1. Students as partners in colleges’ self-evaluative activity and enhancement planning
Hannah Clarke, sparqs
Steph Kirkham, sparqs
Al Wilson, Edinburgh College Students’ Association
Gloria Laurini, Fife College Students’ Association

2. Session Outline
Background to student engagement in reviews and the self-evaluative method in colleges.
Activity: from information provider to partner in self-evaluation.
Examples of practice – Edinburgh College Students’ Association (ECSA) and Fife College Students’ Association (FCSA).
Activity: what does effective student engagement in the self-evaluative process look like and how can it be achieved?

3. How Good is Our College? (HGIOC) 2016/17-
The emphasis of HGIOC – acronyms are all in the back of your handbooks
INWARDS: Emphasis on self evaluation – the college being equipped to work with its students and staff to look inwards and be reflective about its strengths and weakenesses, areas of great practice and areas for development
OUTWARDS: The sector should work together, learning from each other and what is happening else where to challenge itself and develop our own thinking
FORWRADS: Thinking about what the future might hold, what industries students need to be prepared for, what the best learning methods for those would be, what skills we will need and how we can work towards getting there

4. Aims of HGIOC
Strengthen college ownership of evaluation and planning for improvement;
Provide external challenge and validation;
Integrate with SFC Outcome Agreements;
Develop regional approaches to the management of quality;
Establish baseline across sector and identify areas of challenge.

5. Why should we bother engaging students in self-evaluation and enhancement processes?
In your groups, discuss the reasons why colleges should engage students in reviews.

6. Student engagement: a government priority
“It is a Scottish Government priority that student engagement in colleges should be progressed and that the role of students’ associations in all aspects of college life should be further developed.”
“…the work of students’ association and learner voice is integral to colleges understanding the needs of diverse student groups…”
Supplementary Guidance for College Evaluative Reports and Enhancement Plans (Scottish Funding Council, 2017)

7. Student engagement in HGIOC
Scottish Funding Council expects that students are involved in quality arrangements and college Outcome Agreements.
At a minimum this means students being consulted about their views and providing feedback.
The ambition is of students working in partnership with colleges and being able to contribute to improvements, enhancing the experience of all learners.

8. Activity: What role do students play in self-evaluation?

9. Information Provider Actor Expert Partner
Completing surveys (e.g. Student Satisfaction and Engagement Survey).
Giving feedback in focus groups.
Giving your opinion in class chats.
Responding to course reps’ questions.
Shaping the content and tools of feedback.
Responding to and adding to others’ comments.
Identifying common themes in feedback.
Suggesting priorities for decision-making.
Providing detailed evidence about your own learning experiences.
Contributing experiences of a particular type of student, such as an under-represented group.
Meeting with review teams.
A student as an external validator (Student Team Member etc.)
Full members of committees (Quality/Learning and Teaching Committee etc).
Proposing ideas, not just commenting on others’.
Jointly shaping plans and strategies.
Working and learning together with staff and management.
Occasionally leading on projects.

10. The role of students in self-evaluation
For effective student engagement to take place students should be involved in, both:
Planning and supporting college self-evaluative activity;
Contributing to the review process as external reviewers or ‘validators’.

11. Our Experience at Edinburgh College
Student Mental Health Workshop
Our Experience at Edinburgh College
Not re-inventing the wheel
Constant data collection
Synchronisation
Officer Induction & Handover
Challenges
Looking Inwards
Looking Outwards
Looking Forwards
How Good Is Our College?
Class Rep Conference 2018

12. Not re-inventing the wheel
Student Mental Health Workshop
Not re-inventing the wheel
Class Rep Cycle of Engagement
Not doing new stuff
Aligning objectives with outcomes
Class Rep Conference 2018

13. Always gathering information
Student Mental Health Workshop
Always gathering information
Gather info all year round – not retrospectively
Getting Reps to do the work
Theming feedback
Class Rep Conference 2018

14. Aligning calendars & processes
Student Mental Health Workshop
Aligning calendars & processes
Planning how it all fits together before we get started
Consider what happens after the feedback is gathered
Class Rep Conference 2018

15. Officer Induction & Handover
Student Mental Health Workshop
Officer Induction & Handover
President & President-Elect working together post-elections
Class Rep Conference 2018

16. Challenges to engagement
Student Mental Health Workshop
Challenges to engagement
HGIOC is not exciting to most people
How is it meant to work?!
Changes from year-to-year
Internal & External – complementary
Culture of staff & students
Class Rep Conference 2018

17. FCSA FIFE COLLEGE and HGIOC
FCSA involvement in the HGIOC process

18. Year Year 2
1st year meeting was not very clear to the FCSA, partially involved by Quality, however not sure about what happened after that
Our Welfare and Equality president was not aware of the process when she attended a HGIOC event in November 2017
After our enquiries the Quality team met with the FCSA and discussed the plans for the 1st review
Quality department invited FCSA to qualitative writing workshop
FCSA trained to use erep (online reporting system) and able to produce our own qualitative comments
Catch up meetings with Quality department regarding learner survey and upcoming review visit
FCSA present at review meeting with Ed Scotland and the SFC
Invited and attended workshop for the following year VS

19. How do we engage students in the process?
Explain the role of the Quality department during class rep training
Get the curriculum involved by offering class rep talks to all classes
Class rep meetings
Focus groups

20. Activity: Student Partnership in college self-evaluation
Now it’s your turn!
In your groups, consider the examples of effective student engagement and consider:
What are the challenges to achievement?
What support you might need to do this?

21. Next steps…
How can we support you? Let us know!