SciConnect
Created in partnership with UNSW Science students, SciConnect is the go-to toolkit for mastering university life. Currently available to UNSW Science students enrolled in a Bachelor of Science (BSc) or Bachelor of Advanced Science (Honours) program.
SciConnect was born from the UNSW Business School鈥檚 award winning myBCom digital platform (AACSB International 鈥淚nnovations that Inspire鈥 award, 2023), and enabled through significant program re-design. SciConnect has customised the myBCom concept to provide a holistic backbone of professional and personal development to BSc and BAdvSc students.聽
From the moment they accept their program offer, SciConnect supports a student鈥檚 journey from transition into university, program exploration and advice, as a hub for skill development resources and professional development activities, digital communities, skills development tracking, career development, and ending with a graduate portfolio.聽
SciConnect is dedicated to enhancing student success, retention, sense of belonging and wellbeing. It reflects UNSW Science鈥檚 dedication to finding future-facing solutions that cater to the increasingly diverse student demographic in higher education (Thomas, Kift & Shah, 2021). We know that students persist when they feel a sense of belonging to the institution and with their peers (Tinto, 2017) and thrive when empowered to take ownership of their academic journey (Kift, 2009).
-
SciConnect Walkthrough Live Demo
-
Take the UNSW Science Persona Quiz as a fun way to engage with the diverse UNSW Science community.
Check out the program guides below for important program, enrolment and onboarding information.
Considering whether a UNSW Science program is right for you?聽 Use the program stores to explore the Bachlor of Science or Bachelor of Advanced Science program options.
-
UNSW Science would like to thank the dedicated project team for their work on making SciConnect a reality. Contact us on sciconnect@unsw.edu.au.
Project team
Name
Role
Shannan Maisey
Director and project owner
Lakia Turner
Project Manager/ Manager, SciConnect
Tom Rowlands
Education Support Officer, SciConnect
Martin Nester
User Experience Designer
Somansh Agrawal
Technical Product Manager
Nandan Global
Vipul Nandan, Lead Developer
Pankaj Vashist, Wordpress Developer
Gary Wells
Graphics Designer
Rick Leong
Project Support Officer
Daniel Taylor-Griffiths
Senior Project Officer (diagnostic sub-project), SCIF0000 Teacher and Designer
Media Producers
Matthew Oxley
Sebastian Lee
Science Student Faculty Advisors
Euan Rogers (Biology/Ecology)
Gurinder Singh (Ecology)
Krish Pruthi (Medical Science program)
Khandoker Taseen Subartha (Neuroscience/Creative Writing)
Shella Lie (Psychology)
Shay Hirani (Genetics/Molecular and Cell Biology)
Madeline Robinson (Biotechnology/AI)
Jade Williams (Advanced Science (Hons)/ Engineering (Hons))
Science Education Team representatives
Andrew Duncan
Naomi Huynh
Ethan Ou
Kathleen Gray
Science IT Business Partner
User Acceptance Testing Participants
14 participants across multiple rounds of testing.
Initial UAT was conducted with 11 students.
Additional testing was conducted with 1 neurodivergent student and 1 indigenous student.
1 science faculty staff member participated in testing.
The success of SciConnect is attributed to the collegial work of the team and engagement of important stakeholders and collaborators from the following UNSW areas:
- Business School
- Employability
- Nura Gili
- PVCESE Student Engagement
- UNSW Science Heads of School and School Representatives
- UNSW Science Nexus Team
- RASS
- Student Services and Systems
- The Nucleus: Student Hub
- Student Communications
- UNSW IT
- UNSW Library
-
Dingle, G. A., Han, R., & Carlyle, M. (2022). Loneliness, belonging, and mental health in Australian university students pre-and post-COVID-19.聽Behaviour Change,听39(3), 146-156. DOI:
Eccles, J. S., & Wigfield, A. (2020). From expectancy-value theory to situated expectancy-value theory: A developmental, social cognitive, and sociocultural perspective on motivation.聽Contemporary educational psychology,听61, 101859.聽
Iyengar, S. S., & Lepper, M. R. (2000). When choice is demotivating: Can one desire too much of a good thing?.聽Journal of personality and social psychology,听79(6), 995. DOI:
Kinash, S., Crane, L. H., & Schulz, M. (2014). Supporting graduate employability: From generalist disciplines through employer and private institution collaboration. In聽Bond Symposium.
Kift, S. (2009).聽Articulating a transition pedagogy to scaffold and to enhance the first year student learning experience in Australian higher education: Final report for ALTC senior fellowship program. Strawberry Hills, NSW: Australian Learning and Teaching Council.
Lizzio, A. (2006). Designing an orientation and transition strategy for commencing students: A conceptual summary of research and practice (First year experience project). Queensland: Griffith University.
Pintrich, P. R. (2000). The role of goal orientation in self-regulated learning. In M. Boekaerts, P. R. Pintrich, & M. Zeidner (Eds.),听Handbook of self-regulation聽(pp. 451鈥502). Academic Press.聽
Salmon, G. (2013). E-tivities: The key to active online learning (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203074640
Thomas, L., Kift, S., & Shah, M. (2021). Student retention and success in higher education.聽Student retention and success in higher education: Institutional change for the 21st century, 1-16. DOI:
Tinto, V. (2012).聽Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition. University of Chicago press.
Tinto, V. (2017). Reflections on student persistence.聽Student Success,听8(2), 1-8. DOI:
Trowler, V., Allan, R.L., Bryk, J., & Din, R.R.聽(2022).聽Pathways to student engagement: Beyond triggers and mechanisms at the engagement interface.聽High Educ聽84, 761鈥777. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-021-00798-1