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For Academic and Student Aﬀairs

How to develop your student services

Seven Suggestions from Professor Tips
For Academic and Student Affairs

How to develop your student services

Center for the Studies of Higher Education
Nagoya University
Furo, Chikusa, Nagoya 464-8601, JapanPhone+81 52 789 5696
Fax
+81 52 789 5695
E-mailinfo@cshe.nagoya-u.ac.jp
URL
http://www.cshe.nagoya-u.ac.jp/

ISBN 978-4-86293-018-7
March 25th, 2008 (the first edition)
Printed in Japan
Copyright © 2008 by Center for the Studies of Higher Education, Nagoya University.
All rights reserved.

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PrefaceThis booklet was originally written in Japanese and compiled by the Centerfor the Studies of Higher Education (CSHE) at Nagoya University. This
English edition aims at showing the status of Japanese practices on higher
education to researchers, practitioners and trainers in the world, which would
facilitate further discussion.

Seven Suggestions from Professor Tips
The Seven Suggestions from Professor Tips is a series of booklets compiled by theCenter for the Studies of Higher Education (CSHE) at Nagoya University. The
series aim at improving the quality of teaching and learning at the university.
Quality of education would be stepped up with tiny improvements ofeveryday practice by stakeholders, such as students, faculty members,
academic and student affairs staff members, university executives, etc.
Therefore, each booklet offers each stakeholder suggestions for daily practice
categorized by purposes. Moreover, the quality would be much enrichedwhen efforts towards it by different stakeholders are integrated. Accordingly,
all the booklets use the same framework of purposes, that is, the sevensuggestions for better teaching and learning at university. We named theperson who gives the suggestions as Professor Tips, a fictitious character who
was first featured in the book, Learn with the Professor Tips: How to DevelopYour Course Design, authored by members of the CSHE.

For academic and students affairs- How to develop your student services
The present volume, How to develop your student services: for academic andstudent affairs, is written from the perspective of the university staff who areresponsible for academic and student affairs, and contains suggestions andspecific ideas on how to achieve better education. For this volume, the CSHE
collaborated with the Student Affairs and Planning Division at Nagoya
University to examine ways in which members of academic and student
affairs can develop their daily practice.
Non-teaching staff members have an important role to play in achieving theuniversity’s aim of quality improvement in university education. When thelearning and development of students at university is considered, it is not
limited only to learning in the classrooms. Club activities, local initiatives and2studying abroad etc, are all valuable experiences contributing to the growth ofstudents. When graduates are asked about the sources of their own
development, the range of items mentioned greatly exceeds that of just classes.
Academic and student affairs staff members who are involved with the manyvaried activities of students, such as classes, extracurricular activities and day
to day student life, have the opportunity to witness students’ development
across a variety of aspects and are thus surely well positioned to effectively
support students. In addition, these academic and student affairs staff
members are adults familiar to the students, who also provide students withan example of working members of society in this campus environment. If theacademic and student affairs staff members keep this in mind as they interact
with students, it can assist students with their steps towards joining the adultworld, as well as having a beneficial effect on their studies.
This booklet offers a collection of good practical examples for academic affairs
staff members, obtained through investigations both within and outside theuniversity, which have been organized and presented in a concise manner,
based on the framework of the Seven Suggestions from Professor Tips. The aimof this booklet is to offer a framework through which good practices andknowledge can be widely shared. Thus, the practices and ideas cited in thisbooklet are not aimed at the evaluation of each staff member, but at gradually
improving the practices used daily by the academic and student affairs staff
members. Unfortunately, some of the ideas mentioned in this booklet cannot
be immediately implemented, due to the fact that resources or circumstances
have not yet been prepared. Hopefully, the listing of them may lead to somedebate as to how implementation should best be undertaken.
The idea behind the creation of this version of the booklet came from thePrinciples of Good Practice for Student Affairs which was developed by acollaborative research group of the two leading professional associations inthis area. While referring to this existing paper, the concept for this academic
and student affairs staff member edition was developed, with the aim ofcreating a document that would be even more suited to practical usage at
Japanese universities. During the development stage, ideas were gatheredfrom many of Nagoya University’s academic and student affairs staff
members of different ages and career histories, and together these ideas were
rigorously examined.
We hope that this booklet will prove effective for good practice in academic
and student affairs, as well as for reflection on their practice by otherstakeholders.

