UNSW Student Services - myUNSW

UNSW STUDENTSERVICES2004 ANNUAL REPORT25 MAY 20051

UNSW Student Services Annual Report 2004In 2004 the Student Administration Department was renamed UNSW Student Services (seebelow). The Department is within the Division of the DVC (Academic) and Registrar and isresponsible for administrative and support services to students, the management of studentand academic administration systems, and the provision of information in a variety offormats and via a number of inquiry pathways. The Department also includes theprofessional services of the Counselling Service, Careers and Employment and the HousingOffice. There are 120 staff members working in the UNSW Student Services areas locatedin several sites on the UNSW Kensington Campus.In late 2003 the Department started a planning process that extended into 2004. Theprocess was consultative and inclusive and identified a number of key themes that haveformed the basis of a rolling planning cycle covering 2004 to 2010. The Direction Plan islocated at https://my.unsw.edu.au/student/Staff/StudServDirPlanDec.pdf. In June 2004 theDVC (Academic) instigated a Review of the Student Administration Department. One of thefirst recommendations of the Review was to change the name of the department to UNSWStudent Services. This change was implemented immediately. At the same time the title ofthe head of the Department was changed to that of Director and Ms Jane Gatwood wasappointed to the position on contract for one year. UNSW Student Services Departmentremains within the Division of the DVC (Academic).The Directional Plan for the Department and the Review each identified key themes thatneeded to be addressed by the Department. The issues were identified through consultationwith key staff and clients within and outside of the Department. Primary among them wasthe need to improve communication with and about students to both students and staff.The following themes were identified as requiring address by the Division to improve andenhance its student and academic services:• Communication with all stakeholders• Improve students’ experience of UNSW administrative systems• Strengthen support and development opportunities for students• Quality assurance and fiscal prudence• Workforce planning• Information Technology• Higher Education Reforms3

The Review found that the Department needed to:• Develop an overt and recognisable service culture• Build a structure that enhanced communication within the Department as well aswith other staff and students• Develop accessible process and systems documentation• Identify training and support needs within and outside the Department and builda user education program for delivery at need• Review and modify processes with a view to reaching best practice standards forthe delivery of servicesIn addition the Review was instigated to identify the tasks and functions carried out withinUNSW Student Services that related to the management of research postgraduate studentsand scholarship holders and make recommendations on the numbers and levels of staffmembers required for the new Graduate Research School.The units within UNSW Student Services have addressed the issues raised by the Planningprocess and the Review while delivering the services and performing the operations andprocesses that are required to ensure that the students are recruited, admitted, enrolled,progress and can graduate in ways that contribute to their overall student experience andsatisfaction. Full information on their functions and activities, including relevant statistics, isattached as the Appendix to this Report.The following are identified highlights and initiatives of 2004.4

CommunicationThe Department commenced publication of the on-line UNSW Student Services Newsletterin November 2004. The aim is to provide for all staff a listing of key events, important datesand deadlines - a "what's on" for the coming month. In addition the Newsletter profiles therole and responsibilities as well as the people in the different sections of the Department.The Newsletter has been very well received by all staff.All units participated in an orientation program to showcase their activities to otherDepartment staff.Admissions & Student Recruitment• Liaised with schools and program authorities to improve admissions processesfor specific student cohorts (for example, ATAX and MBT).• Introduced the first UNSW Postgraduate Coursework prospectus (10,000copies printed and distributed).• Launched a quarterly newsletter for Careers Advisers to update them onUNSW programs and activities.Student Information & Systems Office• Created and distributed ESOS (Educational Services for Overseas Studentslegislation) flyers throughout UNSW to staff and students.• Updated UNSW websites, making information regarding ESOS readilyaccessible – adding news bulletin items for essential information to staff andstudents.Student Systems and Publications Office (SSAPO)• myUNSW https://my.unsw.edu.au was developed by ITS for UNSW StudentServices as a major IT Investment Plan project in 2003-4. SSAPO is the portalbusiness owner [acting on behalf of the DVC Academic and Registrar] and isresponsible for managing all business and user-side activities, includingservice visioning, requirements definition, UAT testing, release co-ordination,access and support, editorial and publishing management, user education andsupport, and quality and service integrity control. myUNSW is beingexpanded to include services for academic and general staff and SSAPO hasthe key role of liaising with HR and other staff to ensure that any staff servicesare compatible with the portal vision and business architecture. myUNSW isused extensively by 40,000 enrolled students, as well as around 4,000 staff,and 5,000 registered student applicants. myUNSW introduces:- new, multi-tiered technology including a portal infrastructure- new web applications (utilising rules and workflow services based onthe user’s role and relationship with the University)- extensive online content including: news and announcements, and otherinformation, targeted at particular cohorts; page-level integrated online5

Help; and University policies, procedures, calendars and informationabout general University services for staff and studentsIts key web applications and services are:- Apply Online- Accept Online- Active (Enrolled) Student services [including class enrolment, fees,results, transcripts and graduations services]- News and Announcements [for students and staff]- myUNSW for Staff (HR and Student and Academic Administrationservices)- UNSW Policies, Procedures and Services (the ‘A-Z Guide’)• The UNSW Online Handbook (Student Publications)www.handbook.unsw.edu.au project was developed by ITS for UNSWStudent Services as a major IT Investment Plan project in 2003-4. SSAPO isthe Online Handbook business owner and publisher. In this capacity SSAPOdirects and co-ordinates the work of all faculty and school handbook editors,and reviews, approves and sets metadata (search criteria) for all contentbefore it is published. SSAPO also provides user education and support tohandbook editors. The project has delivered a workflow-based contentmanagedsystem for capturing, editing, approving and publishing up-to-date,comprehensive information about the University’s academic offerings: areasof specialisation, programs, plans (majors), and courses. The OnlineHandbook is published in annual editions, with separate sub-editionsavailable for Undergraduate, Postgraduate, Research and Non-award students.It has been designed to meet the needs of prospective students, currentstudents, and staff. To this end it supports multiple pathways for accessinginformation (menus, searches, hyperlinked content). The Online Handbook istightly coupled with myUNSW and all progam and course entries can bedirectly accessed from within myUNSW. There are currently over 7,000published pages in the Online Handbook.• Robert Morrell, Manager of SSAPO, presented two papers to the Heads ofStudent Administration Conference in Cairns in August 2004:- DEST-HERI Impacts (with Di Charnley, SISO, UNSW)- UNSW’s Student Publications Project• SSAPO undertook a major web-delivered survey of the initial experiences ofmyUNSW student users. Attracted, perhaps, by the promise of 2 iPods asprizes, more than 3,500 students responded, giving solid endorsement to theweb services provided by myUNSW, constructive criticism of perceiveddeficiencies as well as several hundred good ideas for improving andextending the services provided through myUNSW. Student feedback isbeing used to inform planned enhancements to myUNSW in 2005-6.6

Protocol Office• Compiled the Graduation Information Guide (GIG), containing all informationand forms required by graduands.• Improved communication to academics on ceremony arrangements using anemail reminder 2 days prior to ceremonies.• Reviewed the design and style of all graduation materials and developed anew style applied across the suite of materials including graduation ceremonyprograms, tickets, and the GIG.• Created and distributed a Religious Festivals Calendar for 2005 that wasemailed to senior administrative and marketing staff in Faculties andDivisions, and is located on the UNSW website athttps://my.unsw.edu.au/student/resources/ReligiousFestivals.html• information on myUNSW regarding graduation ceremony arrangements wasrevised and updated. In particular, details of all UNSW academic dressspecifications were placed on the website for easy access.Counselling Service• Improved service information available to students via brochures andadditions to the Service website.• Placed strategic advertising of services within the Student Diary.• Increased the use of a client ‘subscribe on request’ email broadcast.• Prepared Counselling Service Report 1999-2004 for circulation within UNSWand as record of Service activity and changes over a 5-6 year period.Scholarships, Loans and Research Students Office• An email explode service to all AusAID students became fully operational in2004. The service has allowed the Liaison Officer to communicate directlywith all AusAID students to advise of reporting and progress requirements,functions and other areas of interest.• Improved reporting to Faculties on all aspects of students’ candidature fromadmission to graduation.• Attendance of Research Student Administration staff at all PostgraduateResearch Interest Group meetings to update Faculties and other serviceproviders on activities.• Attendance and presentation made by Scholarship and Research StudentAdministration staff to bi-annual Welcome Meeting for all new researchstudents.7

Careers and Employment• Updated the ‘Employer Services’ and ’Student Employment’ section of theCareers website (www.careers.unsw.edu.au/employer/ andwww.careers.unsw.edu.au/student/) to increase accessibility and improve thequality of information and resources.• Released a new Employer Profile service, providing students with a snapshotof an organisation and its opportunities. 18 organisations used this service.• Over 7,000 students registered to use the website for the first time in 2004bringing the number of active user accounts to 16,000. There were 6.8million page views on the main Careers website.• Received favourable mention for the services provided from ‘The Australian &New Zealand Graduate Careers Survey 2004’. UNSW students were thehighest users of their careers service website.8

Operational and Process InitiativesAdmissions & Student Recruitment• Made a significant contribution to the development of the alternative onlineapplication system – The Princeton Review – in use by the Faculty ofCommerce & EconomicsStudent Information & Systems Office• Began conversion of historical student records from 1969 -1990, includingrecords of St George campus, into NSS records. Conversion process checkedregularly to ensure accuracy of the data.Student Systems and Publications Office• Updated Handbook design to align with new Online Handbook.• Produced Handbooks and Calendar on CD-ROM for distribution tointernational students and prize donors.• Produced the UNSW Student Guide on CD-ROM to facilitate distribution tostudents.• Coordinated the reactivation of the initiative to develop a schedulingapplicationbased campus wide timetablehttps://my.unsw.edu.au/student/Staff/RecentPresentations.html . This led tomajor presentations [with ITS staff] to the Academic Services Committee andAcademic Board (in October and November respectively). The proposal wasstrongly endorsed by both groups, leading to Executive funding to complete apreliminary analysis of scope, requirements and issues. Subject to acceptanceof the preliminary analysis report, it is expected that a University-widetimetabling project will be a major area of focus for the University (andSSAPO) in 2005-6.Counselling Service• Coordinated a university wide approach to commencing student orientationresulting in an enhanced Uniprep.9

