General Staff Professional Development Day 2013
Participant Evaluation and Feedback
Staff were invited to provide feedback about the General Staff Day held on 16 October 2013 which
focused on how we might enhance the Waikato Student Experience and develop a Service
Excellence Framework and Programme for 2014.
41 staff responded and their responses are captured below. This represents around 33% of total
participants, so provides a good overview of staff perceptions of the day.
Overall impression
Rankings
25
20
15
10
5
0
Excellent
Pretty Good
Not Bad
Poor
What did you like about the day?
The focus on service excellence gave a really nice framework for the day. It was great to talk to and
work with a real cross-section of general staff from across the University in the final brainstorming
session.
The enthusiasm and knowledge of the presenters, the venue, the tour around College Hall,
networking with other University staff not in my immediate area, the opportunity to discuss issues
and possible improvements to deliver an excellent Waikato experience for students.
The food was great.
I got to know what other people are doing. Visited the student villages for the first time.
The enthusiasm of the speakers for their particular contribution. Great to hear about the effort
being put in across the campus to focus on the student experience. We often don't hear what each
other are doing.
That it had a service to/for students focus, given that their education constitutes our 'core business'.
Seeing other staff members that I don't get to meet up with often enough. Being able to contribute
in a small way to the discussion.
The networking with others.
Meeting other University Employees
I was very impressed with Anna Bounds introduction, setting the scene, making us think about the
services we provide our students and whether we can do better. It set the tone of the day for me
which kept me focused all day. I enjoyed the visit to College Halls, a great break at the right time.
Have been at Uni for a zillion years but never been to College Halls.
Enjoyed hearing some the statistics and a bit of insight into different areas particularly the ones that
gave details.
Focus on customer service, think general staff need to get on the same page in regards to dealing
with others.
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General Staff Professional Development Day 2013
Participant Evaluation and Feedback
The interactive parts.
Hearing the detail of what various parts of the University do for students.
I enjoyed the lunch that was provided and the tours of the halls.
It was good to go on the tour for particularly for some staff who had worked at the Uni for years and
years and didn't know where College Hall even was! Good to learn about different divisions in the
University and what each of them provided.
Getting to know other staff - better understanding of the University and the student life cycle.
Meeting other staff, putting a face to the phone or email.
Connie and Huy's talks.... they were wonderful and inspiring!
Only went to morning session but speakers were interesting and made good points.
All presentations were good focussing customer(student) service.
Group sessions and food.
it brought together lots of people from different areas - lots of cross-boundary communication,
sharing.
A chance to network with other General staff.
The topic was very relevant.
Meeting other general staff and hearing their views on what works well and how they'd like to see
improvements made. It was energising being involved with so many people committed to providing
the best service they can and positively seeking improvements. So often I hear the views of
disaffected staff who take no responsibility for making positive change. It was refreshing to be
among such a positive group.
Great overview of current and proposed methodology around student experience.
Networking and updating of information.
Some of the talks were very good and networking with others across the campus was also good.
The discussions after lunch were interesting.
Great to be together and to be recognised as an important sector of the University community.
Good to hear everybody's ideas.
I enjoyed meeting staff in person after years of communicating with them via email and phone. It
was encouraging to hear staff share the same frustrations and concerns with systems but equally
pleased that we're all focused on giving students the best service and experience at the University. I
was also pleased with the fact that we're all proud to work for the University and therefore eager to
promote it in the best possible light.
Variation of presenters, tour of halls, good lunch
The morning sessions talks were interesting without being too heavy and were generally of interest.
The willingness to share information and processes with the audience
Tour of Student Village, meeting other staff members and learning more about the speakers and
what they do for students.
Anna Bounds' wrap up, the willingness to take on board the outcomes
Intro by Anna Bounds. Statistics about enrolments. Alumni information. Different Presentations
from the areas. Halls Visit.