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How to use the Seven Suggestions from Professor Tips
You can use this booklet as follows:
1. The seven suggestions are written in simple and easy-to-remember sentences. You can use them as a framework to organize and systemize what you
usually keep in mind and try to do.
2. The 49 ideas presented in this booklet may include ideas that you havenever tried. If you are interested in any of them, why not try them out at yourworkplace? In particular, the ideas mentioned towards the top of each list are
the ones most staff chose as the easiest to implement.
3. There are some other versions published in volumes of this series. Pleasealso take a look at the separate volumes for faculty members, students,
executives, and IT-enhanced teaching. These separate volumes all contain tips
on what faculty members, students and university executives can each do toachieve the same goal.
4. This booklet contains just a small selection of ideas. You may have better
ideas than those contained in this booklet. Please let us know at the Center for
the Studies of Higher Education about what you think is important, or what
you find effective in your day to day work. Your ideas will be helpful for
future revisions of this booklet.

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Suggestion 1

Increase opportunities for students to interact
with staff
Students tend to feel a stronger sense of belonging to their classes
and to university, and a greater responsibility toward their studies,when they are seen as individuals rather than as members of agroup. Try to think of ways to help students meld into university
life, not just by initiating contact with the students, but also by
creating opportunities for the students to meet many othermembers of the university.

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When students come to your office, greet them and find out
about their issues.
Try to learn as many of your students’ names as possible andcall them by name.
Create an environment which students will feel comfortablevisiting, by making office entrance spacious etc.
Find out what students are looking for in their everyday campus life.
Participate in university events such as lectures etc in a proactive manner.
Join in with sporting events and recreational activities wherestudents and university staff gather together.
Participate in the university festival as a campus member, andinteract with students on a different level from your usual position.

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Suggestion 2

Encourage cooperative learning among students

It is said that learning outcomes and motivation levels are
improved through cooperative learning with classmates. Create anenvironment in which it is easy for students to participate incooperative study activities, both in and out of classes. In addition
to communicating the importance of cooperative learning tostudents, take opportunities to further your own studies, andcontribute to the creation of a community of learning.

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Understand ways and places where students are able to learn
as a group and give pertinent advice in this regard.
Understand what kinds of facilities are available within theuniversity to assist students in their studies.
Understand the distribution of teaching assistants and tutors
and promote the effective usage of this resource by students.
Introduce initiatives such as a system of peer support, for students seeking advice from senior students.
If you notice a student is no longer attending classes, casually
ask other students about him or her.
Support local study groups made up of students.
Always cooperate with staff within the university, as well as
maintaining communication links with staff from outside theuniversity.

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Suggestion 3

Encourage students’ active learning

In undergraduate education, it is important for students to acquirean active attitude to learning. Study initiatives occurring outside
the classroom, such as fieldwork and internships, are also valuable
active learning opportunities for students. Through increased
active learning opportunities, a wide variety of lateraldevelopments can be expected in students, such as self-reliance, a
sense of purpose and ethical views.

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Proactively inform students about internships and various research societies.
Review the educational targets and curriculum of the university and its departments, with faculty members.
Utilize questions previously received from individual students
in information handbooks and guidance sessions etc.
Review guidance content and methodology and provide
guidance that responds to needs in a pertinent timeframe.
Secure space in familiar surroundings where students can undertake independent learning.
Use interactions with students at your office etc, to teach themthe manners and common courtesies of the adult world.
Learn the basics of student development processes during
university years.

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Suggestion 4

Encourage students to review their study
progress
For students, confirming the extent of their progression toward thegoals of the course provides them with important information
regarding their subsequent progress. At the same time, it provides
the university with a good opportunity to check course progress
and the effectiveness of the educational environment. Build up avariety of methods to check on students’ progress, and create astructure through which results can be communicated to thestudents.
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Encourage students to confirm for themselves information
about courses and unit acquisition.
Provide faculty members with documents that give precise information regarding students’ previous study histories.
Set up a suggestion box for students, and get a grasp of requested improvements.
Compare results from class evaluation questionnaires andstudent surveys with those of previous results to gain an understanding of any changes.
Review learning related survey results with faculty members
and implement decisions.
Use bulletin boards etc to publicize improvements being madeto assist students’ studies.
Acquire basic knowledge of surveys and analysis methods.

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Suggestion 5

Emphasize time on task

While the importance of study outside of class seems to be widely
acknowledged, many students find it difficult to arrange time forstudy. Effective use of time is an extremely important factor that
affects students’ achievements. Universities must ensure thatstudents can acquire effective time management skills in theirstudies as quickly as possible.

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Offer information arranged into essential points.
Ensure students understand the importance of checking andstoring materials distributed by the university.
Display job descriptions on counters etc, to make it easy forstudents to recognize who can help them with their issues.
Make information that is usually posted on bulletin boards,
such as messages regarding public research societies or lecture
cancellations etc, available for students to view via the Internetor through mobile phones.
Promote the facilities within the university that can be used forout of class studies.
Show an interest in the work of other staff, and endeavor toproactively share information.
Draw up a collection of examples regarding procedural methods and share them with other staff.

