The role of the FYSCO

1. The role of the FYSCO Supporting our commencing students @ UWS

2. Supporting UWS commencing students

3. Commencing students @UWS • The demographics of our student body are varied: • Range of age groups including mature age • First in family • Low SES • Transitioning into the ‘university culture’ can be a daunting task • Not all students attend MyCourse Planning or Orientation, therefore miss critical information • Key messages sent to 1st year students can get lost in all the ‘noise’

4. What is a FYSCO? • First Year School Contact Officers are the main contact points for commencing students at the school level • They provide assistance to this cohort during the transition period (Weeks 0-3) • Whilst it is optimal to have one FYSCO per school per campus, it may require a number of people to fill this role • It is not an ‘extra’ role but rather a recognised designated point of contact

5. FYSCO role in supporting commencing students • Role of FYSCO: • Established in 2009, First year school contact officers provide students assistance during their transition into university • FYSCO’s are generally a designated professional staff member at school level • Introduced at “Orientation”, FYSCO’s are established as a familiar face& first port of call for students at for enquiries from weeks 0-3 Week 3 Week 0

6. What does a FYSCO do? • Main point of contact for commencing students belonging to your school at your campus during business hours • Handle 1st year student queries, directing to specialist areas where required • Ensure you have school specific contact details (DAP’s, first year academic coordinators, 1st year unit coordinators) prepared with contact details and consult times • Familiarise yourself with other UWS services • Some Schools record all 1st year student enquiries from weeks 0-3 • Send all student query data to Lien at end of week 3 via internal mail (used for research purposes) • Participate in research where applicable

7. Key Tasks • Main point of contact for commencing students belonging to your school at your campus during business hours • Handle 1st year student queries, directing to specialist areas where required • Ensure you have school specific contact details (DAP’s, first year academic coordinators, 1st year unit coordinators) prepared with contact details and consult times • Familiarise yourself with other UWS services • Record all 1st year student enquiries from weeks 0-3 • Send all student query data to Lien at end of week 3 via internal mail (used for research purposes) • Participate in research where applicable

8. What are resources are available to commencing students? • There are many resources available to assist commencing students in their transition into university life Click here to find list of available services • Knowing the right area to assist with queries, will help the transition process for commencing students • Use the Quick Reference Guide of the student support services Familiarise yourself with these resources so that you can help support your students

9. Key support resources for commencing students Use your Quick Reference Guides for the available support for students