Quality AssuranceAdmissions & Student Recruitment• Sought feedback from Faculty Executive Officers on admissions systems tohelp annual review process within each of the admissions teams.• Consolidated a series of periodic (weekly, monthly, quarterly) reports to berun by Direct Admissions for data monitoring and cleaning.Student Systems and Publications Office• SSAPO staff assumed quality assurance responsibilities for managing useraccess guidelines and profiles, and for conducting audits and managing risk ofstudent systems. A review of Admissions staff systems access was initiated in2004.• Following the acceptance of the Audit Actions project in August 2004, SSAPOstaff assumed extensive new quality assurance responsibilities for managinguser access guidelines and profiles, for conducting audits of student systems,and for managing risk (through new NSS monitoring tools). The resourcingimplications of these new responsibilities will be addressed in 2005.Protocol Office• Students attending graduation ceremonies in October 2004 were sent a surveycovering all aspects of the graduation process and associated services. Theresults have confirmed the value of a number of new initiatives implementedin 2004, in particular the creation of the GIG.Counselling Service• Undertook a survey of first year students in mid session 1 2004 in order tobetter understand their experience of O-Week, orientation and overalladjustment to UNSW.• Presented a Mentoring Show case to UNSW highlighting the advances in peermentoring and value of mentoring to the commencing student and thementors.• Surveyed student mentors and mentees for satisfaction with the peermentoring program.• Surveyed the Mentoring Faculty coordinators to ascertain their satisfactionwith the role of the Mentoring @UNSW coordinator.• Initiated a voluntary screening tool and questionnaire for first time attendeesfor one-one counselling.Scholarships, Loans and Research Students Office• Process mapped all aspects of administration undertaken for research andscholarship students to identify weaknesses and streamline procedures10

Careers and Employment• Automated emails seeking feedback from students who have attendedindividual assistance sessions are sent on a regular basis. Emails are also sentto students who have attended selected workshops.11

TrainingAdmissions & Student Recruitment• Convened a forum on UAC Admissions for UNSW staff; December 2004.Student Information & Systems OfficeStudent Central (previously New South Q)• Enhanced staff induction and training program implemented.• Customer service training and ongoing knowledge training provided.ESOS• Redesigned and implemented new interactive staff Outreach Programs acrossthe campus, expanding awareness and knowledge of the ESOS Act andUniversity responsibilities.Student Records• Development of process manuals, procedures maps and other support tools toaddress the training needs of SISO and Faculty/School staff.Student Systems & Publications Office• SSAPO conducted 3 major seminar/workshops in 2004 at Kensington/COFAand UNSW@ADFA, attended by several hundred UNSW staff:- HERI: Overview for UNSW Staff (October 2004)- HERI: Update for UNSW Staff (December 2004)- Enrolments Planning (a strategic overview of interrelated structures andservices for academic administration) [August 2004]https://my.unsw.edu.au/student/Staff/RecectPresentations.html• In November, SSAPO commissioned ITS to develop a comprehensiveproduction-like user sandbox for NewSouth Student and myUNSW to allowstaff to explore configuration and services, and to mirror the experience ofstudents (through myUNSW). This is scheduled to be delivered in mid 2005.Protocol OfficeCounselling Service• All volunteer staff assisting at ceremonies now provided with a full OH&Sbriefing about the auditorium including emergency exits, assembly points andsecurity contacts.• Numerous and varied psycho-educational workshops offered to students.• Academic Advisor Orientation Workshop provided each session.• Participated in orientation sessions for new research student supervisors.• Shared facilitation of the ‘Point of Contact’ training for Kensington Collegestudent leaders.• Provided ‘Student at Risk’ seminars for UNSW and College staff.12

Scholarships, Loans and Research Students Office• Contributed to an Enrolment Information Forum for Faculty Staff.• Enhanced staff induction and training program implemented.• Development of process manuals and staff induction package.13

Systems ImprovementAdmissions & Student Recruitment• Implemented online application system – Apply Online – for directinternational, postgraduate coursework and research applicants. Over 10000accounts created, and upwards of 5,000 applications received• Development, testing and implementation of a number of NSSadmissions/enrolment reports to enhance applicant tracking, monitoring andreporting.• Enhanced NSS functionality to improve data entry and reporting.• Successful integration of Parasol/Xarasol systems to offer acceptance processfor all applicants other than NAWD.•Housing Office• The Kensington Colleges moved from a stand alone financial managementpackage to NSS Financials.• Staff training in NSS, Quality Customer Service.Counselling Service• Process for review of clinical case work supervision identified and initiated.• Records management and disposal register project progressed.• Review of position descriptions of administrative office staff undertaken.Scholarships, Loans and Research Students Office• Ongoing collaboration with Student Systems and Publications Office toenhance NSS functionality for research students and provide more onlineservices for research students.Student Systems & Publications Office• Implemented a workflow-based content-managed system for use by central,faculty and school editors, for capturing, editing, approving, publishing andcontrolling up to date, comprehensive information about the University’sacademic offerings: areas of specialisation, programs, plans (majors), andcourses.Careers and Employment• Introduced an online form for employers to advertise vacancies. 2,525vacancies were advertised in 2004 compared to 1,807 in 2003.14

Student Services ImprovementAdmissions & Student Recruitment• Made enhancements to the Online Application Tracking service.• Initiated e-mailing of offer letters to speed up admissions processing,particularly for overseas applicants.• In conjunction with New South Global, developed a system of package offersfor international Foundation Studies students.• Significant contribution to the development of administrative processes insupport of the introduction of Commonwealth Learning Scholarships.Careers and Employment• Our key aim was to build relationships with academic staff and to increasecollaboration so that career development is embedded in their curricula.Careers staff delivered 87 targeted career related presentations to 5,162students.• Increased the number of students provided with Individual Assistance by 11%in 2004.• Collaborated with Student Recruitment and the Counselling Service to pilot:- a workshop for undecided prospective students at Info Day. Feedbackfrom 170 students and parents was very positive.- a presentation to 80 Year 11 and 12 students to assist them in makingcareer decisions.• Co-ordinated UNSW’s participation in the ‘Higher Education Workplace SkillsOlympiad’. The host for 2004 was Unilever.• Presented to students from Vision CRC, The Institute of EnvironmentalManagement and The Gifted Education Research Resource and InformationCentre (GERRIC).• Increased the number of opportunities available to UNSW students andgraduates in Australia and internationally by encouraging employers to useour services and to ensure these services meet their needs data is provided inthe Appendix• Modified and updated the ‘Employer Services’ and ’Student Employment’section of the Careers website to increase accessibility and quality ofinformation and resources.• Instituted a new Employer Profile service, allowing employers to increase theirorganisation's profile and raise awareness of their current recruitmentcampaign and events. 18 organisations used this service.Student Information & Systems OfficeStudent Central (previously New South Q)Student Central staff and services were reviewed and improved by:• Student Centre cleaned and painted• Phone survey database created and in use• Phone script created and in use• Email proformas created and in use15

• Electronic message board installed• Standardised weekly meeting time for staff training purposesCounselling Service• Provided line management to the coordinator of the UNSW first year peermentoring project (Mentoring@UNSW).• Provided additional counsellor hours to assist the coordinatorMentoring@UNSW support the academic mentor program coordinatorsestablish first year mentoring programs, provide training and supervision forthe mentors and support for the sustainability of the programs.• Offered twenty-seven mentor programs across Faculties, Schools andDepartments, trained about five hundred students to be mentors and twelvehundred first year students were enrolled in the peer mentoring opportunitiesacross campus.• Evaluation indicated satisfaction with the students’ transition to University.The results also indicated a statistically significant relationship between use ofa mentoring program and deciding to stay at University. This suggests thementoring programs had a constructive impact on student retention.• In 2004 the Counselling Service delivered 120 psycho-social and/or psychoeducationalseminars and workshops reaching 3,000 students.• Provided in 2004 one to one counselling to 1531 individual students with anaverage of 3.3 counselling sessions.Housing Office• Awarded six Access scholarships for The Kensington Colleges.• Installed garden furniture at student apartments.• Continued Uniweb trial for The Kensington Colleges and Barker residentsresulting in cheaper internet and easier access for residents.• Arranged fee instalment programs for residents with financial difficulties.Protocol office• Reviewed all administrative processes and implemented a number of changesincluding:- Amending the layout of ceremony documentation to allow quicker andmore accurate preparation- Enhancing ceremony documentation to include all spoken text andstage directions- Using spreadsheets for ceremony marshals rather than marked upprograms- Academic procession attendance, reserved parking and reservedseating were transferred to a database allowing historical analysis- International ceremony administration computerised- Provided all ceremony staff/volunteers given a briefing prior toceremonies and identification nominating them as official staff16

Scholarships, Loans and Research Students Office• Students in receipt of scholarship support increased by almost 150.• Staff worked closely with the Marketing and Development Office to establish20 new Foundation-funded Scholarships.• Implemented pro-active reporting to Schools to inform them of researchstudents with enrolment blocks prior to the enrolment process.• Implemented new process of tracking theses sent to examiners to identifydelivery problems quickly.• Developed on-line registration of undergraduate scholarships to ensureapplications rates are monitored and can be tracked.• Early intervention, increased AusAID Liaison Officer-Academic lisiaon andthe introduction of Student Self-Assessment Progress. Reports for AusAIDstudents resulted in significantly improved coursework progress rates (96.95%in 2004, 90.6% in 2002) and completion rates. In addition, the number andduration of extensions continued to decrease.17

Higher Educations Reforms Initiatives (HERI) Projecthttps://my.unsw.edu.au/student/HERI/Introduction.htmlhttps://my.unsw.edu.au/student/HERIpres.htmlAdmissions & Student Recruitment• Made a significant contribution to Phase 1 of the HERI project including Chairand membership roles for various working parties.• Through membership of the DEST Commonwealth Learning ScholarshipsReference Group made a significant input to the development of nationalpolicy and guidelines.Student Information & Systems Office• Developed on-line application forms for; Commonwealth supported studentsHECS Equity Scholarships, Remission and Crediting procedures and theCommonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN).Student Systems and Publications Office:• At the request of the DVC Academic and Registrar, SSAPO project managedthe University’s investigation and response to the multiple challenges laiddown in the Higher Education Support Act (2003). The HERI project requiredthe review of policy and procedures across the spectrum of studentadministrative services – from admission to graduation. HESA has significantimpacts in the areas of academic administration (University teaching calendarand census dates); student financials (major changes to rules governing whocan receive Commonwealth support; changes to rules under whichuniversities can charge students), equity and financial support programs(including Commonwealth Learning Scholarships and loans), and reportingrequirements (the DEST student collection).• Prepared the business impact analysis; established 8 cross-divisional andcross-functional working parties which investigated various focus areas;convened the HERI Steering Committee; and prepared the businessrequirements and several policy reviews. SSAPO also managedcommunications within the University and conducted user educationactivities.• Devised and led the testing program for all HERI system changes.• UNSW’s response to HESA will be implemented over 2004 and 2005 (anumber of broader policy issues around academic teaching calendars andfinancial support services are currently under investigation).• In 2004 a number of major and minor changes were introduced to theNewSouth Student and myUNSW systems. SSAPO liaised with ITS to definethe IT work required to meet these changes, and co-ordinated useracceptance testing and implementation planning.18

• The changes delivered by the HERI project in 2004 were delivered on timeand on budget. As recently cited by the CIO in a report to the SMG / VCAC(March 2005), DEST has advised that it regards UNSW as “best practice” inregards to HESA responses and change management.Scholarships, Loans and Research Students Office• Managed the introduction and administration of a new Federal program ofstudent assistance, the Commonwealth Learning Scholarships (CLS), forstudents from low-socio-economic backgrounds and rural students.19

