As 2025 comes to an end, the Support for Students Policy Working Group (the Working Group) is taking a moment to look back on a year of collaboration, progress, and new ideas. Throughout 2025, the Working Group has focused on strengthening our support systems, keeping up with compliance, and preparing for future improvements. Regular meetings and a clear program of work kept efforts focused and aligned with university priorities and timelines.

Context and Purpose
The Working Group was established to ensure Flinders compliance with the Higher Education Support Act amendments requiring a Support for Students Policy. This policy, introduced in early 2024, sets out how we identify students needing support, the supports available, and how these are communicated. It also mandates annual reporting on compliance and continuous improvement.

Key Achievements in 2025

• Compliance Reporting: The 2024 compliance report was finalised and submitted on schedule, with Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor approval. Outcomes were shared with the Education Committee and Academic Senate, reinforcing our commitment to transparency.
• Policy Review and Enhancement
  A full review of Flinders Support for Students Policy was conducted, confirming it remains fit for purpose. A major update for 2026 will include publishing the Continuous Quality Improvement Framework in the Policy Library to strengthen transparency and accountability. This follows the comprehensive review and refinement of the framework in 2025, including a more polished presentation.
• Proactive Student Engagement Initiatives
  The Canvas analytics “nudges” pilot for early engagement and outreach was extended in S1, in collaboration with Deans Education and Colleges. This initiative aims to improve retention and achievement by supporting students within and alongside curriculum, particularly prior to census. A comprehensive evaluation of the pilot was presented to Education Committee in August, with statistical evidence that ‘nudges’ positively impact on student engagement. The Working Group will continue liaising with Deans Education to encourage the use of the Canvas functionality in 2026 as an early engagement activity.
• New Indicators and KPIs: Additional internal mechanisms to evaluate the effectiveness of our Support for Students Policy were developed, ensuring our approach remains evidence-based and responsive. The ‘Supporting Student Success dashboard’ was recently released to student success staff as a pilot. The dashboard provides a unified view of student demographic and success outcomes for key cohorts, including equity student groups, HDR, Flinders Online, and international students. The dashboard can help inform prioritisation of supports and interventions, and longer term, can be used to develop cohort specific support strategies and track improvements over time.
• Student-Staff Partnerships: Planning and workshops began for a new activity focused on ‘help-seeking literacy’, empowering students to access support proactively.

Looking Ahead to 2026

In the coming year, the Working Group will keep refining Flinders policy with a focus on mapping cohort-specific support strategies for different student groups and strengthening collaboration across portfolios and colleges to share responsibility for student success. So, keep an eye out – everyone’s input is valued. Your feedback, ideas, and involvement in Working Group activities will help us create an environment at Flinders where students feel they belong and can succeed.