Student Voice: ‘Stuck in the Mud of Assignment Instructions’

Study Buddi, Southern Cross University’s academic peer support program is back online this session. The team started working three-hour shifts, Monday – Friday in week 3, dealing with students from multi campuses and the online community but mostly with first year students.  During the first two weeks, the majority of online drop-ins asked for guidance in navigating Blackboard, finding online resources, understanding assignments, and referencing in APA7th style.  One particular student lamented that she was ‘stuck in the mud of assignment instructions’ and really needed help to get unstuck.

Student voice is a powerful tool to gauge the student experience and this student’s metaphor of being ‘stuck in the mud of assignment instructions’ is a strong image of her frustration.  The Study Buddi team is on the front line of what’s happening and has the ability to help students get unstuck. They also can feedback examples of where and how students are stuck and on which assignment instructions, so peers can be a great source of assistance. The Study Buddi team helps by talking through confusion, unpacking assignment directions, and focusing attention on what needs to be done.

The University can also take steps to help students and improve their study experience. If certain unit assessments are causing frustration, the assignment and instructions can be reviewed. If a number of students are facing hurdles in a particular unit of study, resources and interventions can be implemented to ease the path. As a first tier support, the Study Buddi program is serving the University community very well through peer communication.  

Students drop-in to Study Buddi for all sorts of reasons from finding out keyboard shortcuts to overcoming assignment hurdles. The peer leaders in the Study Buddi team offer experience from various disciplines such as Sport Exercise Science, Law, Osteopathy, Forestry Science Management, Social Welfare and Psychology across the University. Often, this disciplinary experience is sought after from those students with less experience and has become a strength in the program. The Study Buddies actively listen to issues, point uninitiated students toward online resources, suggest next steps and help them find new directions to walk ‘out of the mud’.

The students’ response to the team’s assistance has expressed incredible gratefulness. New students have praised ‘the great service’ as ‘a lifesaver’, and ‘really helpful’. One student claimed that by chatting to a Study Buddi she ‘felt heard, understood and empowered’.  This authentic student voice feedback is welcome and shows the team is value-adding to the student experience by helping peers overcome study hurdles, getting unstuck on assignment instructions and finding new directions out of confusion and moving toward better understanding and empowerment.     

Dr Sally Ashton-Hay
Southern Cross University