The role of the
FYSCO
First
Year
School
Contact
Officer
Supporting UWS Commencing
Students
Transitioning into
university life can be
daunting for new
students
UWS Commencing
Student cohort comes
from all walks of life,
particularly those most at
risk of withdrawing
Key information sent to
Commencing Students
can get lost in the
‘noise’
Not all students attend
MyCourse Planning &
Orientation, thus
missing key information
Supporting
Commencing Student
transition is everyone’s
business @ UWS
What is a First Year School Contact
Officer?
 It is not an ‘extra’ role, but simply provides an
institutional framework for communication &
coordination, ensuring that good practice core business
activities are consistently implemented.
 An “identified contact person” for students when they
have a question or need assistance and are unsure where to
go. They are not responsible for solving all issues, but for
ensuring that they get solved! They provide assistance to
this cohort during the transition period (Weeks 0-3)
 If a school already has a role specifically supporting
students, then this would be
the FYSCO
FYSCO Role in Supporting
Commencing Students
Role of FYSCO:
University
of Western
Sydney
• Established in 2009, First Year
School Contact Officers provide
School
students assistance during their
transition into university
• FYSCOs are generally a designated
FYSCO
professional staff member at school
level
• Introduced at “Orientation”, FYSCOs
are established as a familiar face &
Student
first port of call for students at for
enquiries from weeks 0-3
Orientation
Week 3
Importance of FYSCO?
 Addresses 3 Key Focus Areas from the UWS Making the
Difference 2014-2016 Strategy



Position for success in the higher education environment
Create a superior and engaged learning experience
Build organisation capacity
 Directly address 2 of UWS’ KPIs
 Student retention
 Student satisfaction
 Directly address Goal 1 of the
Securing Success: 2015-2020
Discussion Paper
 Indirectly addresses Goal 2
through the data collected by
FYSCOs
Key Tasks of a FYSCO
1.
Available in school “front office” during office hours Monday to Friday, week 0
to week 3
2.
Handle 1st year student queries, directing to specialist areas where
required
3.
Attend all orientation sessions for School courses on their campus to be
introduced to students
4.
Ensure you have School specific contact details (DAPs, first year
academic coordinators, 1st year unit coordinators) prepared with
contact details and consult times
Familiarise yourself with other UWS services
Record all 1st year student enquiries from weeks 0-3
Send all student query data to the STaRS Project Officer after week 3
via internal mail (used for research purposes)
Participate in research where
applicable
5.
6.
7.
8.
Available Support for Students
 The STaRS Website has an
easy-to-use format, to quickly
find available support for
particular issues faced by
students
 www.uws.edu.au/STaRS
 Please contact David Roach –
the STaRS Project Officer –
with any questions


d.roach@uws.edu.au
4620 3406