While exceptional student support has long been a hallmark of Macquarie’s ‘students first’ mindset, 2020 will be remembered as the year that student support went beyond anything we have known before. 

Teams across the University have come together to provide unprecedented levels of support for our students through COVID-19, embodying the principles of the Student Success Strategic Framework and demonstrating the deep sense of commitment to students that is felt by so many Macquarie staff.

We asked teams in the Office of Executive Director Student Engagement and Registrar – whose mission it is to proactively support the academic, personal, social and professional success of Macquarie students – to share some of the University’s key COVID-19 student support initiatives.

First, listen

Following the initial COVID outbreak, the team worked quickly to roll out mechanisms for gathering feedback – including a weekly survey to take the pulse of the student body; an all-student calling campaign and webinars – to determine priority support areas for students. A pulse survey page keeps students updated on progress of these supports and reinforces that the University’s COVID response is centred around their needs.

Rolling out priority support

After moving to meet immediate support needs such as food and housing, the team quickly began building the more complex support mechanisms required to enable successful online learning, social connection and general wellbeing.

The Student Success Support Package was established to provide emergency payments and tiered financial support, with priority given to students in highest need. To date, almost 4000 applications have been processed, with approximately 70 per cent of applications from our international students.

Connecting an online community

In response to feedback that students weren’t sure where to find information, the team moved to create a suite of communications materials, including one-page ‘cheat sheets’ on topics such as where to go for help, home IT and tips for online learning success.

A dedicated site, O-zone [Online Zone], was then launched to provide a ‘one stop shop’ for students to connect with the range of supports available, alongside a new weekly email newsletter to keep students updated and to reinforce available supports.

A range of new resources were launched to keep students connected socially, including a new student online events page, fun social media challenges and a new student-produced blog MQ Scoop, which sees Macquarie students ‘telling it like it is’. 

Contributing student blogger Annie Renouf says she’s proud to be part of the blog project.

“Words have an incredible power to bring people together and I’m passionate about helping to keep students connected during this time when we’re all adjusting to learning online and being at home,” she says. 

The power of a phone call

A key component of the COVID support framework has been an all-student calling campaign, managed by Student Connect and supported by staff redeployed from other areas of the University. These personal calls enable us to check on students’ personal wellbeing, connect them with necessary supports and gather feedback on student experience.

More than 14,000 Macquarie students have been personally contacted to date, with the Vice-Chancellor making a number of calls himself, to hear first-hand how our students are being impacted by COVID-19. 

Keeping careers on track

The Careers team have launched the Job Rescue program – connecting students who have lost jobs with employers hiring casual workers. Over 300 students have taken part in online Job Rescue sessions.  There has also been strong student engagement with live chats and online workshops hosted by the Careers and Employment team to support students’ professional development.

The Office of Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching) has signed a three-year contract with Studiosity to provide online study help to all Macquarie students. This was the result of a tender process completed in close liaison with key University stakeholders and the Procurement team.

Studiosity services are available 24/7, year-round and enable students to receive feedback on draft assignments, as well as on-demand assistance in key subjects, including English, Maths and Science (at foundation level), and Statistics, Economics and Accounting (for first-year students).

Professor Dominique Parrish, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching) says, “for students, these services are integral to their academic success and we look forward to continuing the relationship with Studiosity over the next three years in delivering them.”

Macquarie has piloted Studiosity to provide after-hours study help to students since 2017. Last year alone, the Studiosity pilot helped 1,346 students access more than 2,250 hours of study support. Of these students 69 per cent said they were extremely satisfied with the service.

A screenshot of the Studiosity system

These services complement the outstanding face-to-face support already delivered by the Learning Skills Unit and the Numeracy Centre. Online access to study help, at the point of need, is critical to empowering students unable to attend campus in business hours. It also demonstrates Macquarie’s commitment to equitable service access for students studying remotely.

Last year, 50.9 per cent of the writing submissions came from first year Undergraduate students. By providing these students access to the Studiosity platform we set them up for academic success early in their degree and provide them with after-hours resources and feedback services to help them succeed.

