It is highlighted in the Student Perspective that students turn to their 'trusted person' for guidance and support.
This project aims to make it easier to be a 'trusted person' - thereby improving our ability to connect students to the information and supports they need. These are people, from across the University, students select and trust based on their initial encounters, or where there is already a track record of success. Students personally choose their 'go to' person when in need of advice or information, meaning a 'trusted person' for a student can be anyone (staff, faculty, other students), not just the person UCD might have intended for them.
The more critical the need, for example in an emergency situation, the less time a student feels they have to find the right UCD person or service to meet that need. The trusted person provides a high value route to students that simplifies their navigation of our large and complex organisation, especially at times of acute need. The Trusted Person project is a response to this insight and aims to ensure these people are well informed and supported to effectively support the students who reach out to them. This is not to make everyone an expert in everything, but certainly to help them make connections, with people or information, for the student when they cannot provide help directly.
The desired outcome for this project is better supported individuals who find themselves advising/guiding students through:
This will be acheived through a developing a better understanding of:
Steering Committee: UMT Student Experience Group
Project Sponsor: Prof Jason Last, Dean of Students
Project Lead: Aisling O'Grady, Head of Student Advisory Service
Consultation and participation includes staff and faculty representing a wide range of areas and roles across the University.
This project is being delivered using a Rapid Improvement Event (RIE) approach to ensure effective and efficient collaboration, decision-making and implementation.
Please feel free to contact us at (opens in a new window)agile@ucd.ie or via our contact page.