Student Engagement in Service Delivery: Taking It to a Whole New Level

Abstract

Student Services professionals have been sharing knowledges and good practice for many years with sector colleagues in higher education. This sharing assists professionals to inform planning and service delivery at their respective institutions. What if this sharing of knowledge was extended to students in higher education; the very people our services hope to support? A recent Australian and New Zealand Student Services Association (ANZSSA) conference engaged the thoughts and experiences of students in higher education. Student voices have always been an interesting and valuable component of Student Services staff members’ professional development. Below is an account of a student voice who shared his own experience and those of his fellow colleagues at the 2015 ANZSSA conference but what he shares with us in this paper is not his student experience. This student voice articulates the take home messages of what he learned from Student Services staff at the conference – Student Services successes, Student Services challenges, and the Student Services context. His story is useful for reflection when considering student engagement. Do we merely take student knowledges and context then adapt our services accordingly? Alternatively, for greater impact and successful outcomes, do we meaningfully engage with students in mutually beneficial relationships where Student Services stories are shared with students?