Involving Students Effectively In Quality Assurance Nik Heerens Head of sparqs

Aims Aims of the session: →Understand how student involvement can improve the student experience →Appreciate different ways of involving students in quality of teaching and learning →Appreciate the challenges of involving students and how these might be overcome

sparqs Student Participation in Quality Scotland was created in 2003 and is funded by the Scottish Funding Council Work with: All Universities throughout Scotland Individual staff and students Aim to enhance the involvement of learners in their learning and institutional decisions by: Training Events / sharing practise Consultancy

Bologna Process University governance: →Students are full partners in higher education governance. (Berlin, 2003) →The necessary ongoing reform of higher education systems and policies (…) will require full participation of students and staff. (Leuven, 2009) Social dimension: →making quality higher education equally accessible to all, (…) the need for appropriate conditions for students so that they can complete their studies without obstacles related to their social and economic background. The social dimension includes (…) provide them with guidance and counselling services (Bergen, 2005)

Bologna Process (2) Students at the centre: →Student-centred learning (…) will help students develop the competences they need in a changing labour market and will empower them to become active and responsible citizens. (…) →Student-centred learning requires empowering individual learners, new approaches to teaching and learning, effective support and guidance structures and a curriculum focused more clearly on the learner. (Leuven, 2009) Quality Assurance: →Quality assurance systems should include: Evaluation of programmes or institutions, including internal assessment, external review, participation of students and the publication of results. (Berlin, 2003) →We ask the higher education institutions to pay particular attention to improving the teaching quality of their study programmes at all levels. (Leuven, 2009)

Student Involvement To talk of student involvement is to recognise that students are active participants in and directors of their own learning experience. Student involvement in quality assurance implies a high level of association, responsibility, empowerment and control afforded to the learner. Student Involvement: Is both involvement of the individual student and involvemen of student representatives taking on a greater role at programme, faculty and university level.

Student Involvement (2) Student involvement is not an end in itself – improving the student learning experience is the aim, student engagement is just the process. Why student involvement? ‘’Universities are communities of learning achieved through a partnership between staff and students. A committed partnership between students, as active participants, and the staff at an institution will open up possibilities for authentic and constructive dialogue, offering the opportunity for more holistic and reflective feedback and enhancement of learning.’’ (ref. Cross Sector group on student engagement England & Northern Ireland).

Discussion 1. What, in your view, is effective student involvement? 2. Does your department/faculty agree on what student involvement means, and how to achieve it?

Learner engagement: which areas? The Student Journey 1. Curriculum 2. Learning resources and their deployment 3. Teaching and Learning 4. Assessment and Achievement 5. Student Progression And Outcomes 6. Quality and Standards

involving students: the how actor expert partner information provider a completer of surveys collector & analyst of feedback recognised as experts in learning authentic & constructive dialogue

What’s the most accurate description of student involvement in your institution? A: Information provider (completer of surveys) B: Actor (analyst of feedback/recognised as expert) C: Partner (authentic & constructive dialogue)

Agree or disagree? Effective student engagement implies students are involved in all stages of decision making processes related to teaching and learning.

Student engagement: in what stage? Establish Needs Scoping /preparation Planning/ design Implementation/ action Analysis /Reflection Dissemination Monitor /review

Student engagement: programme level? New curriculum ? Scoping /preparation Design curriculum Implementation Analysis first cohort Discussion on improvements Continuous monitoring

Student - Point of View Overarching barriers and issues: Students need to be sufficiently aware of what student involvement means for them and how it will improve their overall experience Effective student involvement is largely dependant on how effectively staff can encourage and inform students throughout their entire student journey Correct conditions (policies, processes, buy-in, relationships) so that students can effectively be involved in QA processes In many cases students will need the opportunity and assistance to effectively reflect upon their learning in order to be able to comment on it successfully

Staff – Point of view Overarching barriers and issues: Student involvement means different things to different people and therefore achieving student involvement won’t necessarily be the same for all Uncertain about how to get the most out of student involvement both at the individual and representative level Past successes or failures with students can have an impact on how staff view student involvement Difficulty in attracting students to take on representative roles and maintaining student involvement

Areas to think about Are the right conditions in place for individual learner engagement – policies, procedures, opportunities Are different types of opportunities for engagement available for different types of learners? Do learners have the correct information or knowledge to be effectively engaged Is the timing of engagement right? Are learners building on their experience of being engaged and having the opportunity to develop as co-creators or active learners?

Final word Student involvement is an effective mechanism to enable students to experience success in their entire learning journey and achieve their full potential.

Involving Students Effectively In Quality Assurance Questions