S2 E3 Alex Reeman-Clark on Student Experience Wellbeing

Alex Reeman-Clark is the General Manager, Student Experience at Kaplan Business School.  Listen to Alex explain the role of Student Experience Officers beyond the classroom; and mental wellbeing among international students.  He continues to describe the support services available during and after campus hours.

In PART ONE, Alex discusses Sonder support after campus hours, 24x7, for staff and students.  The typical reasons for call Sonder include assistance to seek counselling and - believe it or not - emergency repairs in your home!   Click here to find out more about the Sonder app.

In PART TWO, Alex presents the wide range of support offered by the KBS Student Experience Officers (SEO).   They drive wellbeing initiatives for students  from over 80 nationalities to settle into KBS and Australia.  Did you know about the Nationality Engagement Program?  

• The Student Experience team come from 25 different nationalities.
• individual SEO can personalise student experiences by engaging them in their own language; and understanding first-hand how to celebrate national culture events with students - from cooking momo to Diwali to Brazilian dancing! 

In PART THREE, Alex opens the future roles of the SEO and teamwork.  Consider these shifts!

• adapting student engagement to a dual world of on-campus and online study;
• permanent transfer to student experience services to an online platform; and
• extending a dozen class schedules to accommodate multiple time zones for offshore and onshore students.  

For additional episodes, refer to the Kaplan Community Podcast webpage.   

CHAPTERS
00:57  Beyond classrooms, the  contributions of SEO
02:19  Mental wellbeing among international students
04:42 PART ONE : KBS CARE 24X7 WITH SONDER
06:34  Championing Sonder
07:55  Sonder support of mental wellbeing
09:59  Students! Tapping into Sonder support
11:02  Staff! Tapping into Sonder support
12:39  PART TWO: KBS CARE DURING CAMPUS HOURS
14:07  Engaging multicultural students at KBS
15:45  Cooking momo and Brazilian dancing, the extent of SEO support
16:26  Your first point of contact, the SEO
17:29  Roles and duties of the SEO team
20:24  PART THREE: SEO TEAMWORK AND FUTURE PLANS
22:43  Careers and SEO collaboration
25:16  Future plans for the student experience capability
27:78  Alex's personal tips for mental wellbeing
30:56  Where you can access confidential support

Transcript

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The Kaplan Community podcast is a platform
 for the wider Kaplan community

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to share ideas and insights 

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that can guide us on our professional
 and academic development.

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It's easy to listen
 to tackle some hard hitting issues,

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and we think it's a great way 

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to appreciate diverse perspectives on life
 learning and careers.

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Hi, I'm Alex Reeman-Clark. 

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I'm the General Manager Student Experience
 at Kaplan Business School.

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Alex, thank you for being on the Kaplan
 Community podcast.

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How are you doing today?
 Thanks for having me, Kieran. Richard.

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Our goal for these first two
 interviews of season two is to get some

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perspectives of different sides of
 counseling on mental health and wellbeing.

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It's an important issue. 

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And we're discussing organizational
 wellbeing with people in culture,

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the academic perspective with our dean. 

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And just to start off, I'd like to know
 from you what is student experience?

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Student experience in a Kaplan Business
 School world is every

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bit of support and guidance
 outside of the classroom.

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So from my role,
 it's all the campus managers in student

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experience offices, counselors,
 administrators, records, obviously.

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So every bit of face to face interaction

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outside of a classroom is with one of
 the student experience team.

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I think ultimately 

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when a student decides
 to go to an education provider,

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of course, there is the qualification
 that they get at the end,

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and that's the primary
 reason they are there.

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However, it really is
 the journey that counts.

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That is their experience. 

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And there is so many things
 that they can gain from that,

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whether that's long lasting friendships
 or experience and an employer

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that next steps in their career,
 relationships, you name it.

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So what we're trying to do is facilitate

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that as best as possible
 through a variety of different means.

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So when they go to graduation,

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they can look back on their journey
 and feel a really positive experience.

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I have been really eager
 to ask that question as a member

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of the student experience team. 

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I was really looking forward to it.
 It's a hard one.

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And so that's why

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so many of our students are international.

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And studies show international students
 are at an increased risk of mental

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wellbeing issues for a variety of factors,
 including isolation from family,

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cultural differences, language barriers,
 financial pressures and academic stress.

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So there's a lot of risk factors
 to take into account

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when we consider
 the international student experience.

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I'd like to know,
 how does this factor into your leadership

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of student experience
 at KB's, where over 97

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percent international students
 from 80 different nationalities.

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So there is no cookie cutter approach

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when talking about international students
 because they're all different.

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They've had various different experiences
 and they're all in different parts

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of their journey. 

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So I think the best thing you can do
 or we can do in that scenario

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is approach them all
 with a level of empathy

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and trying to understand the situation
 that they find themselves in

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and how they're dealing 

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with the many different challenges
 that you just articulated.

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And I think it's our job
 as the student experience team

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at the business school is to provide them
 with the services,

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the tools, the resources
 that they can tap into

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to make sure that they're facing
 those challenges in the best way possible.

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Now, they've got to do it
 themselves, obviously,

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but I think it's our responsibility
 to provide them with a wealth of resources

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and information and services
 directly from us that they can

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really utilize throughout their journey. 

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And I think that goes across everything.

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So whether it's an actual service that
 you provide, such as a student counselor,

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whether it's an event focused on mental
 health and wellbeing.