Equity and Diversity69 % of the staff of the department is female. The Department takes seriously the role ofbuilding staff competencies and training staff to build careers within and outside of theUniversity. The principles and practices of equal opportunity apply to students and theDepartment has an important role in ensuring that all administrative and support processesand procedures are fair, transparent and are sensitive to students with special needs.Careers and Employment• Administered the Jobs on Campus program whereby 32 positions were offeredto ACCESS students.• Offered ‘Volunteer UNSW’ opportunity to 3 international students to gainoffice and administrative skills.Admissions• UNSW manages several targeted equity programs and is recognized withinthe higher education sector as a leader in the area of equity admissionschemes. The UNSW ACCESS scheme and the University PreparationProgram have been the benchmark for other universities.Student Information & Systems Office• The principles of procedural fairness are applied in the handling of all studentmatters especially grievances and allegations of academic misconduct. Soundadvice is provided to Heads of School and other academic staff on processes,procedures and UNSW standards.20

2005 and BeyondThe Division of the DVC (Academic) has identified a number of strategic goals for 2005.The Department will incorporate these into its planning and develop strategic goals thatreflect and enhance the goals of the Division. These are:• S17.1 Enhance the student experience by developing a student focusedculture across the administrative units.• S17.3 Improve the student experience by building quality processes to unifystudent support and information services within a central physical location.• S17.4 Develop and implement the on-line delivery of an integrated studentsupport and information service including enrolment.• S17.5 Strengthen the access and retention of target equity student groups.• S17.6 Provide greater pastoral support to students through scholarships,housing assistance and childcare.• S17.10 Develop and implement an effective and comprehensive GrievancePolicy for staff and students with clear guidelines, processes and timelines tofacilitate early resolution at the local level.• S17.11 Plan and implement the future system-wide academic planningprocess with a special focus on continual quality improvement, consultationand evaluation.21

APPENDIX 12004 Annual Report – Admissions & Student RecruitmentAdmissions – notable achievements• StatisticsApplicationsEnrolmentsSemester 1 and 22004Postgraduate Local 6086 2859Postgraduate6137 1479InternationalUndergraduate HECS 6310 (offers) 4126Undergraduate LFEE 617 (offers) 148Undergraduate4995 1199InternationalNAWD – UPP 457 315NAWD – other 1021 677• Improvements to student support services- Implemented online application system – Apply Online – for direct international,postgraduate coursework and research applicants.- Development, testing and implementation of a number of NSS admissions/enrolmentreports, to enhance applicant tracking, monitoring and reporting.- Enhanced NSS functionality to improve data entry and reporting.- Successful integration of Parasol/Xarasol systems to offer acceptance process for allapplicants, other than NAWD.- Liased with schools and program authorities to improve admissions processes forspecific student cohorts (for example, ATAX and MBT)- Introduced functionality to enable e-mail of .pdf offer letters.- In conjunction with New South Global, developed a system of package offers forinternational Foundation Studies students.• Campus support and liaisons- Convened a forum on UAC Admissions for UNSW staff; December 2004.- Contributed to an admissions de-briefing session for Engineering administrative staff(February).- Sought feedback from Faculty Executive Officers on admissions systems, to helpannual review process within each of the admissions teams.- Attended IDP recruitment events in Singapore, Hong Kong, Sydney, Melbourne, andThailand.- Significant contribution to the development of the alternative online applicationsystem – The Princeton Review – for the Faculty of Commerce & Economics.22

• Compliance- Significant contribution to Phase 1 of the HERI project – including Chair andmembership roles for various working parties• External relationships and contributions- UNSW continued in the role of Convenor of the UAC Educational Access Schemes(EAS) Working Party, and provided members to a number of other UAC committees,including the Commonwealth Learning Scholarships (CLS), Common AssessmentProcedures, Editorial, and Distance Education working parties- Membership of the DEST national CLS Reference Group- Membership of Go8 Admissions GroupStudent Recruitment Office – notable achievements• Enquiries- undergraduate and postgraduate coursework- Annual: approximately 22,800- Monthly: approximately 1900- Daily: average – email (35), telephone (48), in person walk-in (6)• Events- Undergraduate off-campus included 43 Careers markets (11 evening events withparents) and 38 school visits- Undergraduate on-campus included Info Day (January), Courses & Careers Day(September), Careers Advisers Seminar, Careers Evening with Careers & Employmentand Counselling, Law evening, the National Youth Science Forum, and 15 campustours- Postgraduate off-campus – MBA Postgraduate Expo- Postgraduate on-campus – Postgraduate Expo, Careers Expo• Publications- Undergraduate Prospectus (60000)- Introduced the first UNSW Postgraduate Coursework prospectus (10000).- Produced 3 editions of the Careers Advisers Newsletter.- Assumed responsibility for the co-ordination of the UNSW entry for the GoodUniversities Guide• Mailouts- 2 UG Prospectuses mailed out to all high schools (850)95 high schools requested more than 1 box, half of these requested 2. Eachbox contains 60 prospectuses.- 21,000 publications sent in response to recruitment enquiries.March 200523

APPENDIX 2Careers and Employment2004 Major AchievementsServices to Students and GraduatesOur key aim was to build relationships with academic staff and to increase collaboration todevelop the career management skills of students and ideally for career development to beembedded in their curricula.Another key aim was to ensure the time and expertise of staff is used efficiently by studentsfor value adding rather than as a first point of contact.• Delivered 87 targeted presentations to 5162 students within Schools and Faculties, compared to 44 in2003 to 2782 students.• Conducted 166 C&E educational workshops in total to 2470 students, compared to 199 workshops to3189 students in 2003.• Coordinated 8 Guest Presenter workshops involving a range of high profile organisations, attracting atotal of 590 students.• Conducted 34 additional career development presentations to 2358 students and alumni, compared to32 presentations to 2580 students and alumni in 2003.• Increased the number of students provided with Individual Assistance. Registrations for IA appointmentsincreased by 11% from 1696 in 2003 to 1887 in 2004.• Co-ordinated UNSW’s participation in the ‘Higher Education Workplace Skills Olympiad’. Twenty four,penultimate year students took part in the program competing against students from 14 universitiesnationally. Our host for 2004 was Unilever.• Piloted a workshop for undecided prospective students at Info Day. 170 students and parents attendedand feedback was very positive.• Presented to students from Vision CRC, The Institute of Environmental Management and The GiftedEducation Research Resource and Information Centre (GERRIC).• Offered volunteer opportunities to 3 students to gain office and administrative skills.• Administered the Jobs On Campus program, whereby 32 positions were offered to ACCESS studentscompared to 48 in 2003.• Contributed career-related activities to events initiated by student clubs and societies.• Received favourable mention for the services provided by C&E from ‘The Australian & New ZealandGraduate Careers Survey 2004’ sponsored by The Australian and the Australian Association of GraduateEmployers (AAGE). In terms of student satisfaction with careers services ‘the highest scores were for thecareers services at Otago, Deakin, ANU and UNSW’. UNSW students were also the highest users oftheir careers service website.Employer ProgramsOur key aim is to increase the number of opportunities available to UNSW students and graduates in Australiaand internationally by encouraging employers to use our services and to ensure these services meet theirneeds.• Provided one or more services to a total of 1,313 organisations during the year. This represents a 57.4%increase on the 834 organisations using our services in 2003.Employer Programs information was sent to 2,091 organisations throughout 2004.• Increased the number of positions advertised on Jobs Online from 1,807 in 2003 to 2,525 in 2004, anincrease of 39%.24

• Increased the number of organisations participating in the International Employment Program from 30in 2003 to 40 in 2004, an increase of 25%.• Attracted 74 organisations, 6 UNSW Faculties and Institutes and 3,800 students to the sixteenth annualUNSW Careers Expo. This compares with 71 organisations, 7 UNSW Faculties and Institutes and 4,000students who attended in 2003.• Sent employment information to 42,275 students on behalf of 96 organisations via the TargetedEmail/Mail Service. This is an increase from the 28,638 students receiving information on behalf of 78organisations in 2003.• Attracted 2,276 website hits (15 organisations) to the Virtual Careers Forum website (COFA, Arts andScience), compared with 474 students who attended the Employer Exhibition in 2003.• Arranged and promoted 49 employer Information Sessions, compared with 31 in 2003.• Increased the number of Banner Advertisements on Jobs Online from 5 in 2003 (when the service wasintroduced) to 9 in 2004.• 226 interviews were arranged using the online interview scheduler, compared with 334 in 2003.Careers and Employment OnlineAs the majority of the users of our services access our website, we have reorganised existing information anddeveloped new sections to improve accessibility and relevance.• Increased the number of registered users from 19,000 to 26,000, and the number of active useraccounts from 14,000 to 16,000.• Modified and updated the ‘Employer Services’ and ’Student Employment’ section of the Careers websiteto increase accessibility and quality of information and resources.• Instituted a new Employer Profile service, allowing employers to increase their organisation's profileand raise awareness of their current recruitment campaign and events. 18 organisations used thisservice.GeneralWe have continued to build on the successful programs developed for prospective students.• Delivered 20 career related workshops to 1955 students at 17 high schools compared to 6 workshops to617 students in 2003.• Collaborated with Student Recruitment and the Counselling Service to pilot a presentation for highschool students to assist them in making career decisions. Eighty Year 11 and 12 students attended andfeedback was very positive.• Provided career related services to a total of 28 Individual Clients from the general public compared to22 in 2003.• Provided a placement opportunity for an Australian College of Applied Psychology (ACAP) student.Challenges for 2005• Ensuring a greater number of UNSW students and staff are made aware of and utilise our services.• Encouraging UNSW students to document evidence of their development of graduate attributes ideallythrough the use of a UNSW portfolio.• Accessing consistent and complete recruitment statistics from employers and students using ourservices, to be used for benchmarking and promotion. (Current response rate: 45% of organisationsusing C&E’s major employer services and 24% of award completions via the Graduate DestinationSurvey).• Improving the efficiency of processes used by organisations interacting with C&E.25

APPENDIX 3Counselling ServiceReport for 2004Including data from 1999-2004The Service Name, Logo and Model of Service DeliveryIt has been clearly identified by university counsellors over some decades that students have not alwaysbeen able to overlook the social stigma that is attached to the term “counsellor” or the perceived need forcounselling. This issue has become increasingly noticeable with the enrolment of larger numbers of studentswho speak a language other than English at home, and who have cultural backgrounds that perceive“seeking counselling from someone outside the family” as shameful or indicative of personal weakness.Here at UNSW Counselling Service we are experimenting with an additional name for the Service that isdesigned to encompass the breadth of our service provision to the UNSW community and the veryimportant focus that we place on student development and support. In doing this it is hoped to destigmatisethe term “counselling” and to make the service more accessible to all students. The additionalname being used isHelps students stay on trackThis process of changing the understanding of what the service name means to the student communitycoupled with the service delivery model outlined below has been commended by student leaders and hasdrawn considerable interest from other student service providers at universities both here andinternationally. Favourable references by others to our approach have been made in conference papers andprofessional dialogues in Australia, the USA, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and New Zealand.The UNSW Counselling Service uses a service delivery model that is designed to provide support for thelargest number of students that be can reached. 1-1 Services are capable of reaching only a relatively smallpercentage of the more than 40,000 students enrolling at UNSW in the last 3 years. Therefore strategies andinterventions that target specific sections of the student cohort or the entire enrolled cohort have beenprogressively implemented over the last 4 years. Deliberate attention to quality processes, professional andcareer development, continuous planning and collaboration underpin all the service activities.Five Layers of Service Activity• Services for Individuals• Help Your Self Services• Education - Seminars and Training• Outreach - Community Intervention & Collaboration• Professionalism and Quality - Service Delivery Planning, Across UNSW Collaboration, Career andProfessional Development26

