Assessing the Potential of Student Engagement with Student Support Services at the School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation

The School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation (SEBI) student’sengagement with SEBI support services has been a matter of concern since the establishment of the School in 2017. Of the fifteen hundred (1500) students registered at the School, approximately 40% of them use the student support services offered to increase retention, enhance performance, reduce uncertainties, and guide students to success. The literature showed that student engagement is important for the greater achievement of student outcomes, maintaining retention, as well as to offset any ambiguity and challenges within the learning environments. The practitioner used Astin’s Theory of Student Involvement and Tinto’s Student Integration Theory to discuss the phenomenon of infrequent engagements of students with student support services SEBI. The research used a mixed-method approach to investigate the current framework of student support services at SEBI and student's engagement with these services. The findings suggest that the students' perception of the support services offered by SEBI is that the services are inadequate, and that their success is as a result of peer support and their individual persistence. The practitioner proposes a student support strategy prototype that will involve a collaboration between students and faculty members for a more effective and efficient student support service.