Let Learning Flourish

Student Partnership Agreement

]students’ association

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Introduction

City of Glasgow College is the largest and most diverse tertiary education establishment in Scotland. Our College provides over 2,000 courses across a diverse range of technical, business, and professional curriculum areas, offering a wide range of learning opportunities at a level that encourages success and progression, enabling each student to reach their full potential.

We maintain a commitment to ‘Let Learning Flourish’ through the inspiration, excellence and innovation of our learning and teaching methods, and state-of-the art facilities and resources. Our unique Industry Academy model channels our curriculum and staff expertise, along with external industry partner collaboration, to match the needs of students with the needs of employers.

Our priority focus is always our students and we are committed to ensuring active involvement

and real participation to achieve ongoing quality improvement and enhancement in learning and teaching.

To extend this commitment the College and the Students’ Association have agreed to enter into a formal Student Partnership Agreement, developed by students and staff. It emphasises and enhances our commitment to work together to create a world class student experience.

This formal partnership documentation identifies the opportunities that students have to express their opinions and to engage with the life of the college and further identifies how we will agree priorities and actions for joint partnership working. This partnership agreement is a dynamic document that will continually develop as new areas of work are identified and agreed upon.

Signed on behalf of City of Glasgow College, Principal & Chief Executive Officer, Paul Little

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date_________________________

Signed on behalf of City of Glasgow College Students, Student President, Megan Cartwright

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date__________________________23rd October 2017 23rd October 2017

The Students’ Association – CitySA The Students’ Association at City of Glasgow College exists to represent the interests of all students studying at the College. The Students’ Association provides a platform for students to express their views on all aspects of College life including all aspects of the learning experience. Students are given the opportunity to elect students to represent the views and opinions of the wider student body. The College and Students’ Association work in partnership to deliver positive outcomes for all students and enhance the quality of the student experience. As there is a mature relationship built on mutual respect they are able to act as critical friends to each other when necessary.

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Student Representation

The Students’ Association is responsible for overseeing the formal mechanisms for student engagement through the College’s student representative structures. Students are invited onto committees and working groups relating to the student experience across all levels of governance and are actively engaged in the decision making processes. The main representative roles are our sabbatical Student President and paid part time Vice Presidents. In addition the Student Executive, Faculty Representatives and Class Representatives are involved in the representation structures and play a vital role in feeding information to staff and students.

To ensure that every student at the College can have their voice heard, each course is required to support the election of a Class Representative who can speak on behalf of their peers on all matters related to their learning experience. Class Representatives are also given the opportunity to contribute to Course Improvement and Action Meetings (CIAMs) which take place across the College twice a year with the aim of enhancing

the quality of the learning experience on each course. These meetings are also informed by our Student Experience and Learning & Teaching Surveys through which all students can express their opinion.

Class Representatives elect Faculty Representatives who become members of the Student Representative Council of the Students’ Association. Faculty Representatives are able to raise issues and challenges within College decision making forums such as the Academic Board and other college committees. To ensure that the diversity of our student body is represented within the decisions made by the Students’ Association, there are roles set aside on the Student Representative Council for international students, women, BME students, LGBT+ students and students with disabilities.

Training and ongoing support is provided for all student representatives by the Students’ Association and Student Engagement Teams.

Representation at CitySA

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Partnership at City

The College and the Students’ Association have a strong joint commitment to student participation, representation and engagement. Both parties work closely to ensure a supportive and inclusive learning environment, fostered by open and informed communication. There are several drivers

which inform this commitment including sparqs’ Student Engagement Framework, the Students’ Association Framework developed by the Scottish Government, NUS Scotland and the Scottish Funding Council and the College’s own Student Experience Strategy.

In order to formalise the creation and development of new partnerships throughout the course of each academic year, the following process will be used to bring forward ideas from the student body

• Aims from the Student Experience Strategy will be posted online each block, via the My Voice platform. Students will post their ideas relevant to the topic onto the platform. All students are able to rate and comment on the ideas suggested.

• Ideas will be collated and reviewed by the My Voice Representation Team to identify which ideas to take forward for discussion with the City Partnership Forum.

• The Forum will agree on which areas are to be taken forward and will also identify which college and student partners need to be involved.

• Updates from the Forum will be provided to the Student Experience Leadership Group, the Students, Staff and Equalities Committee and the Board of Management at the end of each block.

• Feedback will be provided to students on the outcome of different ideas via the My Voice platform as to whether a partnership has been agreed (tangible outcome) or if no further progress can be made at this time (learning outcome).

• Once a new partnership has been approved, it will become part of the Student Partnership Agreement.

Membership of the groups involved:

• My Voice Representation Team – Presidential Team, the Student Representative Council and the Students’ Association Liaison Officer.

• City Partnership Forum – Core membership of Director of Student Experience, Director of Performance, Students’ Association Liaison Officer, Student Engagement Manager and Student President. Students who proposed the ideas presented to the Forum will be invited to attend the meeting at which their idea is to be discussed. Representatives from College Faculties, Senior Management and sparqs/NUS will be invited on an ad hoc basis depending on the matters being discussed.

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The members of the Forum will inform discussions with relevant and up to date information including, but not limited to, outcomes from student focused surveys and student opinion questionnaires, relevant information from CIAMs, outcomes from Representation Team and themed Class Rep meetings and any other issues pertaining to student satisfaction as appropriate.

The City Partnership Forum will also receive proposals for partnership working from college partners seeking student involvement. These proposals can come either from the College representatives on the Forum or by other members of staff who have been invited to present their proposal. Once approved, the same process will be followed as for ideas submitted by students.

Staff and students will be informed of the outcomes of the Forum through College committees and student feedback mechanisms. The impact of each partnership will be measured, disseminated and used to inform future work.

As part of its role, the City Partnership Forum will review the Student Partnership Agreement on an annual basis.

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My Voice - Journey

Feedback

Topics

Topic - Each block a topic will be identified from the Student Experience Strategy.

Ideas

Ideas - Students will post ideas about the topic. Students will also be able to rate and comment on the ideas posted.

My VoiceRepresentation

Team

My Voice Representation Team - Meet to identify which ideas will be taken forward based on popularity, relevance and viability.

City Partnership

Forum

City Partnership Forum - Discusses ideas from the Representation Team and Forum Partners. Agrees on innovation initiatives and establishes partnerships.

TangibleOutcome

LearningOutcome

Learning Outcome - If an idea cannot be taken forward it will be recorded as a Learning Outcome.

Tangible Outcome - An initiative is agreed and partners, resources and timelines established.

Feedback - Students and staff will be informed of the learning and tangible outcomes through relevant College committees and student feedback mechanisms.The positive impact of each partnership will be measured and disseminated.

City Campus:190 Cathedral Street Glasgow G4 0RFt: 0141 375 5555www.cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk

INSPIRATION I EXCELLENCE I INNOVATIONScottish Charity Number SC036198