Service Planning Process• Yearly forward planning and review of achievements from previous planning - undertaken inNovember – March.• Second planning activity occurs in conjunction with Performance Review Process for Director(April-May).• Third planning activity occurs in the break between session 1 and 2 (July-August).• In 2003 the Counselling Service staff conducted interviews with members of Faculty as part of theUNSW Visioning process• Counselling service staff also participated in the planning and interviews related to the visioningprocess undertaken by Student Administration.Service Overarching Performance GoalsSpecific Service performance goals change from year to year in response to emerging needs identified viaour work with students and the changes within UNSW and the UNSW Strategic Directions and OperationalPlans. The following overarching Performance Goals have guided the work of the Service over the period1999-2004.1. To extend UNSW community programs and systemic interventions that target student retention andpromote achievement of academic and personal potential2. To extend consultancy and collaboration for the purpose of positively influencing the studentexperience within UNSW3. To maintain and expand the current student centred ethos4. To increase access options for students seeking counselling assistance5. To provide student support as appropriate within the Faculty context6. To evaluate effectiveness of services offered7. To enhance quality via evaluation, feedback and research8. To effectively promote the service profile and enhance the positive recognition of the role and workof the Counselling Service team within UNSW, nationally and internationally27

Counselling Service Planning Goals July 2004 – June 2005Plan Future Performance Goals for1 July 2004 to 30 June 20051. Development of AcademicProgress Support Program tooffer to Faculties.Identify Performance Measures/Targets• Involve students in EngineeringFaculty who are not in goodacademic standing at end of S12004 in Back on TrackProgram pilot.Describe Strategy to Achieve PerformanceGoal• Senior Counsellor to manage pilot ofBack on Track Program with EngineeringFaculty S2 2004.• Survey Engineering students whoparticipate to identify improvementoptions.• Obtain feedback from EngineeringAcademic Advisors and Heads of School.Link to UNSWPlanning DocumentsImproving the studentexperience at UNSW.Improving the first yearexperience.Supporting studentswho are academically atrisk.Progress to December 2004• Program devised, runas pilot and assessedfor outcomes restudent progress.2. Review and update StudentsAt Risk Prevention Programand promote the awarenessraising workshop throughoutUNSW in S1 2005.• Complete review and updatingof information and resources incurrent Students at RiskWorkshop.• Provide workshop to Faculties,Schools and Colleges in S12005.• Review workshop in S2 2004 andpromote delivery of workshop in S12005.Improving the studentexperience at UNSW.Improving the first yearexperience.Supporting studentswho are academically atrisk.• Review underway• Promotion of StudentAt Risk Seminarplanned for March2005.3. Further development ofcounselling access options toenhance meeting of servicedemand for one-onecounselling and applicationof feedback from ClientSatisfaction Survey 2002.• Introducecounselling options.telephone• Add to Online student supportservices.• Develop email counsellingguidelines.• Provide additional counsellingappointments if possible withinbudget allocation.• Provide counsellor training in telephonecounselling.• Introduce advertising of telephonecounselling options.• Trial in S1 2005 weeks 7-14.• Provide training in email counsellingethics and adaptation of existingcounselling strategies to emailcounselling.Improving the studentexperience at UNSW.Improving the first yearexperience.Supporting studentswho are academically atrisk.• In planning phase.• Resources yet to beallocated.

• Trial email counselling during S22004.• Offer booked first appointment options5-6pm daily subject to staff availability.29

Plan Future Performance Goals for1 July 2004 to 30 June 20054. Activities related to improvingthe first year experience.Identify Performance Measures/Targets• Support for first yearexperience initiatives – peermentoring programs,consultationtoFaculties/Schools and trainingand support of mentors.• Coordination of OWeek acrossUNSW S2 2004 and S1 2005with attention to feedbackreceived from 2004experience.Describe Strategy to Achieve PerformanceGoal• Provide co-ordination ofMentoring@unsw subject to budgetallocation.• Provide mentor training and supervisionof mentors subject to budget allocation.• Extend mentoring @ unsw toadditional Schools.• Plan Orientation Day for studentscommencing S2 2004.• Plan O-Week structure, liaise withFaculty and liaise with student O-Weekorganising team re student organisedsocial events for enhanced O-Weekexperience for S1 2005.Link to UNSWPlanning DocumentsImproving the first yearexperience.Improving the studentexperience at UNSW.Progress to December 2004• Completed mentorrecruitment training &supervision for S22004.• Seminar Showcase ofmentoring at UNSW.• Additional mentoringprograms in theplanning for S1 2005.• Planned andcoordinated O-Dayexperience forstudents commencingS2 2004.• Evaluate outcome of O-Week S1 2005activities and 1 st year student experience• Explore research possibilities refurthering understanding of the studentexperience expanding on currentresearch and national understandings ofthe mental health experience of students• O-Week S1 2005planned andcoordinated asintegrated activityacross UNSW.30

in higher education in 2005 and beyond.• Evaluation of S1 2005O-Week to beimplemented S1 2005weeks 5-7• Not yet in planningphase. To be reevaluatedforimplementation asresources permit.31

Plan Future Performance Goals for1 July 2004 to 30 June 20055. Focus on improvement of qualitysystems.7. Review staffing structure andimplement.Identify PerformanceMeasures/ Targets• Satisfy compliancerequirements for recordsdisposal.• Conduct audit oflegislative requirements asrequired by nature ofservice delivery.• Introduce revisedcounsellor supervisionprocess and trial in S12005.• Introduce review of allclient presentations inexcess of 10 sessions.• ConductClientSatisfaction Survey 2004.• Counselling Servicestructure reviewed andstructurerecommendationsproposed.Describe Strategy to Achieve Performance Goal Link to UNSWPlanning Documents• Complete records disposal database andestablishment of new storage system ongoingS2 2004.• Review processes impacted by legislation andseek legal advice as necessary.• Senior counsellor to manage review of peersupervision process and provide training forsupervision skills required for new system.• Oversee regular review of client cases wherenumber of interviews exceeds 10.• Complete Client Satisfaction Survey in S22004 or 2005 depending on resourceavailability.• Identify work priorities and supervisory tasksand allocate to suitable senior level positionsavailable within budgetary constraints.8. Adapt current service professional • Student Services Career • Finalise Career Development Scheme FormfImproving the studentexperience at UNSW.Implementingrequirements for StateRecords Act and UNSWpolicy for recordsmanagement.Efficiency of work forceplanning and resourceallocation.Progress to December2004• Project progressing - ½way mark achieved.• Legal advice soughtand discussions heldwith Heads ofCounselling servicesother Universities.Review of processesin progress.• In-house supervisionprocess reviewunderway.Implementation ofadditional supervisoryprocesses scheduledfor S1 2005. Teampreparation for thisunderway.• Postponed until S12005 due to recordsmanagement projectuse of resources.• Review postponed untilStudent ServicesReview completedand budget allocationfor 2005 finalised.Fostering career • Previous professionalde elopment program32

development program to includeprocesses required by CareerDevelopment Scheme and implement.Dev Form and UNSWCareer Dev processimplemented for all staff.•adapted for use within Student Services.• Brief staff on use of Student Services CareerDevelopment Form.• Conduct individual staff interviews andcomplete career development plans.development.development programfor counsellorsintegrated with newCareer DevelopmentScheme.• Career DevelopmentScheme integrated forall staff.33

Staffing EstablishmentDirector and CounsellorsReception/Office Co-ordinatorMentoring Co-ordinator8.5 EFT1.5 EFT0.5 EFT (2001 –2004 Special Purpose Funding PVC Education & QualityImprovement)Ratio of counsellor EFT appointments to actual student numbers(excluding ADFA)Total StudentEnrolment(excluding ADFA)Number ofCounsellorsCounsellor :Student RatioS1 1998 29519 7 1:4217S1 1999 31412 8 1:3926S1 2000 33531 8 1:4191S1 2001 35903 8 1:4488S1 2002 39041 8.5 1:4593S1 2003 39335 8.5 1:4628S1 2004 38534 8.5 1:4534The counsellor to student ratio provided by UNSW has not increased during the 1999-2004 period andhas in fact declined with the rise in student enrolments.Ratio of appointment hours available per week per actual studentheadcountTotal Student Enrolment(excluding ADFA)Appointment HoursAvailable Per WeekAvailable AppointmentHour : Number ofEnrolled StudentsS1 1999 31412 135 1:232S1 2000 33531 140 1:239S1 2001 35903 140 1:257S1 2002 39041 148 1:264S1 2003 39335 148 1:266S1 2004 38534 148 1:261Counselling Service Client Satisfaction Surveys and FeedbackMechanismsAs a part of ongoing quality assurance activity a Counselling Service Client Satisfaction Survey was firstconducted in 1997, and revisions of the survey have been used in 2001 and 2002. The Client SatisfactionSurvey will be conducted again in Session 1 or 2 2005 depending on the availability of resources.

Recommendations drawn from the 2001 & 2002 Client Satisfaction Survey1. Increase outreach to non-users2. Increase profile of non-traditional methods of service provision and measure usage of all services3. Increase liaison with key stakeholders4. Repeat and extend satisfaction survey5. Consider resource allocation to further increase availability of counselling appointment times,increase use of the website and reconsider the short-term intervention limit on the number of sessionsoffered to clients (11% of respondents ranked the number of sessions offered as ‘poor’ in the 2002survey).6. Even though the majority of students rated the service highly in all surveys , a minority of clientsindicated that they would not return to the service and/or would not recommend the service to afriend. Team discussion of this issue suggested that renewed care for and awareness of the importanceof the initial establishment of rapport and the continuation of this focus in subsequent contact withclients should be maintained even when the high pressure of appointment demand creates tension forthe team. As a service we need to explore ways of making the short-term nature of the service morepalatable to specific student users and to carefully consider the way in which referrals to otheragencies are managed and the way termination of contact with the Counselling Service is facilitated.Seminar and Workshop EvaluationsThe participants of almost all the seminars and workshops are asked to complete feedback and evaluationsheets. This allows for regular monitoring of the usefulness of the seminar or workshop content, thefacilitation process used, the outcome for the participant and requests for associated topics that would beof interest to the student or staff member.Collaboration to “enhance the student experience” and Mentoring @UNSWStrategies focusing on the planning goal “enhancing the student experience” require regular interactionand collaborative work with other areas of the university. A major area of activity since 2000 has been instrategies to enhance the transition to university for first year students. Primary strategies have been theMentoring@UNSW program and the cross UNSW coordination of O-Week programs for 2004 and 2005.Mentoring @ UNSWThe UNSW first year peer mentoring project (Mentoring@UNSW) coordinator, with support from stafffrom the Counselling Service worked collaboratively with the Faculty, School and Department mentorprogram coordinators to establish first year mentoring programs, provide training and supervision for thementors and provided support for the sustainability of the programs.Twenty-seven (27) mentor programs were offered across Faculties, Schools and Departments at UNSW in2004. Approximately five hundred (500) students were trained to be mentors and approximately twelvehundred (1200) first year students were involved in mentor programs across campus.Evaluation results indicate a statistically significant trend showing that the more a student took advantageof the mentoring available to them the more they reported satisfaction with their transition to Universityand the more they felt a sense of belonging within the UNSW community.As well as this, the results indicated there was a statistically significant relationship between use of amentoring program and deciding to stay at University. This suggests the mentoring programs had aconstructive impact on student retention.35

