New project launches to improve UCL’s Welcome and Induction process

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.   

The group’s aim was to develop a more unified and co-ordinated approach to central Professional Services welcome and induction activities, to improve the student experience and provide opportunities to enhance students’ first interaction with UCL, post-admissions. 

Following SMT’s endorsement the Student Welcome and Induction Stakeholder Group has been set up and a Student Welcome and Induction team is being created in Student and Registry Services to co-ordinate activity.  The Stakeholder Group will be co-chaired by Professor Deborah Gill, Pro-Vice Provost (Student Experience) as Academic Lead  and Sarah West (Deputy Registrar) as the Business Process Owner. 

Together, the Stakeholder Group and Student Welcome and Induction Team will build on the excellent work done in recent years, such as the introduction of the Welcome to UCL app and New Students website, to address specific issues highlighted by user research, student surveys and stakeholder consultation.  

The project focus will be on issues emerging in recent student user research:  

• 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.

New Student Welcome and Induction team 

To enable this work, a new Student Welcome and Induction team – initially funded for one year – has been created in Student Registry Services to lead on the co-ordination of welcoming approximately 26,000 new students to UCL.  

The new team will be responsible for ensuring that students joining UCL receive a positive and consistent experience that provides strong foundations for them to undertake their studies and make the most of their time at UCL. Team members are currently being recruited. They will report to Amy York, the newly appointed Head of Student Welcome and Induction, and liaise with colleagues across UCL to ensure the co-ordinated delivery of these activities.  

Find out more 

See the UCL Welcome project page for further information, including project governance.