With this year’s return to campus, it may seem that student services can return to normal. However, just because they can doesn’t mean they should. Pandemic concerns aside, an increasing number of schools are offering fully online degree programs and more students are distance learners. These students need equitable access to everything the university has to offer. For on-campus students, taking student support services digitally increases accessibility by removing physical barriers, enabling increased use of assistive technologies, and reducing strain on their busy schedules.
There are a few key steps to taking student support services digital and it’s a collaborative effort. Students are usually introduced to Student Affairs during orientation and perhaps reminded again during move-in weekend when the career center, student government, and student health often have tables at welcome-back events. For many students, these brief introductions aren’t enough to cement in their minds that these are services they need to access regularly. Faculty can help with this messaging—after all, the goal isn’t simply to educate, it’s also to prepare students for their careers. Faculty should be encouraging students to make regular use of the career center to work on resumes and career planning. They should also provide students with information on student health services when they see a student struggling. Faculty are often the first line of information for reaching students. They need to be empowered and encouraged to direct students to use student support services often. All the better if those services are easily accessed online!
Tips for Taking Student Support Services Online:
Access and Accommodations
It’s shocking how inaccessible this department seems to be at nearly every school. While other departments offer student portals to services, Accessibility Services departments almost universally still have polite mission statements on their websites with phone numbers and emails. Little to no information is given about how students can go about requesting accommodations. “Get in Touch” doesn’t help students feel safe in reaching out to ask for assistance. Relying on email and phone reduces accessibility, which is contrary to the mission. Take this service digital by adding information and instructions to the webpage and adding access to it to the student portal. Allowing students to submit accommodations paperwork through the portal will allow them to use adaptive technology and do it when their schedule allows.
Career and Professional Development
Big strides have been made in recent years in taking career development services online. A robust website is fundamental. Allow students to use the website to submit CVs for feedback and schedule appointments with career center staff. These appointments should be available in person, by phone, and by video. Provide access to tools students can use to help guide them on their academic and career journeys.1 Career development platforms like Handshake help streamline the effort and connect students with paid internships and jobs.
Student Health (including Counseling Services)
Keep the digital space well organized. Too often these web pages are cluttered, making finding needed information onerous, especially for students using assistive technology. Provide telehealth access and scheduling- even for on-campus students. Patient portals are increasingly common and Campus Health services should be no different. If special forms are necessary, provide the forms and a way to turn them in via the patient portal. Partner with a pharmacy to provide a way for students to fill and refill prescriptions online and have them delivered to campus or their homes.
Student Support Services for First-Generation and Low-Income Students
In addition to informative webpages and active groups, host workshops and meetings with digital options. The school’s learning management system (LMS) provides a digital space for group members to connect. Consider creating online “courses” for students enrolled in these programs to connect and share important information about scholarships, etc.
Using many of the tools already available, student support services can be taken digital. Doing so improves access and will continue to be crucial to student and university success.