The first year experience literature strongly supports mentoring as a strategy to enhance students’transition to first year University.Evaluation of coordination & support to faculties, schools & departmentsinvolved in the UNSW Peer Mentor ProjectA evaluation was conducted of the effectiveness of the coordination of Faculty support for theestablishment of student peer mentor programs, and the provision of training and supervision formentors. There was strong support for the importance and value of the coordination and training andsupervision support provided for Mentoring@UNSW by the Counselling Service.Outreach via Seminars and WorkshopsIn 2004 the Counselling Service delivered 120 Seminars or Workshops to students as partof our outreach program. It is estimated that these activities reached 3,000 studentsduring the year.2004- Outreach Seminars and WorkshopsLocation ofSeminar/WorkshopNumber ofSeminars/WorkshopsNumber of StudentsParticipatingCounselling Service 60 900Faculty/College 36 1600Mentoring Programs 24 1700Total 120 4200Student Counselling is a Core Service - Services for Individuals• Flexible access options for first time appointments• Drop-In - Access with no appointment needed between 11-1 each day• Crisis appointments available as required and response to emergency/urgent situations• ½ hour booked Intake first appointments available each day• Follow-up appointments usually within 5-10 working days• Follow-up appointments available by arrangement at 8 am or 5 pm• Referral options to practitioners and services off campus• Since 1997 the service usage for counselling each year by individual students has ranged from1400 –1963. These presentations result in 3936-5024 individual consultations per year. Theaverage number of consultations per individual presenting for counselling (1997-2004) is 2.82 andthe range across those years is 1-70 occasions of service per year. Slightly more than 50% ofstudents presenting to the Service attend for follow-up appointments. Less than 5% of studentsusing the Service had more than 10 follow-up appointments per year.36

How do students find out about the Counselling Service?In 2004 29.2% had visited the service in previous years. The majority in 2004 (55.6%) found their way to us asself-referrals while 22.3% indicated that an academic or general staff member referred them to the Service. Afurther 18.2% sought counselling on the advice or encouragement of friends and relatives suggested and 3.9%were referred for counselling by another agency or professional.Advertisng and Marketing:Various strategies have been utilised to promote the Counselling Service and associated activities withinthe UNSW community. In 2004 the following marketing approaches were employed.• Entries strategically placed within the UNSW Student Diary• Promotion of Services during )-Week• Entries within UNSW Life on the Corporate Website• Menu entries within my.unsw student portal• Promotion via various e-newsletters and email lists (e.g. Student Services, International StudentServices, P/G Research, Counselling Service users, Academic Advisors, Heads of Schools, Facultyadministrators, School administrators)• Articles and advertising in UNSW community newspapers including those published by studentorganisations.Statistics from Individual Presentations for CounsellingGender: The Service statistics tell us that more females than males seek one-on-onecounselling. Percentage range of presentations by males is 34.2-44.7 and for females thepercentage range is 54.3-65.3. The gap in representation of females to males reducedslightly in 2001 when the service percentage usage was 54.3:44.7(female to male).Age: The average age of those students presenting for individual counselling has been slowly increasingwith the average age in 2004 being 24.27 (range 17-72years). Averaging across the four years 1997 –2000 the average age of those presenting for counselling was 23.59 years. Over the four years since2000 the average age of those attending for counselling has averaged 24.5 years. The range has also beenspreading with an increase in the age of mature age students.Equity: The access to individual counselling by students identifying with specific equity target groups in2004 is shown below.2004 Equity Categories and Counselling UsageNumber of StudentsPercentage of all StudentsAccessing CounsellingLanguage Other Than English at Home 430 29.637

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 12 0.8Female in Non-Traditional Program 45 3.1Rural/Isolated Background 74 5.1Permanent or Temporary Disability 60 4.1Low Socio-Economic Status 81 5.6On Centrelink Payment 375 25.8Service Users Identified across the Student CohortThe Service tends to see greater numbers of undergraduate students however a deliberate strategy tomake the service more postgraduate student friendly has had the result of increasing the number ofpostgraduate students who access the service in the last four years. The usage of individual counsellingand workshops designed for postgraduate students has increased markedly since 2001. The access toCounselling Service by Postgraduate students in 2000 was 11.8% and in 2004 the access to servicestargeting postgraduate students had averaged 18% across the years 2001-2004.2004 Access to counselling by CohortCohort Percentage of TotalUNSW EnrolmentsPercentage of studentPopulation Presentation forCounsellingLocal Students 77.7 72.8International Students 22.3 20.3Postgraduate Students 35.6 17.5Undergraduate Students 60.53 75.9Non Award/Other 3.87 6.6Enrolment Status 1997 - 20041997%1998%1999%2000%2001%2002%2003%2004%Undergraduate 80.15 80.4 80.5 72.6 75.3 72.5 72.5 75.9Postgraduate 10.3 11.7 11.6 11.8 17.1 18.3 19.2 17.538

UNSW staff member 1 0.9 0.7 1.9 1.2 0.4 0.3 0.5Other Programs 6.1O/S student on student visa 10.42 12.8 15.2 15.9 15.8 19 20 20.3Australian citizens orpermanent residency89.5 87.2 84.8 84.1 84.2 71 67.2 72.8Students in their first, second or third years of enrolment at university tend to use the Service in similarnumbers. (These figures are inclusive of Undergraduate and Postgraduate students.)In 2004 the usage of the service by students in their fourth year of enrolment increased by 6.5% over2003 and was significantly above the previous highest year of usage by students in their fourth year ofenrolment (1997 with 11.17%).Students enrolled in the Faculties of Arts and Social Sciences, Science, Engineering, Commerce andEconomics and COFA tend to be the heaviest users of individual counselling opportunities. Access tocounselling by students in Science has increased since Life Sciences enrolments included within ScienceFaculty. In 2004 students from the Faculties of Arts and Social Science, Engineering, Science and Collegeof Fine Arts made the most use of counselling appointments.Access to counselling by students in the Faculty of Medicine increased by 1.8% over2003 usage patterns.2004 Attendance by Faculty compared with UNSWEnrolment TotalsFacultyFaculty Percentage ofTotal UNSWEnrolmentsPercentage of student PopulationPresentation for CounsellingArts and Social Sciences 12.16 23.2Built Environment 5.84 6.3Commerce and Economics 18.10 10.9Engineering 18.87 16.8Law 5.7 5.4Medicine 6.9 5.6Science 11.94 16.439

Why do students seek individual counselling?Students seek out counselling support for a large variety of reasons frequently involving a complexityof personal issues and situations. This means that assessing the needs of each student and devising asupportive or therapeutic counselling approach requires an experienced and skilled first interview andin the case of approximately half of the Service users the scheduling of follow-up appointments so thatpsychological skills and stress management can be established and practiced.Student Issues on Presentation to the Counselling Service 1999-2004Students attending for counselling for the first time are most likely to be presenting with problemsin academic progression, relationship concerns or loss and or depression and low self esteem.Students who attend for a series of individual counselling sessions are likely to have multipleissues interfering with their academic progress. These issues/problems are not always apparent ordeclared in the first assessment interview and tend to be revealed across a number of sessions.For these students with complex presentation issues the top four problem areas are:underperformance in their academic progression, relationship concerns or distress, depressionand very low self-esteem, and procrastination and other independent learning issues.2004 Summary of Categories of Presenting Problems/Issuesin order of Relative FrequencyIssue/Problem Relative % & Order of prevalence of most the 3most relevant issues/problems across allpresentations and interviewsMood 17.4Relational Issues 15.6Administrative & Academic progression 13.3Academic & Vocational 12.6Anxiety 12.2Other Psychological 6.2Situational 5.9Health/Disability 4.3In-House Workshop participation 2Missing data 10.5Total 100In 2004, 5.22% of students presenting for counselling were considered to be at risk of harm to self and42.78% were considered to be academically at risk of failure serious underperformance or dropping out.Students at Risk of Self-Harm or Academically at Risk2004 Total ServiceUsersNumber ofStudentsPercentage40

At Risk of Self Harm 1531 80 5.22Academically at Risk 1531 655 42.7841

APPENDIX 4UNSW Housing Office Annual Report 20041. Communication and Collaboration• TKC: Academic Council meetings; MAC meetings with House Presidents, SeniorFellows, Housing Staff• Participation in such things as O Week, Courses & Careers, Info day talks with otherUNSW colleges, V-C’s welcome parents, graduation ceremonies; presentations onhousing at AEP.• Participation in UNSW and national heads of Colleges meetings and conferences.• Endeavoured to re-convene meetings with Barker and Mulwarree resident groups.• Meetings for Housing Office with Director UNSW Student Services• Participation of Housing Office staff in Strategic Planning2. Improving students’ experience of UNSW administrative systems• Staff project investigating selection criteria of other universities for limited places inuniversity accommodation.• Uniweb trial continued for TKC and Barker residents resulting in cheaper internet andeasier access (less cumbersome administratively) for residents.• Continued investigation of ways to streamline the application (for accommodation)process.• Arranging fee installment programs for residents with financial difficulties.3. Enhancing the total student experience at UNSW by strengthening support anddevelopment activities• UNSW Housing Office has provided financial assistance to encourage a variety ofactivities at the Kensington Colleges, e.g. Goldstein 40 th Anniversary pre jam nightcocktails; Baxter’s fund raising Night Under the Stars; Charity Sleepout breakfast;parents’ lunch in three locations first day of O Week; Foundation Day tri-col BBQwith lucky door prizes.• For 2004: security training for fifteen residents @ $400 per resident – total $6,000.Following successful security guard training the residents became eligible for casualwork at UNSW Security in the role of Security Officer at the Kensington Colleges.(The cost of the student security scheme to TKC in 2004 is in the vicinity of$123,000.)• First Aid training for academic staff, as required, at $135 per staff member.• Responsible Service of Alcohol Course: thirty two residents attended this course at acost of $1,485.• NAAUC: attendance at NAAUC conference for four residents and one tutor at a costof $3,445.• Expenditure of approximately $18,000 on O Week and O Weekend Activities.Financial support of POC (Point of Contact scheme)• Welcome BBQs and resident meetings at Student Apartments• Student employment opportunities at TKC and Housing Office• Tenancy referral as necessary• Six Access scholarships for TKC awarded• Installation of garden furniture at student apartments42

