Student Affairs Units Research Articles

Experiences of Student-Teachers: Implications for Refined Student-Support

Every institution has support services available for students, especially first-year students, that would help deal with issues they might need assistance with during their early years. Student support services offered at universities to assist students’ academic, social, or psycho-emotional needs help to enhance their overall welfare and academic achievement. This study investigated university student-teachers experiences and their implications for refined student support. A case study qualitative research design was employed for this study with 12 student-teachers (five male and seven female) as the sample. A focus group interview method was employed to generate responses, and the information was evaluated with thematic content analysis. This study reported that first-year students encountered various challenges classified into academic (inconsistency in keeping the timetable of lectures and lecturers, misplacement, and missing academic results), social (inadequacies in the transportation system and accommodation issues), and psycho-emotional (low self-esteem, external academic pressure, and suicidal ideation). It was also revealed that the respondents benefitted from extra classes by lecturers, tutorials from student associations and peers, assistance from the student affairs unit and students’ associations, and aid from the counselling unit, staff advisers, and clerics support services in the institution. Also, there is a need for improvements in the various support services available in the institution. Therefore, it was recommended that institutions only offer admission to students applying for education-related courses.

Analysis of Student Satisfaction with Student Affairs Unit Services

Student satisfaction is a crucial criterion for assessing the quality of higher education. This study aimed to measure student satisfaction with the scholarship service process in a higher education institution. The research employed multiple linear regression analysis using the Servqual model proposed by Parasuraman, which includes the variables of tangibles, responsiveness, reliability, assurance, and empathy. The population of this study consisted of 132 active students from the Industrial Engineering Study Program (IE), enrolled between 2016 and 2019. The partial test results revealed that reliability (Sig. 0.039 < 0.05) and assurance (Sig. 0.000 < 0.05) significantly influenced student satisfaction. The simultaneous test results demonstrated that tangibles, responsiveness, reliability, assurance, and empathy significantly impacted student satisfaction. The correlation coefficient, represented by R2 (0.754), indicated that the variables under investigation could explain 75.4% of the variation in student satisfaction. In comparison, the remaining 24.6% may be influenced by external factors beyond the scope of this study.

Causes, Consequences and Strategies for Curbing Sexual Harassment in Tertiary Institutions in Kwara State

This paper examines the causes, consequences and strategies for curbing sexual harassment in tertiary institutions in Kwara State. The study consisted of a sample size of 630 female students from three selected tertiary institutions in Ilorin metropolis. The instrument used was a questionnaire titled “Causes, Consequences and Strategies for Curbing Sexual Harassment”. The data collected was analysed using One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The results of the findings revealed that there is no significant difference in the causes, consequences and strategies for curbing sexual harassment in tertiary institutions in Kwara State. Based on the findings, this study recommended, among others, that there should be an orientation course to sensitize students on their rights and obligations within which issues of sexual harassment must be featured; that tertiary institutions should provide frameworks that would allow for staff and students to dialogue on the issue of sexual harassment; and that higher institutions should have a written policy for disciplining any erring staff and students on matters bordering on sexual harassment. Schools in conjunction with a student affairs unit should, from time to time, organize workshops on the evils of sexual harassment.

HOW DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AFFECTS THE QUALITY OF STUDENT LEADERSHIP PROGRAMMES IN HIGHER LEARNING INSTITUTION

COVID-19 has gained widespread acceptance, which has increased the use of online learning methodologies and procedures. This paper investigates how students evaluate the quality of arranging student extracurricular programmes using an online method instead of a face-to-face approach when comparing the two approaches. University leadership, and students from economically and geographically disadvantaged backgrounds, according to the author, are all interested in supporting an online approach to higher education. Student affairs units at the UiTM Cawangan Terengganu performed a series of surveys to examine student leadership among university students between 2020 and March 2022 to understand their viewpoints better. Although online implementation has various advantages over conventional face-to-face education, students believe that the extracurricular program's quality is inferior to that of traditional face-to-face instruction, particularly in strengthening their leadership and decision-making abilities. One of the issues that students are experiencing when it comes to online learning is their incapacity to pick information and evaluate its trustworthiness and their inability to discern essential information from irrelevant information to assure high-quality student leadership through extracurricular programmes. After conducting a poll, it was determined that an additional study into the effects of digitalisation on the quality of student leadership should be carried out.