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Suggestion 6

Communicate high expectations for students

People react sensitively to the expectations of those around them.
When students realize much is expected of them, their motivation
to learn increases, which results in improved learning effectiveness.
Use a variety of settings within university life to communicate
academic expectations to students. Also demand attitudes andbehaviors from students that are appropriate for members of acommunity of wisdom.

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Offer words of encouragement to students regarding their efforts in study motivation and extra-curricular activities.
Publicize the achievements of students, both within and outside the university, such as prizes received and activities undertaken.
Support exemplary social initiatives of students.
Proactively highlight to students the activities of past graduates.
Encourage entry into essay competitions etc.
Expect students to behave in a manner appropriate for members of a university.
Request that students extend common courtesies to collaborators from outside the university.

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Suggestion 7

Respect student diversity

Accepting students with various learning styles and characteristics
invigorates a university. It is expected that university staff will
respect such diversity. Consider a variety of viewpoints when
dealing with individual students. Also, communicate to students
the importance of sharing the campus with a diverse range ofstudents.

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When dealing with individual students, keep in mind theirsituation and experiences.
Introduce students to facilities and specialists appropriate to
the type of problem that they approach you with.
Introduce students who are interested in cross-cultural exchanges with foreign students to relevant programs andgroups.
Devise procedures and communication methods etc, to deal
with the needs of mature age students.
Use a variety of events to get to know the characteristics anddiversities of current students.
Understand the various factors that stand in the way of an enjoyable student existence, and build a supportive environment.
Acknowledge the varied careers and work styles of other staff
members, and let students know that diversity is respected atuniversity.

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Notes

The original Japanese edition had notes as shown below;

1. Your feedback regarding impressions of this booklet, suggestions for
improvements, or important ideas not included in this booklet, is always
welcome.
E-mailinfo@cshe.nagoya-u.ac.jp

2. A website (in Japanese) is available for those who are interested in ideasthat could not be included in this booklet and the contents of the otherbooklets.
URL

http://www.cshe.nagoya-u.ac.jp/seven/12

References

American College Personnel Association and National Association of Student Personnel
Administrators, 1997, Principles of Good Practice for Student Affairs.
Barr, M. & Desler, M., 2000, The Handbook of Student Affairs Administration, Jossey-Bass.
Blimling, G. & Whitt, E., 1999, Good Practice in Student Affairs: Principles to Foster Student
Learning, Jossey-Bass.
Center for the Studies of Higher Education, Nagoya University, 2005, “Development ofSeven Suggestions from Professor Tips (Tokushoku GP Serial Reports vol.3)”.
Chickering, A. & Gamson, Z., 1987, “Seven Principles for Good Pratice inUndergraduate Education”, AAHE Bulletin, 39( 7):3-7.
Fukutome, R., 2004, “Formation of Roles and Abilities of University Staff : Taking Clues
from the Survey Results of Private University Staff Members”, Nagoya Journal ofHigher Education, 7: 157-176.
Ikeda, T., Todayama, K., Chikada, M., & Nakai, T., 2001, Learn with the Professor Tips:
How to Develop Your Course Design, Tamagawa University Press.
Nakai, T., 2007, “The Roles and Mutual Relationships of Faculty Members, Students,
and the Institution in Quality Undergraduate Education: Seven Suggestions from
Professor Tips”, The Journal of NIAD-UE (Research on Academic Degrees andUniversity Evaluation), 5: 1-16.
Nakai, T. & Saitoh, Y., 2007, “Student Affairs Educators in the U.S.: Principles of Good
Practice Developed by Professional Associations”, Nagoya Journal of Higher
Education , 7: 169-185.
Nakajima, H. & Nakai, T., 2005, “The Seven Principles for Good Practice inUndergraduate Education and Inventories for Students, Faculty and Institutions,”
Journal of University Education Research, 2: 71-80.
Whitt, E., 1997, College Student Affairs Administration, ASHE Reader Series, Simon &Schuster Custon Publishing.
Yamamoto, S., 1998, “University Management & Administrative Personnel – A New
Perspective on Management Theory”, Nagoya Journal of Higher Education, 1: 163-177.

Authors for Japanese edition (2007)
Center for the Studies of Higher Education, Nagoya University
Kazuhisa Todayama
Tatsuya Natsume
Masahiro Chikada
Toshiki Nakai
Tomoko Torii
Yoshiko SaitohStudent Affairs and Planning Division, Nagoya University
Translation
Center for the Studies of Higher Education, Nagoya University
Toshiki Nakai
Yoshiko Saitoh

Illustration
Skhole Co., Ltd.
Printing
DAITEC Co., Ltd.

ISBN9784862930187

Center for the Studies of Higher Educaon
Nagoya University