4. Quality assurance and fiscal prudence• TKC moved to NSS Financials• Staff training in NSS, Quality Customer Service• TKC commenced as an Accounts Payable Business Unit• Continued updating on GST as it related to University accommodation – a specializedsector• Legal advice on tenancy matters for both TKC and student apartments obtained andacted upon.• Strong monitoring of rent arrears.• Minimal increase in TKC fees for 2005 as pert eh HECS gazetted indexation rate.• Regular inspections, maintenance, FF&E replacement of student apartments• High occupancy of student apartments.5. Workforce planning• All positions broadbanded• CDS interviews• Staff encouraged to use ICT.assist training• Staff training: For example, CDS, IT, Worklife Balance Workshop, Time Management,NSS Financials, OHS, First Aid, Presentation Skills.• A number of staff moved to the higher broadbanded position.6. Information technology• All staff desktop computers replaced• Replacement of computers and printers in TKC student labs• Upgrade of TKC servers• Maintenance contract signed for IT support at TKC• TKC PABX upgraded and new voice mail purchased for TKC7. Higher Education Reforms43

APPENDIX 52004 REPORT - STUDENT INFORMATION & SYSTEMS OFFICEDuring 2004 staff from SISO were extensively involved in 2 major projects; the University’sinternal ‘Improve the Student Experience project (ISE)” and the Australian government’s HigherEducation changes which had significant input from the Student Financials team.STUDENT FINANCIALSDuring 2004, the Student Financials team was focussed in ensuring that the complex highereducation changes were successfully implemented for the 2005 academic year. These changesimpacted on all facets of the existing student financials functionality in NSS and my.unsw forstudents. Changes have included: new business processes, on-line application forms forCommonwealth supported students; HECS Equity Scholarships; Remission and Creditingprocedures; and the Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN). One of the major issues of thehigher education changes has been the crucial need to adhere to the new DEST requirementswith regard to the classification of pre and post 2005 students. The team has also been involvedin the preparation, system configuration and implementation of UNSW’s annual tuition feecharging matrix.EXAMINATIONSDuring session 1 and 2 2004, the Examinations Section conducted 1206 of the 1584examinations it was requested by schools to timetable. Approximately 20,000 students satexaminations at the end of each session, comprising of 122,837 individual examination sittings.Of these, approximately 1194 sittings were conducted in examination rooms for students withexamination clashes or individual examination arrangements. 159 students requested individualexam arrangements in session 2, an approximate 20% increase from 2003.It is impossible to provide an equitable exam timetable in the 13 days permitted each sessionwithout hiring additional accommodation at Randwick Racecourse. This is exacerbated by theincreasing numbers of students studying combined degree programs. Attempts to reduce thenumber of exam days would currently result in heavy exam loads that fall outside Universityassessment policy guidelines.The potential for academic misconduct and problems with the proper management ofexaminations can occur where unannotated textbooks and lecture notes are permitted materials.A briefing paper outlining the issues is being prepared for consideration by relevant universitycommittees.Special Government PoliciesDuring 2004 criminal record checks were carried out through the NSW Department of Health for726 students. Government legislation requires that students requiring placement in a healthinstitution as part of their studies, must be issued with a clearance certificate by the NSW Policeon behalf of the NSW Department of Health.44

UNSW STUDENT CENTRALUNSW Student Central can be described as the interface through which students interact with theUniversity. Student Central acts as the front desk for Direct Admissions, Local UndergraduateAdmissions, SLARSO, SISO and SSAPO and consequently receives a high volume of enquiries inperson, over the phone and via email.In 2004 the 2 major focuses of Student Central were:(1) To improve and enhance the student experience by implementing structures andprocesses to monitor and address the changing needs of students across the span of theacademic year.(2) To formulate and implement an enhanced induction and ongoing training program tosupport and encourage staff learning and development.During 2004 a number of initiatives were introduced to monitor, build and ensure high level ofquality service and information.• RECRUITMENT STRATEGY REVIEWED AND IMPLEMENTED• ENHANCED INDUCTION AND TRAINING PROGRAM IMPLEMENTED• CUSTOMER SERVICE TRAINING AND ONGOING KNOWLEDGE TRAINING PROVIDED• PROPOSAL PUT FORWARD FOR DRESS CODE/UNIFORM• STUDENT CENTRE CLEANED UP AND PAINTED• COUNTER BELL INSTALLED TO ALLOW BETTER COMMUNICATION BETWEEN COUNTERSTAFF• PHONE SURVEY DATABASE CREATED AND IN USE• PHONE SCRIPT CREATED AND IN USE• EMAIL PROFORMAS CREATED AND IN USE• RESEARCH UNDERWAY TO UPGRADE PHONE SYSTEM• ELECTRONIC MESSAGE BOARD INSTALLED AND UTILISED• NAME BADGES TO INCREASE STAFF ACCOUNTABILITY• WHITE BOARDS IN USE TO COMMUNICATE IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND DATESTO STAFF• STANDARDISED WEEKLY MEETING TIME FOR STAFF TRAINING PURPOSES2004 STATISTICSWhilst the large majority of student enquiries are received in person over the counter UNSWStudent Central is also responsible for responding to and processing enquiries received over thephone via email and other written requests.Below is a table of figures for 2004SPECIAL CONSIDERATION 5986PHONE ENQUIRIES 4615EMAILS 7837FAST SERVICE TRANSCRIPTS 1997AWARD/ENROLMENT STATEMENTS 3552CHANGE OF NAME152 (DEC TO FEB)ECOE’S 146245

ENROLMENT SUPPORTAs a consequence of the on-going development of online student services and in consultationwith Schools and Faculties, during 2005 the online self-management of enrolment processes wereextended to cover all student cohorts with the exception of Research and Non-Award students.For the majority of students, the application to enrolment process is now entirely online As therange of online services has expanded and in many cases (mostly due to Australian governmentrequirements)have become more complex for students, SISO in co-operation with the StudentOffice, has provided increased support for students using online student services. During theSession 1 2005 offer/acceptance/enrolment period, an Enrolment Support Centre operated from11 December 2004 until 11 March 2005. The Centre, located, with the generous support of theLibrary, on level 2 of the Kensington Library provided telephone, email and in-person support toapplicants, commencing and continuing students. The Centre handled in excess of 6500telephone, 3000 email and 1500 in-person requests for assistance.ESOS MANAGEMENT UNIT (EMU)EMU has had major staffing disruptions throughout 2004. Despite this major disruption EMU hasmade some major achievements:• Implemented and developed filing systems and protocols for both electronic and hardcopy information.• Created professional ESOS flyers and distributed the flyers throughout UNSW (For Staffand Students)• Updated UNSW websites, making information regarding ESOS readily accessible (linkedto ISS, myUNSW and appropriate governmental sites) – adding news bulletin items foressential information to staff and students• Redesigned and implemented new interactive staff Outreach Programs across the campus,expanding awareness and knowledge of the ESOS Act university responsibilities andEMU’s role.• Annual Registration Charge (ARC) 2004 – liaised with University Planning and otherFaculties/Departments to provide an analysis of the number. of international student visaholders enrolled for 2004 and identified issues that would affect the data for futurereference.• Reporting – Both Sessions, becoming increasingly efficient and accurate in maintaininginternational student visa holders confirmations of enrolment – additional to normalreporting procedures (for example): we identified student cohorts that had double eCoE’s;were Active on NSS and had no current eCoE’s etc. and “cleaned up the data”. Ultimatelyleading to a reduction in cost and inaccuracy. (*NB: Additionally we have startedimplementing and promoting, the collection of data on the Visa Permit Detail screen onNSS and liasing with the Fee Department to cancel Permanent resident visas in a timelymanner).• Counter enquiries – Liaising with students at UNSW Student Central, responding to theirindividual needs and queries. (Generally it is complex cases for students that requirespecial attention and university negotiation with DIMIA). EMU has had excellent feedbackfrom students regarding their service.46

• Phone/email queries – With increasing awareness of EMU and the ESOS Act 2000, morestaff and students are seeking our advice and counsel. Communication channels havebeen opened through our perseverance, which included Explode emails to continuallyupdate the UNSW community on EMU related issues.• Updated SISO forms – included comprehensive instruction and additional documentationfor international student visa holders, ensuring that the university and the student arecompliant with the ESOS Act 2000.Our main focus in 2004 has been Education and Outreach Programs to the students and staff ofUNSW. For 2005, EMU is looking at the issues that face International student visa holders andcompliance with these issues (for example WEB CT courses), with this we will endeavour toexpand their knowledge through courses and communication with the relevant bodies involvedin the ESOS Act 2000.STUDENT RECORDSDuring 2004, the Student Records Unit which has responsibility for updating and maintainingaccurate and complete student records on NSS, continued the ongoing development of processmanuals, procedures maps and other support tools to address the training needs of SISO andFaculty/School staff in order to improve the service provided to students across the span of theacademic year.A major project undertaken was the conversion of historical student records from the period 1969-1990, including records of St George campus students, from paper or other formats into NSSrecords. This project is ongoing with the need to review to outcome the conversion process inorder to ensure the accuracy of the data.During 2004, Student Records facilitated the processing of student enrolment related transactionsboth by SISO and by Faculty/School. As the prime source of knowledge about NSS and enrolmentmatters, Student Records continues to provide advice on University policy and procedure and aswell as NSS to Faculty/School staff, both academic and administrative.Student Records responsibilities include:• Program Discontinuations – 1381 processed in 2004• Program Leave – 3199 processed in 2004• Program Changes – 3068 processed in 2004• Transfer credit• Late Results and changes to results in previous sessions• Post census date enrolment amendments• Exchange, study abroad, practicum, clerkship enrolments• Review of Results• Assessment - co-ordination of the submission and release of results.31,796 student results were sent by markmail in Session 2, 2004• Academic Standing - notification to students of their academic standing and the coordinationof the appeals process.47

APPENDIX 6SLARSO ANNUAL REPORTTotal research enrolments increased to 2603 in 2004 (2,538 in 2003) – new enrolmentswere down in 2004.In 2004 the number of students who satisfied requirements for the award of a researchqualification was the highest that is has been for at least 5 years ie 269 (239 in 2003).Scholarship numbers increased, as evidenced by entries on the database:YearTotal (inc AusAID) Undergraduate(excl AusAID)2003 2796 9182004 2934 1042Increase 138 124The University Foundation continued to raise funds for Scholarships, with almost another20 Foundation funded scholarships being created. The majority of the new awards havebeen established to assist undergraduate students.The introduction of the Commonwealth Learning Scholarships in 2004 resulted inapproximately 150 new scholarships, with an expenditure of approximately $450,000.This program will dramatically increase in future years- it is anticipated thatapproximately 300 students will be in receipt of CLS in 2005 with expenditure increasingto $1mill, 450 in 2005 with expenditure of $1.6mill, and stabalising in 2006 at 600students with an expenditure expected to exceed $2.2 mill.SLARSO and Careers worked together to arrange pre-departure Careers Seminars forapproximately 60 international scholarship holders. The sessions were extremely wellreceived by participants.SLARSO developed an explode email service to contact holders of a major program ofassistance for international students. The service provides regular updates andinformation on changes to their awards or developments.48