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I think even just the recruitment 

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of the staff and their values
 and what they embody,

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really understanding what it is to be
 a steward as an international student

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and some of the challenges
 that they go through, I think that is key

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to making sure that they have
 a successful journey at Cabe's.

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Alex, we know that we win awards
 and we're well known for our student care

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and student experience team has a lot to
 support and help with that student care.

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In your mind, what is the service
 that is most critical

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to helping students engage
 and have a good journey through CVS?

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I think that the one service
 that we provide in the area of student

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well-being would be our partnership
 with a company called Sonder.

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So for those of you
 who don't know what Sonder is,

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it's a 24/7 personal safety
 and well-being service

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that's available to our students
 via phone or via an app.

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When it comes to safety and well-being,
 we operate across

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five campuses in Australia
 and we have a staff group

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of about 40 to 50
 or so in student experience.

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We can look after them when they're on
 campus, but outside of that campus,

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it's a big, bad world out there
 and so many things could happen.

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So Sonder is a company
 that provides a service

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that allows students to tap into safety
 professionals and health professionals.

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Just by a click of a button
 that their phone at any time of day,

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Sonder have a 24/7 operation center

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that students can tap into very quickly
 through the apple via

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a phone call, and then they can get help
 with whatever they need.

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And they can actually get someone,
 a liaison officer

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who is perhaps a former paramedic
 or former detective

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by their side within 20 minutes
 of engaging the app.

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And students have used this
 for a variety of reasons

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since we started our partnership
 in February of 2020,

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and especially in cowbirds,
 when people are stuck at home in lockdowns

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or they want extra supplies
 if they're in quarantine itself.

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There are so many reasons
 why students could use this app.

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And if I had to pinpoint one,
 that would be the biggest

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or the best wellbeing service
 that we provide. It can be, yes.

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You were really a champion of Sonder
 from the beginning.

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Can I ask Alex, what was the main driver

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behind your interest in that, or
 how did you find out about about Sonder?

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I think when I heard about
 what they were offering,

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I had first of all,
 it's a gap in the market.

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So I don't think
 there are any other companies or providers

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that are able to provide such holistic,

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proactive and reactive help to students.

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But one thing I initially realized
 when I started the

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conversations with Sonder
 is that they genuinely cared about people.

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And I think that really came across 

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in all the conversations
 they genuinely wanted to help.

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This wasn't a money making scheme. 

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So I think when you see the true values
 of the people behind the company and what

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they want to do to help students, that's
 when I really attached to the service.

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So coupling that with a real gap
 in the market for what Qubes needed.

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So as I mentioned before,
 we were really limited in what we could

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provide students in terms of health
 and well-being outside of campus life.

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So as soon as we got on board with Sonder,

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I think every single staff member
 KPS had a big sigh of relief,

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knowing that they could count
 on this company behind the scenes

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and outside of ours when we couldn't
 see our students on campus.

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So can you describe the kinds of things,

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the services that Sandra would provide
 in that mental health space as well?

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But, Richard, from a mental 

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health perspective,
 I think you've hit the nail on the head.

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Mental health is actually the number one
 use of SONDA for our students.

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And it can be as simple
 as getting in touch with someone via

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the chat on the app and just talking
 to them about how you're feeling.

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And they actually have a nurse director
 there at the Operation Center 24/7

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who helps triage those students
 into the necessary support service.

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So often a student
 would get in touch with sun

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and they would be triaged to lifework. 

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So there would be triage
 to book an appointment

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with one of our student counselor,
 or if it's a bit more serious,

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they'll actually be triaged to a hospital
 and see a psychologist or psychiatrist.

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So I think knowing that mental health 

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is the number one reason
 that we are so lucky to have that service

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for students to tap into at all
 hours of the day across any day

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when we might not be available
 for those students,

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might not feel comfortable
 coming to us as well.

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The thing that really hardens me
 is reading research

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that tells that the number one stressor
 for international students

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here in Australia is loneliness,
 followed by a fear

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of being accepted
 in the community in Australia.

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And to hear this, Sonder offers
 the support of, you know,

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what to do in a situation,
 as you mentioned, 

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even going on a first date
 is actually really heartening, isn't it?

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It really helps KB's 

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live up to our promise that we care
 about our students, both academically

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and in their experience, outside of campus
 or outside of the classroom.

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And the question I want to ask is 

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it is open to Kabia staff as well,
 is that correct?

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Yes, you are right, Richard. 

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So I'll give you a couple of examples
 of the service, because I think people,

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even me describing
 what the services they go for.

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How can I tap into that?
 How can I actually use that?

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When would I use that?
 So let me give you a couple examples.

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I give you one from a student 

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and one from myself as a staff member is
 is the service as well.

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So my favorite one of my favorite examples
 is a students that use the service.

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So they were in rental accommodation

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and their wardrobe
 came off the wall and fell on them.

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Now, that sounds
 pretty horrible in itself. 

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So it wasn't an emergency situation
 where they've broken a bone and culture

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preserved for an ambulance,
 but they were hurt

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and they didn't know the scale of it
 and they didn't know what to do .

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So they called Sunday,
 Sunday, helped them book

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a GP appointment the next day to be seen
 and get checked out.

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Fantastic. Great. 

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However, when they got home,
 the wardrobe was still falling down

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when they got in touch
 with that real estate agent.

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The real estate agent wasn't 

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playing ball and wasn't helping reattach
 the wardrobe to the wall.

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So again, they called Sunday and Sunday,
 helped negotiate with the real estate

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agent to get the wardrobe fixed
 in their house, free of charge as well.

