Engagement of stakeholders across the University is key to its successful Organisational Excellence (OE). Staff may form the bulk of stakeholders in most of the OE projects but students are blue-chip players too. They are much sought after for their involvement in OE efforts such as the uNivUS App Development Project where they could contribute as app beta testers for example, or app designers for communications and change management campaigns. Their inputs are crucial to understanding how proposed changes will impact current processes.
Consistent and purposeful collaboration with student stakeholders have shown beneficial results. Not only do they allow students to showcase their talent and creativity, it also enable them to have a glimpse of how they can help to shape the University’s future.
Their participation in surveys, focus group discussions and meetings have also played an important role in guiding the development of uNivUS to its success today, as the gateway app which unites NUS individuals and resources.
Students can join as Student Volunteers or Student Assistants to work closely with the uNivUS team, regardless of the faculty they are from or year of study. Once recruited into Telegram groups, they are able to access the beta version of the uNivUS App and provide quick feedback. With their inputs, the uNivUS App Development Project team is then able to prioritise developments and releases to better cater to the NUS community’s needs. These have included the introduction of the NUS NextBus widget and the new User Interface of the app.
Open feedback sessions and polls conducted in the chats also enable the team to gain a better sense of the ground sentiments for upcoming app releases and updates – and to swiftly identify bugs and opportunities for improvement. For example, the Student Volunteer group have provided significant input to the current User Interface of uNivUS, advocating for a fresher and modern look to appeal to student users.
“From the beginning, our team resolved to involve students in the development process,” noted Aefy Raib, a member of the uNivUS App Development Project team.
“It only made sense for the development of a student-centric app. They bring a new view and often introduce fresh ideas that would be relatable to their own peers. Our open communication with the student community, especially in complex transformation projects like this, ensures that all stakeholders’ perspectives are shared with each other. This helps the project team form better solutions with our biggest stakeholders in mind. We have a great experience working with them!”
Jessica Goh, a Year 2 student majoring in Communications and New Media who is part of the Student Volunteer team, commented, “Being in the Telegram group allows us to vote for a variety of things related to the app, such as the potential design of the app and the features to be prioritised. I got to experience what it is like working hands-on on something that I currently use in campus. It really gave me an interesting perspective as to how the team reviews information and feedback collected to improve the user experience.”
Student engagement in OE projects is not unique to the uNivUS project. Various projects hire Student Assistants through the NUS Student Work Scheme (NSWS) portal to work part-time in supporting a myriad of tasks, ranging from design work to the complex formation of engagement strategies.
Student Assistant Lim Jia Yi, a Year 4 Business Student specialising in Marketing, who started work in May 2021 on the NUService Hub project, said, “I came across this role coincidentally when I had to accept the reimbursement to a research study through the NSWS portal. Working on this project has been a really positive experience, I really like that I was entrusted with creative freedom in my tasks. This was something I wanted to work on given my interest in digital marketing.”
“I am thankful that my team supervisor is understanding of my other commitments in school, and I appreciate the flexibility in working hours which is the biggest difference from a regular internship,” she added.
We need you
The uNivUS App Development Project team is recruiting Student Volunteers. Take part in the development of features and design by sharing your ideas with the team, participating in polls and voting for your preferred features that will be useful for you and your fellow students! Click here to join now!
You can browse at job openings through the NUS Student Work Scheme (NSWS), an OE initiative introduced in January 2020 aimed at streamlining the process of hiring NUS students on a part-time basis and simplifying their timesheet submissions. As of October 2021, 8,500 jobs have been assigned through the portal, with more than 15,000 students enrolled. To view or create job openings, visit the NSWS portal here.
Organisational Excellence is a strategic initiative undertaken by the University to develop best practices for an efficient and world-class administration to better support NUS’ Vision and Mission. It aims to bring about improved work processes and policies as well as create opportunities for talent development and growth.