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General Staff Professional Development Day 2013
Participant Evaluation and Feedback
The highlight of the day for me was hearing Anna Bounds and Michelle Jordan-Tong speak. I so
infrequently hear what they are thinking and their vision but feel this is very important.
That the focus was on service
Chance to learn about jobs and expectations of staff in other departments and network. Lunch was
great!
Good to acknowledge general staff as significant contribution to the institution.
It had a friendly atmosphere. The food was good. The day makes me feel part of the university as a
whole instead of being part of just a department.
Key Themes
20
15
10
5
0
What could have been improved?
A speaker from the Library to tell us about the Library's contribution and support to students.
College Hall visit was good but perhaps should have been just prior to lunch as once we got back, it was
hard to focus again.
Everything was great, thanks.
From the day itself - not much needed to be improved although the trip to College Hall could perhaps
have been replaced with another workshop or speaker. (perhaps some choices of sessions so that
participants can choose what they see as most appropriate for their needs. Would have been great to
ensure that all service providers sectors of the University were represented with presentation on the
day e.g Library.
Greater range of topics presented.
I am not used to sitting throughout presentations over a long period of time - maybe include ice
breakers in between presentations to keep people interested.
I didn't really enjoy the format of the afternoon. An hour was too long for discussion and it took a long
time for everyone to report back (and it got rather repetitive). Although the discussion itself was
valuable.
I feel that the day was a bit of a waste of my time. The information that was provided was great but it
was information that was already known. I feel like the time could of better been spent on professional
development that could be used in the work area. The information that was provided was more just
facts that could not really be taken back and applied.
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General Staff Professional Development Day 2013
Participant Evaluation and Feedback
I felt some of the talks in the morning were very repetitive and perhaps some actual ideas to put in
place re service etc could have been put forward/discussed. Something we would be able to go and
implement perhaps?
It was great to know the university is passionate about service excellence. Can we actually have
training in basic customer services?
It would have been wonderful had there been a bigger turnout, more staff from the different Faculties
but I understand it's a busy time and staff can't always get away from their desks.
Less talk....more action.
Make it a half day the second half of the day was just really an overview and discussion about what we
had learn t in the morning session. Not a good time to be out of the office for a whole day.
Many of the presentations after morning tea were things I already knew about so this was not
particularly helpful for me but maybe it was new for others.
Many things ran overtime. There wasn't enough time for the group exercise at the end. Maybe if we
had a better idea before the day what we were going to do during that time we could have prepared
better and worked quicker.
Maybe fewer speakers with longer to speak each in the first section.
More adherence to the time schedule, especially if you were only able to attend certain parts of the
day.
More group discussions.
More time could have been allowed for staff to meet each other and find out their area of expertise.
Perhaps a speed dating type scenario? Something fun that would have had us interacting more.
More work-shopping, less back-to-back lectures/presentations, made me very sleepy. Better facilitation
of workshops. Our group was going around in circles. Tangible initiatives instead of models of how it
should work.
Morning presentations were interesting but would have better with a more cohesive thread, can't think
how that could have been done. Might be I knew all of them so would be different for other staff who
didn't know what they did.
Networking: different departments could meet with each other with a bit more help/ organizing from
the event manager.
Nothing.
Perhaps the late morning presentations could have been a bit more precise without repeating
information or statements presented previously by others, but I thought the day was great so do not
want to be critical of anything.
Perhaps the programme was a little crowded, and speakers appeared to be rushed time-wise. There
appeared to be enough information to make a half-day later.
Some of the speakers were a bit analytical without personalising what it looked like or how they were
putting these theories in place. Seemed like a few said the same buzz words and theories so got a bit
monotonous.
Some speakers were better/more relevant than others. I think more focus on actual professional
development (ie how we can do our jobs better, practical changes) would be great. It felt more like a
general encouragement than development day.
The beginning of the tour for College Hall was a little unorganised.
The hot water at morning tea was far from hot.