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So as an international student, 

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well, you don't know who to call or really
 what to do in a scenario.

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They could utilize that service
 to help them in two very different ways.

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And I'll use my own example next. 

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So I've just had a child about seven weeks
 ago, and the in-laws were visiting down

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from Queensland when we went in a lockdown
 and staying in an Airbnb locally,

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as you do when you have a child. 

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I was up in middle of night 

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at one end, and I saw four missed
 calls from my sister in law.

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I called her and she said,
 can you please come and get us?

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A house is flooded from the ceiling
 and there is water everywhere.

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We've had to pack everything up
 and we don't know what to do.

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So there's me. I get in the car
 with the child seat in the back

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because they've got a nine month
 old as well racing there.

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And on my way there, 

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I give some Dracul some going, well, what
 what am I going to do here?

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So Sonder, again, incredibly helpful. 

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On the phone I was talking through,
 they asked if I wanted someone

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to come out and kind of be
 with us and help facilitate everything.

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So we couldn't get a hold
 of the Airbnb host.

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I said, that's OK for the moment, but
 can you help get a 24 hour plumber for us?

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Because if we leave the house
 as it is, it's going

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to get completely wrecked by the morning.

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So they sent me through the contact
 details for a 24 hour plumber plumber

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who was there within half an hour,
 got the pipe fixed, moved the family out.

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Thank you very much, Sonder. 

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There we go. I'm using it myself
 all of a sudden.

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So I thought again,
 there are two very unique examples.

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00:12:21,880 --> 00:12:24,960
And I could give I could talk about it
 for the whole podcast.

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00:12:24,960 --> 00:12:27,200
But it's a it's a fantastic service.

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I think that's pretty amazing
 to know about the breadth of things

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00:12:31,080 --> 00:12:32,920
that you could use the service for. 

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00:12:32,920 --> 00:12:36,000
And and obviously
 you are discovering that as well,

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00:12:36,320 --> 00:12:38,280
the different types of things
 that they can help with.

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00:12:40,560 --> 00:12:43,840
One of my favorite
 things about working at KB's, actually,

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00:12:43,840 --> 00:12:47,880
is that we alluded to
 is that diversity that our students come

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00:12:47,880 --> 00:12:52,520
from such a huge number of demographics,
 especially different nationalities.

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00:12:53,240 --> 00:12:56,960
Last season on the podcast,
 we had 12 guests from

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00:12:56,960 --> 00:13:00,560
10 different countries, and that wasn't
 searching for multiculturalism.

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00:13:00,560 --> 00:13:04,400
That was just a representation
 of who goes to KB's.

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00:13:05,280 --> 00:13:08,680
Now, my question is, how do we drive

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00:13:08,960 --> 00:13:11,400
student experience, wellbeing initiatives?

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00:13:11,680 --> 00:13:14,920
How can we help students
 from different backgrounds

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00:13:15,200 --> 00:13:17,680
feel a sense of belonging
 in our community?

224
00:13:18,040 --> 00:13:19,880
Really good question, Kieran. 

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00:13:19,880 --> 00:13:22,160
And especially, as I mentioned earlier,

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00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:26,720
we have over 80 different nationalities
 at CBDs on myself.

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00:13:26,840 --> 00:13:28,480
I'm an international student, 

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00:13:28,480 --> 00:13:31,040
but I'm from overseas
 and have lived around the world as well.

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00:13:31,040 --> 00:13:34,080
So I know what it's like
 settling into a new country.

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00:13:34,680 --> 00:13:37,280
And I think what
 we're trying to do at KB's,

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00:13:37,280 --> 00:13:41,240
especially in the student experience team,
 is make sure that all of our students

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00:13:41,240 --> 00:13:45,240
have access to the resources
 and information that they need

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00:13:45,240 --> 00:13:48,360
to make sure that their student
 wellbeing is top of mind.

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00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:53,520
Now, an example of how
 we would tailor our services to different

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00:13:53,520 --> 00:13:57,400
nationalities is something called
 our nationality engagement program.

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00:13:57,440 --> 00:14:02,520
So I mentioned already that our staff
 members that KB's in student experience

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00:14:02,520 --> 00:14:06,960
team alone, about 450, probably from over
 20 to 25 different nationalities.

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00:14:07,160 --> 00:14:11,480
We actually have probably maybe
 15 to 20 staff that are KB's alumni.

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00:14:11,480 --> 00:14:13,920
So they've been students
 themselves at KB's,

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00:14:13,920 --> 00:14:17,520
and they know the culture and they know
 the inner workings of the business.

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00:14:18,280 --> 00:14:23,040
But with all those different nationalities
 allows us an opportunity for our student

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00:14:23,040 --> 00:14:27,720
experience offices to engage our students
 in their own personality.

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00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:31,680
And what I mean by that is it could be
 as simple as sending them an email

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00:14:31,800 --> 00:14:37,080
in their language that they use at home
 or celebrating certain cultural events

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00:14:37,080 --> 00:14:38,920
that are specific to them 

246
00:14:38,920 --> 00:14:43,320
or engaging them in a different way
 from a kutty cookie cutter

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00:14:43,320 --> 00:14:47,920
method of just sending out a blanket email
 that we think is applicable to everyone.

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00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:53,000
And then all of a sudden, that kind
 of transforms itself into specific events.