APPENDIX 7Student Systems & Publications OfficeANNUAL REPORT200449

STUDENT SYSTEMS & PUBLICATIONS OFFICEAnnual Report 2004: ContentsSTUDENT SYSTEMS & PUBLICATIONS OFFICE Annual Report 2004: Contents 501. O V E R V I E W 512. M A J O R A C H I E V E M E N T S 532.1 myUNSW Student Portal ................................................................................................. 532.2 Online Handbook Project................................................................................................. 532.3 Higher Education Reforms Project (HERI) ...................................................................... 542.4 Student Publications and Handbooks.............................................................................. 552.5 Timetabling ...................................................................................................................... 552.6 User Education ................................................................................................................ 562.7 User Surveys and Feedback ........................................................................................... 562.8 Systems Enhancements and Quality Assurance............................................................. 572.9 Presentations................................................................................................................... 573. A P P E N D I X 583.1 Table: Web Resources .................................................................................................... 5850

1. O V E R V I E WThe Student Systems and Publications Office is the business owner of the majorUNSW systems for student and academic administration:• NewSouth Student (the student administration system),• the myUNSW student portal, and• the Student Publications Content Management System, through which the Online Handbooksare published.The Office plays a lead role in commissioning and managing projects of varying sizesto review existing services, develop and implement new systems or service modules,or respond to legislative and other policy framework changes. In 2004, SSAPO had alead role in 3 major projects:• The release of the myUNSW student portal• The development and release of the new Online Handbook• The Higher Educations Reforms Initiatives (HERI) ProjectSSAPO also project-managed the HERI project.The Office has a quality assurance role for published information, data, processes, anduser access and support for all of these systems and publications.NewSouth Student is the largest, most complex and critical University businessapplication and is essential for the effective governance of the University’s teachingprograms, and compliance with legislative obligations. NewSouth Student supportsextensive student self-service access through myUNSW and thus is a strategic tool fordelivering services to current and prospective students. SSAPO has the key roles ofcommissioning and guiding projects and other work to improve the system and developnew services; assuring the quality of processes and data; and training and supportingstaff and student users of student systems.The Office is also responsible for the core official student and academic publications,including the undergraduate and postgraduate handbooks, the University Calendar,and the Student Guides. It is also responsible for creating, reviewing, publishing andcontrolling the quality of online content relating to student and academic matters(policy, procedures, student news, user support guides, and other information) onofficial web sites for students and staff including myUNSW and the Corporate WebSite.51

In 2004, in collaboration with other service units, SSAPO repositioned the StudentGuide as a comprehensive CD-only publication, published as an adjunct to the printedUnion Diary.To provide these services, SSAPO liaises extensively with staff in other central units,faculties, IT, and with other universities, government agencies, and user groups.Robert MorrellEmily MiddletonRichard SanchezThatsnivanh KonnyvongSarah ThomsonAlison MilfullMiria KakaireSoren Brunkhorst52

2. M A J O R A C H I E V E M E N T S2.1 myUNSW Student PortalmyUNSW was developed by ITS for UNSW Student Services as a major ITInvestment Plan project in 2003-4. SSAPO is the portal business owner [actingon behalf of the DVC Academic and Registrar] and is responsible for directingall business and user-side activities, including service visioning, requirementsdefinition, UAT testing, release co-ordination, access and support, editorial andpublishing management, user education and support, and quality and serviceintegrity control. myUNSW is being expanded to include services for academicand general staff and SSAPO has the key role of liaising with HR and other staffto ensure that any staff services are compatible with the portal vision andbusiness architecture.myUNSW is used extensively by 40,000 enrolled students, as well as around4,000 staff, and 5,000 registered student applicants.myUNSW introduces:• new, multi-tiered technology including a portal infrastructure;• new web applications [utilising rules and workflow services based on the user’s role andrelationship with the University];• extensive online content including: news and announcements, and other information,targeted at particular cohorts; page-level integrated online Help; and University policies,procedures, calendars and information about general University services for staff andstudents.Its key web applications and services are:• Apply Online• Accept Online• Active (Enrolled) Student services [including class enrolment, fees, results, transcripts andgraduations services]• News and Announcements [for students and staff]• myUNSW for Staff [HR and Student & Academic Administration services]• UNSW Policies, Procedures and Services [the ‘A-Z Guide’]More detail about these services is presented in the reports of other UNSW Student Servicesunits.See table for web addresses for myUNSW services.2.2 Online Handbook ProjectThe UNSW Online Handbook [Student Publications] project was developed byITS for UNSW Student Services as a major IT Investment Plan project in 2003-4.SSAPO is the Online Handbook business owner and publisher [acting on behalfof the DVC Academic and Registrar]. In this capacity SSAPO directs and coordinatesthe work of all faculty and school handbook editors, and reviews,53

approves and sets metadata (search criteria) for all content before it is published.SSAPO also provides user education and support to handbook editors.The project has delivered a workflow-based content-management system forcapturing, editing, approving and publishing up to date, comprehensiveinformation about the University’s academic offerings: specialisations,programs, plans [majors], and courses. The Online Handbook is published inannual editions, with separate sub-editions available for Undergraduate,Postgraduate, Research and Non-award students. It has been designed to meetthe needs of prospective students, current students, and staff. To this end itsupports multiple pathways for accessing information (menus, searches,hyperlinked content). The Online Handbook is tightly coupled with myUNSWand all program and course entries can be directly accessed from withinmyUNSW. There are currently over 7,000 published pages in the OnlineHandbook.See table for web addresses for the Online Handbook.2.3 Higher Education Reforms Project (HERI)At the request of the DVC Academic and Registrar, SSAPO project managed theUniversity’s investigation and response to the multiple challenges laid down inthe Higher Education Support Act (2003). The HERI project required the reviewof policy and procedures across the spectrum of student administrative services– from admission to graduation. HESA has significant impacts in the areas ofacademic administration (University teaching calendar and census dates);student financials (major changes to rules governing who can receiveCommonwealth support; changes to rules under which universities can chargestudents), equity and financial support programs (including CommonwealthLearning Scholarships and loans), and reporting requirements (the DEST studentcollection).SSAPO staff prepared the business impact analysis; established 8 crossdivisionaland cross-functional working parties which investigated various focusareas; convened the HERI Steering Committee; and prepared the businessrequirements and several policy reviews. SSAPO also managed communicationswithin the University and conducted user education activities.UNSW’s response to HESA will be implemented over 2004 and 2005 [a numberof broader policy issues around academic teaching calendars and financialsupport services are currently under investigation].In 2004 a number of major and minor changes were introduced to theNewSouth Student and myUNSW systems. SSAPO liaised with ITS to define the54

IT work required to meet these changes, and co-ordinated user acceptancetesting and implementation planning.The changes delivered by the HERI project in 2004 were delivered on time andunder the planning budget allocated. As recently cited by the CIO in a report tothe SMG / VCAC (March 2005), DEST has advised that it regards UNSW as “bestpractice” in regards to HESA responses and change management.See table for web addresses for the HERI resources.2.4 Student Publications and HandbooksIn 2004, SSAPO produced the UNSW Undergraduate and PostgraduateHandbooks, including coordination of contributors across all campuses, writingof all missing copy, editing, proof-reading, reviewing and updating all UNSWpolicies relating to enrolment and progression, updating Handbook design toreflect alignment with the new Online Handbook and managing ordering anddistribution. Publications staff also coordinated deadlines relating to theupdating of the Course Catalogue and Schedule of Classes in NSS and supportedthese business processes at a faculty level.SSAPO also produced the University Calendar, including setting semester datesfor UNSW, coordinating publication of important procedural and committeedates, coordinating all faculty and administrative unit staff lists and managingordering and distribution. The Handbooks and Calendar were also produced onCD-ROM for distribution to international students and prize donors.SSAPO also newly instituted the production of the UNSW Student Guide onCD-ROM, to facilitate distribution to students; this included the reproduction ofimportant UNSW policies, an A-Z of student services and software applications.In addition, SSAPO produced the Postgraduate Student Guide in collaborationwith the Postgraduate Board.In 2004, SSAPO successfully reduced publications costs again for UNSW whilemaintaining or increasing the distribution information. Despite the addition ofnew publications, costs were reduced by $20,000 from prior management ofthe publications portfolio by the Secretariat.2.5 TimetablingIn 2004 SSAPO co-ordinated the reactivation of the initiative to develop ascheduling-application based campus wide timetable. This led to majorpresentations [with ITS staff] to the Academic Services Committee and55

Academic Board (in October and November respectively). The proposal wasstrongly endorsed by both groups, leading to Executive funding to complete apreliminary analysis of scope, requirements and issues.Subject to acceptance of the preliminary analysis report, it is expected that aUniversity-wide timetabling project will be a major area of focus for theUniversity (and SSAPO) in 2005-6.See table for web addresses for Timetabling resources.2.6 User EducationSSAPO conducted 3 major seminar / workshops in 2004 at Kensington / COFAand UNSW@ADFA, attended by several hundred UNSW staff:• HERI: Overview for UNSW Staff (October 2004)• HERI: Update for UNSW Staff (December 2004)• Enrolments Planning [a strategic overview of interrelated structures and services foracademic administration] (August 2004)In November, SSAPO commissioned ITS to develop a comprehensive production-like usersandbox for NewSouth Student and myUNSW to allow staff to explore configuration andservices, and to mirror the experience of students (through myUNSW). This is scheduled to bedelivered in April 2005.With recruitment of dedicated user education staff in 2005, SSAPO will co-ordinate and (part)deliver comprehensive user education program (classroom, web-delivered on demand videos ofkey services, sandbox, user guides, best practice directory).See table for web addresses for the Enrolment Planning resources.2.7 User Surveys and FeedbackIn June 2004, SSAPO undertook a major web-delivered survey of the initialexperiences of myUNSW student users.Attracted, perhaps, by the promise of 2 iPods as prizes, more than 3,500students responded, giving solid endorsement to the web services provided bymyUNSW, constructive criticism of perceived deficiencies as well as severalhundred good ideas for improving and extending the services provided throughmyUNSW. Student feedback is being used to inform planned enhancements tomyUNSW in 2005-6.56

2.8 Systems Enhancements and Quality AssuranceIn 2004 SSAPO co-ordinated and/or directly defined/tested 100 maintenanceand extension jobs for NewSouth Student and myUNSW.Following the acceptance of the Audit Actions project in August 2004, SSAPOstaff assumed extensive new quality assurance responsibilities for managing useraccess guidelines and profiles, for conducting audits of student systems, and formanaging risk (through new NSS monitoring tools). The resourcing implicationsof these new responsibilities will be addressed in 2005.2.9 PresentationsIn addition to the internal presentations described under User Education(above), SSAPO staff presented two papers to the Heads of StudentAdministration Conference in Cairns in August 2004:• DEST-HERI Impacts [with Di Charnley, SISO, UNSW]• UNSW’s Student Publications Project57