There was some repetition in the presentations - those that stood out were the ones that gave us
different information/examples rather than a generic reiteration of 'service excellence' goals.
Time keeping for speakers was poor. Also death by power point! If the format is to be multiple short
presentations perhaps people could be encouraged/assisted to be more creative in their approach.
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General Staff Professional Development Day 2013
Participant Evaluation and Feedback
Timing of the Event is always an issue. Our entire Dept would have benefitted from this Day but some
did not attend either because they stayed to man the Office or chose not to attend.
Timing of the sessions. Rather than shared presentations, just having one speaker per topic. Focussing
more on developing the capacity of the audience - what should we be doing more than what is already
being done. I think that the information presented might have been just as valuable, if not more so directed at academic staff who have less understanding of what it is that happens outside the
classroom than most general staff already do. I see the relevance just for general staff. Academic staff
have a relationship with students over entire semesters and so play a huge part in the student
experience too.
Trying to cram too many presentations in a short space of time? Could have finished at 4pm and then
wouldn't have been so rushed.
When the day was advertised the language was not inclusive - it was seemingly targeted at those who
deal directly with students in their daily operations.
Wish we could have talked more about the service we provide to each other (internally) rather than
externally.
Would have been interesting to see some kind of student input or presence.
Key Themes
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
What did you take away from the day (or the parts you attended)?
A better idea of a student life in the halls of residence Connie was a great presenter. A better idea of
Teaching Unit.
A better understanding of how the University operates and how each department links into providing a
great experience for the student. Meet people with different ideas and some who were very familiar but
never met them in person before.
An overall feeling that we can do soooo much better for our students, with better communication, across
team and division information sharing in particular. It is crucial to providing excellent service.
being student-centred is obligatory, not optional.
Better understanding of the management's initiatives and their commitment towards service excellence;
Colleagues' good ideas and practices.
Felt that our input was valued.
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General Staff Professional Development Day 2013
Participant Evaluation and Feedback
Good to hear an overview from the senior managers about where they see us heading as far as students
go, good to see and hear their vision.
I enjoyed meeting people from other departments.
I found out the university is trying to make guidelines about excellence which includes students. I learnt
how information feeds back to the student body.
I had a very positive, motivating experience and I liked the fact that there are like-minded staff who are
also going above and beyond their duties to give the students the best service they could possibly give.
I met key support staff and got a little idea about what they do and how they could me to help my
students.
I will use the student life cycle to develop something for the students I work with.
Ideas for service excellence and networking.
It made me realise that service excellence isn't something that we all currently do. It should be a given and
go without saying that the service we provide is truly excellent! I guess it was a timely reminder for some
that we need to maintain those standards.
Just reinforced the customer service focus for me.
Knowing that other staff feel similarly to the way I do. Knowing that people in leadership roles in this area
are approachable and understanding.
Most people know what's wrong with the student experience and how to fix it........and we know it will only
get worse.
Nice to view College Hall and get an insight into that aspect of student life on campus. I liked the idea that
we can all take time to help students rather than shifting them on to the right place for help. Gives a
consistent service approach.
Really like Mike's summary of service excellence after lunch, thought that laid out the issues really well. it
was really good to discuss issues with other staff in the afternoon.
Reconnecting with staff I know. Meeting other staff for the first time and getting an understanding of their
role within the University.
Service is extremely important, who gives that service needs to be passionate and well informed and happy
to communicate with others across campus/departments to ensure students get the best service and have
the best experience.
Some personal notes ideas regarding my future contributions to this area.
Taking care of small/little things everyday can lead to a big difference in your life.
That everyone is/should be working towards the same goals.
That many of us are passionate about delivering excellent services. (But do we all have skills?)
That providing excellent service is important to a large number of 'general staff members', but that a single
approach will not work for every student.
That students will benefit from greater collaboration and better communication across different parts of
the library.
That the alumni are very important to the university.