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00:14:53,040 --> 00:14:57,240
So we do multicultural events for students
 where students might bring

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00:14:57,800 --> 00:15:00,640
a different dish from around the world,
 and then all of a sudden,

251
00:15:00,640 --> 00:15:04,120
everyone is mixing and mingling
 and understanding each other's cultures

252
00:15:04,280 --> 00:15:06,920
versus perhaps just staying
 in their own culture as well .

253
00:15:06,920 --> 00:15:10,400
So I think we wear
 as a badge of honor, KB's,

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00:15:10,640 --> 00:15:13,320
the fact that we're all
 from different countries and cultures,

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00:15:13,520 --> 00:15:16,160
not only our students,
 but our staff members as well.

256
00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:19,200
So we can try and harness
 that as much as possible.

257
00:15:19,240 --> 00:15:21,240
That's absolutely what we're going to do. 

258
00:15:21,240 --> 00:15:24,160
I'd like to explore that role
 of the student experience officer

259
00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:27,680
with a bit of a story
 as an academic, not a student.

260
00:15:27,720 --> 00:15:30,840
I actually really rely on them
 for the simple reason

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00:15:30,840 --> 00:15:33,320
that sometimes I don't know
 how to pronounce somebody's name.

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00:15:33,560 --> 00:15:35,480
So I can ask one of them. 

263
00:15:35,480 --> 00:15:38,720
And that's my way of making sure
 that I engage with a student

264
00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:41,200
and make them feel important,
 that I've actually pronounced

265
00:15:41,200 --> 00:15:44,320
their name correctly,
 that I understand some of their culture

266
00:15:44,960 --> 00:15:47,360
and some of the events
 that the student experience team

267
00:15:47,360 --> 00:15:49,720
has held, for example,
 would be making momos.

268
00:15:49,880 --> 00:15:52,720
And I never heard of a moment in my life,
 and now I'm fine.

269
00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:55,080
I'm making them for my own family at home. 

270
00:15:55,080 --> 00:15:57,320
We've had Brazilian dancing. 

271
00:15:57,320 --> 00:16:00,000
We rely so much on the student
 experience team.

272
00:16:00,440 --> 00:16:05,080
So could we explore both for students,
 academics and general staff?

273
00:16:05,560 --> 00:16:07,680
What encompasses
 all of their responsibilities?

274
00:16:08,440 --> 00:16:09,520
Great question, Richard. 

275
00:16:09,520 --> 00:16:13,080
And I think they have
 one of the hardest jobs

276
00:16:13,080 --> 00:16:15,840
at Kaplan Business School,
 but maybe I'm a little bit biased.

277
00:16:16,320 --> 00:16:20,280
So we have approximately 30 student
 experience offices

278
00:16:20,440 --> 00:16:25,400
across the five campuses in Australia
 looking at almost 3500 students.

279
00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:29,680
So the student experience officer
 is the first point

280
00:16:29,680 --> 00:16:33,720
of contact for a student
 regarding everything at the school.

281
00:16:34,120 --> 00:16:36,320
So if they have an initial
 academic inquiry,

282
00:16:36,360 --> 00:16:38,120
they come to a student experience, observe 

283
00:16:38,120 --> 00:16:42,720
first who might pass it on to someone else
 if they have a question about welfare,

284
00:16:42,720 --> 00:16:46,400
a process, a policy that grades
 whatever it might be ,

285
00:16:46,400 --> 00:16:49,120
they are going to come to a student
 experience up and said.

286
00:16:49,960 --> 00:16:54,080
And back in the days prior to Covid,
 when everyone was on campus all the time,

287
00:16:54,080 --> 00:16:58,200
if you visit each of our five campuses,
 we've designed it in such a way

288
00:16:58,200 --> 00:17:01,680
that as soon as you walk out, unless
 as soon as you walk into the building,

289
00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:04,880
you're going to be greeted
 by those student experience

290
00:17:04,880 --> 00:17:08,360
offices and desks
 at the front of the campus straight away.

291
00:17:08,720 --> 00:17:10,960
So you can't get away
 with not saying hello to them.

292
00:17:10,960 --> 00:17:14,600
But what that does is it
 builds relationships and rapport

293
00:17:14,960 --> 00:17:18,680
over the trimesters
 and make sure that when we are talking

294
00:17:18,680 --> 00:17:21,080
to students about some of the challenges
 that they're facing,

295
00:17:21,080 --> 00:17:24,720
the Kieran's alluded to earlier
 that we actually have that engagement

296
00:17:24,840 --> 00:17:28,200
already rather than sitting in a back
 office behind the scenes.

297
00:17:29,320 --> 00:17:32,520
But in a more direct
 answer to your question, Richard,

298
00:17:32,560 --> 00:17:36,120
the roles and duties of what we call

299
00:17:36,120 --> 00:17:39,080
the Nacio are really, really varied.

300
00:17:39,440 --> 00:17:42,600
And I think if you're asking
 for my perspective on it

301
00:17:42,840 --> 00:17:45,480
in terms of the GM student experience,

302
00:17:46,240 --> 00:17:51,520
you can fit them into two sort of periods
 within the trimester are absolutely key.

303
00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:54,680
So the first is during the trimester

304
00:17:55,240 --> 00:18:00,320
where we focus on proactive
 engagement of students.

305
00:18:00,600 --> 00:18:04,520
She does have a lot going on in their
 lives, both at the school and otherwise.

306
00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:08,280
So we need to provide them
 with engaging events

307
00:18:08,280 --> 00:18:11,280
and workshops and initiatives
 that are tailored to them.

