Study Hub

Main idea

The aim of the Study Hub is to collect all academic support information and resources from Artevelde University of Applied Sciences (AUAS) in one central place to efficiently share high-quality information in order to boost the academic success of every learner.

Outline

One of the key findings of the SURFY project was that students often struggle to find their way to the appropriate online academic support services — no matter how extensive they may be. The more ‘doors’ a student must go through to access the right support, the higher the threshold becomes to actually make use of it. That’s why the aim of the Study Hub is to collect all academic support information and resources from Artevelde University of Applied Sciences (AUAS) in one central place. Students can use this online platform independently, while lecturers and coaches can support them by referring them to it. The overarching goal is to efficiently share high-quality, up to date information in order to boost the academic success of every learner. Additionally, the Study Hub will encourage students to first explore the available online resources before turning to individual support, which is more time-intensive and therefore limited.

Detailed description

The Study Hub is an online platform designed to help students easily find academic information, guidance, and resources to boost their study skills and prepare for evaluations. In its current form, the Study Hub supports students with the following:

• Digital tools at AUAS
• Planning
• Taking classes
• Processing learning content
• Making tasks
• Preparing for examinations and evaluations
• Getting more out of feedback
• Writing
• Reading
• Speaking
• Listening
• Working with ai

Organised by

The Study Hub is being developed by the Office for Education and Guidance (Dienst Onderwijs en Begeleiding) at AUAS in collaboration with academic programmes, student support coordinators, and content experts.

Goals

• Making academic support more accessible by creating a single gateway to the information students are looking for
• Identifying gaps in online academic support
• Encouraging students to first explore the available online resources before turning to individual support, which is more time-intensive and therefore limited
• Offering flexible, place- and time-independent support to students
• Boosting the academic success of every learner
• Sharing high-quality, up to date information in an efficient way
• Empowering students to take initiative and work independently
• Providing lecturers and coaches with a reliable resource to refer to

Obstacles targetted:

• Educational difficulties

Students involvement

Students were closely involved in the development of the Study Hub. First and foremost, the project was driven by students’ need for more clarity and structure in the available support services. This need emerged through interviews and focus groups conducted as part of the SURFY project.

Next, several co-creation sessions were organized. Students were asked about their interest in an online support platform, which name they preferred, which layout appealed most to them, and what kind of information they would like to find there. The platform’s usability was also tested by exploring where students expected to find certain types of information. Their feedback was actively used to refine the Study Hub and its language. In addition, student representatives were involved throughout the development process.

Inspiration and evidence

The project was driven by students’ need for more clarity and structure in the available support services. This need emerged through interviews and focus groups conducted as part of the SURFY project. It was also inspired by the Learning Hub, an online platform with information for lecturers at AUAS.

Success criteria

Although the Study Hub is not yet available to students, some of its success criteria might be that it’s:

• Concrete and practical
• Accessible anytime, anywhere
• Low-threshold, high-quality, and wide-ranging support
• Focused on the entire student journey
• Time-saving and efficient

Evaluation

• Throughout the development of this initiative, feedback sessions were organised with staff and students.
• A form was added to the Study Hub on which students will be able to give feedback.
• The Study Hub will be evaluated approximately 6 months after its launch.

Communication

Although the Study Hub is not yet available to students, some students have heard about it due to the co-creation sessions. These took place in main halls of three campuses for maximum visibility.

Timing

At the time of data collection, the Study Hub was under construction. After its launch, it will be available 24/7.

Resources

• Knowledge about existing student support materials
• Time to collect and summarize the available support
• Digital skills necessary to build an online platform
• Tools and skills to create a visually appealing online platform