Student Ambassador Project Case Study
Student Ambassador Power Apps Project 2021/22
In this case study, the SharePoint Solutions Service team share an insight into delivering an end-to-end work coordination solution built using Microsoft Power Platform for the University’s Student Ambassador Scheme.
As the new 2021/22 academic year approached, the Student Recruitment and Admissions team at the University enlisted the help of the SharePoint Solutions Service team to develop a platform to coordinate the detailing and then fair distribution of shift work within the Student Ambassador Scheme.
The Student Ambassador Scheme is a student employment programme which brings together a diverse cohort of undergraduate and postgraduate students to support the University in recruitment and outreach activities. The breath of work undertaken by Ambassadors is broad – for example; peer-to-peer text chat, social media activities, student panels, campus visits and tours, and supporting events online or on-campus.
The solution required by the Student Recruitment and Admissions team would allow:
- School staff to define ‘Shifts’ within ‘Job Requests’ detailing work requirements and financial approval details.
- The pool of Ambassadors would then be notified of these posts and could apply for them.
- Then the Student Ambassador Admin team would allocate posts aided by the system to support fair distribution of work to qualified Ambassadors.
- The solution would then support the process of Ambassadors making pay claims and staff approving them for the work completed.
In order to deliver this solution, the SharePoint Solutions Service team used Microsoft Power Platform to develop three Power Apps, supported by Microsoft Lists within a dedicated SharePoint site:
- The Student Ambassador Requests app (used by School staff to request work and manage pay claims)
- The Student Ambassador Portal app (used by the Admin team to manage requests and assign ambassadors to work)
- The Student Ambassador Organiser app (used by Ambassadors to apply for work and submit pay claims)
Three SharePoint Communication sites were also created to sit alongside each app, as well as training guides for School staff and Ambassadors.
The Student Recruitment and Admissions team reported that they were very happy with the service provided by the SharePoint Solutions Service team in delivering the project which required a quick turnaround and brought many localised schemes and systems together into one to support the work of Student Ambassadors across the University.
“This project has been a fantastic opportunity to bring lots of localised schemes and systems into one to support the work of Student Ambassadors across the institution. Without the SharePoint Team this would not have been possible for this academic year. We didn't have long to create the system and what we wanted was complex, but the team listened and created what we hoped for. I have been very impressed by the service and amazed at the capability of SharePoint and Power Apps.”
– Liz McNicol, Student Ambassador Manager.
The Student Ambassador Project launched at the start of October 2021, and at the time of writing, 867 jobs comprised of 1,759 shifts have been completed, with a roster of 166 Student Ambassadors in the system. The SharePoint Solutions Service team have thoroughly enjoyed collaborating with the Student Recruitment and Admissions team on this project and plans are now underway to develop a mobile app version for Student Ambassador access.
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