We anticipate a 20 per cent increase in usage of the Studiosity service by the end of 2020. Personalised and effective study help is a key enabler of student success, and we are excited to welcome Studiosity as a member of our learning community.

Studiosity services will be managed by the Learning Skills Unit and will commence from Semester 1 2020 and will be available to all Macquarie University students. Further information can be found here.

These possibilities will be the focus of Thursday’s Educating for Success: 2020 event, which will bring Macquarie staff together to explore ways we can enhance learning and teaching to drive student success. The event will focus on three key themes:

1. Learner Engagement
2. Technology Enhanced Learning
3. Feedback/Assessment 

Among the speakers will be Associate Professor Jana Bowden from the Macquarie Business School, who has been recognised with multiple awards for teaching excellence, at both the University and national levels.  Here, Associate Professor Bowden shares her personal vision for learner engagement in the new decade.

The future of work is rapidly changing, and with it, the nature and purpose of universities in educating students for success. We have entered what is widely accepted as the fourth Industrial Revolution, which brings with it fundamental shifts in how we learn, work and educate.

Despite these destabilising changes in the digital economy, learner engagement will be key to educating for success in the new decade.

Future-proofing workers in an era of disruption

“Human skills such as creativity, innovation and leadership – alongside technology – will be essential for navigating the changes ahead.”

McKinsey recently reported that up to 375 million employees will be required to switch occupational categories and learn new skills by 2030, with adaptability and enabling skills such as problem solving, and collaboration identified as the most important skills of the future.

The future for our graduates is disruptive and governed by a gig economy, skills transformation, innovation and agility.  Careers will be redefined, with blocks of skills combined over time and linear and predictable career trajectories no longer the norm.

What does this mean for education and how we teach for the future?

Forecasts predict that 91 per cent of new jobs in Australia will require skills produced by the higher education sector. Universities are critical to future-proofing learners – embedding essential skills that will enable graduates to thrive in an era of flexibility and reinvention. To ensure the continued delivery of world-class education – and the success of our graduates – universities will need to be agile.

Our students need to be offered an educational experience which provides not only discipline-specific skills, but also growth experiences that develop their global awareness, and appreciation of social behaviour and diversity. Increased opportunities focused on work placements, experiential learning programs, community co-op programs, and local, domestic and international transfers promote meta-cognitive learning whilst also fostering success through enhanced citizenship.

Importantly, future-proofing learners ensures that the purpose of universities remains squarely on engaging and empowering learners to realise their potential amidst a rapidly changing economy.

The future is flexible

“Relevancy and continuous development of knowledge is central to work in the digital economy.”

According to the World Economic Forum, emerging areas of job growth revolve around roles which are cognitive-intensive such as data analytics, machine learning, app and software development and tech specialism. These roles complement, rather than compete, with technological innovation, but they also mean that the education-work interface is changing.

AlphaBeta report that by 2040 the average Australian will spend an additional three hours per week in education, with re-skilling and up-skilling becoming an increasing focus of adult workers.

Educating for success in the future will require students to have access to seamless learning opportunities delivered in different ways, at different times, and for different purposes, throughout their careers.

Innovative pathways for entry to tertiary education, as well as diverse and inventive learning formats, will be required to cater for rapidly changing learner demographics.

Students need to be offered educational formats which blend the prestige, credibility and security of the traditional degree structures with value-add micro-credentialing and badging courses. These ‘lifelong degree’ structures can offer both upskilling in key competency areas, and credentials that are transferable moving with the learner. The one-size-fits-all approach to skill delivery is a relic of the past – the concept of lifelong learning has become a career necessity.

The architecture of our education models for the future will need to account for learners’ lifelong engagement with education, and we will need to foster a culture that upholds and promotes this.

Out with the chalk-and-talk 

“The learner experience is becoming increasingly important for the future of education”. 

Digitisation has empowered learners to engage with universities in new modes of learning, and with it, learner expectations are rapidly changing. Chalk-and-talk approaches to education are outdated. Learning spaces are now free of boundaries and are no longer confined to face-to-face versus online modes. Learners are increasingly demanding voice, dialogue and an interactive exchange within their educational experience.

