The Student at the Heart of the Quality Assurance Process

Introductions and Aims

• Discuss the importance of listening to the student voice

• Present the UWIC context

• Student evaluations

• Student representation

• Further developments

Why is listening to the student voice central to the QA process?Responding to students’ views can:• help improve the quality of learning, teaching

and assessment;• aid retention;• improve student satisfaction levels into the

future (potential impact on student engagement, standards, programme/institutional reputation; recruitment etc.);

Why is listening to the student voice central to the QA process?• help ensure that there is parity of student

experience across the institution;• help ensure that all students’ needs are being

met (e.g. mature students; students with disabilities etc.);

• contribute to students’ perceptions of value for money;

• satisfy requirements of QAA, professional bodies etc.

External Drivers

• Welsh Assembly Government (WAG)(E.g. ‘Listening to Learners’ agenda)

• QAA (expects to see active student involvement at all levels)

• Professional bodies and the inspectorate (Estyn in Wales)

• National Student Survey (NSS)

National Student Survey (NSS)

• Survey for all final year undergraduate students.

• Results are in the public domain.

• Used by prospective students to select appropriate programmes/HEIs.

• Indicator of the quality of learning, teaching, assessment, resources etc.

Institutional Commitment

• Commitment to listening to the student voice at institutional level.

• Genuine opportunities for students to have an impact at:

strategic level; operational level.• Intentions embedded in policy documents (e.g. Learning, Teaching and Assessment

Strategy) and the constitutional framework.

UWIC Context

• Academic programmes and the student population are distributed across five academic Schools.

• Five Schools distributed across four campuses.

• Collaborative provision.

UWIC Context

• Schools often contain several discipline areas and a large number of programmes.

• Schools are subdivided into Departments. • Some Schools are split between campuses.• Some programmes are delivered across

academic Schools.

Challenges

Establish processes and mechanisms that:

• are embedded across the Institution;• are meaningful and useful;• provide all students with equal

opportunities to put forward their views; • are flexible enough to be tailored to

different contexts.

Student Evaluations: Overview

• Students are encouraged to evaluate various aspects of their experience at:

Module level Programme level Institutional level

Student Evaluation Mechanisms

• School level: Module evaluations Programme evaluations Evaluations of work-based learning

• Across UWIC: Surveys, audits and focus groups The Diary Room

Focus of Module and Programme Evaluations

• The quality of teaching• The learning experience • Assessment and feedback• The structure and content of

programmes/modules• Resources/facilities

Students are asked to be honest, realistic and professional in their responses.

Design, Format and Completion of Evaluations

• Consider avoiding a five-point scale (tendency to select the mid point)

• Quantitative data are useful indicators but qualitative comments provide greater detail.

• Useful to arrange completion during a taught session so that the tutor can give an overview (purpose, importance, use of outcomes etc.).

Design, Format and Completion of Evaluations

• Electronic forms can encourage completion and make analysis easier.

• Students who have had a negative experience tend to be most vocal.

• Student responses are often influenced by their most recent experiences (encourage them to reflect on the module/programme as a whole).

Analysis and Impact of Evaluations

• Analysis of data to identify key strengths and issues.

• Software available to aid this.

• Further dialogue with students as necessary.

Mid-module Evaluations

• Evaluations do not have to be restricted to the end of the module.

• The advantage of mid-module evaluations is that improvements can be made while the module is still underway.

Evaluations: Final Steps

• Programme action plans produced to address issues (incorporated into UWIC’s Annual Programme Monitoring process).

• Feedback to students on action taken in response to issues identified.

Challenges Relating to Evaluations

• Encouraging student engagement (survey fatigue?).

• Possible bias in results (e.g. students who wish to make a negative point are often keen to complete the evaluation).

• Student views can be expressed inappropriately.

• Students can be unrealistic or subjective.

Challenges Relating to Evaluations

• Encouraging staff engagement (staff time).

• Defensive attitudes of some staff.

• Management of feedback to students on actions taken.

UWIC-wide Surveys, Audits and Focus Groups

For example:• audit of all new students (e.g. exploring

expectations);• Student Satisfaction Survey;• survey of all students who have withdrawn

from UWIC.

These are undertaken by UWIC Units (e.g. the Learning, Teaching and Development Unit).

The Diary Room

• Approximately 100 students volunteered to take part.

• Students were asked to focus on six key questions.

• Analysis took place to identify specific areas for improvement.

• Incentivising participation: entry into a prize draw.

Student Representation

• Process managed by UWIC’s Students’ Union (UWICSU) in conjunction with academic staff.

• Programme Representatives are nominated or elected at the beginning of each academic year.

• Representative plus a deputy.• Training provided (UWICSU supplemented by

Programme Director).• Use of VLE (Blackboard)/UWIC email to reach the

student body.

Student Representation

• Programme representatives are known as StARs (Student Academic Representatives).

• StARs in each School are supported by a School Representative.

School Representatives

• Recent initiative for UWIC.

• School Reps are appointed (application and

interview) and receive payment.

• Each School has one School Rep.

• The role is undertaken for a year.

School Representatives

SRs are:• responsible to the School and UWICSU;• represent the views of students and StARs;• provide a ‘bridge’ between the student body

and academic staff;• assist in the recruitment and training of

StARs;• feed back outcomes to students.

Encouraging Students to be Representatives

Benefits of student representation include:

• development of a range of skills (e.g. leadership, communication, organisation, problem solving etc.);

• CV enhancement;

• employability.

Student Representation on UWIC Committees and Boards

L&T Board

Programme Committee

L&T CommitteeStaff/Student

Liaison Committee

Further Potential for Student Involvement

• Members of revalidation and periodic review panels.

• Members of QAA audit panels.

• Working alongside staff to contribute to programme re-design/modification.

Outcomes

• Points incorporated into action planning at programme and School level.

Impact on:

i) learning, teaching and assessment strategies;

ii) programme development;

iii) resources, staffing and accommodation

Outcomes

• Issues raised could result in: staff development, learning and teaching workshops, in-house research projects, programme modifications/re-design etc.

• Student perspective offers a different point of view on issues and can influence UWIC-wide strategy.

Further Developments

• Refine mechanisms for feeding back outcomes to students.

• http://www.uwicsu.co.uk/content/138065/membership_services/you_said_we_did/

• More detailed analysis of the effectiveness of student representation structures and processes across the Institution.

• Continue to develop mechanisms to increase student engagement.

Further Developments

• Enhance communication between the student body and StARs; between StARs and the School Representative; between staff and students.