Developing effective student staff partnerships

Engaging Student Course Representatives in the collection and feedback to students and staff of academic and non-academic feedback

Michelle Morgan, Andrew Gibson and Denza Gonsalves

Faculty of Science, Engineering and Computing

Kingston University

Aims and objectives• Provide a rationale for change and the structure adopted

• Explain how the scheme has increased student participation in academic and

non-academic feedback, enhanced peer feedback and improved student

morale through the student voice being heard at a Departmental and Faculty

level

• Illustrate how the scheme has enabled students to influence quality

enhancement and institutional governance at a University level

• Highlight the challenges of obtaining cross school and student support for the

new scheme.

Rationale for change• Differing practice across 8 schools within the Faculty

• Pulled together good practice

• Student voice raising concerns• SSCC membership –staff outweigh students

• Action points not followed up or fed back

• Some meetings cancelled

• Effectively build the student voice into core activities at Faculty level (e.g. meetings, early module feedback etc)

• Raising the profile and status of the course representative scheme

• Enhancing the ‘feedback’ cycle- academic and non-academic.

Responses to the feedback

Important for Course Representatives and Staff :

• to let the student body know what happened to their academic and non-academic issues raised at Meetings and in Early Module Feedback

Essential that:

• Students see that their voice is being HEARD

• Staff engage in continuous development.

Rationale for change• Differing practice across 8 schools within the Faculty

• Pulled together good practice

• Student voice raising concerns• SSCC membership –staff outweigh students

• Action points not followed up or fed back

• Some meetings cancelled

• Effectively build the student voice into core activities at Faculty level (e.g. meetings, early module feedback etc)

• Raising the profile and status of the course representative scheme

• Enhancing the ‘feedback’ process- academic and non-academic

• New Students Union member of staff with remit for course representation

• Giving ‘added value’ to students who participate (for PDP).

Provide CRs with the opportunity to engage in:

• Faculty Course Representative Certificate • Required to undertake specific activities to support Faculty quality enhancement strategy

• Semester 1 and 2 workshops run by the Engagement Unit• Employability and career sessions

• Student Course Representative and Ambassador Conference (SU led)

• Skill sessions run by the Students Union and Engagement Unit

• Senior Course Representative Scheme run by Students Union.

Added Value

Added Value

Develop/enhance skills through the CR role

• Communication• Listening• Networking• Relationship building• Reflection • Presentation

• Organisation• Report writing• Diplomacy• Negotiation • Research• Time management /

prioritisation.

•Important to identify and record skills obtained through course and extra curricula activities

•Supports and extends employability activities

Course Representative structure adopted• 2- 5 course representatives per course per year

• To get diverse and wide coverage of opinions and concerns• To encourage team work

• Self nomination• Widen interest• Encourage positive rather than negative recruitment (e.g. Student feeling forced into the role)

• Provide ‘open’ opportunities

• No elections• Encourage inclusivity not exclusivity• Increase ‘atypical’ students who would not normally apply• Encourage existing CRs to continue for continuity and support of new CRs

• Call goes out end of the academic year• Summer vacation to consider participation and get key dates in the diary• Course Directors involved in advertising and recruitment of new incoming students as CRs• Mid Year recruitment opportunity

• Engage and coordinate activities with key university units (e.g. Careers, SU).

Activities to increase student participation in academic and non-academic ‘Feedback’

Components of the SEC Course

Representative Certificate

CRs awarded a SEC Certificate showing

participation and successful completion

of all of the following components:• Completion of the formal CR induction run

by the Faculty and Kingston University’s Students Union (KUSU) (compulsory) **

• Participation and feedback in the Student Staff Consultative Committee (SSCC) or Board of Study (BoS) (at least one a year)

• Participation in the Faculty Forum (FF) meeting or relevant BoS (at least one a year)

• Support the Early Module Feedback process

All activities designed to feed into and influence QE

** If not completed, cannot participate as a CR

Students UnionCR Certificate

• All SEC and Student Union activities listed on a Students Union Certificate

• Enables students unable to complete the SEC CR Certificate to have their activities formally recorded for their PDP or CPD log.