Our learners of the future will progressively seek out experiences that enable interconnectedness and deep partnership in educational delivery. To maximise the potential for success, future learners should be integrated as active participants in learning and teaching.

Learners bring with them valuable expertise that can be harnessed and leveraged by university staff. Co-developed, learner-led alliances with universities can deliver a powerful and valuable learner experience whilst also fostering ownership and belonging.

Collaborative learning synergies that occur in real-time between the higher education sector, peers, and industry will provide learners with a competitive edge to thrive in the future economy. Co-creation of content, curriculum and assessment, but also of social and professional networks between learners supports educational success.

Importantly, authentic partnership can foster transformative growth and development setting our learners up for achievement and success beyond university.

Education, transformed

Universities are not only in the business of educating they are in the business of transforming.

Focusing on three pillars of learner engagement ­– future-proofing learners, committing to lifelong learning, and designing authentic, collaborative learner partnerships ­_­– will support the delivery of an innovative, aspirational and world-class learning experience. Through this we can continue to educate for success.

You can follow – or share – the Educating for Success: 2020 event on LinkedIn and Twitter with the hashtag #mqed4success 

Enrolment, orientation and commencement (EOC) is defined as the weeks from when a student enrols, up until Census date (which is 19 March for Session 1, 2020). This is the period where our commencing students are the ‘new kids on the block’.

(No, not those New Kids on the Block – though with uplifting hits like Step by Step and You Got The Right Stuff, the band makes for an excellent EOC playlist.)

As Executive Director, Student Engagement and Registrar, Gail White explains, the EOC period is crucial to student success and retention.

“This transition and adjustment period can either solidify a student’s choice in institution, or lead them to disengage and withdraw from studies,” she says.

This year, Macquarie is taking a different approach to helping our new students transition successfully to life at Macquarie. The University is using the basic principles of connected information, services and support from the Student Success Strategic Framework (SSSF) to deliver an outstanding student experience for our commencing students.

WHAT’S DIFFERENT THIS YEAR?

The traditional approach to this period has tended to treat enrolment as transactional, orientation as just an event, and onboarding as something students can manage themselves (with support provided on demand).

This year, under the leadership and guidance of the Executive Director, Student Engagement and in partnership with many other areas across the University, the Student Life team will lead the delivery of a seamless, coordinated and student-centered experience that recognises the significance of this part of the student journey.

The aim of this year’s plan is to ensure our commencing students are:

• Retained – enrolled at census date
• Prepared – ready and confident as they approach their first session
• Informed – know what they need to know as they need to know it
• Engaged – attending classes, events and activities on campus
• Connected – with our services and each other

The messaging to students is designed to ease their nerves, help them find their feet and confirm they made the right decision in choosing to study at Macquarie University.

YOUR ROLE IN THE PLAN

We all have a role to play in helping our commencing students’ transition – even if you’re not on the ‘front line’. Here are some simple ways you can make a positive impact on our new students:

1. Be nice. Be on the lookout for new students. If they look unsure, confused or lost, smile at them or ask them if they need help. You know yourself, when you’re feeling overwhelmed, a smile or an offer of help can make all the difference to your experience.

2. Be informed. Do you know where our students can go for help and support? Visit the Student Success Network webpage, bookmark it and familiarise yourself with the systems and resources we have available for our students.

3. Be engaged. Understand the significance of student retention for our institution. If you’re interested in the stats on retention at Macquarie, ask your Manager/ Leader for more information.]

 “Macquarie University is committed to student success and retention. Student success is everyone’s responsibility.” Professor Kevin Jameson, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic).

If you would like more information about the EOC plan, contact Kylie Ebert (Director, Student Life) at kylie.ebert@mq.edu.au.

In addition to other projects linked to the Student Strategic Success Framework, the Program Beacon team was tasked with the implementation of this new curriculum. And it was no small undertaking.

