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The purpose of this paper is to know the personalized online student support system provided by e-learning centers, to find out academic advice as Student Support Services provided by institution running e-learning programs; to find out career counseling as Student Support Services provided by institution running e-learning programs; to find out technical support as Student Support Services provided by institution running e-learning programs; to find out registration assistance as Student Support Services provided by institution running e-learning programs; to find out methods used for paying fee for e-learning programs for LIS education; and to find out financial aid available for students for e-learning programs in LIS education.

The present study is exploratory in nature. In the study, the attempt was made to explore the Student Support Services provided by e-learning institution. It focuses on the various online Student Support Services. Data collection was made through following methods: through Web pages of related departments; by contacting the departments and by sending questionnaires.

Student Support Services provided by institutions – academic advice: it was observed from Table I that the data were significant (p < 0.05) and that high percentage (60.9 per cent) of universities/institutes provide support systems like academic advice to the students opting LIS courses through e-programs; career counseling: it was observed from Table II that the data were significant (p < 0.05) and that high percentage (60.9 per cent) of universities/institutes provide support systems like career counseling to the students opting LIS courses through e-programs; technical support: it was observed from Table III that 100 per cent universities/institutes provide technical support to the students opting LIS courses through e-programs; and registration assistance: it was observed from Table IV that 100 per cent universities/institutes provide registration assistance support to the students opting LIS courses through e-programs. *Mode of payment of fees for e-learning programs for LIS education: it was apparent from the information (Table V) that mode of payment of fees such as credit card, check and purchase order or money order is available for majority of e-learning courses. *Financial aid available for students for e-learning programs in LIS education: it may be concluded on the basis of the study results (Table VI) that for significantly (p < 0.05) high percentage of LIS courses, the financial aid is not available.

The research work, especially Student Support Services, was limited to only 23 institutions which are running courses in LIS education by e-learning technology.

The present study shows that there is a need to strengthen more Student Support Services. The successful implementation of such a system would need efforts by the concerned management of the institutions and substantial support from the apex statutory organizations. The stakeholders have strongly reinforced the necessity of support strategies which need to start from the time the student enrolls to completion of course. Feedback from students, teachers and researchers should be taken for improving the services. It is useful for those who are running e-learning courses.

Students who are taken and studying online courses would be aware of Student Support Services.

This research work is valuable and original, and no prior research has been identified for Student Support Services for e-learning programs in LIS.

This paper problematises student support in higher education during the Covid-19 crisis and proposes an original approach of social network analysis for developing effective support for students from different socio-economic backgrounds.

In this forward-thinking essay, the authors draw on theoretical ideas from Hannah Arendt in conceptualising the destructive and productive nature of societal crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic. We also draw on literature on social network analysis in exploring student support.

The authors propose a number of recommendations for university staff to consider when developing effective student support, ranging from nurturing their own professional capital to mapping student support networks and the role of faculty within these.

This paper emphasises the importance of developing effective student support that works for students from different socio-economic backgrounds. This is essential to avoid regression in widening participation policies and practices, and to promote inclusive university environments.

The purpose of the paper is to explore the issues of dyslexia and the management of learning support within two Scottish suppliers of premier HE hospitality education: Napier and QMU universities of Edinburgh.

This exploratory, qualitative fieldwork outlines course managers', teachers' and disabilities support staff perceptions of dyslexia support. Students' views are noted, not interviewed. The paper describes the views of 12 of a sample of (eight female and four male) staff interviewees. Napier University and Queen Margaret University are post‐1990 “new” universities; Napier has a larger student/staff population than QMU.

The emergent findings in this paper highlight the fact that managers, teachers and support staff operate an under‐resourced and largely ad hoc system of dyslexic support, although Napier, with greater central funding, shows signs of more strategic insight with the appointment of a full‐time dyslexia coordinator with strategic potential. The findings pinpoint the strengths (personal attention) of decentralised support with ambiguity problems and the need for a generic centrally coordinated support system capable of codifying tacit experience into customised support packages for hospitality students.

