How can I help students connect with support services at the university?

Although research has shown that engaging with support services can impact a students’ decision to remain at university (Armitage & Krause, 2014), the majority of students do not engage with these services before they decide to leave, but rather go to friends and family for advice (Thomas 2012). To encourage students to take advantage of these services.

Strategies and Tips

Add information and links to your vUWS page about the services students can take advantage of within the university (e.g. Library services, literacy and numeracy support, counselling services). Sometimes it is beneficial to invite guest speakers from these areas so that students can create a more personal connection with the service/area.

Students are more likely to take advantage of these services when they occur within the academic sphere (Thomas 2012), so contact these services to see if you can develop workshops specifically tailored to your students.

Remind students about these service when they are likely to be most relevant. Inform students about early Maths and Library workshops which are relevant to your discipline, and remind students about the individual assessment support which is provided by Study Smart advisors and MESH in the library or online, such as Study Smart Online or MESH’s maths help forum (I Don’t Get It).

It can be a good idea to remind students about counselling services around high-stress times, like around exam time.

Practical Tip

The Study, Money and Life Skills vUWS site

Career Launch – A university wide career development program

The university’s free counselling service

The library’s Study Smart service

The university’s mathematics support hub (MESH)