Overview
The National Student Services Conference 2022 will offer the latest insights on innovation, research and outstanding practice in delivering high quality support for students in higher education.
Taking place across 2 days, the Conference will offer an interactive and dynamic format of deep dive workshops focussed on practical ideas and leading solutions in enhancing student service provision.
The Conference will focus on 4 core learning themes across the 2 days:
- Student Experience and Engagement
- Welfare and Inclusion
- Service Design and Delivery
- Student Success and Outcomes
In addition to our opening panel discussions, live networking and high-profile line up of speakers, the Conference will offer a wealth of workshops to choose from:
- Building Student-Centric Services: Unlocking Innovation on Student Engagement?
- How are your Students Experiencing the Digital Landscape you Offer
- Re-examining the International Experience: What Needs to Change and How Can the Needs of International Students be Met?
- Interventions for Students Facing Financial Crisis: Prevention, Responses and Recovery
- Managing Mental Health Risk: Reviewing Integration within Student Support and Beyond
- Action Points from the Disabled Students’ Commission – What Does High Impact Support Look Like?
- Recalibrating Service Design: How to Rebuild Student Services for the Post-Pandemic Student
- Delivering a Dynamic Working Model: Revolutionising the Way We Work across the Student Service Professions
- Design Thinking: Co-Creating Your Service Delivery with (not just for) Students?
- The Covid Cohorts: Catching Up, Measuring Progression, Socialisation and Supporting the Transition to University Life
- Retention and Attainment: The Role of a Sense of Belonging
- A Disruptive Approach to Employability: How can we REALLY get services working together in a more integrated way?
- Beyond the Degree: Supporting the Development of the Resilient and ‘World Ready’ Graduate
Key Speakers



Expert Speakers and Practitioners

Agenda
- Day 1
- Day 2
In this session hosted by the IG Higher Education Team you will be given a tour of the Conference platform, with tips for getting the most out of the experience.
You will also have the opportunity to engage in opening icebreakers with peers from across the sector.

In this opening panel discussion, sector leaders will examine what students expect from their university experience and how the sector can deliver high impact student service delivery. Our panellists will explore:
- How can we understand and respond to the evolving expectations of students?
- How can services successfully embed the student voice into the design and delivery of services?
- How can the sector measure success and tackle examples of poor quality?
- How can the sector manage the ‘expectation gap,’ whilst delivering a new flexible and blended approach to delivery in the long term?





This block of workshops will allow you to take a deep dive into core practical delivery issues in enhancing the student experience, supporting co-production and improving student engagement.
These sessions will run between 11am and 1:10pm.
Each session will give you an opportunity to engage in peer-led discussion to examine best practice, gain new insights for implementation and allow you to determine action points for your institution.








This workshop series will allow you to stress-test your welfare provision and explore the next steps in delivering high impact inclusion and mental health services.
These sessions will run between 2pm and 4pm.
These workshops will allow you to consider new ideas for interventions in your institutions and will offer you the opportunity to engage in key practical tasks and discussions with peers.



In this session hosted by the IG Higher Education Team you will be given a tour of the Conference platform, with tips for getting the most out of the experience.
You will also have the opportunity to engage in opening icebreakers with peers from across the sector.

In this opening panel session, you will hear from leading international examples in developing approaches to student success, progression and delivering high quality graduate outcomes.
This session will allow you to examine how practice differs internationally and how world-leading institutions approach the student journey.
This panel will be open to your questions on international approaches to retention, employability and approaches to success for disadvantaged students.


What does service design and operational delivery look like for student service leaders and how can implementation be optimised to better meet the needs of both staff and students?
This block of workshops will allow you to evaluate what works in your student service provision and how service transformation can be managed.
These sessions will run between 11am and 1:10pm.
Be prepared to benchmark your performance against sector leaders and face some bold ideas and disruptive thinking on what student services will look like in the long term.



This block of workshops will allow you to hear new ideas and innovative thinking from leading practitioners on how the sector can shake up its approach to student success and how we think about outcomes. These sessions will run between 2pm and 4pm.
The sessions will offer an opportunity to dissect examples of innovation from the sector, allow you to benchmark your progress and will offer an opportunity for you to develop an action plan for your own service delivery.






Audience
This Conference is designed for those working in student services at all levels across the higher education sector. Those in attendance will include:
- Directors of Student Services
- Directors of Student Welfare
- Pro Vice Chancellors
- Heads of Student Success
- Heads of EDI
- Student Engagement Managers
- Student Retention Managers
- Director of Employability Services