ANY QUESTIONS SO FAR?

• Speak to friends on course• Seek positive and less positive feedback• Consult peers in core lectures/labs/seminars• Post its• Nominal group technique• Study space/Email /Facebook/One community• Module review group meetings.• Gather constructive ideas for improvements• Be professional• Factual not emotional

Gathering and providing Feedback

SSCC (academic issues) and Faculty Forum (non-academic issues)

• Gather feedback with other Course Representatives on same course and level issues raised by fellow course peers

• Collect comments on the Pre-SSCC or Pre-FF Meeting Feedback form and take this form to the meeting (in semester 1 completed form sent to clerk 1 week in advance)

• Complete the meeting blog with the collected comments (piloted for FF in semester 2)

• All course representatives, who have contributed to the Pre-SSCC or FF Meeting comments, will jointly present the issues at the meeting if they can attend

• Issues will be looked at by Staff /Student Chair in advance to problem solve pre-meeting ***

• Provide feedback to course peers within a week of the meeting.

Feedback to meetings

***CRs have the opportunity to chair the meeting

Early-module feedback (EMF)

Reasons

• Faculty initiative

• Enable feedback to support existing cohort

• Enable specific comments not transferable to another module cohort

• Continuing Quality Improvement (CQI) in L&T

• Feedback initiative to improve NSS.

Collection of Early Module Feedback

• CRs register their modules via Survey Monkey

• CRs allocated either the main collector or helper role (aim is to get each CR to do both)

• Final allocations and final instructions

are sent 2 weeks before collection

The Early Module Feedback Process

• Module leader uploads link to Early Module Template on front page of the Black Board Module site

• Module Leader communicates with Course Reps and Lecturer who is teaching the week of collection to confirm collection and process

• Feedback collected in lecture at start or middle with lecturer absent

• Feedback collected on hard copy template available from the School Offices

• Identify 3 good things and up to 3 things (if any) that could be improved

• Transfer comments onto the Early Module Feedback template on Black Board for

the module

• Module leader responds with 2 weeks of the collection.

Advantages of CRs collecting EMF

‘I think students feel they can be completely honest when they talk to their CR especially when lecturers aren't present during the feedback. Taking feedback this year motivated so many students to actually come forward with other problems during the year whereas previously I'm not sure students actually thought of seeing a CR for advice’.

‘Students won't be able to voice out their opinion or be completely honest regarding the module if the module leader is the collector of the feedback’.

‘I feel that students are more willing to talk to fellow class mates about their issues because they too might agree. Where as if the student talked directly to the module leaders, they may not raise exactly the same points because they may feel intimidated and awkward. Some students are very proactive and are able to speak to the module leaders, which they can do on their own accord. However for those students who are less confident, I feel it is more appropriate for the CRs to continue doing the collection’.

Construct solutions to issues

When you raise or are addressing an issue, come prepared

with a solution

Think about:• What would be the solution?• What resources do staff have access too?• How realistic is your solution?• How creative is your solution?.

Challenges• Staff perception of student ability and professionalism

• Student perception that their voice will be ignored

• Accessing affordable resources to enable student participation

• Achieving active student and staff participation

• Utilising and piloting technology to support the scheme

• Site and discipline issues.

Summary• Provide effective training for Student Course Representatives in

collaboration with the Students’ Union

• Trust Student Course Representatives to collect feedback and to report staff responses to students

• Provide a transparent rapid response to the feedback collected by Student Course Representatives

• Change what is possible and reasonable

• Explain why immediate changes are not feasible.

Conclusion• Course Representatives are generally rational and fair

especially if well trained

• Want reasonable improvements

• Ongoing process

• Build year on year

• Communication is key!

Thank you for listening

Any questions for Michelle, Andy or Denza?