Students Matter Forum
SMF 2014
01 September
2014
Introduction and Welcome to
Country
Stephanie Taylor
Executive Director,
Student Centre
Official welcome
Vice Chancellor
Professor
Peter Rathjen
Panel Discussion
Defining the Student Experience
Each panel member will have
3-4 minutes to share what the
University of Tasmania student
experience means to them.
Questions will then be asked of
the panel from the floor.
Facilitator:
Professor David Sadler
Deputy Vice Chancellor,
Students and Education
STUDENTS MATTER FORUM 2014
– Dr Stuart Crispin, Tasmanian
School of Business and Economics
– Hina Durrani, Studying Masters of
Professional Accounting
(specialisation)
– Isaac Foster, President, TUU and
studying combined Bachelor of
Arts/Science and Bachelor of
Philosophy
– Steph Cummings, Bachelor of
Education student studying via
distance
– Vice Chancellor, Professor Peter
Rathjen
Workshop: Creativity Challenge
Defining the Student Experience
In your table groups:
Building upon the panel
discussions and now sharing
your own perspectives:
Create a 40-50 word statement
that defines a quality student
experience.
Facilitator:
Dr Jane Skalicky
Associate Director,
Student Life and Learning
STUDENTS MATTER FORUM 2014
Students as Change Agents Presentations
What have our change agents been up to?
Change agents have been supported by the Student Evaluation, Review & Reporting Unit [SERRU]
Jan Gube, Seyum Getenet, Adnan Satariyan (Education)
Does alignment of research interests matter? Exploring doctoral students’
perception of supervisors’ expertise
Cyndia Hilliger (Psychology)
Telling tales: Using peer storytelling to improve understanding of future
research methods studies for first year psychology students
Georgina Taylor (Medicine)
Exploring the use of Open Educational Resources (OER) in medical
education at the University of Tasmania
Fatima Anjum (Nursing)
Students experience of Bachelor of Nursing (Fast Track): Is it a 2-year sprint
or a 4-year marathon?
STUDENTS MATTER FORUM 2014
Outcomes from the 2013 Forum
How has your input influenced the student experience?
Professor David
Sadler
How has your input influenced the student
experience since the 2013 forum?
Feedback from last year’s forum was shared across the
university to relevant areas that oversee and can work
together to influence aspects of your experience – including
• Faculties and Institutes
• Commercial Services and Development
• Information Technology Services
• Tasmanian Institute of Learning and Teaching
• Library
• Student Centre
• TUU
• Student Evaluation, Review and Reporting Unit
• Marketing Events and Communications
STUDENTS MATTER FORUM 2014
Some highlights:
 Introduction of “immersive” teaching rooms to all campuses
 Supported over 100 staff through online course Quality
Matters – best practice design for online
 Increased the number of units that have a MyLO presence
 Library borrowing rules changed to reduce charges for
overdue items
 Library introduction of online booking for group study rooms
 Ongoing improvements to library spaces including SSAF
funded kitchenettes, increased usage of 24/7 access, and
Morris Miller library will add 75 seats for students by Sem 1,
2015
 New peer learning and leadership units to recognise
students in leadership roles and provide professional
development
STUDENTS MATTER FORUM 2014
Some highlights:
 Commence updating of the University’s website with new
Library and Current Students websites, including the new
Student Centre – We’re Listening site to receive ongoing
feedback
 “FY@UTAS” Facebook page and creation of pre-semester
and start of semester checklists to support commencing
students with main preparatory and administrative tasks
and to talk to advisers before classes begin
 Opening of Student Learning Drop In spaces in Cradle
Coast and Sydney
 Establishment of Community Friends and Networks
program on Cradle Coast and Sydney campuses
 New UniStart International program – academic transition
STUDENTS MATTER FORUM 2014
Some highlights:
 A range of new initiatives for distance students including:
 “Distance students at UTAS” Facebook page
 expansion of support through online workshops and
Peer Assisted Study Sessions online
 new online unit “Being an effective learner” for all
students to gain recognition for taking up proactive
learning opportunities and access a range of modules to
develop your learning practice
 online orientation created
 Student Success Leaders phoning commencing
students to help and advise about support services
STUDENTS MATTER FORUM 2014
Some highlights:
 Upgrade of Lazenby’s and the Ref at Sandy Bay
