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Improving the welcome and induction experience for students transitioning or returning to UCL.
In February 2021, SMT endorsed the recommendations of the Getting Sorted Task and Finish Group, which had reviewed the planning, coordination and delivery of student welcome and induction at UCL.
Following SMT’s endorsement, the Student Welcome and Induction Stakeholder Group has been established and a Student Welcome and Induction team is being created in Student and Registry Services to co-ordinate activity. Together the Stakeholder Group and Student Welcome and Induction Team will address specific issues highlighted by user research, student surveys and stakeholder consultation.
Aims:
- Streamline central Professional Services welcome and induction activity;
- Facilitate complementary faculty and department activity, reducing duplication;
- Improve the student experience and provide opportunities to enhance students’ first interaction with UCL, post-admissions.
Project focus
A smooth transition to university is a significant factor in student success.
In addition, the pre-arrival, welcome and induction segment of their UCL journey strongly shapes their perception of UCL for the duration of their time here.
Our students are largely complimentary about the academic-led welcome and induction activities provided by their departments and faculties (e.g. in the New to UCL survey), but they describe the period in various ways as “stressful and confusing”. They are bombarded with information that is often duplicated and contradictory, citing “over 100 emails per day during welcome”. They also have to self-navigate multiple platforms that fall significantly short of their expectations.
At the same time, UCL staff are having an equally frustrating and confusing experience with the coordination, communication and transparency of professional services activity. This results in Faculties and Departments feeling constrained in planning and carrying out their own local induction for their students.
Building on excellent work done in recent years to address these issues, the Student Welcome and Induction team will be dedicated to meeting these challenges and improving the staff and student experience as a result.
Project governance
The Student Welcome and Induction Stakeholder Group, co-chaired by Professor Deborah Gill, Pro-Vice Provost (Student Experience) as Academic Lead and Sarah West, (Deputy Registrar) as Business Process Owner, has been created to draw in all key stakeholder: SRS, Accommodation, ISD, Students’ Union UCL, Library, Student Fees & Funding, VP’s Offices, Faculties and Departments).
The Stakeholder Group members are:
Representative | Role |
|---|---|
Deborah Gill | Vice-Provost Education and Students, Academic Lead & Co-chair |
Sarah West | Deputy Registrar, Business Owner & Co-chair |
Aeli Roberts | Senior Tutor, Faculty of the Built Environment |
Alex McKee | Head of Student Engagement & Communication, Students' Union |
Amy York | Head of Student Induction & Welcome |
Angela Young | Head of Library Skills, UCL Library Services |
Cari Tuhey | Departmental Tutor, Department of History, Faculty of Social & Historical Sciences |
Derfel Owen | Director of Education Services and Transformation, Student and Registry Services, and Vice-Provost Office for Education and Students |
Donna Williamson | Director of Operations, Faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences |
Duncan Palmer | Director (Estates Operations) |
Ian Dancy | Chief of Staff to the Chief Operating Officer |
Jo Fraser Pearce | PGT Phase Lead, IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society |
Joanna Stroud | Head of Online Learning, Digital Education, Information Services Division |
Julie Smith | Director of Operations, Faculty of Arts and Humanities |
Katie Price | Director of Communications and Student Engagement, Office of the Vice-Provost Education and Students |
Katja Lamping | Executive Director of Communications and Marketing, Communications and Marketing |
Katy Redfern | Deputy Director of Access and Admissions, Student and Registry Services |
Ken Mathew | Director of Strategy and Experience, Estates Operations |
Kirsten Hamilton | Head of Student Records, Student and Registry Services |
Kris Ilic | Head of Marketing Communications, Communications and Marketing |
Lina Kamenova | Deputy Directory, Student Support and Wellbeing |
Lucy Ghost | Head of Undergraduate and ITE Admissions, Student and Registry Services |
Martin Lofthouse | Assistant Manager, Student Fees |
Michelle Summerfield | Postgraduate Taught Programmes Administrator, IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society |
Noreen Kassem | Head of Academic Programmes Office, IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society |
Ric Passey | Head of Architecture, Information Services Division |
Ruth Harper | Institute Manager, Institute of Americas |
Sian Minett | Director, Estates Portfolio and Business Services |
Simon Banks | Faculty Tutor, Faculty of Engineering Sciences |
Sue Walker | Domain Delivery Manager, Information Services Division |
Temoor Raja | Student Immigration Advice Manager, Student and Registry Service |
Teresa Williams | Interim Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Equality Diversity and Inclusion |
Tim Beasley Murray | Associate Professor of European Thought and Culture, Faculty of Arts and Humanities |
Wes Durdle | Communications and Projects Manager, Student Support & Wellbeing |
Yasmeen Daoud | Welfare and International Officer, Students' Union |
A Student Welcome and Induction Change Team, funded for one year by Transforming our Professional Services (TOPS), is being established in Student Registry Services to assist the University in moving to a more co-ordinated welcome and induction approach.
The team will be led by the Head of Student Welcome and Induction, Amy York. Student Welcome and Induction secondment roles in this team are being recruited throughout March.
Process and timeline
The stakeholder group will implement a phased approach, prioritising short-term improvements that can be delivered for September 2021, followed by recommendations for longer-term developments in future years.
In this first phase, the stakeholder group will oversee three workstream groups focussed on:
- Streamlining the onboarding process for students (i.e., the critical tasks a student needs to do to join UCL)
- Coordinating welcome communications and students’ first points of contact with UCL’s services
- Coordinating and improving induction events and material.
The workstream groups will be made up of representatives from across UCL and will focus on individual challenges. The groups will be supported by the Student Welcome and Induction team and report into the stakeholder group.
If you are interested in contrinbuting to this work, please contact your stakeholder group representative or Sarah West, Deputy Registrar and Business Process Owner for the project.
Further information
For more information or queries, please contact Sarah West, Deputy Registrar (Student Registry Services).