Achieved in 2019

Rolled out the new curriculum

We prepared our students, staff, processes and systems for the implementation of:

• WAM (Weighted Average Mark)
• a change to our credit point values – now in multiples of 10
• a change to unit naming conventions – now four numbers and four letters.

Moved 20,000+ students to the new curriculum

This involved determining what to move them to, moving their student record in our student system, telling them what we’d done and encouraging them to enrol in 2020. Sounds simple right?

“Student migration has been an enormous undertaking achieved largely due to the dogged determination of the people involved. It has been an excellent example of cross-unit collaboration with so many people from across the institution working together to make it happen,”
– Professor Kevin Jameson, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) explaining how “simple” the process has been.

But there’s more to come on this story. There are still thousands of students to be migrated. The migration team will be working throughout December and January to ensure all students can begin their 2020 studies in the new curriculum.

Implemented the MQCMS

The MQCMS system manages the new curriculum from course and unit proposal, all the way through approvals, to publishing in the handbook. It’s a one-stop-shop resource for our new curriculum now, and into the future. It goes without saying that one system managing workflow, record keeping and published information is a great improvement for Macquarie. The MQCMS also makes it easier for us to be TEQSA compliant in the management of our courses and units.

Delivered a new-look, fully integrated handbook

Released in October, the new handbook is fully integrated with the MQCMS. This means that not only are we being consistent in the degree information we publish for students, but the integration has replaced a previously time-consuming manual and error-prone handbook production process.

Moved to the cloud

Our Academic Management Information System, or AMIS as it’s affectionately known, was moved to the cloud – AMIS 8.

Cloud technology delivers more stability and security for our systems. It also allows us to take advantage of system upgrades and provide enhanced digital services to our students.

“The cloud upgrade is an exciting way forward for Macquarie. Aligning perfectly with the Student Success Strategic Framework, it is a clear investment in our student experience,” says Gail White, Executive Director, Student Engagement and Registrar.

A new approach to student communications

In a world where we’re constantly exposed to different messaging it can be challenging to cut through the noise and convey important information to our students. In line with the Student Success Strategic Framework, Program Beacon took a student-centred approach to student communications, by implementing a peer-to-peer communication strategy.

As the name suggests, peer-to-peer communications at Macquarie is all about students talking to students. Approximately 30 students were employed as Rovers and strategically situated around campus. The Rovers’ job was to chat to current students about changes to the curriculum and what that might look like for them. They were also tasked with gathering intel and feedback.

Launched in October the Rover initiative has been a success. Students are engaging with the Rovers and we are gathering feedback from the current student body.

As at week 4 of this initiative (end November) the stats look like this:

1. What did the enquiry relate to? (could be more than one per enquiry):

2. How do you feel about MQ2020 overall?

You can find a copy of the complete week 4 Rover Report on the student communication page of the Program Beacon wiki.

Program Beacon will continue to utilise the peer-to-peer style Rover communication initiative throughout the start of 2020 with a view to expanding Rover content and engagement to other channels such as social media.

Collaborated to promote the marketable outcomes of the new curriculum

The new curriculum provides some unique points of difference for Macquarie University, which in today’s highly competitive global education market presents an opportunity. Our degrees were redesigned to ensure our students are offered the best academic experience, courses and units to prepare for a successful future. That’s highly marketable!

• Flexible degree structures – choose units that lead you to the career that you design
• Postgrad and undergrad double degree combinations – why choose one? Double your knowledge, fast track your learning and multiply your career prospects
• One-year master degrees – Save time and money and get to where you want to be in your career quicker.

In conjunction with Future students, two animations have been designed to promote our UG and double degrees. In collaboration with the PG and Mature Age Future Students and Macquarie International teams, design of an animation to promote the new PG entry pathways and double master degrees is currently underway.

Working towards in 2020

• Completing student migration
• A double degree advisor to help students choose the double degree for them
• A Replacement Course Finder – a fully integrated digital solution making it easier for new and future students to review, compare and choose MQ courses
• More system integrations and optimisation of new AMIS 8 functionalities to enhance service delivery and replace manual processes
• Single sign-on for staff and students for AMIS 8
• Handbook user experience improvements
• An institution-wide CRM
• The TCSI project (Transforming the Collection of Student Information) – an initiative of the Department of Education and the Department of Human Services, aimed at standardising the collection and reporting of information about current students.

