At Arden, we're with you every step of the way
At Arden University, we pride ourselves on the comprehensive student support services we offer. After all, a solid support system is the key to success, providing you with all the help and guidance you need to succeed at university. Whatever type of support you’re after, whether it’s academic, financial, personal, or just a matter of general advice, we’re here to help at every stage of your degree.
So, when will you start receiving student support? Our student support team will be readily available to you as soon as you start your learning journey with us. They’ll guide you through your induction and enrolment, which tells you everything you need to know about studying through online or blended learning.
While you study, our dedicated student support team will be at your fingertips to give any guidance or help you might need. At Arden, we have over 80 tutors and support staff helping students from all over the world achieve their ambitions.
Your tutors are also there to help you progress successfully through your modules. Your tutor should be the first point of contact for any questions about your course or assignments. They’ll also be posting thought-provoking discussions, engaging in forum conversations, and hosting webinars to ensure that you fully understand your study materials.
What do Arden students say about our student support services?
Take a look at these quotes and testimonials from our students and find out what they had to say about their tutors.
Academic skills workshops and one-to-one support
We know that some of our students may be returning to higher education after a hiatus, or simply need a confidence boost, so we’ve devised a series of optional workshops to provide a little extra support for those who need it. You can access these via our online portal, ilearn, completely free of charge.
Some of the subjects covered include:
- Introduction to academic writing
- Rudiments of writing
- Paraphrasing and synthesising
- Critical thinking
- Understanding plagiarism
- Reading and note taking
- Introduction to the library
- Advanced literature searching
- Referencing workshops
- Approaching assignments
- Your virtual classroom
- Proofreading
- Identifying a research topic (dissertation)
You can download the current timetable here.
In addition to our regular workshops, you can also work with our Academic Skills Tutors on a one-to-one basis, giving you the opportunity to ask any questions you might have and develop key skills to help you progress in your degree. These are available to all current students via study-skills@arden.ac.uk
Introducing your Digital Backpack
Once you’ve enrolled on your course with Arden you’ll get access to your Digital Backpack, a toolkit of digital resources we’ve put together to help you succeed during your time studying with us.
Here are some of the digital resources you’ll have available from day one of your course:
Office 365 subscription
We set you up with a subscription to Microsoft Office 365 during your studies, completely free of charge, helping you create and manage your coursework and assignments in one handy cloud location.
Zoom video conferencing
Zoom is integrated into our online learning platform, ilearn. This makes it seamless to attend lectures​​ from any location and on any device.
Perlego online library access
Perlego’s online library was founded to help you avoid having to pay hefty fees for your study texts, so you’ll find it a user friendly and intuitive resource. After selecting a book or article from Perlego, it’ll become yours to keep and refer back to.
Career services through Abintegro
The Abintegro career portal is the UK’s leading career development platform, designed specifically for college and university students.
Our community forum, Unitu
Unitu is an online student voice platform that provides you with the opportunity to connect with your tutors and peers.
We go above and beyond
The student services available at Arden go above and beyond just academic work. We’re here to make sure your journey with us goes smoothly in every aspect of your life.
We understand that while university is an exciting and rewarding time for most students, it can lead to stress and pressure for others. So if you’re feeling strain, or are suffering from anxiety, depression, financial worries, or relationship problems that could potentially affect your studies, we’re here to offer a helping hand.
Watch the video below to find out more about some of the extracurricular support you’ll receive as an Arden student.
Professional wellbeing support with Togetherall
All Arden University students have free access to Togetherall, which offers confidential online wellbeing support and advice 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Whether you’re struggling to sleep, feeling low or stressed, or finding yourself unable to cope, Togetherall can help you get support, take control, and feel better.
WIth Togetherall you can join an online global community and receive support from trained professionals, all while remaining completely anonymous. View Togetherall’s privacy statement.
If you’re looking for a safe online space to get things off your chest, explore your feelings, get creative, and learn how to self-manage your mental health and wellbeing, you can sign up here.
Supporting Mental Health Awareness Week
As part of our commitment to fully supporting our students, Arden is proud to support Mental Health Awareness Week every year.
To support this event, Arden's Vice-Chancellor & Chief Executive Officer, Carl Lygo, issued a statement encouraging anyone out there who’s struggling to speak out and get help through the channels provided through Arden.
Mental health problems affect 1 in 4 of us. We know that periods of change or stress can impact our mental health and at Arden University, we aim to provide help, understanding and support to our students, should they ever need it.
Our students learn in a modern way, and our modes of support reflect this. Our student support staff are all Mental Health First Aiders and are readily available, whether you are an online Distance learner, or Blended learner who studies in class, as well as online.
It is encouraging that there is an ever-increasing awareness and acceptance of mental health issues in our society, especially among young people, but we should not become complacent or think we have done enough.
Here at Arden, we will always strive to provide a support network that can guide our students not only through their studies, but through anything life may throw their way during their time with us.
During Mental Health Awareness Week and every other, I encourage Arden students and employees to open themselves up to conversations about mental health, because talking is the first step to breaking a taboo which really needn’t exist.
