Melbourne Student Services Model (Student Services Hub) Implementation Project Reference Group

Terms of Reference

The objective of the project is to determine resources, processes and support in the areas of undergraduate, postgraduate coursework and RHD:

Assessment submission
Student counter services (includes course advice, appointments, referral, timetable assistance)
Resourcing and training of student hub staff
Service provision and the role of current central services (including for international students, careers, etc.)

Recommendations will be made to Executive based on the following activities:

Consultation & Reporting
- Report to Executive on its activities.
- Receive reports from various advisory and consultative committees associated with student support services and programs including the Melbourne Model Student Services Model Implementation (MSSM) and the Student Communications Pilot Program.
- Project Manager to set up and attend University-wide meetings, discussion groups and working groups on the University-wide implementation of student hubs.
- All committee members are required to provide their colleagues and staff members with details of the project and to engage them to undertake initial scoping exercises across the project’s priority areas.
Audit and review of student services
- Establish a catalogue of support and enrichment services which are to be provided from the hub by performing an audit of current student services activities including accountabilities and client base for services located in the Faculty secretariat, schools and central. Prioritise services which require change in order to support a single point-of-contact for students.
- Develop and implement a project plan and monitor its progress by identifying key activities that need to be completed by agreed milestones; e.g. before the end of 2007, by January 2008, July 2008 and December 2008.
- Document processes of each of the priority services (2.1) and develop recommendations on necessary policy or process changes that will enable all student-facing services at undergraduate and postgraduate coursework level to be delivered by the hub.
- Identify what relationship RHD students will have to the hub and which activities could be delivered in the hub.
Develop and recommend
- A service delivery model that ensures students receive consistent service and advice across each of the new hubs and graduate schools and takes into account existing student cohorts, new generation degree students and students of the new Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences.
- A model for submission for all undergraduate assessment to the student hub.
- A model for making appointments with faculty staff for students and document processes for referral.
Resources and HR
- Identify the human, infrastructure/IT and financial resources required to implement the student hubs.
- Identify resources required to support the current student services to ensure current activities are not disrupted by the implementation of the hubs.
- Identify human resource issues associated with staff changes and movements.
- Develop models and processes to ensure all members of the hub are trained and resourced from 1 January 2008 and in an ongoing capacity.
- Make recommendations to support the models and processes above.
Evaluation and performance
- Monitor and evaluate project performance against the plans and ensure an appropriate level of project assurance.

The overarching principle is that student-facing services must be primarily provided through student Hubs. Referrals to academic staff and well being services will be managed by Hub staff but the number of ‘handovers’ of students should be kept to a minimum.

Student experience and enrichment – Hub back office functions supporting the face-to-face services generally need to be co-located with the student-facing services.

Student transactional services – Student-facing services provided through Hub will be supported by centrally-provided back office functions. Non student-facing services transactional services will be progressively centralised with the on-line strategy.

Teaching support services – The principle accepted by the Committee of Deans is that the relationships between Schools and Hubs, the relationships between Hubs, and between Hubs and the Centre may be determined locally by faculties as long as the overarching principle is acknowledged.

Course management – Course management activities are closely intertwined with Hub activities but it is not essential to locate them in the Hub if information flow is good between business unit (also required for teaching support services).

For large Hubs, the numbers of staff could require up to 70 EFT depending on how the items above are organised within the Faculty.

Student-facing services might be segmented for different cohort types. However, back office functions would normally support all client cohorts.

Process mapping work is required and underway to determine where best to locate activities and therefore services and staff

Self service terminals would be available to access on-line information.

Meeting Schedule

A Student Services Implementation Project Reference Group will meet every week commencing 9 August 2007. The Project aims to present a first draft of Student Services Model in the week commencing 10 September 2007.

16 July	Commence process mapping in secretariat and schools
27 July	MSSM implementation team meets to discuss University-wide imperatives
7 August	Scope of project presented to Faculty Executive
7 August	Meet with Property and Buildings re long-term accommodation
8 August	Commence scoping for major and minor work in Babel and Old Arts
9 August	First Meeting of Reference Group: ToR and Project clarification
10 August	Commence audit of student-facing activities
16 August	Reference Group Meeting: mapping and resource estimates
17 August	Continue audit of activities and documentation of processes
23 August	Reference Group Meeting: Process mapping across Arts & Music complete
24 August	Further development of models and processes based on audit
29 August	Reference Group Meeting
30 August	EFT staff estimates based on audit of processes
6 September	Reference Group Meeting
13 September	First draft of models and processes based on audit

The GSHSS sub-group will convene four times and present a report at the end of September.

30 August	Sub-Group Group Meeting: mapping activities
6 September	Sub-Group Group Meeting: enrichment services
13 September	Sub-Group Group Meeting: timelines and EFT workload allocation
20 September	First draft of model and processes based on audit

Project Timelines

July – late September	Weekly consultation with Schools and weekly meetings with other faculties and University Working Groups / Process mapping across Arts Schools and Secretariat / Development of strategies for Music/Arts merger / First draft of Report to Faculty Executive in September including identification of services which require change in order to support a single point-of-contact for students / Clarification of relationship between RHD students – and RHD student services - and the Hub.
late September – late October	On-going interim Hub infrastructure development / Major works planning for Old Arts Building / IT and infrastructure planning for Hub-based delivery of first year foundational subjects / Development of IT model for making appointments across the Faculty/University / Course Adviser training sessions developed in collaboration with central University business units / Implementation of first step for Arts/Music merger.
late October – late November	Finalise HR requirements for interim Arts/Music Hub / Finalise HR requirements in Arts Secretariat to ensure current Faculty activities are not disrupted by the implementation of the Hubs / Finalise model for submission of essays to Hub (for trial suite of first year subjects) / Expanded Report to Faculty Executive.
December	Review of Project and finalisation of activities for interim Hub / confirmation of details around merger with Faculty of Music.
January - March	On-going monitoring and evaluating Project performance against plans and ensure an appropriate level of project assurance. Final Report to Faculty Executive in March.

Minutes of Reference Group Meetings

Main Group

GSHSS sub-group

Process Mapping Document

Development of the Process Mapping document is an on-going process. Work will continue until the permanent Hub is set up in 2009.

The most recent version of the process mapping document.

Procedure for seeking amendments to the process mapping document.

Faculty of Arts Renewal Strategy

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