The Challenge
A First Semester International Student (FSIS), who feels excited but also insecure and anxious, needs to be encouraged and motivated to seek and build new relationships within the new RMIT community. Achieving a sense of belonging, purpose and resilience can ease the overwhelming list of serious challenges students face at the start of their study journey.
It is therefore important to better understand the pains and gains of our customers and what roles they play. Exploring potential gain creators and pain relievers help in identifying a product, which we can offer. In our case, it has crystallised early on that some kind of pre-semester program is required to enable FSIS to be study ready.
Parents of a first semester international student (POFSIS), who feel worried and uncertain about how their child will cope alone and settle in a foreign country, needs to not only to be assured of available support services but also actively participate in the care of their child.
Building a community of care, where different stakeholders, including RMIT staff members, FSIS and POFSIS, is at the core of Project LOTUS mission.
The Opportunity
There are no real pre-study curated programs for POFSIS and FSIS to experience and actively participate in to drive deeper confidence in RMIT values of Impact, Passion & Inclusion. Building a community of care program (CCP), where students, parents and staff members can participate in, deepens the sense of and inclusion and creates confidence in RMIT capabilities of care.
The objective is to co-design and co-deliver, together with FSIS & POFSIS, pre-study personalised memorable experiences as part of a CCP. It is envisaged that a "gamified" format of such program will take place interweaved with essential elements on how to survive the first semester. The aim is to empower FSIS with key personal, social and technical skills to overcome hurdles associated with a new start in a foreign country and ensure POFSIS of the safety and professional care of their children.
It is expected that FSIS, POFSIS and RMIT staff members will play a part in such program.
It is expected that FSIS, POFSIS and RMIT staff members will play a part in such program.
Our Journey (March - June 2020)
Source: RMIT Activator
Our Methodology
Source: RMIT Activator
Our stakeholders
The stakeholder map considers different perspectives including typical interactions with FSIS and POFSIS prior to study commencement and during the first period of study. The different colours represent a cluster of stakeholders that provides a similar service in principle, while their position shows the distance of their touchpoint to the FSIS and POFSIS.
Click here to download the Stakeholder map.
The table below shows the different roles our initial customers can participate in.
INITIATOR |
INFLUENCER |
GATEKEEPER |
DECIDER |
PURCHASER |
USER |
POFSIS |
Previous & Current POFSIS |
Agents |
POFSIS |
POFSIS |
FSIS |
FSIS |
FSIS |
RMIT Marketing |
Foreign Government |
RMIT Marketing |
POFSIS |
Agents |
Agents |
- |
- |
Agents |
Teachers |
RMIT Marketing |
RMIT Marketing |
- |
- |
- |
- |
FSIS: First-Semester-International Student
POFSIS: Parents of First-Semester International Students
POFSIS: Parents of First-Semester International Students
Our International Student Profiles
Source: RMIT Customer Experience and Digital | April 2019