308
00:18:11,800 --> 00:18:15,680
There's no point in me coming up
 with a harebrained idea in the comfort

309
00:18:15,680 --> 00:18:18,440
of my own home and thinking students
 are going to buy into it.

310
00:18:18,720 --> 00:18:19,840
We talk to students. 

311
00:18:19,840 --> 00:18:23,880
We have student ambassadors that we engage
 with their ear to the ground.

312
00:18:24,240 --> 00:18:25,920
We find out what students want. 

313
00:18:25,920 --> 00:18:28,400
And then we we put on an event for them.

314
00:18:28,400 --> 00:18:31,720
We we create initiatives
 based on what they want.

315
00:18:31,840 --> 00:18:36,200
And ultimately, that whole period of time
 during the trimester is engagement.

316
00:18:36,520 --> 00:18:40,240
I want them to look back
 at every single study trimester and go,

317
00:18:40,520 --> 00:18:41,480
wow, that was great. 

318
00:18:41,480 --> 00:18:42,240
Well, that was fun. 

319
00:18:42,240 --> 00:18:46,680
And I felt really engaged
 and part of a community here at kvass

320
00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:50,360
beyond what I'm doing in the classroom,
 which is equally important.

321
00:18:51,480 --> 00:18:54,640
We then have what
 we call is a re enrollment period

322
00:18:54,640 --> 00:18:59,440
where students are CBDs have to enroll in
 pay in their subjects each trimester.

323
00:18:59,920 --> 00:19:01,920
So let's say you're an MBA student. 

324
00:19:01,920 --> 00:19:04,160
You have six trimesters
 while you're at Cabe's.

325
00:19:04,720 --> 00:19:08,000
Now, at first when I first came
 to the school, I went, what do you mean?

326
00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:11,920
They have to sign up
 six times during their student life cycle

327
00:19:11,920 --> 00:19:13,160
and we have to convince them 

328
00:19:13,160 --> 00:19:16,720
to come back every single time,
 otherwise they can go somewhere else.

329
00:19:17,040 --> 00:19:18,600
And so I was like, yeah, yeah,
 that's that's right. 

330
00:19:18,600 --> 00:19:23,320
I'm like, that seems really silly because
 you're having to engage in six times.

331
00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:27,760
So at first I was a bit like, oh, that's
 that's really hard, because essentially

332
00:19:27,760 --> 00:19:31,520
you're asking them to opt
 in six times in their study gen.

333
00:19:32,520 --> 00:19:33,280
But then we turn that 

334
00:19:33,280 --> 00:19:36,240
on its head and we went, no,
 this is actually a good thing.

335
00:19:36,760 --> 00:19:39,880
This never allows us
 to take them for granted.

336
00:19:39,880 --> 00:19:42,240
It never allows us to switch up. 

337
00:19:42,240 --> 00:19:46,480
And it puts an extra emphasis on
 that engagement period where we're going.

338
00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:51,040
We need to make their most recent
 experience, their last trimester.

339
00:19:51,280 --> 00:19:53,280
The best one they've ever had. 

340
00:19:53,280 --> 00:19:57,040
So when it comes to re enrolling
 and choosing KB's, once again,

341
00:19:57,760 --> 00:20:01,520
they are going straight in
 and having no hesitations whatsoever.

342
00:20:01,520 --> 00:20:05,680
So I think what was initially perceived
 as a negative in terms of them

343
00:20:06,080 --> 00:20:09,600
having to opt in
 every time is now a complete positive

344
00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:13,240
and really puts us in a space where
 we can be really proactive and positive

345
00:20:13,560 --> 00:20:16,520
with our engagement
 with our students and student experience.

346
00:20:16,560 --> 00:20:18,280
Officers are at the heart of that.

347
00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:21,640
The thing we mentioned, student engagement

348
00:20:21,640 --> 00:20:23,840
and the role that the Scouts have in that.

349
00:20:25,520 --> 00:20:29,360
But I'd also like to make a comment
 that the CEOs engage academics as well.

350
00:20:29,960 --> 00:20:33,120
My opening story,
 when I first started KB's,

351
00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:36,680
I knew the subject that I was going
 to teach and I was prepared academically,

352
00:20:37,600 --> 00:20:40,560
but open up the lifts and I walk
 in, I think, oh, my goodness,

353
00:20:40,560 --> 00:20:43,360
I'm on a strange campus.
 I don't know anyone. And what happened?

354
00:20:43,880 --> 00:20:48,160
The CEO in front started smiling at me,
 directing me to my classroom.

355
00:20:48,880 --> 00:20:52,320
And I promptly realized that
 I forgot my password to do the lecture.

356
00:20:52,760 --> 00:20:55,720
So they did that for me.
 Then I realized that I forgot my pens.

357
00:20:56,040 --> 00:20:57,440
I forgot everything. 

358
00:20:57,440 --> 00:21:00,520
And it hadn't been for the school, me
 as a new lecturer.

359
00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:03,600
I would have been engaged
 in the academics, 

360
00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:06,920
but I would have been completely
 disheveled, completely disorganized.

361
00:21:07,480 --> 00:21:10,320
It's down to everyone
 having an interaction that students

362
00:21:10,920 --> 00:21:15,720
and lecturers, more so than anyone else,
 have got them engaged in a class

363
00:21:15,720 --> 00:21:19,560
for three hours a week, more time
 than will ever see them before.

