Improvements Arising from/Related to Recommendations from Student Services Evaluation 2010 – Reported in March 2011

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 2010 Student Services Evaluation Project, and action taken in response to them, (at this stage only at Student Services level) are summarised below. Numbers responding to the three major surveys are shown below.

Client Satisfaction Survey (n = 781) This survey gathers feedback from recent users (clients) of our services

Student Survey (n= 1950) This survey seeks comments from students who may be users (clients) or who may be non-users.

Staff Survey (n= 148)This survey seeks comments from staff who may be users (clients or colleagues), or non-users.

At University Level

Recommendation / Aim / Outcome/Action Pending Further Discussion
Support functional reviews relating to the student experience – eg outreach and aspiration building, transition support, career capacity building / to ensure strategic leadership to, and high level coordination of all areas at Griffith that contribute to the student experience
Continuously improve Current Students and Future Students websites. / to promote the full range of support and development services available at Griffith – for assistance to students and for marketing
Streamline processes for help seeking by students. / to provide a simple system for students to access the support they need
Provide appropriate levels/standard of accommodation and resourcing for Student Services / to ensure Student Services can operate effectively across all campuses and to deliver in-School programs.

At Student Services Level

Recommendation / Aim / Action
Continue efforts to improve stakeholder awareness and knowledge of the full range of services and programs offered by us through hard copy, electronic and social media promotion. / to improve effective referral to and use of all our services and programs by students and staff, and to resource clients and other stakeholders indirectly as well as directly /
  • Use of Facebook and Twitter to promote services, programs and activities
  • New careers newsletters to staff and employers
  • Review 2009/2010 re-branding of our services to determine effectiveness.
  • Develop new suite of posters highlighting inclusivity.
  • Student Partner Program expanded, particularly through Orientation and at promotional events

Improve client access to face to face careers and employment services – through improved booking systems, restructuring service roles to create more appointments, and maintaining group seminars. / to ensure we offer genuine flexibility of access to clients – through individual, group and on-line support, and in response to the growth in student numbers /
  • Streamline systems for booking careers appointments using web registration.
  • Implement reminder sms for specially scheduled appoints.
  • Reassign staff responsibilities to create more service provider capacity.

Increase availability of GP and nurse appointments, and allied health practitioner hours as possible, to address wait times in the Health Service. / to provide timely access to medical and allied health services /
  • Maximise the use of dedicated medical centre space to accommodate health provider sessions at Nathan and GC campuses.
  • Improve on-line reminder systems to manage no-shows and cancelled appointments, to create on the day appointments were possible.

Focus on enhanced client service training for front counter staff including cross cultural and mental health first aid training. / to ensure the staff who are first point of contact for our services to clients offer exceptional, efficient and culturally sensitive support /
  • Implement Mental Health First Aid Training for all front counter staff by end 2011.’
  • Ensure all front counter staff have exposure to cross cultural training every two years.
  • Have all front counter staff undergo client service training/refresher every year.
  • Revisit and refine Service Principles

Improve reception/waiting areas at all Student Services offices on GC, Logan, MG and Nathan campuses, and our office entrance areas at QCA and QCGU at South Bank. / to make our physical environments welcoming, comfortable, sufficiently private and functional for clients, with appropriate hard copy and computer resources available to facilitate effective engagement /
  • Update /refresh facilities
  • Review information sheets at reception for currency and usefulness
  • Where appropriate introduce silent screen displays for information (eg health promotion).

Implement Student Services Climate Survey Action Plan in response to employee feedback about culture and climate in the workplace. / to continuously improve the working environment to retain and develop staff, and encourage team work, engagement and productivity /
  • Standing item on fortnightly managers’ meeting agenda
  • Report on actions at each Student Services Summit ( annually)

Encourage client driven feedback. / to give clients the opportunity to provide feedback at any time /
  • Implement Student Services presence on ASK US in 2011
  • Re-instate on-site feedback postcard system in each Student Services office to gather continuous feedback on client satisfaction.
  • Re-instate on-line feedback link on Student services website.

Continue efforts to strengthen collaboration with other support and development services, and with academic elements / to support a student-centred learning community /
  • Coordination of collaborative activities (Combined Services Meeting etc)
  • Regular meetings with managers of other units (fortnight managers’ meetings, individual service meetings etc)
  • Collaborative service provision and projects with academic staff and with other professional/support staff
  • Regular attendance and presentations at SAO Forums