The paper is a small exploratory study of the views and perceptions of dyslexia of course managers', hospitality teachers' and support staff from two of Edinburgh's new universities. Both have decades of internationally respected work in hospitality education and elsewhere in higher education.

The fieldwork draws attention to this situation and suggests ways to make concepts of dyslexia and disability more relevant to academic hospitality managers teaching in higher education and to those practising in the field.

The paper examines the proposition that, while dyslexia is a condition open to support and improvement, it is for many practitioners a vague concept. What emerges from the interviews is that disability and what to do about it seems to be an attitude of mind, a question of perceptions, frames of references, intangible properties: that the essence of enhanced dyslexic support is how to do things better. Napier and QMU give valuable ad hoc examples here on which to design future practice. What is needed is a systematic approach to design, implementation and sustainability, and an understanding of the tacitly held knowledge that underpins experience‐generated systems of knowledge. Bringing out such tacit and explicit notions of the complexity of perceptions of knowledge lies in future studies.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how faculty staff on health and social care programmes support students with mental health issues.

The study used a qualitative survey design to gain in-depth information on faculty staff experiences. Seventy-one faculty staff at two universities in the South East of England out of an eligible population of 115 staff responded to an anonymous online questionnaire which were thematically analysed.

The findings indicated that faculty staff faced uncertainties in providing support to students with mental health needs. They reported tensions between their academic, professional and pastoral roles. There was a wide recognition that supporting students was physically and emotionally demanding for faculty staff and especially challenging when their roles and expectations were unclear. This was compounded by lack of explicit guidelines and an apparent severed connection between faculty staff and student support services.

A need for clearly defined roles and responsibilities for faculty staff in supporting students with mental health needs including a review of their pastoral role were identified. The study reinforces the need for effective collaborative arrangements and collective decision making and clearer procedures in the planning and implementation of students' personal support plans. A concerted effort into adopting a transpersonal approach which incorporates mental health staff awareness training, restorative spaces for reflection and supportive pathways for faculty staff are recommended.

This paper provides rare empirical evidence of faculty staff views on their role in supporting students with mental health needs on health and social care programmes.

The aim of this research was to find out students' and mentors' attitudes toward the quality of mentoring support during teaching practicums. The research sought to determine whether there is any difference in (self) assessment between teacher mentors and early childhood education students.

Through the quantitative research methodology, the Crisp (2009) College Student Mentoring Scale (CSMS) instrument was used to assess the quality of mentoring support during teaching practicums. Assessments were made in relation to the following variables: support in the areas of psychological and emotional needs, support in professional development and the development of professional competencies and the role of mentors as models. Early childhood education students (n1 = 105) and mentors (n2 = 54) of teaching practicums at the Faculty of Teacher Education, University of Zagreb, participated in the research.

The results of the research show that there is a statistically significant difference between student assessments and mentor self-assessment with regard to all researched areas of support. Mentors rated their mentoring skills higher than students did.

An approach in which mentoring is assessed in the context of support to students in different areas (e.g. psychological, emotional, professional) is rarely used in early childhood teacher education. Results indicate the need for a systematic evaluation of mentoring and the design of programs to strengthen mentoring competences.

The purpose of this study is to examine how academic coaches, through academic student support, impact graduate student performance in a time-intensive online learning program for pursuing a master’s degree in leadership and human resource development in a research-intensive public university in the Southern USA.

The participants in this study were 435 graduate students enrolled in their online master’s degree program. Framed by the theory of transactional distance and by adopting a pre-experimental design and the analysis of variance (ANOVA) technique, the student performance in three courses was compared (principles of adult education, research methods and performance analysis) with academic coaches.

The findings indicate that the average score of students was higher when students received more feedback and comments from an academic coach than less feedback and comments in the performance analysis course. Students who had an academic coach in the adult education class performed better than those who did not have a coach. However, there was not a significant difference in academic performance based on the number of academic coaches (one versus three) in the research methods course.

