Innovation, Flexibility And Academic Excellence Underpinned By The Trinity Of Student Engagement

Dr Orna O’BrienDirector, UCD College of Business, Global Campus

Through this article, Dr. Orna O'Brien discusses how University College Dublin's College of Business, Global Campus effectively combines innovation, flexibilityand student engagement in their online programs. She highlights three key strategies: personalized support, community-based tech tools, and opportunities for on-campus experiences to ensure a high-quality and connected academic experience for students.

Today students demand greater flexibility and supportas they undertake their studies with the advent of new and innovative technologies post-Covid. The experiences at UCD College of Business, Global Campussuggest that university students, full-time and part-time, want flexibility and engagement in relatively equal measure. Online provision certainly provides flexibility but historically may not provide the engagement students want. It is a delicate science to allow for a programme of study that provides students with the flexibility to study as they wish and also the first-classquality experience which leaves them engaged, empowered and ready with cutting-edge contemporary labour market skills.

In deliveringUCD businessprogrammesacross our Dublin, Singapore and global online community, there are three key learnings observed. The learnings are discussed mostly through the lens of our Master of Science Management online programme. As technology changes, so does student expectation, but their need for connection in their learning experience has not altered. The onus is on universities to consider how students can leverage flexibility, deliver quality and connection, and maximise the technology to optimise the student experience. The three elements trending to support such student connection and contribute to a quality academic experience are outlined here.

"There is a requisite demand to feel support by faculty and professional staff through organized online collective events and also at an individual level. Having a dedicated programme manager who actively builds a relationship with them is critical to the development of an engaged student experience."

Strong support with the opportunity to develop a one-to-one engagement

Complementary to the technological innovation provided by virtual learning environments, students want engagement. There is a requisite demand to feel support by faculty and professional staff through organized online collective events and also at an individual level. Having a dedicated programme manager who actively builds a relationship with them is critical to the development of an engaged student experience. Active critical engagement points in the programme support this, such as a scheduled call with each participant a month into their studiesto reach out to them and a meeting with student representatives each trimester. For most students having a relationship with a designated staff member helps to build their sense of connection with the university. That feeling that someone who provides that connection knows them by name, knows their circumstances, understands their programme of study and is sympathetic to the different pressures they might experience.

Community-based tech tools

Building on the sense of connection, community-based tools that build formal and informal relationships through assessment and social discussion contribute to the achievement of such goals. UCD has been working to be one of the first European institutions to utilize the community tool Inscribe, a community platform which gives students access to people and resources they need, be it through an assessment discussion board or a virtual common room. This helps to build upon the personal relationships which are outlined above.

Opportunity for on-campus experiences

Layering up the personal relationship and the technology to support student connection, the third element is the offering of a campus experience. Online students respond warmly to the invitation to travel to the campus for an immersive experience, even if all do not avail of it. A summer school module or a campus programme experience helps to build engagement and buy-in with the students. Even where students can’t avail themselves of the opportunity, the invitation to come and partake of campus life seems to be a powerful tool for those seeking to feel part of campus life.

As society looks for universities to deliver multiple delivery modes on a domestic and transnational level to address societal and labour market needs, the above have proven to be three powerful tools that, when used in unison on an online programme predicate a highly engaged student demographic and underpin a strong quality academic experience. These tools collectivelyserve to transform the student experience and ensure that online provision becomes commensurate with campus experiences. The institutionsthat can leverage thetrinity of student experience discussed above are well placed to deliver a quality academic experience, as well as the flexibility and innovation of online provision.