Student Involvement

1. Student Involvement Madrid 19-20 October 2006 Norman Sharp, Director, QAA Scotland Duncan Cockburn, Senior Development Officer, sparqs

2. Outline • why student involvement? • students as partners in Scottish quality management • students in the Scottish Quality Enhancement Framework • a case study of student involvement • the key role of sparqs – student participation in quality Scotland

3. Students as partners in Scottish Quality Management • emphasis on enhancement – The Quality Enhancement Framework (QEF) • emphasis on partnership – The Quality Working Group • student chair of QWG; full member of QAA Scotland; observer on Scottish Funding Council; full student membership of sub-committees and working groups

4. Students in the Scottish Quality Enhancement Framework • student members on all key institutional committees • key student involvement in subject level reviews • key student involvement in QAA external institutional level reviews - including full student membership of external review team

5. student involvement in Enhancement Themes – process and outcomes • new independent agency to support students in their quality role – student participation in quality Scotland (sparqs)

6. Students & ELIR (I) • Students are full members of ELIR teams • Act alongside 3 academic members and a review secretary • Equally responsible for chairing and participating in meetings with institution • Responsible alongside other members for coming to judgements on the institutions standards of award and quality of learning and teaching • Responsible with other team members for drawing up the commentaries contained within the report • Responsible for writing a section of the report

7. Students & ELIR (II) • Recruitment and Training of Student Members • Recruitment largely through students’ associations • Selection Criteria include current or very recent experience of higher education, experience of representing students’ interests at institutional level, awareness of the diversity of higher education institutions and approaches to quality assurance • Training for Student members is combined with that for other reviewers with an additional day at the beginning (3 days in total)

8. Students & ELIR (III) • Evaluation of the effects of Student Members • Welcomed by institutions undergoing review, any initial fears of having a student member of the panel as disappeared • Welcomed by academic members of the review teams who have stated that it has helped focus attentions on the Student Learning Experience and brought a different dimension to the discussions • Some changes to the recruitment and training of student members over the last 3 years in response to comments from the sector

9. Engaging Students Effectively in Quality Enhancement Processes sparqs (Student Participation in Quality Scotland)

10. background to sparqs • Established in 2003 as a national development service for student representatives • sparqs = student participation in quality Scotland • Remit to work across higher and further education • Aims to support students to engage in quality enhancement systems and students’ associations, institutions and the sector engage students • 4 full-time members of staff and 8 part-time student trainers • Further information on www.sparqs.org.uk

11. Student Representatives Institutional Systems Students’ Associations

12. Course Representative Training • first time course representatives • ‘advanced’ course representative training • end of year review for representatives • Support for Course Representatives • course representative handbook • additional leaflets • sparqs website & e-newsletter • Alternative Methods of Delivering Support • Use of peer-training systems • Use of CD-Rom • Investigating e-learning for representatives

13. Briefings and Events • events for student officers • events for staff within students’ associations • briefings on ELIR • briefing notes on the quality framework • Training Activities • training of faculty/school representatives • training for executive committees • Advice & Consultancy • provision of case studies • involvement in project work

14. Support for Institutional Systems • training for student members of internal • subject review panels • provision of advice and practical support • mapping exercise & conference • Enhancement of Institutional Systems • engagement of students at the faculty level • effective engagement of PG students • generating discussions on curriculum issues • improving communication systems

15. Indicators of implementation of Quality Enhancement (I) • Student involvement in quality processes, there is evidence that... • the experience of being a class representative is valued and the skills which this role develops are acknowledged, as evidenced for example by easier recruitment of class reps, the development of models for assigning credit for this experience and/or the deployment of training programmes for class reps • learning and teaching is experienced positively by students and demonstrates responsive change as a result of active student participation in design and delivery of their educational experience

16. Indicators of implementation of Quality Enhancement (II) • Student involvement in quality processes, there is evidence that... • Problems identified by students are being addressed and rectified • Students have opportunities to talk about their experience of HE in a variety of ways and are more participative and active in the design and delivery of their educational experience • students’ associations report that there are effective class representative systems, which involve lecturers and students