University College London's Journey to Empower Student Safety and Community Engagement

UCL aimed to create an online experience that served two critical needs: Induction and Fire Safety tracking and reporting. Through a strategic partnership with StarRez, they implemented both processes within just two months, catering to their diverse global population while enhancing staff efficiency in reporting and management.

Building a More Informed Student Community

For many students, living in UCL Accommodation marks their first experience away from home and managing life independently. Nestled in the heart of London, UCL's residential buildings are in a densely populated and historically significant area, presenting unique challenges for the university's Accommodation team.

Their primary goal is to ensure that students are well-informed, aware of the resources available to them, and, above all, safe during their time in UCL's halls. The team required a solution that could effectively address both regulatory compliance and student engagement, ensuring that every resident feels secure and supported within their new environment.

By utilising StarRez, UCL Accommodation has successfully built a more knowledgeable and informed student community. Through the StarRez platform, UCL delivers crucial arrival information as part of their comprehensive Induction Process, meets stringent fire safety standards, and allows the team to track the completion rates of Fire Walks. This holistic approach keeps students safe, while empowering them to refer to the portal for information they may need to access further along in their residency.

Utilising the Pre-Arrival Period to Educate Students

The Student Induction Process delivers essential information to students before they arrive on campus. Students are notified about the available resources and support systems at UCL and how to stay safe while living in the halls. Students can access all the information and their forms within the UCLAccommodation Portal.

The UCL Accommodation team conducted a comprehensive information review in collaboration with student focus groups and student experience assistants to identify any gaps in the Induction Process. Based on the feedback, the team added additional content focusing on: living with others, how to be inclusive, mental health, and budgeting.

The team also introduced topics related to mental health and how to live well with others. While these updates added steps to the Induction Process, the team leverages StarRez to tailor the information to each student. Information is now delivered in a digestible format, with specific pathways for different student types. UCL Accommodation reported that 7% more students responded that they feel community in their hall compared to the previous year. In addition, they reported that 10% more students responded that they feel their well-being is being supported in the halls. This approach aimed to avoid overwhelming students with information after they arrived and to promote better retention and success.

A Pre-Academic Year Pop-Quiz

To ensure students fully understand the Induction Process, the team included a quiz within StarRez to test the knowledge and information received. Completion of the quiz is mandatory for finalising the Student Induction Process, and their booking is updated to indicate approval for move-in. With a 99% completion rate, the UCL Accommodation team finds the quiz step effective in confirming the student induction process, ensuring that students are well-prepared and informed as they begin their journey at UCL.

Creating a 3-Step Fire Safety Activities Procedure within StarRez

UCL Accommodation extended their use of induction to also comply with the Fire Safety Regulations 2022 and the Building Safety Act, which set compliance standards for high-risk buildings. This ensures that all students are familiar with their building, know what to do in case of a fire, and understand emergency procedures.

While the legislation identifies high-risk buildings as those over 18 metres high, the Fire Safety team decided to apply these mandatory processes to all buildings, even those under 18 metres, to future-proof the process against potential legislative changes. To streamline the process, UCL Accommodation separated the Fire Safety Activities into three parts: the Fire Safety Video, the Fire Safety Form, and Fire Walks.

Part 1: The Fire Safety Video

The first activity students must complete is watching the Fire Safety Video. This video is included in the Student Induction process and is available to students seven days before check-in. It provides essential information such as what to do when a fire alarm sounds, the prohibition of certain items in residence halls, and the no-smoking or vaping policy.  

Part 2: The Fire Safety Form

The second step is completing the Fire Safety Form. This form is available after students arrive and confirms that residents are aware of the exit routes and procedures specific to their building. Creating this form within StarRez allows the UCL Accommodation team to run reports and verify which students have completed these activities.

Part 3: Fire Safety Walks

The final part of the Fire Safety Activities is a newer initiative: Fire Safety Walks. During the first week of term after residents have checked into their Halls, Student Ambassadors host Fire Walk sessions. Once completed, the Hall Team can easily update the student’s booking record in StarRez to reflect completion. Then, the teams can utilise the data for reporting purposes.

StarRez email wizard was utilised to communicate with residents about the fire safety process. After the main move in weekend, UCL Accommodation sends a dedicated Fire Safety email outlining the Fire Safety Induction process and the Fire Safety Walks. This communication method allows the team to send using the in-room status and automatically follow-up with residents who haven't completed these processes.

Transforming Fire Safety Management

The implementation of the new structure for managing Fire Safety activities within StarRez Including the reporting capabilities have improved the team’s ability to confirm compliance among residents.

As the Fire Safety Induction activities are now linked to bookings, Hall Teams can easily access the necessary information and promptly contact students who need to complete their requirements. The team observed a 92% reduction in the time spent running reports and collecting data. Furthermore, the ability to access and compare compliance rates across different Halls has been significantly enhanced. In UCL’s most recent Fire Safety activities, they achieved a compliance rate of 93% for Fire Walks and 92% for the Fire SafetyInduction.

Lighting the Way to a Safer Path Forward

UCL's partnership withStarRez has enhanced fire safety standards across its residential communities and set a new standard for how universities can approach support for students transitioning into college living.

Learn more about how you can improve your processes with the StarRez platform.