Universities around the world are increasingly hiring positions for the Department of Student Affairs, which focuses on student experience, mental health, and well-being.
It covers everything from making sure the students donโt have to queue too long at the bus to get to university all the way through to that degree attainment, and itโs very wide-ranging.โ – said Laura Stubbs, student experience officer for Accounting and Finance at the UKโs University of Bath when talking about student experience.
Each student is a unique individual with distinct needs and interests. Consequently, there are different job positions in order to meet the demands of students.
Universities value professional insights on student experience and try to make minor tweaks that significantly impact students. For example, introducing reading week helped students feel valued and appreciated after a long period of online learning. This is particularly crucial because institutions are competing more and more for the best students, and student expectations are rising along with tuition fees.
The importance of student experience is increasingly recognized across all stages of the student journey, from orientation to graduation. With over 60,000 university experience reviews from students across the world (Studyportalsโ Global Student Satisfaction Report 2021), all educational institutions ought to pay attention. The investment in a student experience officer can pay for itself quickly, boosting satisfaction and reducing costs.