Summary

2019 has been a big year for Beacon, with 2020 shaping up to be even bigger as we continue building on the Student Strategic Success Framework. Everyone involved in Program Beacon activities this year is to be commended for their achievements, hard work and dedication.

FROM THE PROGRAM BEACON TEAM – THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR WORK THIS YEAR. ENJOY THE HOLIDAY SEASON AND WE’LL SEE YOU IN 2020.

At Macquarie we believe in putting our students front and centre of everything we do. With the launch of our new Student Success Strategic Framework this week, we chat to Kylie Ebert, Director of Student Life, and Nermeen Abraham, Director of Student Administration, who both joined the University last month and are already working hard to embed the strategy into everything they do. 

What attracted you to Macquarie?

Kylie: “Macquarie already has a great reputation in the sector but with the renewed focus on student success, there will be even more opportunity to make a positive impact on students.  I’m up for the challenge!”

Nermeen: “Macquarie is going through a period of exciting change and great progress. I find it rewarding to be part of that.”

What drew you to the higher ed sector more generally?

Kylie: “Given I have oversight of Macquarie’s Careers and Employment service, I would love to say it was part of a well-executed career plan! But the truth is I ended up in higher education by accident – I took on part-time work to get some extra cash and then decided I didn’t want to leave.

“I enjoy the diversity of people and issues at universities and, of course, being part of a transformational period in students’ lives.”

Nermeen: “I’ve been working in higher education for 16 years now and don’t have any desire to work in any other industry, as I truly believe in the purpose of higher education.  I also really value the diversity of staff and perspectives you get working at a university.

“Student administration is an area where I can directly contribute to the progress of students throughout their education journey.”

What motivates you in your work?

Kylie: “I’m motivated by challenge, working collaboratively and seeing my teams succeed.”

Nermeen: “The ability and opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of students and staff.”

What aspects of the Student Success Strategic Framework are you most excited about delivering?

Kylie: “The Framework emphasises that what happens outside the classroom can be just as important and impactful on student experience as what happens in the classroom.  Student Life will have an integral role in promoting professional, social and personal success and I can’t help but be excited about that!”

Nermeen: “I’m excited that the Framework looks at the whole student journey, from the commencement of university and even beyond, in terms of enabling their career success. Student administration is invaluable to a successful student experience – our role as administrators is to facilitate learning for them as seamlessly and effectively as possible.”

Which aspects of the Student Success Strategy do you think might be the most challenging?

Kylie: “One of the most fundamental tasks is to make sure that people throughout the University community engage with the strategy and understand their own contribution to student success, regardless of their role.  Student success is not rocket science, but it would be a big mistake to underestimate the effort needed to make sure all parts of such a large and complex organisation are aligned and consistently focused.”

Nermeen: “Developing and implementing the necessary systems and processes that enable the delivery of the strategy and sustainability of its benefits. Program Beacon is already delivering significant progress in this regard.”

How will you encourage ‘student-centred design thinking’ in your team?

Kylie:

• Asking lots of questions about how things work – if staff don’t know, then it’s even harder for students to join the dots across the University.
• Promoting opportunities for students to contribute to projects alongside staff.
• Making sure we have evidence to support our approach and refine it over time.

Nermeen:

• Articulating and reiterating our purpose, identifying students as our key stakeholders in approaching anything we do.
• Engaging students as partners in developing and reviewing our processes.
• Seeking students’ feedback and acting on that appropriately.

It’s clear that ‘success’ has may different meanings for our students. With the guiding principles of the University’s Student Success Strategic Framework, we’ll be focusing a lot more on how we support every Macquarie student to achieve their own version of success.

Many staff shared their ideas about how we can support student success, as part of our Green Paper consultation process late last year. This feedback is being incorporated into a finalised version of the Strategic Framework, with a White Paper due to be released in coming weeks.