3. A P P E N D I X3.1 Table: Web ResourcesService / ResourcemyUNSWUNSW Apply OnlineUNSW Online HandbookHigher Education ReformsInitiatives (HERI)TimetablingEnrolment PlanningAddresshttps://my.unsw.edu.au/https://apply.unsw.edu.au/http://www.handbook.unsw.edu.au/https://my.unsw.edu.au/student/HERI/Introduction.htmlhttps://my.unsw.edu.au/student/Staff/HERIpres.htmlhttps://my.unsw.edu.au/student/Staff/RecentPresentations.htmlhttps://my.unsw.edu.au/student/Staff/RecentPresentations.html58

APPENDIX 8PROTOCOL OFFICEPROTOCOL OFFICESummary of 2004 activitiesThroughout 2004, the Protocol Office worked closely with the GraduationsSection to deliver graduation ceremonies on the Kensington campus, atUNSW@ADFA and overseas. Substantial work was undertaken in reviewingand enhancing administrative processes, and structuring planning for futureyears and requirements.In 2004, we held 52 graduation ceremonies, an increase from 35 in 2003, andprocessed 10,954 graduation records. Four ceremonies were held overseas inHong Kong, Singapore and Beijing. Analysis of the graduation records anddegrees conferred is included in the following section.1. KEY 2004 OPERATIONAL DATAGraduation Ceremonies2004 2003No of Graduation Ceremonies 52 35New degrees conferred 10,238 9,955Returning degrees 716 648Total students 10,954 10,603No of degrees conferred by FacultyFacultyDegreesInstitute of Environmental Studies 55Arts and Social Science 1,335Built Environment 495College of Fine Arts 556Commerce and Economics 2,571Engineering 2,129Law 921Medicine 62859

Science 1,035UNSW@ADFA 507AGSM* 6**The majority of AGSM students are not processed via the UNSW GraduationsSection.60

Level of degrees conferredPostgraduate 4,096Undergraduate 5,730Research 412Gender of candidatesFemales 4989Males 5249Residency of degree recipientsAUS 6499PR 579INTL 3033NZ 112Unknown 15No of degrees conferred at overseas ceremoniesHK 208SING 199BEIJ 149Total 556Awarding of Honorary degreesThe following honorary degrees were conferred in graduation ceremonies in 2004. Alldegrees were conferred at Kensingon, except for Dato’ David Koh Eng Hooi, whosedegree was conferred at the ceremony held in Singapore.Candidate Degree Conferral dateDr Bernice Murphy Hon.DLitt 28 May 2004Dr Kenneth Unsworth Hon.DLitt 28 May 2004Dato’ David Koh Eng Hooi Hon.DSc 16 June 2004HE Marie Roslyn Bashir, AC Hon.DSc 15 October 2004Lady (Vincent) Fairfax, OBE Hon.DLitt 15 October 2004Dr Peter Gillingham Hon.DSc 22 October 2004Dr John Tonkin Hon.DSc 10 December 2004

Academic DressThe Protocol Office, liaising with the relevant course authority, is responsible for theprescription of academic dress for new degree programs. In 2004, the followingacademic dress was prescribed:Undergraduate Abbrev DescriptionBachelor of Business BBus Old gold silk (BCC115) edged to a depth of 10cm withspectrum green silk (BCC100)Bachelor ofEnvironmentalScienceBachelor ofInternational StudiesPostgraduateMaster of AppliedTaxationMaster of DigitalMediaMaster ofEnvironmentalManagementMaster of InternationalTaxationBEnvScBIntStMAppTaxMDMMEMMIntTaxOld Gold silk (BCC115) edged to a depth of 5cm withmaize silk (BCC5) and edged to a further 5cm withmushroom silk (BCC 181).Old gold silk (BCC115) edged to a depth of 5cm withempire blue silk (BCC87) and edged to a further 5cmwith pearl white silk (BCC151).Old gold silk (BCC115) lined with ice blue silk(BCC234) and edged to a depth of 5cm with empireblue silk (BCC87)Old gold silk (BCC115) lined with coral silk (BCC93)Old gold silk (BCC115) lined with mauve silk (BCC225)and edged to a depth of 5cm with imperial purple silk(BCC109)Old gold silk (BCC115) lined with ice blue silk(BCC234) and edged to a depth of 5cm with silver greysilk (BCC153)Master of LegalStudiesMaster of SocialScienceDoctorateDoctor of JuridicalScienceMLSMSocScSJDOld gold silk (BCC115) lined with beech brown silk(BCC69) and edged to a depth of 5cm with corn husksilk (BCC142)Old gold silk (BCC115) lined with powder blue silk(BCC193) and edged to a depth of 5cm with jet blacksilk (BCC220).PhD gown, similar to MA gown with 10cm of laceplaced horizontally 7½ cm above the armhole andfaced with scarlet cloth to a width of 15cm (similar toUniversity of Cambridge)Hood as for Bachelor, cherry silk (BCC115) lined withbeech brown silk (BCC69)Tudor bonnet with gold cord trimNote: BCC refers to the British Colour Council system. A full listing of UNSWacademic dress is at https://my.unsw.edu.au/student/atoz/AcademicDress.html.Page 62 of 66

2. KEY OJECTIVES IN 2005In 2003 the following were identified as key areas for consideration by the ProtocolOffice in 2004:• Enhanced communication and collaboration with Faculties, students and serviceproviders;• Assisting to improve students’ experience of UNSW administrative processes;• Reviewing quality assurance and fiscal prudence; and• Reviewing and documenting internal administrative processes and procedures.Each of these areas is addressed in the following section, noting the various actions thatwere taken, and examples of procedures that have been developed and implemented.Communication and collaborationIn all areas, we have aimed to streamline and enhance communication withour key stakeholders, in particular students and Faculties. Providing relevantand timely advice to graduands is of paramount importance, and in 2004 wemodified some of the communications approaches.Graduand communicationIn previous years, graduating students were sent two packages of information,one from the Graduations Section consisting of 8 loose-leaf flyers/brochures,and a second from the UNSW Union with information about academic dresshire and union membership. After realising that this provision of informationwas inadequate and inefficient, we have now compiled an A4 booklet, theGraduation Information Guide (GIG), containing all information and formsrequired.Faculty communicationOther procedures which have been introduced include:• Improved communication to academics regarding graduation ceremonyarrangements including an email reminder 2 days prior to ceremonies;and• Contact with Faculties and Schools regarding academic attendance atceremonies and encouraging volunteers to assist at ceremonies.Enhanced designAs well as creating the GIG, in 2004 we reviewed the design and style of allgraduation materials, and have developed a new style which is applied acrossthe suite of materials including graduation ceremony programs, tickets, and theGIG. This style focuses on using the ceremonial colours of UNSW – black andgold. In reviewing the style, we have also changed some of the associatedprinting processes, thus reducing expenditure.Page 63 of 66

Graduation Service ProvidersIn 2004, service contracts with the key graduation service suppliers wererenewed. These agreements cover portrait photography, video/dvd servicesand testamur plaque production.Venue accessAn ongoing concern has been the restricted access to the Sir John ClancyAuditorium for scheduling graduation ceremonies. The Protocol Office hasbeen working proactively with other key internal users of the venue, includingthe Music Performance Unit, to ensure that the needs of all users are meteffectively, and to plan schedules a number of years in advance wherepossible.Religious Festivals CalendarThe Protocol Office created and distributed a Religious Festivals Calendar for2005, responding to requests from across the University community for thisinformation. This was emailed to senior administrative and marketing staff inFaculties and Divisions, and is located on the UNSW website athttps://my.unsw.edu.au/student/resources/ReligiousFestivals.html. The ProtocolOffice will continue to produce and update this calendar on an annual basis.Protocol AdviceThroughout the year the Protocol Office has also responded to general protocolenquiries from various members of the UNSW community, including degreeabbreviations, use of the University flag, postnominals, correct forms of addressand orders of precedence.Improving students’ experience of UNSW administrative processesAs noted above, the GIG was introduced to increase the effectiveness ofproviding information about graduation to students, and to explain theadministrative steps that they need to complete.In addition to the GIG, information on myUNSW regarding graduationceremony arrangements was revised and updated. In particular, details of allUNSW academic dress specifications were placed on the website for easyaccess.Page 64 of 66

Quality assurance and fiscal prudenceGraduate SurveyStudents attending graduation ceremonies in October 2004 were sent a surveycovering all aspects of the graduation process and associated services. Theresults have confirmed the value of a number of new initiatives implemented in2004, in particular the creation of the GIG.A number of key themes emerged from the survey, which will be used toinform our ongoing planning and evaluation of processes and communication.We have already made some changes as a result of the survey – in response torequests for more detail about the ceremony, we have included new pages inthe GIG explaining how the ceremony runs with a particular emphasis ongraduand participation. Similarly, a strong request for more detail on academicdress has led to the inclusion of photographs showing examples of UNSWacademic dress and how it is worn.Overwhelmingly, survey respondents indicated that they enjoyed theirgraduation day. We will continue to use various methods to evaluate ourprocesses and services not only to ensure that graduation continues as acelebratory occasion, but to ensure that our service delivery model andcommunications approach continues to meet the needs and expectations ofgraduating students.OH&SWe have continued to assess our ongoing activities with regards toOccupational Health and Safety requirements and risk management, changingceremony arrangements to ensure that the number of guests attendinggraduation ceremonies does not exceed auditorium capacity, and investigatingalternative options for the use of the manual sealing machine. All volunteerstaff assisting at ceremonies are now provided with a full briefing about theauditorium including emergency exits, assembly points and security contacts.BudgetingBudgeting and control of the graduation project allocations has been improved,with a number of internal suppliers asked to provide financialstatements/invoicing on a regular basis (eg Printing and Publishing), allowingmuch more accurate forecasting.Internal administrative improvementsDocumentationIn 2004, we undertook a review of all internal administrative processes with aview to streamlining these procedures. A number of initiatives wereimplemented:• Amending the layout of ceremony documentation to allow quicker andmore accurate preparation;Page 65 of 66

• Ceremony documentation was enhanced to include all spoken text andstage directions;• Spreadsheets were adopted for ceremony marshals rather thanindividually marked up programs;• Academic procession attendance, reserved parking and reserved seatingwere transferred to a database (previously this was a paper basedsystem) allowing historical analysis; and• International ceremony administration computerised.Staff briefingIn addition, all ceremony staff/volunteers are now provided with a 15 minutebriefing prior to ceremonies, and provided with identification nominating themas official staff.Additional initiativesCeremony schedulingA number of new scheduling options were trialled throughout the year:• Evening graduation ceremonies (6.30pm – 7.45pm Thursday);• Weekend ceremonies (1.00pm and 4.00pm Saturday); and• Additional ceremonies in December to accommodation students whomissed October ceremony deadlines.Evening ceremonies have now been adopted into the ongoing schedule;however, weekend ceremonies, while popular with graduating students, wereunpopular with academics. We are continuing to increase the number ofceremonies scheduled in December, and are aiming in 2005 to propose aschedule and timeline that will enable students to graduate closer to thecompletion of their program.Melissa HankinsonProtocol ManagerFebruary 2005Page 66 of 66