Swinburne University of Technology: Swinburne students are co-designing the next gen student experience
As part of Swinburne’s Horizon 2025 Strategic Plan, Swinburne is co-designing the student experience from enrolment to graduation, in collaboration with students.
Swinburne has partnered with a diverse range of students to co-design a Student Experience Framework that reflects and responds to student needs and expectations across all aspects of the student experience. This encompasses curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities for both higher education and vocational education students – including those enrolled through Swinburne Online.
The Student Experience Framework will be supported by a Student Partnership Model that outlines how students are engaged to co-create a connected student experience, as well as a Student Voice Model that outlines how decision makers across Swinburne will seek, capture and consider student input.
Together the framework and supporting models will articulate the holistic student experience and provide clarity on the Swinburne promise of a next gen_now student experience to our current and prospective students and how it is brought to life both inside and outside of the classroom.
Co-designing the student experience with students
The co-design process began in June 2022 with a series of student and staff interviews to understand the current student experience. Since then, there have been student cohort focus groups, staff interviews, student and staff roundtables and a Student Citizens’ Assembly to further understand the current student experience, envision a new student experience and draft the framework and supporting models. A broad range of topics were covered at the Student Citizens’ Assembly including access to learning materials and content, on-campus social spaces, acknowledgement of extra-curricular and volunteer service activities on academic transcripts, proactive support services and access to information on events and activities on campus.
Insights have been collected from more than 800 students and staff throughout this process, including the 85 students who recently participated in the Student Citizens’ Assembly.
Some of the themes we heard during Student Citizens’ Assembly Speaking of the Student Experience Framework, Swinburne’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education, Experience and Employability, Professor Sarah Maddison said that it’s been invaluable working alongside students to create their own student experience.
“The development of the Student Experience Framework is our next step in the improvement of the education experience journey and we’re putting our students at the centre of the process. This was the first time we’ve run a Student Citizen’s Assembly, and it was just fantastic to engage with a truly diverse group of our students in the co-design process and get real-time feedback on what’s currently working well and where we can improve. We’re really excited to work together to create a seamless, tech-supported student experience that integrates across the curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular aspects of the student journey,” Professor Maddison said.
Students invited to give their input
A survey is now open for students to validate the principles of the draft framework and supporting models that were developed during the Student Citizen’s Assembly.
It is important that we hear from as many students as possible to ensure student perspectives are captured accurately and to confirm the components hold true for all students.
Staff are encouraged to share the survey with students to complete before it closes on Tuesday 11 October 2022.
The draft framework and supporting models will be refined in response to the survey feedback and additional student and staff validation sessions and then presented to our executive team and Council for endorsement.
The finalised Student Experience Framework and supporting models are expected to be ready to share with all our students and staff by November 2022.
Support for staff will be available to ensure we are all equipped to deliver on the expectations and the Swinburne promise outlined in the framework.