A New Generation of Student Support
When StuComm was founded almost 6 years ago, the main goal was to help students succeed on campus. We recognised the struggles students had, as does everyone who stepped on the StuComm train along the way. While 6 years ago our main focus was student communications, that focus is starting to shift. Communications are still important; they lay the foundation for informed and engaged students. At StuComm we have learned about student communications over the years and we are now able to meet the needs and wants of students and institutions. We are also able to adapt to any changes in those needs and wants. That is why we feel it is the time to focus on helping students succeed in more ways than just student communications.
We saw a trend before COVID-19 hit the world, and that trend has moved up its timeline. During the lockdown there were more and more stories of students that were struggling at home. Students felt isolated, students with common problems and challenges could no longer find the support they needed, the digital learning experience was not what it was supposed to be, and getting in touch with the institution formed a challenge.
Normally, students would have been next to each other and simply be able to ask a question. They would also have been able to go up to the service desk, the counsellors office or any other person or department that would have been able to help them in different situations. Even before the lockdown there was a growing amount of students that were looking for support from their institution, for different reasons. The problem was, the road to getting that support was not always laid out.
No matter what the reason, when a student wants to ask the institution for help, it is serious. And whenever it is serious, students go through a process themselves before they are even ready to ask for the help they need. Often, there is a stigma of others finding out what you are struggling with as a student. It prevents students from being open about their problems and challenges, while they should be.
By making students aware of the support the institution offers, you take part of this stigma away. How? Students will see that if your institution offers support for situations like theirs, there have to be other students with the same struggles. That makes it easier to open about the struggles an individual is experiencing, thus making it easier and taking away the barrier to get the help they need.
That is why we are not just focusing on student communications anymore, but also on student support. We are creating new features and adapting existing ones that enable institutions to make their support accessible for their students. With the input of both institutions and their students we add even more value to the StuCommApp. The Student Support Solution is an example of one of our newest features that allows institutions to make the support their students need easily accessible.