364
00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:24,040
So it's about actually us providing
 customer service to the lecturers

365
00:21:24,160 --> 00:21:27,800
as well and putting them
 in the best place possible

366
00:21:28,280 --> 00:21:31,760
to deliver an amazing,
 engaging, interactive class.

367
00:21:32,200 --> 00:21:33,840
If you are having to find your pens 

368
00:21:33,840 --> 00:21:37,080
and you don't know what room you're in
 and your roles are all over the place,

369
00:21:37,680 --> 00:21:40,560
then you're going to be focusing
 on a whole lot of admin that is going

370
00:21:40,560 --> 00:21:44,040
to take your focus away from engaging
 the students in front of each state.

371
00:21:44,360 --> 00:21:47,680
We understand that it's not just us
 that are in control of the students

372
00:21:47,680 --> 00:21:48,960
parents. It's everyone. 

373
00:21:48,960 --> 00:21:51,280
And you've got to treat
 your internal stakeholders

374
00:21:51,280 --> 00:21:53,840
and your colleagues
 just like you would a student.

375
00:21:54,320 --> 00:21:57,520
I think Richard's
 and that's a wonderful example,

376
00:21:57,520 --> 00:22:01,360
because when I didn't work in education
 prior to this role

377
00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:03,520
and I've been in this role
 for five years now,

378
00:22:03,920 --> 00:22:07,120
I previously worked in the sporting
 industry, in a medical industry.

379
00:22:07,680 --> 00:22:11,160
What fascinated me about education
 was that we only ever looked

380
00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:15,720
at at a student as a student, whereas
 ultimately eyes, they are accustomed.

381
00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:18,480
They are paying for a service.

382
00:22:18,960 --> 00:22:24,240
And as a paying customer, you have to
 give them the best experience possible.

383
00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:27,320
So we actually put a lens on this
 where we're providing them good to be

384
00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:30,440
customer service,
 not just a student experience.

385
00:22:30,920 --> 00:22:34,800
And what was important about that
 was that's not just to a student.

386
00:22:35,640 --> 00:22:39,280
What's wonderful about business
 from many other education institutes.

387
00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:42,960
The student experience is not down
 to the student experience team.

388
00:22:43,440 --> 00:22:46,600
As as we're reflecting
 on the student experience officers.

389
00:22:46,600 --> 00:22:49,360
I've got to say, actually,
 when I was on the careers team,

390
00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:53,360
they were just crucial for me
 being able to support and work

391
00:22:53,360 --> 00:22:54,600
with different students. 

392
00:22:54,600 --> 00:22:58,200
You know, they often know students
 very personally, and they'd be able to

393
00:22:58,200 --> 00:23:01,400
say, well, actually,
 this student could really use some help

394
00:23:01,400 --> 00:23:04,600
on their resume or
 getting into an internship.

395
00:23:04,840 --> 00:23:09,000
And now that I'm in work with alumni,
 they still can help.

396
00:23:09,360 --> 00:23:12,240
You know, the student experience team
 very much works together.

397
00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:16,560
We can help find student ambassadors
 who will work at alumni events.

398
00:23:16,920 --> 00:23:20,400
Yeah, it really is great
 to see the collaboration across the team

399
00:23:21,360 --> 00:23:23,640
now as we're recording this.

400
00:23:24,160 --> 00:23:26,800
Sydney has just entered
 into another lockdown,

401
00:23:27,200 --> 00:23:32,080
along with several states
 across Australia are imposing restrictions

402
00:23:32,280 --> 00:23:35,720
related to outbreaks
 of the COVID 19 pandemic.

403
00:23:36,320 --> 00:23:40,520
And we didn't want to make this
 a Covid Covid show, but I think

404
00:23:40,720 --> 00:23:44,480
discussing mental health and wellbeing,
 it's really important to consider

405
00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:49,520
its really unique impacts
 on all our wellbeing in Australia.

406
00:23:49,520 --> 00:23:51,800
That's that's lockdown's
 that's studying online.

407
00:23:52,480 --> 00:23:53,640
So what do you think? 

408
00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:57,040
How do you think
 this might have affected students?

409
00:23:57,200 --> 00:23:59,240
And how can we help? 

410
00:23:59,240 --> 00:24:03,000
One of the main things we did
 in 2020 was a financial support package

411
00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:06,120
that was over six
 million dollars in the end, where

412
00:24:06,120 --> 00:24:09,440
we provided temporary tuition
 relief, hardship funds.

413
00:24:09,440 --> 00:24:11,560
There was salary sacrifices.

414
00:24:12,200 --> 00:24:14,680
We understood the message
 from our students

415
00:24:14,680 --> 00:24:17,560
that they were under a huge
 amount of financial strain.

416
00:24:18,640 --> 00:24:22,320
We really lean heavily
 on services like Sonder

417
00:24:22,320 --> 00:24:26,720
and promoting them to the student bodies
 that they can reach out to at any time.

418
00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:30,560
We have student counselors
 at each of our campuses as well,

419
00:24:30,560 --> 00:24:32,480
where we've increased their hours 

420
00:24:32,480 --> 00:24:35,640
during Covid, and students
 can book an appointment any time.

421
00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:40,600
We've moved every single service online
 so anyone can book an appointment

422
00:24:40,600 --> 00:24:44,840
with the student experience officer
 one and one online at any time of day.

423
00:24:45,640 --> 00:24:48,880
We set up a zoom channel
 in the height of pandemic, where we had

424
00:24:48,880 --> 00:24:52,760
at least two student experience officers,
 nine to five every single day.

