Enhancing the Student Experience The Student Voice The Student Experience – What the Student Thinks The Student Voice – Engaging Students Student Involvement in Curriculum Design Co-Curricular Activities Mark Charters | Vice President Welfare & Education | welfare.union@stir.ac.uk

Enhancing the Student Experience The Student Voice The Student Experience – What the Student Thinks The definition of student experience can be very different depending on which student we talk to. The social student –dependant on their social relationships and activities. The academic student – major focus placed on their degree and their learning. The part-time student – not simply non full time but students with other commitments e.g. Student parents, working students (those who do not put student at the fore of their identity) Mark Charters | Vice President Welfare & Education | welfare.union@stir.ac.uk

Enhancing the Student Experience The Student Voice The Student Experience – What the Student Thinks This makes enhancing the student experience very difficult for every student. We need to be flexible in our own approach to the student experience and also rethink our own views of student engagement. In order to enhance the student experience with the student at the centre to any approach we need to involve them. To do this we need to see students as not only learners in their own academic field. This presentation examines how we can the different types of student out there and enhance all of their experiences whilst at university. Mark Charters | Vice President Welfare & Education | welfare.union@stir.ac.uk

Enhancing the Student Experience The Student Voice The Student Voice – Engaging Students meaningfully Student engagement is often put down to the module evaluation questionnaire, or the course rep who puts something on the agenda. Meaningful student engagement depends on two groups of people. The Students who lead and engage their peers and the staff who seek and act on student feedback. Mark Charters | Vice President Welfare & Education | welfare.union@stir.ac.uk

Enhancing the Student Experience The Student Voice The Student Voice – Engaging Students meaningfully The Course Rep Network The course rep systems varies in its effectiveness and needs to work at empowering students to bring to staff true and honest feedback. We need people to be proud to be a course rep and active in their roles. To do this together we need to review how we recruit, train and engage our reps to be an active participants in our enhancement agenda. Mark Charters | Vice President Welfare & Education | welfare.union@stir.ac.uk

Enhancing the Student Experience The Student Voice The Student Voice – Engaging Students meaningfully Examples of developments in student engagement e.g. University of Westminster : What we really think (focus groups) - Students on MA courses took part in focus groups with neutral staff to provide feedback on the programme. This provided a more in-depth review of courses than simply a questionnaire. e.g. Staff & Students working as Peers – Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences (GEES) Subject Centre involved students and staff in its educational development work discussing and deciding on new directions within HE. The events aimed to share perspectives, assess interactions, network identify areas of miscommunication and how to improve relations between staff and students. Mark Charters | Vice President Welfare & Education | welfare.union@stir.ac.uk

Enhancing the Student Experience The Student Voice Student Involvement in Curriculum Design Today students are being viewed more and more as co-creators of their own learning. Active student participation within the design of the curriculum has given academics a new insight into how modules and programmes can be structured, and has given students a new role within universities allowing them to engage more and more in their own learning and the learning of their peers. Mark Charters | Vice President Welfare & Education | welfare.union@stir.ac.uk

Enhancing the Student Experience The Student Voice Student Involvement in Curriculum Design e.g. Queen Margaret University – Environmental Justice MSc 16 student enrolled on course All must be local community campaigners Curriculum is determined by the students and staff to focus in on the students interests and community work. e.g. University College Dublin – Geography 400 students enrolled on course Took 4 students on over summer period to design the first year modules Mark Charters | Vice President Welfare & Education | welfare.union@stir.ac.uk

Enhancing the Student Experience The Student Voice Student Involvement in Curriculum Design These examples are very involving and resource heavy. Student involvement in curriculum design however can be done on a much smaller scale and have just as big an impact. e.g. Allowing student to create their own assessments – set criteria different approaches Using feedback questionnaires and focus groups to develop the course for next year (must close the feedback loop) options within the module for students to choose – assessment types – case studies – presentation topics Mark Charters | Vice President Welfare & Education | welfare.union@stir.ac.uk

Enhancing the Student Experience The Student Voice Student Involvement in Curriculum Design Student involvement in the curriculum is a new concept but not something to shy away from. With the new enhancement theme of Graduates for the 21st Century curriculum design may be an essential part to play in how we create that academic curiosity in students. Mark Charters | Vice President Welfare & Education | welfare.union@stir.ac.uk

Enhancing the Student Experience The Student Voice Co-Curricular Activities The student experience covers more than education it’s the all round experience of the student. A lot of development of transferable skills which students gain come not only from their degree programme but from their co-curricular activities. These provide practical experience to back up their academic qualifications making them more employable when they graduate. Mark Charters | Vice President Welfare & Education | welfare.union@stir.ac.uk

Enhancing the Student Experience The Student Voice Co-Curricular Activities Subject Based Student Societies – some universities and students union are looking into subject based societies in order to increase their retention rates and encourage a more academically curious student in their field of study. Stirling has begun this process with societies such as law, business, computing, media, and conservation. Mark Charters | Vice President Welfare & Education | welfare.union@stir.ac.uk

Enhancing the Student Experience The Student Voice Co-Curricular Activities Linking these societies with academic staff can provide opportunities for greater activity within the society, provide knowledge and expertise in the field, and give staff a great in road in order to discuss numerous issues with students. Mark Charters | Vice President Welfare & Education | welfare.union@stir.ac.uk

Enhancing the Student Experience The Student Voice Conclusion To enhance the student experience the student must be at the heart of any initiative. Our universities are now hyper diverse in student and no longer are we filled with the 18-22 UG. In order to enhance the student experience so that we can get the “graduate for the 21st century” we need to engage with students on all levels and ensure that they are as much a part of their own development as is the “lecturer of the 21st century” Mark Charters | Vice President Welfare & Education | welfare.union@stir.ac.uk

References QAA – Rethinking the values of higher education – consumption, partnership, community? http://www.qaa.ac.uk/students/studentEngagement/Rethinking.pdf Fiona Campbell - Enabling the student voice to be heard in academic staff development http://www2.napier.ac.uk/studentvoices/profdev/events.htm Catherine Bovill - Bovill et al (2010) Should students participate in curriculum design? Discussion arising from the first year curriculum design project and a literature review, PRIME, Vol 3 (2) pp17-25

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