or
inform a member of staff who will try to help.
If clients are unhappy about responses to any requests or suggestions they make, they should write in the
first instance to the Director, Dr Annie Grant, with more details. A written reply will normally be given
within five working days of receipt.
Formal complaints should be made through the University's complaints procedures (details are available
from the University Registry).
5. Professional standards
The EDSC operates within a set of national and institutional standards that provide a professional, ethical
and equal opportunities framework for its work. These include:
•
•
•
•
The EDSC Code of Professional Practice
University of Leicester Equal Opportunities Policy (available from the Personnel Office)
The Quality Assurance Agency Code of Practice
The Matrix Quality Standards (assessment due in December 2003).
The EDSC is an active member of the Association of Student Services in Higher Education (AMOSSHE),
which aims to seek out, promote and foster best practice and high quality in student service provision.
The University of Leicester also has institutional membership of the Staff and Educational Development
Association (SEDA), the professional association for staff and educational developers in the UK; this
organisation promotes innovation and good practice in higher education
For further information about any of the above, please contact the Director of the EDSC, Dr Annie Grant.
6. Confidentiality and data protection
Any information provided by clients will be handled with sensitivity, care and discretion and in
accordance with the EDSC Confidentiality and Data Protection Policy (available from the EDSC website)
and the University’s Data Protection Code of Practice. If you would like a hard copy of either of these
documents, please contact any member of staff in the EDSC for the EDSC policy, or the University’s
Data Protection Officer, Colin Atkinson (ca46@le.ac.uk), for the University of Leicester Code.
7. Further information and contact details
The central EDSC staff members are based in College House on the main University campus (between
the Library and the Attenborough Tower). Only the ground floor of this building is accessible to those
with mobility difficulties; arrangements can be made to provide alternative meeting places for those who
are not able to reach the first floor offices.
Staff availability
Staff members are normally available during office hours (9 to 5.30) on weekdays throughout the year,
except when the University is closed.
Further information about any of our services is available by contacting the EDSC directly. We shall
endeavour to respond to any enquiry as soon as possible and whenever possible within five working days
of receipt.
Contact details
Postal address: EDSC
College House
University of Leicester
University Road
Leicester, LE1 7RH
Telephone: 0116 252 5018/5230/2716
Fax: 0116 252 5111
Email: edsc@le.ac.uk
Website: www.le.ac.uk/edsc
This statement of service is reviewed annually. Date of last review: November 2003