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General Staff Professional Development Day 2013
Participant Evaluation and Feedback
That the university is fully behind service excellence and evolving to make the student experience more
enjoyable. Hopefully this project will help staff who continue to do things the way that always have to see
that there are other possibilities out there.
That the student experience can be improved even if you are not in a student centric role.
That we are all doing great things in our areas, but could be doing even better as a whole if we had the
opportunity to share our ideas more.
That we are doing fantastic things in service to students, and that all the small things can add up to big
things.
The importance of my job and the student experience.
The make up of the University community. Science is running some really cool programmes in the wider
community and it’s working.
The need for more cross-campus communication. We need to tell others about decisions / changes that
affect other groups as this impacts on the way we respond to student enquiries.
The students are central to everything we do. We all have a part to play in making the student experience a
great one.
The University have some excellent services available for students and staff - we just need to be made
more aware of them and take advantage of them! Better communication between faculties etc would help
everyone.
Three life-cycles of students presented! There is huge effort and energy behind the scenes to muster and
support the students and not just names on enrolment papers and class lists but in their social lives also.
Understanding what the University is about and the life of a student in the University.
We are all in this together.....
Any other comments about the Day?
All General Staff should be made to attend at least part if not the entire Day.
Appreciate the organisation of the day.
Excellent lunch and afternoon nibbles! Ginger slice for morning tea not so good.
Food was very good (although only fruit for dessert for the 'special' table!) :)
Generally, days like this are an ideal chance to pay tribute to our bicultural heritage but there was very
little reference to it - no waiata or karakia for example. Would be useful if power-points from
presentations could be shared as there are many staff who would have liked to attend (or whose
Manager would have liked them to attend) but they could not because of operational needs of the
department. Maybe 2 one day sessions so that a larger number of people can attend?
Good to have the opportunity.
Great lunch
I was a little disappointed by the numbers. If the reason for low numbers was that key services still
needed to run, then perhaps the day could be run twice to allow all staff who wanted to, to attend.
It was a day filled with positive vibes.
It was great day really enjoyed the discussions. The presenters were so good and learned so much more
about the services in the university.
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General Staff Professional Development Day 2013
Participant Evaluation and Feedback
Loved the food.
Lunch was excellent :)
Lunch was excellent!
Other general staff in my area did not attend. They said that the way it was advertised made them feel
that it wasn't meant for them. I think the day is valuable for all staff, so I would like to see the invitation
worded in a way that encourages everyone to attend.
Overall it ran smoothly and was interesting and informative. I felt the different 15 minute talks worked
well as it gave enough information without dragging on too long.
Questions for the discussion groups could have been more explicit and not so broad. Our group was
dominated by someone with an axe to grind so not really very productive.
Thank you, Mike!
The Alumni/Foundation presentation was great. I didn't know anything about this.
The lunch was absolutely delicious, too, thanks.
Very enjoyable even though others may have thought we have been here before. Thank you very much.
Great food too.
Well done
Well done. Most interesting. Perhaps some audience participation next time. Other ideas and
management systems from other staff from their Faculties.
Well run.
What I have said above is what we are striving towards but something needs to be done to continue
this...we talk about it a lot and a lot of staff want this but we have to do something now to ensure
something changes (if it needs to) to make sure it happens.
Why is the question that we as general staff should be doing better?? What about how the University’s
doing?
The responses to the question regarding what staff see as the key service issues to be addressed in
2014 to ensure an excellent Waikato Student Experience will be incorporated into the feedback
received on the day from the group discussions and will assist the development of a Service
Excellence Framework and a Service Excellence Programme for 2014.
The Service Excellence Programme is expected to generate activities and events throughout 2014,
including the development of service provider skills and knowledge, review of systems, processes
and approaches which support the Waikato Student Experience, and opportunities for monitoring
and analysing the Waikato Student Experience.
Professional and Organisational Development Unit – Page 8