Proactive, Personable Outreach at Ayrshire College
Author
TERI EVANS
Student Engagement and Wellbeing Team Leader
Ayrshire College
Summary:
Ayrshire College wanted to move from reactive to proactive support for students with additional needs, including its significant care-experienced population. It introduced a "priority group process" of regular, informally toned check-in messages across multiple channels, allowing students to choose how they're contacted.
The challenge
Ayrshire College supports a significant proportion of students with additional needs: around 10% of its student body — roughly 1,000 students — are care-experienced, alongside others with caring responsibilities, those with exceptional entry, veterans, and estranged students. More broadly, support staff noticed that existing communication methods, primarily formal messages via email, weren’t working. Messages advertising support services received a low uptake, while staff noticed a pattern of students approaching them for clarification after receiving lengthy, complex emails. The college wanted to move away from unnecessarily formal communication and proactively offer support in a way students could understand and engage with.
The approach
The college introduced a "priority group process," where students potentially needing additional support receive a check-in message every two weeks, simply asking if they need any help. These messages are sent through a range of formats — email, text, and Teams — with students able to choose their preferred method of contact.
The tone of these messages is deliberately informal. This approach is intentionally trauma-informed and tailored to the specific needs of these student cohorts. Staff frequently incorporate emojis and use GenAI to reword messages to make them sound friendlier and more enthusiastic. The aim is to make communications feel genuinely positive: for example, a message beginning, “As we approach the end of the academic year,” could be reworded to say, “Congrats on making it this far!” Messages are themed around the academic calendar, and the college even sends students virtual birthday messages.
For example, the college sends a friendly welcome to all new students:
A big welcome to Ayrshire College! 🎉 I hope you’re looking forward to starting your course and settling into college life.
I'm NAME, your Engagement & Wellbeing Advisor, and I’m here to support you throughout your time at college. I’m really looking forward to meeting you and helping you along the way. Whether something is affecting your attendance, wellbeing or studies, or you’re just not sure where to go for help, please get in touch. I’m happy to listen and help you find the right support.
I'd love the opportunity to have a quick chat and get to know you. We can arrange a Microsoft Teams video call, a phone call, or meet on campus - whatever works best for you.
Similarly, at the end of term, the college sent another message recognising students’ hard work over the year and encouraging them to seek support if necessary:
I just wanted to say a massive well done for getting this far- it’s not always easy balancing coursework, placements, work and life stuff, so you should be proud of yourself for sticking with it 👏
Final push now! Try and keep on top of any last bits of work that still need finished. Even if you’re feeling tired or done with coursework, you’re so close now 🙌 Remember, you’ve already made it through the hardest parts of the year - don’t let a few difficult days make you forget how far you’ve come 💪
And remember, asking for help is never a weakness. Some of the strongest people are the ones who reach out when things are difficult, so please don’t struggle on your own if you need support.
The impact
Students have reacted positively to this informal and proactive method of communication, and the number of responses to messages has doubled. Teams is the most popular channel, particularly among male students, who are often less inclined to book a formal appointment but are more willing to engage through an informal chat. This increased engagement has allowed staff to identify issues earlier and offer support proactively rather than reactively. The approach has contributed to Ayrshire College achieving the 2nd best outcomes in Scotland for care-experienced students.
Building on this success, the college plans to extend the approach to its wider student population, with students outside the priority groups set to receive a monthly check-in message. The approach also continues over the summer, reflecting the fact that the college's support doesn't stop when term ends. Similarly, applicants receive encouraging messages throughout the summer months, helping them understand what they need to do to prepare. As a result, students arrive at the start of the academic year better prepared and in a stronger position to succeed.