425
00:24:53,160 --> 00:24:56,600
Students could simply click on a zoom link
 and come in and just

426
00:24:56,600 --> 00:24:58,160
have a chat with someone. 

427
00:24:58,160 --> 00:25:01,040
So I think it's an evolving situation.

428
00:25:01,720 --> 00:25:05,160
We'll keep our students mental
 health and wellbeing front and center

429
00:25:05,160 --> 00:25:06,080
throughout all of this. 

430
00:25:06,080 --> 00:25:09,440
And just because we've completed
 a number of initiatives

431
00:25:09,440 --> 00:25:12,480
already doesn't mean that we're not going
 to have to look at this again.

432
00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:15,400
And we will we'll make sure
 we look after them no matter what.

433
00:25:15,920 --> 00:25:19,280
Alex, do you have any plans for
 the future? What might student experience

434
00:25:19,280 --> 00:25:20,280
look like in the future? 

435
00:25:20,280 --> 00:25:22,800
Post Covid. Post SNAP Lockdown's.

436
00:25:23,720 --> 00:25:27,400
So with reference to student experience,
 I think we're seeing

437
00:25:27,400 --> 00:25:29,080
a number of different changes. 

438
00:25:29,080 --> 00:25:31,920
The most predominant one,
 though, is students

439
00:25:31,920 --> 00:25:35,760
are no longer on campus
 and they're predominantly online now.

440
00:25:35,760 --> 00:25:40,040
And I think now that people understand
 that online learning

441
00:25:40,040 --> 00:25:43,080
can take place effectively.
 And we've seen it to be effective.

442
00:25:43,080 --> 00:25:45,040
You know, our net promoter score 

443
00:25:45,040 --> 00:25:48,400
among online students
 has actually gone up during Covid.

444
00:25:48,920 --> 00:25:52,640
We are offering a number of face
 to face classes when our campuses are open

445
00:25:52,640 --> 00:25:56,760
and we're still seeing students
 choose online classes.

446
00:25:56,920 --> 00:25:59,840
So there has been a market shift
 that I don't think

447
00:26:00,400 --> 00:26:05,280
will necessarily shift
 back to what it was before. Post Covid.

448
00:26:05,320 --> 00:26:10,080
So I think we really need to look at
 our engagement from an online perspective

449
00:26:10,600 --> 00:26:14,520
rather than just a face to face
 perspective, as we've done previously.

450
00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:16,760
So a couple of things. 

451
00:26:16,760 --> 00:26:20,360
One of our strategic initiatives
 in the student experience section

452
00:26:20,360 --> 00:26:26,400
is to put together an online engagement
 platform for students.

453
00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:30,560
So just like students would have
 at a fantastic on campus experience.

454
00:26:30,840 --> 00:26:35,000
We are going to make sure there is a value
 proposition for online students as well.

455
00:26:35,280 --> 00:26:39,480
So already we've created a bespoke
 email address that they can get in touch

456
00:26:39,480 --> 00:26:42,920
with at any point in time
 as part of our regular feedback week.

457
00:26:43,280 --> 00:26:46,960
Student studying online
 have their own forums to provide feedback

458
00:26:46,960 --> 00:26:52,040
specific to their online journey versus
 what our campus journey would be.

459
00:26:52,760 --> 00:26:58,120
As I mentioned earlier, we've now
 permanently shifted all of our services

460
00:26:58,120 --> 00:27:02,360
to an online platform that can be accessed
 by the learning management system.

461
00:27:02,360 --> 00:27:06,440
So no longer will it just be a face
 to face interaction on campus.

462
00:27:06,800 --> 00:27:08,880
But those students can interact online.

463
00:27:09,440 --> 00:27:12,200
And we're seeing a lot of students
 start with this will continue

464
00:27:12,200 --> 00:27:14,440
to be stuck in their home
 countries as well.

465
00:27:14,480 --> 00:27:17,480
So we look at changing our class times.

466
00:27:17,680 --> 00:27:20,000
We're now running a 10, 30 p.m.

467
00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:23,240
to one Thamm class more regularly.

468
00:27:23,240 --> 00:27:27,840
So we started off with six instances
 and we've moved it to over a dozen now.

469
00:27:28,280 --> 00:27:32,520
We have orientation sessions for students
 that start late in the night,

470
00:27:32,520 --> 00:27:35,800
delivered by a Perth team
 that specifically talk

471
00:27:35,800 --> 00:27:39,920
about the challenges of studying offshore
 in an online environment

472
00:27:39,920 --> 00:27:41,360
and how they might overcome that. 

473
00:27:41,360 --> 00:27:45,000
So I think there's an absolutely
 a Long-Term shift

474
00:27:45,160 --> 00:27:47,960
with this, and we need to be very,
 very cognizant of that.

475
00:27:48,400 --> 00:27:52,480
And Alex, just before we
 we finish up, I'd love to know

476
00:27:52,480 --> 00:27:56,200
more about your own take on mental health.

477
00:27:56,200 --> 00:27:59,600
Wellbeing could be physical
 well-being as well.

478
00:27:59,840 --> 00:28:02,680
Do you have any tips
 or what do you do to stay? Stay

479
00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:06,360
well. Stay healthy. 

480
00:28:06,360 --> 00:28:07,320
Yeah, thanks, Kieran. 

481
00:28:07,320 --> 00:28:09,760
This is, I guess, a passion.

482
00:28:10,160 --> 00:28:14,360
The first aspect for me
 is physical health and well-being.

