Spotlight on SIDhelp team

An introduction to the SIDhelp team.

Many of you will know the SIDhelp team from your implementation, user training and support.  We wanted to introduce ourselves. If you need any support with SID please don't hesitate to contact us. 

The SIDhelp team is made up of:

• Kate Jones, Head of Student Enquiries Management,
• Angela Tran, Student Enquiries Coordinator,
• Bryte Amponsah, Student Enquiries Centre Coordinator (Student Enquiries),
• Kerry Bivand, Student Enquiries Centre Coordinator (Student Enquiries),
• Mohamed Omar, Student Enquiries Coordinator,
• Kieron Woolley, Student Enquiries Coordinator.

Here’s some information you may not have known about us. 

Introducing Kate Jones, Head of Student Enquiries Management.

What is your role and what does it involve?
I am the Head of Student Enquiries Management (Student Success Platform Project (SSP)) and my job is to drive the strategic development of UCL’s student case and enquiry management system; SID (askUCL). This involves ensuring that once the Student Success Platform (SSP) Project has closed we still have the support structure, data and system maintenace and development opportunities in place to manage and grow the system.

How long have you been at UCL and what was your previous role?
I have been working at UCL since January 2005 when I started my UCL career as a Graduation Ceremonies Officer. I then moved on to manage the Graduation Ceremonies and Start of Session Activities before becoming a Student Support and Wellbeing Manager, managing the SEC.

Tell us about the top of your to-do list?
My focus at the moment is ensuring strong governance, best practice, data maintenance and development planning for the SID (askUCL) system. And at home I need to paint my kitchen!

What is your favourite album, film and novel?
Favourite album at the moment is the Bohemian Rhapsody Film Soundtrack.
Favourite film currently is Rocket man.
Favourites novels are Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials Trilogy.

What is your favourite place?
Brancaster Beach in Norfolk.

Introducing Angela Tran, Student Enquiries Coordinator

What is your role and what does it involve?
I’m involved with on-boarding new teams onto SID, FAQ work and Standard Responses, SIDHelp support, training materials, staff and student surveys, systems testing, steering groups.  Separately, I also manage Wendy Appleby’s diary.

How long have you been at UCL and what were your previous roles?
I will have completed 5 years at the end of this month; previous roles have all merged and overlapped and have included SEC work, Student Residence Adviser administration, the re-organisation of SRS, also Start of Session and graduation ceremonies and a three-month stint in the Physics department.

Tell us about the top of your to-do list?
Right now I’d love to get on a plane and go to Australia or New Zealand.

What is your favourite album, film and novel?
Funkadelic, One Nation under a groove – anything by George Clinton makes me want to dance. 
Some like it hot – makes me laugh every time I see it.
Stars and Bars by William Boyd – makes me laugh every time I read it.

What is your favourite place?
Anywhere in Vietnam.

What is your top tip for working remotely?
Yoga and fresh air - early morning park walk/run and again at lunchtime
 

Introducing Bryte Amponsah, Student Enquiries Centre Coordinator (Student Enquiries). 

What is your role and what does it involve?
I help new users understand how to use SID, answer any questions users have and help improve the system based on users’ feedback. 

How long have you been at UCL and what was your previous role?
1 year 8 months. 
Student and Customer Relations Manager, pretty similar to what am doing now, helping introduce an online enquiry management system, as well as monitoring student attendance and overseeing the Student Information Centre.

Tell us about the top of your to-do list?
Trying to convince Ryanair to allow me to rebook my trip to Porto for free. 

What is your favourite album, film or novel?
Novel – Conclave by Robert Harris. 

What is your favourite place?
Piazzale della Vittoria, Monte Berico, its this hilltop piazza in Vicenza, Italy, it's amazing, you should add to your post-corona travel list.  

What is your top tip for working remotely?
I only discovered this recently, but schedule phone calls with non-work friends at lunch and plan to see loved ones an hour after work, it will force you to take the necessary breaks and balance work and personal life properly.

Introducing Kerry Bivand, Student Enquiries Centre Coordinator (Student Enquiries). 

What is your role and what does it involve?
I help new users understand how to use SID by providing training and tailored user support, developing and maintaining our guides via a wiki, maintaining and updating website information and engaging students via workshops and masterclasses. 

How long have you been at UCL and what was your previous role?
I’ve been at UCL since 2018 and was previously part of the AMP team as a Process Design Officer.

Tell us about the top of your to-do list?
The top of my to-do list is to provide more support to users on SID and focus on our continuous improvement. 

What is your favourite album, film and novel?

One of my favourite novels is If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable things by Jon McGregor

What is your favourite place?
My favourite place would be Bath in the south-west of England. 

What is your top tip for working remotely?
I have an add-on to my browser that reminds me to take regular breaks. It goes off every 45 minutes and reminds me to take a 2-minute break from the screen. 

Introducing Mohamed Omar, Student Enquiries Coordinator.

What is your role and what does it involve? 

I am a  Student Enquiries Coordinator working as a member of the Student Success Project (SSP). The main aims of my role are to support the implementation of the SID enquiry and case management system. Focusing on the on-boarding, roll out and development of the enquiry and case management functionalities for departments and tutoring at UCL. 

How long have you been at UCL and what was your previous role?  

I have been working at UCL since March 2019; I was previously a Student Support and Wellbeing Officer at Kings College London and a sabbatical officer at the Union of Brunel Students.

Tell us about the top of your to-do list?

The top of my to-do list is currently to go away for a short break when it is safe to do so.

What is your favourite album, film and novel?

One of my favourite novels is a Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.

What is your top tip for working remotely?

My top tip to working remotely is to ensure I have 2-3 working stations as it keeps me motivated and moving whilst replicating the campus life aspect of working within Student and Registry Services.

 

     

Introducing Kieron Woolley, Student Enquiries Coordinator

What is your role and what does it involve?
I’m a Student Enquiries Coordinator with the SIDHelp team, as part of the Student Success Project. I’m primarily involved in developing and implementing various aspects of AskUCL/SID across both academic departments and Student and Registry Services.

How long have you been at UCL and what was your previous role?
Before my current role, I spent thirteen years working in Postgraduate Admissions at UCL.

Tell us about the top of your to-do list?
I’m looking forward to being able to go to gigs again, live music is something I’ve missed in 2020.

What is your favourite album, film and novel?
My favourite album is Moon Safari by Air, my favourite film is the seventies trucker classic Convoy (I first saw it at an impressionable age!), and my favourite novel is Night Watch by Terry Pratchett.

What is your favourite place?
I grew up in Glastonbury and it remains a place like no other.

What is your top tip for working remotely?
Get a cat! Mine has been a constant source of joy and companionship during these strange times, although it would be nice if she spent less time sitting on my keyboard.
 

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