Transition - Charles Sturt University

Student Success Team

Overview

The Student Success Team (SST) is a group of trained, friendly students who make phone calls to first year students to support them in their transition to university. The SST will refer to support services from Learning Skills Advisers, Student Services, the library and a number of other areas across the university depending on the circumstances of each student. Each call is followed up by an email outlining the plan of action discussed in the phone call.

The SST is based on contemporary research into student transition that supports the concept of early peer to peer support and intervention as having a significant effect on student retention and the overall student experience. It is based on similar successful models in Australia and New Zealand.

Initially, the SST programs will concentrate on domestic, undergrdauate students who are categorised as LSES or are enrolled in a course included in the CSU Student Transition and Retention (STAR) Plan.

Campaigns

The team operates 4 campaigns each session, as outlined below:

Welcome to CSU
This campaign begins around 6 weeks before the start of session and continues until around week 2 of session to catch late enrollers. Students from Low Socio-Economic Status backgrounds and students enrolled in one of the 7 STAR courses are the targets for this campaign. Students are welcomed to CSU and are told about some of the support services available to students and the orientation website as part of this campaign.
No Access to Subject Outline
The Division of IT can produce a list of students who have not accessed their subject outlines for one or more of the subjects in which they're enrolled. Not accessing subject outlines, which contain information vital for success in a subject, is a very strong indication of a student's disengagement from a subject. This campaign seeks to proactively contact these students and attempt to direct them to support services that can help them re-engage in these subjects.
STAR Course Campaign
This campaign is tailored to each of the courses within the STAR courses. STAR Academic Leads and lecturers assist with the identification of course-based triggers that indicate that students are at risk of disengagement. These students are then called by members of the Student Success Team, who offer general and subject specific advice to help students remain engaged in their learning.
At Risk of Exclusion
Students who fail to make satisfactory academic progress, in the first instance, receive a notice that they are At Risk of Exclusion. The Student Success Team will make contact with these students and discuss the sort of help that exists for students.

Support to Students

The SST refer and direct students to the range of support services that exist around CSU. Services can range from online information from the Division of IT, the library and accommodation right up to booking appointments with Learning Skills Advisors and Counsellors. By providing the right mix of services at the right time the SST can respond to a wide range of student problems, helping students re-engage and focus on their studies.

Common questions

Is this a new program? While CSU have had call out programs in the past, this is the first time such a large scale, university wide coordinated approach has been utilised. The Student Success Team is modelled on highly successful programs developed at Auckland University of Technology and Queensland University of Technology that have shown to have had a significant effect on student retention.

Why are students rather than staff making the phone calls? Current research into the student experience and best practice across the university sector indicates that peer to peer support is often more effective than that provided by staff in the transition to university. As the SST are also students they can often empathise with the situations discussed and can bring personal experience and advice to the discussion that is appreciated by students and found to be less threatening than a call made by a staff member.

What about confidentiality? Privacy of student information is of paramount importance to the SST. All SST members are required to undergo training in information privacy, sign a privacy agreement and are aware of their responsibility to ensure privacy under the CSU code of conduct. The SST has a zero tolerance policy on breaches of information privacy or security. Should a student recognise a student from their daily call list, they refer the call to another operator.

How were the student success team selected?Students were selected through a rigorous interview and training procedure. Care was taken to ensure the SST is representative of students studying on campus and via distance, who are mature aged as well as recent school leavers and who are studying across all four faculties.

Where is the SST based? The SST operates from the Bathurst campus in a call centre established in Building C1.

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