ERIC Number: EJ1094128
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Jul
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1443-2110
EISSN: N/A
What Is the Non-Academic Student Experience and Why Is It Important?
De Silva, Roshani S.; Garnaut, Cara
Journal of Institutional Research, v16 n1 p69-81 Jul 2011
The student experience is a widely used term; however, what makes up its critical components is not well understood. The focus on "students" is a key feature of the government's demand-driven system and its proposed "myUniversity" website. Understanding all aspects of the student experience will be critical to attracting and retaining students. This article conceptually divides the student experience into the academic and non-academic experience. The focus of this article is the latter. Based on a review of the literature a definition of the non-academic student experience is provided. Survey comments from University of South Australia students, including their study abroad experiences, are analysed as an example of how the non-academic experience can influence students' personal development and their ability to foster connections and relationships with others. It shows that developing and fostering the non-academic experience can be an integral and indeed a highlight of the overall student experience. [This paper was first presented at the Annual Conference of the Australasian Association for Institutional Research, "Has institutional research come of age in Australia?," in Geelong, 10-12 November 2010.]
Descriptors: Student Experience, Definitions, Student Surveys, Student Attitudes, Student Development, Questionnaires, Study Abroad, College Students, Extracurricular Activities, Foreign Countries
Australasian Association for Institutional Research. 546 Gallymont Road, Mandurama, NSW 2792, Australia. +61-2-6367-5347; e-mail: secretary@aair.org.au; Web site: http://www.aair.org.au
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Speeches/Meeting Papers; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A