483
00:28:14,600 --> 00:28:18,880
I've always been a big advocate
 of staying fit and healthy.

484
00:28:19,040 --> 00:28:22,120
Whether that's through sports
 or regular exercise.

485
00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:25,920
I'm a big believer in moving
 and being outdoors.

486
00:28:26,360 --> 00:28:31,400
And your physical well-being has a direct
 correlation with your mental well-being.

487
00:28:32,040 --> 00:28:34,800
I think that comes down to simple things
 like nutrition as well.

488
00:28:35,200 --> 00:28:38,640
Fundamentally, I think if you look
 after those things, you're giving yourself

489
00:28:38,640 --> 00:28:43,080
the best opportunity to have good mental
 health and wellbeing as well.

490
00:28:43,760 --> 00:28:47,240
The mental wellbeing side,
 I think, is absolutely paramount.

491
00:28:47,640 --> 00:28:52,280
And there are so many different directions
 and avenues you can take care.

492
00:28:52,320 --> 00:28:55,760
So I'll give you a few
 that I hold true to me.

493
00:28:56,280 --> 00:28:58,680
The first is surround yourself with people

494
00:28:58,760 --> 00:29:03,240
who are a positive influence on your life
 rather than a negative influence.

495
00:29:03,280 --> 00:29:04,400
I think as you get older, 

496
00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:07,240
you start to get to choose
 your connections and friendships

497
00:29:07,600 --> 00:29:08,400
a little bit more. 

498
00:29:08,400 --> 00:29:10,280
So pick the ones that are going to build 

499
00:29:10,280 --> 00:29:13,800
you up and challenge you appropriately
 rather than drag you down.

500
00:29:14,760 --> 00:29:17,760
I think it's absolutely crucial
 that you understand

501
00:29:17,880 --> 00:29:20,960
what your values and principles
 are as a person.

502
00:29:20,960 --> 00:29:24,880
So a value for me
 is something that stays true to you

503
00:29:24,880 --> 00:29:28,200
no matter what your circumstances
 or environment are in life.

504
00:29:28,680 --> 00:29:31,040
And once you identify those values, 

505
00:29:31,040 --> 00:29:33,200
you can align them
 with whatever you're doing in life.

506
00:29:33,240 --> 00:29:37,280
So whether it's your job,
 so making sure that where you're working

507
00:29:37,320 --> 00:29:39,840
aligns with your own values
 or your friendships

508
00:29:39,840 --> 00:29:42,000
or your relationships
 or whatever that might be.

509
00:29:43,120 --> 00:29:45,000
I think it's key to have some 

510
00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:49,480
sense of direction and purpose in life
 as well, really understanding

511
00:29:49,480 --> 00:29:53,960
that there is a journey to be hads
 and there's wider goals to fulfill .

512
00:29:53,960 --> 00:29:56,360
I think that's absolutely key. 

513
00:29:56,360 --> 00:30:01,080
And then finally, for me,
 I think being mindful but also proactive

514
00:30:01,720 --> 00:30:06,280
is is crucial to maintain
 your mental health and well-being.

515
00:30:06,280 --> 00:30:11,240
So making sure that you are looking after
 yourself, that, you know,

516
00:30:12,000 --> 00:30:15,280
you can make choices, you can choose
 your reaction to other people

517
00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:17,320
and not like letting the environment

518
00:30:17,320 --> 00:30:21,160
or other people dictate your emotions
 and your thoughts and your feelings.

519
00:30:21,480 --> 00:30:25,920
And having that concrete sense
 of self-worth and self efficacy,

520
00:30:25,920 --> 00:30:28,840
I think is vital to maintaining
 your mental health and well-being.

521
00:30:29,640 --> 00:30:35,320
Thank you so much for being here with us
 on the Kaplan Community podcast, sharing

522
00:30:35,320 --> 00:30:39,680
some of your insights, what we're doing
 in the student experience team.

523
00:30:40,000 --> 00:30:43,680
And I think that has been really useful
 for us to learn more about,

524
00:30:44,160 --> 00:30:47,920
not just the student experience,
 but also what we're doing at KB's.

525
00:30:48,160 --> 00:30:49,960
Thank you, Alex,
 for appearing on the show. 

526
00:30:49,960 --> 00:30:52,120
It's been a pleasure to interview you. 

527
00:30:52,120 --> 00:30:53,440
My absolute pleasure. 

528
00:30:53,440 --> 00:30:55,480
Richard and Karen,
 thank you so much for having me on.

529
00:30:56,040 --> 00:30:59,040
If you're feeling unwell
 or in need of help, reach out

530
00:30:59,240 --> 00:31:02,720
to anyone in Australia
 can get immediate mental health support

531
00:31:02,840 --> 00:31:08,360
by calling the national lifeline
 on 13, 11, 14 and beyond.

532
00:31:08,360 --> 00:31:12,640
Blue has great 24/7 support staff
 and one three hundred

533
00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:18,360
twenty two forty six thirty
 six Chaplet employees can contact H.R..

534
00:31:18,800 --> 00:31:21,520
Our Access Free Counseling CBIA

535
00:31:21,560 --> 00:31:24,840
students have access
 to free confidential campus counselors.

536
00:31:25,040 --> 00:31:27,720
Safety and support
 services such as Sonder.

537
00:31:28,560 --> 00:31:29,920
Reach out to your campus student 

538
00:31:29,920 --> 00:31:33,720
experience team for friendly guidance
 on accessing these services.