Abstract

The University of Sunderland has a growing number of students who study off campus. In the academic year 2010/11 off campus students made up 41% of the student body. Many of these students study on distance learning programmes and will never visit the University in person. Until recently most of our support to these students has been asynchronous - we have replied to their queries by email and developed online tutorials that they can work through in their own time. We have a dedicated librarian who offers distance learning support and, as a University, strived to provide an equitable service and student experience for off campus students. Our challenge has always been visibility and awareness of our services. In recent years the developments in technology have enabled us to rethink our service offer to all off campus students. We are now able to reach out to students in new ways and in turn students can reach out to us.

We have integrated technology such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Live Chat, Online polls and Online Conferencing Software into our On and Off Campus support. We can now talk face to face with staff and students all over the world. Off Campus students can now put a face to a name and we believe that this reminds them that we are here and encourages them to contact us.

This workshop will highlight some of the technologies that the University of Sunderland has used to develop the Off Campus Support Service and will consider the benefits of integrating technology into your service offer.

Participants will be encouraged to discuss how emerging technologies have influenced student expectations and to consider the potential uses of technology in student support.