 Creation of new catering venue at The Walk, Newnham and
further upgrades planned – retail, parenting, Student
Centre, and AMC social and learning hub
 Upgrade of sports grounds and facilities
 Construction of NRAS residential apartments
 Establishment of a new prayer room in Launceston for the
Muslim community
 Successful funding proposal for redevelopment, expansion
and enhancement of facilities at Sydney campuses
STUDENTS MATTER FORUM 2014
Some highlights:
 More detail on the Sydney plans in addition to the new
Student Learning Drop In spaces and Lync communication
room:
 Evan Jones Lecture Theatre Refurbishment – by
sem1.2015
 Library amenities and facilities upgrades – by
sem1.2015
 2x new HD video conference facilities – by sem1.2015
 Significant communications services upgrades over the
coming 12 months
 Teaching space upgrades over the coming 12 months
 Student social, informal learning and study space
upgrades over the coming 12 months
STUDENTS MATTER FORUM 2014
Workshop: Quality student services
Dr Stuart Crispin
Ms Stephanie
Taylor
http://www.utas.edu.au/students
What is Service Quality?
– “An attitude formed by a long term, over-all evaluation of a firm’s
performance” (Hoffman & Bateson, 2006).
– “A customers long-term, cognitive evaluations of a firm’s service
delivery” (Lovelock & Wirtz, 2006).
– “The customer’s evaluation of a service, where they compare what
they receive according to the service’s characteristics with their
expectations regarding these characteristics” (Bruhn & Georgi,
2006).
– “The result of an evaluation process in which the customer compares
their perceptions of service with their expectations” (McColl-Kennedy,
2003).
– “Service quality represents a customer’s overall judgment about a
firms overall excellence or superiority” (Kang, 2006).
What is Service Quality?
– It is linked to customer expectations:
– Influenced by word-of-mouth, personal needs and
preferences, past experience, and marketing
communications.
– Different people will have different expectations.
– Perceptions of service quality change over time (dissonance
effect).
– It is linked to customer perceptions:
– Subjective evaluations
– Situational influences
– Services are very difficult for people to evaluate – intangible,
variable, inseparable.
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What is Service Quality?
– While for goods, customers only assess the finished
product, in services customers look at the quality of
both the process and outcomes of service delivery.
– Gronroos (1990) distinguishes between technical and
functional quality:
– Technical quality = refers to what is being provided
(the outcomes of service).
– Functional quality = how the service is provided
(the process of service delivery).
– Customers assess service quality along both
dimensions.
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Exercise One:
What student services are critical to you?
 List the student services you believe are offered by
the University.
 Which student services do you think add to the
overall student experience?
 Why are they important and how do they ‘’add
value’’?
 What additional student services do you think
would add value to the student experience?
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Exercise Two
Take one of the student services identified in exercise
one, and define what you think are student’s expected
level of quality for this service.
 What are your desired (ideal), expected and adequate levels
of quality for this service?
 What factors do you believe shape students’ expectations of
quality for this service?
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Exercise Three
Identify one student service offered by the University
which you perceive to be of a high quality, and explain
why you believe it to be of a high quality?
 Is this service high in technical quality (what is being
provided) or functional quality (how it is being provided)?
 What made the experience memorable for you?
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Exercise Four
Identify one student service offered by the University
which you perceive to be of a low quality, and explain
why you believe it to be of a low quality?
 Is this service low in technical quality (what is being provided) or
functional quality (how it is being provided)?
 How could this particular student service be delivered more effectively
for you?
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Thank you for attending and contributing to
Students Matter forum 2014
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