Geo-Spatial Analysis of Noise Levels in a University Community

Noise is identified as a disturbance that could induce different behavioural responses. Its exposure for a long period of time has been an issue of concern. Increasing noise levels is not unusual especially with booming developments and innovations in the University environment. This study investigated noise pollution level (NPL) and its spatial distribution within the Campus of Federal University of Technology, Owerri Nigeria. A digital sound level meter-Extech 407730 was used to measure noise level at the sampling points namely, Student affairs unit, SEET head round-about, School park, Senate round-about and FUTO market designated as SP1,SP2,SP3,SP4 and SP5 respectively. A global positioning system (GPS)-NAVA 300 was used to record the GPS coordinates of the sampling noise hotspots in the university community. The Arc GIS software was used to assess the geospatial mapping and distribution of noise within the study areas. Results revealed that the noise levels in the school campus reached a peak of 75.7dB (A) in FUTO market on day 4 during the hours of 12pm – 1pm. Results of geospatial mapping of the noise level in the study area also revealed that noise level exceeds the maximum permissible limit ranging from 40dB(A) to 50dB(A). Therefore, it was recommended that public enlightenment programs such as workshops and seminars on the health hazards connected with noise pollution within the campus should be held regularly, also, control of noise through the use of sound proof doors, walls, and ceilings that can be installed while erecting buildings within the university community.

ANALISA DAN PERANCANGAN SISTEM INFORMASI PENGELOLAAN DATA ALUMNI STMIK WIDURI BERBASIS WEB

Rapid developments in the field of information and communication technology have an impact on various fields. One application of technology applications is a web-based alumni data management information system. The existence of alumni is one of the resources for an educational institution that must be embraced and developed as well as possible in order to take advantage of alumni opportunities to the institution. STMIK Widuri, especially the student affairs unit, does not yet have an information system that supports the alumni data management process, and there is no clear report on the STMIK Widuri alumni data. The purpose of this study is to analyze the ongoing alumni data management process, find out how to make alumni data reports more accurate, and design a web-based STMIK Widuri alumni data management application. The author conducts a document review step through a literature study taken from a research journal similar to this study, the author makes direct observations on the object of research, and the author conducts interviews with related parties to explore the issues raised in this study. With this information system, it can make it easier to make STMIK Widuri alumni data reports that are more accurate and faster and can facilitate student units in managing and storing STMIK Widuri alumni data properly.

Proper background checks reduce risks for everyone involved in hiring process

When you need to fill an opening in your busy student affairs unit, you're likely focused on getting that seemingly ideal new candidate on board as quickly as possible to lighten the load for your overworked staff. But in your rush to speed up the process, don't even think about taking shortcuts when it comes to the background check process.

VP leads student affairs unit in pandemic hot spot

Leading a student affairs unit during a global pandemic has enough challenges. But when your institution is located in one of the nation's COVID‐19 hot spots, the challenges could seem insurmountable.

Integrating International Graduate Students on Campus: The Perspectives of Student Affairs Professionals

Higher education institutions in the United States (U.S.) recruit international students as part of their internationalization strategies. The overall number of international students enrolled in American universities and colleges between 2017 and 2018 increased by 1.5% compared to the previous year, totaling over 1 million international students (Institute of International Education 2018). Of this total, 382,983 are international graduate students.
 International graduate students are good resources for the internationalization and economy of higher education institutions in the U.S. (Urban and Palmer, 2014) and, despite the reduction in the number of visas approved and job prospects, their numbers continue to grow (Almurideef 2016; Killick 2015). These students come from different countries, have different cultural backgrounds and needs, and face different challenges that student affairs professionals at host institutions must address to integrate them into campus (Harper and Hurtado, 2007; Lee and Rice 2007). Moreover, the needs and challenges of international students differ depending on their level of studies, undergraduate vs. graduate (Rai 2002). While student affairs professionals are often the first contacts for all international students, and they play a key role in the integration and development of international graduate students on campus (Brandenburg 2016), most higher education institutions and their student affairs units today are not yet prepared to serve international graduate students (Arokiasamy 2011; Burdzinski 2014; Castellanos et al., 2007; Di Maria 2012; Moswela and Mukhopadhyay 2011; Yakaboski and Perozzi 2018).
 The purpose of this study is to understand the perspectives of student affairs professional about their role in integrating international graduate students into campus and the policies, services, programs, and other elements they consider most helpful in integrating these students.

Influence of lecture attendance and prerequisite academic achievement on dental students' performance in a clinical endodontic course: A correlational study

Introduction: Decreased lecture attendance in undergraduate dental education has been observed worldwide. The limited studies on the influence of lecture attendance on dental students' performance have yielded inconclusive results. Hence, the aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of lecture attendance on dental students' academic performance and determine if the past performance of students in prerequisite courses is predictive of their performance in an endodontic course at College of Dentistry, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: This was a correlational study design in which historical data for students (n = 158) enrolled in Endodontics II (ENDD 512) course were obtained for two consecutive academic years. Data were collected from grade transcripts provided by the assessment unit, and lecture attendance records were taken by the student affairs unit. The data were analyzed statistically. The level of significance (α) was set as 0.05. Results: The percentage of lectures attended had a weak correlation with ENDD 512 final grades (r = 0.108, P = 0.179). Comparison to previous academic performance showed that endodontic course grades were strongly correlated with all prerequisite course grades (P Conclusion: The students' performance in the course was most strongly predicted by their performance in certain prerequisite courses, while attendance was not a significant predictor.