This preliminary work may lead to a better understanding of how academic coaches can best support adult learners in their pursuits of online postsecondary education. This study would suggest implications for online instructors and institutions to enhance student success and retention in online learning activities by using academic coaching.

Student mental health is a major challenge for higher education in the twenty-first century. Students undertaking healthcare professionally affiliated courses can experience additional pressures that negatively impact on their well-being and can make it more difficult to access support. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

To address some of these challenges, the Bridge Network was established in one healthcare school in a higher education institution. It is a peer support network co-produced with students studying on healthcare courses to provide group-based support to promote mental well-being. Student peer group facilitators draw on their own lived experience of mental health challenges or of being a carer. The groups provide a safe space for students who may experience mental health difficulties to share, gain support and connect with each other. This paper explores the journey of setting up the Bridge Network.

Although the group has been well received and various factors have supported its establishment, there are several difficulties that the network has faced. Power imbalances between students and academic staff have been challenging for the co-produced design, alongside enabling positive and safe discloser for healthcare students. However, the network has raised the profile of mental well-being for healthcare students and encouraged supportive conversations about the issue as well as providing enriching volunteer opportunities.

The Bridge Network is an innovative development reflecting best practice within mental healthcare. However, to ensure spread and sustainability, alignment with organisational strategy is required.

The paper explores the strengths and challenges of establishing peer support for students undertaking vocational healthcare courses.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships between academic self-efficacy, study engagement and perceived lecturer support within a higher education setup.

A convenience sample of 376 respondents from a technical university in Ghana took part in the study by completing self-reported questionnaire. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and partial least square-based structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM).

Findings suggest academic self-efficacy and perceived lecturer support are positive and significant predictors of study engagement. In addition, perceived lecturer support was a significant moderator between academic self-efficacy and study engagement.

This paper is one of the first to have tested a model including academic self-efficacy, study engagement and perceived lecturer support in a technical university setup from a developing country perspective.

The nature of quality teaching and learning in higher education has been subject to ongoing research and debate. In distance learning programmes, “teaching” comprises several distinct tasks including the provision of distance learning materials and the support of students’ learning when they are away from the campus. This study examined the nature of quality in terms of the provision of “off‐campus support” to students in a particular postgraduate distance education context. A questionnaire was administered to investigate students’ perceptions and expectations regarding off‐campus support. While students identified support related to their academic work as being the most important component of an off‐campus support system, issues related to the availability and accessibility of this support were also highlighted. These findings informed the development of a model of quality off‐campus support in the context of advanced level, distance learning programmes.

This paper aims to explore student teachers’ views related to the online academic support e-tools used under the COVID-19 lockdown.

Mapping a pragmatic research approach, an explanatory mixed methods design was used for the study.

Empirical evidence revealed that student teachers were satisfied and experienced the academic support tools as being positively applied to their online learning. Furthermore, it is reported that student teachers preferred the discussion forum as the most appropriate academic support e-tool in the course under coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown.

This exploratory pragmatic study extends the knowledge of the online academic support e-tools for an open distance e-learning (ODeL) context that was used under COVID-19 lockdown. This study provides additional evidence concerning a revised academic support frame for an ODeL online learning context. Research limitations: small sample size was used, and therefore caution must be applied, as the findings might not be transferable to a similar context. The current study has only examined a teacher education course and could not be generalised to similar conditions as those under COVID-19 lockdown. This exploratory research has raised many questions that require further investigation. More research is required to determine the efficacy of the academic support e-tools with regard to student learning in other online courses and contexts.

The student teachers that participated in this study were empowered to using the academic support e-tools to support them under COVID-19 lockdown. The discussion was mostly preferred academic supportive e-tool as an engaged, participatory and communicative platform for accelerated learning in the teaching methodology of economics course.

A noteworthy contribution was made in the design and testing of the reliability of methodological tools, which could be replicated in blended and ODeL contexts.