#AskTeamNStEP – Student Engagement Support Service

Staff and students in Irish higher education have gone into social distancing mode, and that means that the usual face-to-face environment where issues can be raised and problems can be solved together has disappeared. Our new #AskTeamNStEP Student Engagement Support Service is part of NStEP’s efforts to support staff and students to communicate, collaborate, and maintain effective student engagement during the Covid-19 crisis.

Why use our Support Service?

• As a staff member you may be trying to adapt your professional practices to a new online reality, uncertain of how best to engage students who are struggling with their academic and personal lives. 
• As a Class Rep you might be wondering what the most effective ways are to support your peers, gather their views, and interact with staff in an online reality.
• Perhaps you want advice on maintaining student voice across formal, semi-formal and informal feedback mechanisms, like Programme Boards, surveys and evaluations, or the virtual learning environment? 
• As institutions work to change policies and adapt practices, collaborating with students might seem impossible, but are there small steps you could take to ensure they are included and feel able to participate in decision-making?
• In the short term students and staff are under pressure to react and adapt, but what about more medium term issues of student engagement that could be impacted by a prolonged or additional shutdown period later in the year? As a students’ union or institutional support service you may be trying to troubleshoot how to operate online next year.

Who are Team NStEP?

The team at NStEP working to support staff, students and institutions consist of our full-time staff, as well as our team of Student Trainers from across Irish higher education.

The team has a huge range of experiences and expertise across student engagement practices, and while we won’t have all the answers, we are there to guide and advise where appropriate. Student engagement may seem like a mountain to climb during this difficult and worrying period, but NStEP wants to ensure we are assisting where we can. Even the smallest of changes or actions can have the biggest impact, ensuring staff and students feel connected at a time of isolation.