Improvements Arising from Recommendations from Student Services Evaluation 2004

Improvements Arising from/Related to Recommendations from Student Services Evaluation 2004

Since 1995, Student Services has undertaken a comprehensive evaluation of its services and programs (counselling, careers, chaplaincy, health, equity/disability, welfare) every three years (Student Service Evaluation Project), in addition to routine regular evaluation.

The Evaluation Project involves three major surveys (Client Satisfaction Survey; Student Survey; Staff Survey) as well as other measures (focus groups with student associations, employer surveys, staff climate surveys, results on national benchmarking surveys etc).

Feedback received informs future planning and priorities. Recommendations arising from the 2004 Student Services Evaluation Project, and action taken in response to them, are summarised below. Numbers responding to the three major surveys are shown below.

Client Satisfaction Survey (n = 401) This survey gathers feedback from recent users (clients) of our services Student Survey (n= 1277) This survey seeks comments from students who may be users (clients) or who may be non-users. Staff Survey (n= 167) This survey seeks comments from staff who may be users (clients or colleagues), or non-users.

At University Level

Recommendation Aim Action Maintain and extend the provision of quality and to ensure these services, identified as critical to Some additional funding secured in 2005 for extra equitable student support and development the University’s strategic mission, are welfare services to GC campus. services, as part of a commitment to the appropriately located and resourced across all University’s Strategic and Academic Plans campuses Support better coordination of existing support and to maximise coherence and collaboration across Student Orientation and Engagement Committee development services (Student Services, these services, and to simplify student access to strengthened in 2005, providing University level International Office, Learning Services, Gumurrii them. platform for these services to work better together. Centre) FYA network established and resources prepared for them to assist cross element referral/collaboration. DVC (T&L) proactive in encouraging support services and academic elements to work collaboratively in student engagement. Ensure students and staff are aware of the full to maximise benefits to students and staff, and to Early Support Primer for staff sponsored by range of services provided by Student Services better promote this aspect of the University to DVC(T&L). and other support and development services. prospective students and staff SSV activities feature in DVC(T&L) regular emails to students, and in VC’s all staff emails. Presentation at all Faculty Boards about SSV. Learning@griffith messages about SSV.

At Student Services Level

Recommendation Aim Action Improve stakeholder awareness and knowledge of Emphasis on enabling information in service to improve effective referral to and use of all our the full range of services and programs offered by marketing (tip sheets, welfare notices, exam services and programs by students and staff, us through image and information based reviver activity, healthy cook book). and to resource clients and other stakeholders promotion – with particular attention to informing Improvements to SSV websites. and resourcing postgraduate and international New SSV branding (posters, bookmarks) indirectly as well as directly students, students at risk, and academic staff. Mobile booths at Nathan and GC campuses.

Develop service standards, have these agreed to inform client expectation, and establish In progress. at University level, and communicate these benchmarks for comparative purposes Client Activity data distributed to managers every month. Review and develop programs and services, in to stay relevant and useful to clients and other Feedback sought from clients of a number of response to clients’ suggestions, in view of stakeholders programs (Industry Mentoring Program, Careers strategic and well as direct service imperatives, Fairs, Uni-Reach, Uni-Key, TEE, Notetaking and in line with good practice in the sector, Network, Health Week, SSV Orientation activities; within resource constraints Making Employment Happen program etc) to improve these activities. Health Service undertook client satisfaction survey in 2005. Managers and staff constantly review services and programs to achieve improvements. Constantly review parity of service provision to provide for equitable and flexible access to Review of staffing ratios1 across campus and across all campuses, within resource our services across all campuses deployment of more staff hours to Logan and GC constraints, and ensure we deliver our services campuses. in flexible ways Strengthen collaboration with other support and to support a student-centred learning community Took lead role in coordination of collaborative development services, and with academic activities (Combined Services Meeting; FY@Griffth elements BBQ’s etc)

Further develop mechanisms for assessment of to ensure our services and programs impact SES undertaking research to track students outcomes to complement existing measures of positively on the individual and institution in the admitted through equity programs (Uni-Key, LTAP awareness, use and satisfaction. long as well as short term etc).

Improve evaluation processes in response to to assist program assessment and Ongoing. stakeholder feedback. benchmarking

1 Staffing ratios by service area and campus available.