Creating an Integrated Picture of Student Engagement across the Scottish Higher and Further Education Sectors. Eve Lewis Head of sparqs with support from HEA funding for research on student engagement in the UK context

sparqs. Student Participation in Quality Scotland. Created in 2003, funded by the Scottish Funding Council. We work with: All colleges and HE institutions throughout Scotland. Students’ Associations. Individual students. Other sector agencies. Aims to enhance the role of students in shaping their learning and institutional decisions.

Today. Why we carried out the research. What we did. Preliminary findings. Examples. How we will complete analysis and create picture.

Why – Student Engagement central pillar of quality landscape but... Who’s good at student engagement? Prizes/conference sessions/external reporting. What are we good at/Where next? benchmarking/self assessment. Why Am I here? Selecting events – development opportunities. Where are we at? Case studies/good practice/projects. How can we help? Support work from agencies.

What we did. 1 hour workshop with a wide range of stakeholders. Open methodology – allowed participants to bring anything to the table. Groups arranged around similar perspectives.

UniCollegeBoth Students 22 Class reps 3 Higher level students 316 Sector practitioners 226 Sector 2 Institutional management 421 Institutional practitioners 521 Teaching staff 211

Emerging Messages. Partnership. Student–led. Change/enhancement. Aligning Students, Reps, Students Association. Addressing diversity. Vast range of approaches and thinking and general agreement.

Providing a good experience. Attendance. Being a good student. Interest and application to a subject area. Commitment to academic discipline. Commitment to institution – facilities. Good teaching and good support mechanisms. Successful learners.

Co-creation. Feedback mechanisms – questionnaires, student committees etc. Activities which involve students shaping individual learning experiences. Students shaping courses, programmes at planning level. Students as full partners in learning community.

Strategic. Quality mechanisms. Involvement and level of engagement in programme monitoring and review, institutional led program review, ELIR and college equivalents. Partnership at strategic level – positive change and enhancement – investment in success of institution.

National. Campaigning. Sector agencies. Influencing government.

Whole student. Extra and co curricular activity – to develop skills, engagement with subject and sense of belonging (improve attendance and commitment to community). Engagement in decision making/quality processes improves engagement in learning and vice versa. Lifelong learners and citizenship.

Enablers. Whole institutional cultural approach Real commitment - views taken seriously not lip service and resources made available. Needs conscious active support. Good open systems including representative. Supporting all students. Strong student associations Training and accessible information. Support mechanisms for class room level activities not apparent.

Examples. 6 out of 48 workshop results. How do they relate to the overview given. Happy to discuss. Processes all results against overview.

Outputs. Contribution to discussion across the sector. Consultation document for Scottish sector. Framework. Further research and analysis.

Consultation Document. Map each response. Outline Framework. – Key areas of activity e.g. good service, co -creators, strategic etc. – Values and principles. – Areas for discussion. – Evaluation. – Evidence/case studies. – Priority areas and responsibilities.

Possible further analysis. College/university. Teaching staff/institutional staff/sector agencies. For an institution. Student perceptions. Around issue – e.g. students/reps. Against existing research.

Eve Lewis Head of sparqs