Management Consultancy Projects in Student Affairs Division

This paper describes the implementation of two management consultancy projects and their impact on the effectiveness of university student affairs unit and the development of human potential. The purpose of this paper is to identify the success factors of change initiatives, to analyze and to overcome the challenges encountered through practical management consultancy tools. Two different approaches are adopted: The EFQM which is an excellence model and the Socio-Economic Approach to Management (SEAM) which is an intervention research dedicated at transforming organizations. The researchers show the results of the EFQM and SEAM change processes introduced in higher education institutions to ensure continuous improvement and development of the student affairs office. The prominent finding is that a participatory consultancy approach results in strong personal staff engagement and commitment. Hence, the application of this managerial approach namely the RADAR (Required results, approach, deployment and assessment), the participatory self-assessment, the “mirror effect”, the internal external strategic plan, improvement analysis, the priority action plan, team formation and building and the estimation of hidden costs assured the implementation of change and improved performance. This intervention research provides a clear understanding for the implications of a management consultancy project and accentuates the significance of the human contribution in institutions.

PENGARUH DIMENSI KEPRIBADIAN THE BIG FIVE PERSONALITY TERHADAP ORGANIZATIONAL CITIZENSHIP BEHAVIOR (OCB)

The reasearch aim is for analizing the influence of personality dimension “The Big Five Personality” towards ORGANIZATIONAL Citizenship Behavior (OCB) (Studi Case Of Student Affairs Employees At X University). Population of this research is all employees of X University and sample is the employees who are at student affairs unit (50 people). The data were collected by sharing the quesioner to 50 respondents. The analysis of this research is Partial Least Square Structural EQUTION Model (PLS-SEM). Analysis result of PLS-SEM is there is significant influence of personality dimension, “The Big Five Personality” among five personality dimensions, alturism has the highest significance.

A mentoring programme based on competency development at a Spanish university: an action research study

ABSTRACTThis article describes an action research (AR) project for designing and implementing a structured mentoring programme in a Spanish university. A student affairs unit, a team of researchers, faculty-mentors and student-protégés worked together on three cycles of AR. The result is a programmatic mentoring programme for the development of non-technical personal and professional competencies for undergraduate students. This paper describes the original situation that sparked the project, the iterative process followed, the tools and guides developed and the final programme designed. In addition to the increase in the level of satisfaction perceived by the entire university, the paper outlines the five critical factors that emerged from the AR project: the competency development process, programme value added, trust between mentors and protégés, the prominence of the student-protégé in the improvement plans and the continuous improvement culture generated.

Student Affairs Assessment, Strategic Planning, and Accreditation

AbstractThis chapter illustrates how student affairs units participate in accreditation across regional agency expectations and program‐level requirements. Strategies for student affairs units to engage in campus strategic planning processes to further highlight their contributions are also recommended.

Mission-Driven Collaboration Between Academic and Student Affairs in Community Colleges

The purpose of this study was to understand the nature of collaboration between academic affairs and student affairs units in the community college context from a basic interpretivist qualitative perspective. The aim was to examine the experiences, influences, and perceptions of mid-level and chief student affairs and academic affairs officers regarding collaboration between these two divisions in community college settings. I found collaboration was fostered on participants’ campuses where the ease of collaboration came, at least in part, from the participants’ clear understanding of how their particular roles play into the mission of their division as well as the mission of the institution.

Grant offers funding for programs, events for needy communities

If your student affairs unit lacks the funding to provide support to your neediest students, check out this month's featured funding opportunity to see whether it suits your needs.

A discourse analysis of collaboration between academic and student affairs in community colleges

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was to understand the nature of collaboration between academic affairs and student affairs units in the community college context from a qualitative perspective. A discourse analysis study was conducted to explore the ways in which collaborative practice was discussed and understood by chief and midlevel academic and student affairs practitioners in three different community college settings. By using their actual practice and desired practice to understand collaboration in this setting, this article offers a definition for academic and student affairs collaboration that has been absent from most literature on the topic.

Practice strategies to successfully lead your student affairs unit through change

Change is a constant at many colleges and universities. But what does it take to lead change?

Follow the ABCs to effective leadership of your unit

As the leader of your student affairs unit, it's imperative that your staff members see you as such. But being seen as a true leader is about more than simply having the right title. It's also about how you conduct yourself.

Review 10 ways to boost your student affairs budget

If your student affairs unit is being asked to cut costs or bring in more revenue while still offering high-quality programs and services, try these 10 budget-boosting ideas that have worked at other colleges and universities.