Student Hub

Located on Campus I of the University of Coimbra (UC), the Student Hub was inaugurated in 2021, breathing new life into an old space. Beyond revitalising the location, it has also introduced new dynamics to better support UC students. Designed to make support services faster and more efficient, with less bureaucracy, the Student Hub brings together various UC services—including the Academic Management Service, Social Services, and the International Relations Unit—in one accessible space, where appointments can be booked online in advance. In addition to handling various academic matters in one place, the Student Hub has established strategic partnerships with several organisations in the city to make additional services more accessible to the UC community. It is also a space where UC students can carry out their activities—by booking the various facilities available free of charge to the UC community—or seek guidance on entering the job market. We visited the Student Hub to explore the services and support available in this multi-purpose space.

The project began taking shape in 2019 and officially opened to the UC community in October 2021. The mission of the Student Hub project, developed by in-house teams, was always clear: to serve as a comprehensive support centre for students at the University of Coimbra. Located on the ground floor of the Faculty of Medicine building on Campus I, this UC space was created with the aim of "streamlining processes for students" and focusing on "making the university's services more flexible and less bureaucratic," explains Student Hub coordinator José Dias.

Simplifying the processes of the University of Coimbra's Student Services primarily involved creating a new system to enable a more practical and efficient booking and service process. Students can now schedule appointments and check the opening hours of support services—such as the Academic Management Service, Social Services, and the International Relations Unit—online. The Student Hub coordinator explains that this technological feature allows students to "see how many people are ahead in the queue, the type of appointment, and the estimated waiting time." This reliance on technology for booking appointments "also greatly benefits the student support services themselves," as it allows them to have prior knowledge of cases and begin processing them more efficiently.

In addition to UC's support services, the Student Hub also provides the university community with access to services from external organisations, such as the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) and Coimbra City Council, the latter being responsible for issuing public transport cards. These partnerships enable the Student Hub to function as a multi-service space, providing support not only to students but also to faculty and UC staff. Similarly, the collaboration with the Coimbra Students' Union [AAC – Coimbra Academic Association], through the Student Support Office, offers the student community an additional service point within the Student Hub.

The Student Hub's mission also includes supporting the UC community in developing their activities. To this end, it has invested in "providing spaces for students to meet, work, study, or organise their activities," says José Dias. These rooms can also be booked online through the Student Hub website, where users can schedule appointments and "see the different types of rooms available and their capacities," adds the coordinator.

The Employability Promotion Hub (NUPE) is also located within the Student Hub. Here, both undergraduate and graduate students can access support for entering the job market and receive career advice. In this context, the Student Hub organises a range of initiatives, with a particular focus on soft skills, to help students shape their future and prepare for the job market.

José Dias says that the Student Hub wants to be "an incubator to help students work on and implement their projects." The Student Hub also welcomes future UC students. For this group, the aim is to introduce them to "the academic experience and all that the university has to offer, both in terms of education and beyond the classroom", helping to "remove what could be a barrier when transitioning from secondary to higher education, and also later when they complete their courses", he adds.

Built by a team of in-house architects and engineers, with teams providing daily support to the UC community, particularly students, the Student Hub is, according to the coordinator, "a space that demonstrates the united spirit of the University of Coimbra, as it brings together several multidisciplinary teams working together for a single purpose. This purpose, in line with the UC mission, is to always be at the service of the community, simplifying processes and promoting integration for all".

Content Production and Editing: Catarina Ribeiro, DCOM and Inês Coelho, DCOM

Image and Video Editing: Marta Costa, DCOM

Image Editing: Sara Baptista, NMAR

English Translation: Diana Taborda, DCOM

^{Published on 12.05.2022}