Policy for student engagement
Introduction
ION recognises student representation forms an important part of the Institute’s quality assurance, development and enrichment procedures, and enabling students to feed back their experiences of their studies and to help form developments by being involved in improvement projects.
Aims
The aims of the process are to ensure that the views of students are listened to, considered and contribute to the improvement of the delivery of the course at the Institute including:
- Learning and teaching
- Programme development and review
- Learning and support services
- Programme and module administration
- Student support and guidance
Student representatives are members of the following committees
- Student/Staff Liaison Committee
- Academic Review Board
- Education Committee
Student/Staff Liaison Committee
The Student/Staff Liaison Committee meets twice a year for each cohort/year. Additionally, all students are asked to participate in a survey to ensure that all students have a means to contribute their views to the improvement of the programmes.
Each cohort and year group elect their own representative. The representative is provided with guidelines on how to engage with their peers to gather information and to represent their peers’ views to the committee.
The Committee gives students the opportunity to provide feedback relating to their programmes directly and any other matters that have been brought to their attention to academic and administration staff and the Dean. Students are encouraged to provide input on further improvements and opportunities for development, e.g. in relation to curriculum and assessment.
In addition, students are encouraged to use the module evaluation process to provide feedback at a module and year level. Students also have a range of forums on RelION where they can discuss their modules and assignments and issues that arise from those. Staff review these forums to monitor and interact in order to consider and, where possible, resolve student issues as quickly as possible.
Student Representatives are invited to attend the Academic Review Board, Education Committee and Board of Trustees.
The Student/Staff Liaison Committee informs the Academic Review Board, who in turn report to the Education Committee and finally the Board of Trustees.
Outline of the process
- Staff/Student Forums are scheduled at least twice during each academic year and included in the academic calendar. The suggested agenda (template below) is designed to serve as a basis for meetings. It contains the main areas that could be covered, to which other items or subheadings can be added. Items raised in Module Evaluation should be included.
- The Academic Administrator is responsible for communicating to all academic staff and student representatives the venue, date and time of the meeting along with the agendas and minutes and action plans from previous meetings and any other papers. The Academic Administrator will take notes of the meeting and the Head of Courses chairs the meetings.
- Year Leaders are required to collect and collate student feedback, from both online forums and direct discussions with students, and to raise issues, where appropriate, with the Head of Courses or Business Manager. Year Leaders and Module Leaders should also take responsibility for monitoring and moderating online forums.
- Following each meeting of the Student/Staff Liaison Committee, the Academic Administrator will write minutes.
- Minutes of the Committee meetings should note all areas of feedback and in particular any action that needs to be taken and by whom. The minutes should be agreed by the members of the Committee, and submitted to the next meeting of Academic Review Board.
- The Academic Review Board will report to the Education Committee actions agreed following the Student/Staff Liaison Committee.
- The minutes of Student/Staff Liaison Committee should also be available on the VLE area so that they are available to all students.
- Student Representatives in the first instance, refer any issues arising during the meetings that require action to the Head of Courses, and should ensure that information regarding the action taken is communicated to students.
- At the start of the academic year, Student Representatives, the Academic Team, Academic Administrator and the Chair of the Student/Staff Liaison Committee should review, comment upon items raised during the previous year, which should then be fed into the production of the Annual Programme Review report(s).
Feedback to students
Feedback is given at each Student/Staff Liaison Committee meeting regarding any issues from the previous meeting that required action.
Students should be able to view the minutes from both Academic Review Board and Staff/Student Liaison Committee meetings on the VLE (RelION). Academic staff and Student Representatives should work together to identify and implement best practice and disseminate outcomes to students.
Issues that remain unresolved will be reviewed by the academic team at the start of each academic year, and where necessary will be taken up by the Dean, who will report the Institute’s response back to the Education Committee.
Membership
Membership of each Staff/Student Liaison Committee includes:
- Academic Administration
- Module Leaders
- Year Leaders
- Head of Courses
- Head of Clinics
- Dean
- Student Representatives (one per cohort)
Student Representatives
A student representative from each cohort and year is elected from their peers to serve for one academic year, acting as a point of liaison between the student body within their cohort and year and the Institutes Academic and Administrative Services.
Student Representatives are required to keep in contact with students and staff in their year. Student Representatives are required to raise issues in relation to accessibility and ensure progress if made on any actions.
Student Representatives are required to report back to students, promote student satisfaction surveys and attend Staff/Student Liaison Committee meetings. A Student Representative from the Staff/Student Liaison Committee will be elected from the group to attend the Academic Review Board, Education Committee and Board meetings to feedback on behalf of the Student body. Notification of meeting dates will be provided at the commencement of each academic year.
Student-Staff Liaison Committee Meeting Guidance Student Representatives
Student representative is a very important role and your involvement is appreciated by the Institute.
As a Student Representative your main role is to represent the voice of your year and cohort group.
There will be two Student/Staff Liaison Committee meetings at ION (Ambassador House in Richmond) which are scheduled for November and April each academic year. Student Representatives from e-learning courses can choose to attend via Skype if that is easier. Exact timings will be confirmed prior to the meetings, however, meetings usually run from 10.00am until 12.00pm.
The purpose of the meetings is for Student Reps to bring feedback from their groups (including what works well and for suggestions for areas of improvement). All ION academic staff will be in attendance and we will produce minutes with our formal response to the feedback provided. These will be posted up on the home pages of RelION.
The key areas that we ask for feedback on are:
- Learning and teaching
- Programme development and review
- Learning and support services
- Programme and module administration
- Student support and guidance
- Facilities
- Learning resources (RelION / Science Direct and other)
- Feedback on any other academic issues
In order to collate feedback, Student Reps can post a forum post on RelION and ask students to respond directly to an email address. The e-student reps and a-student reps should liaise with each other to ensure all areas are covered).
Student Representatives have the facility to make announcements through course home pages. Using this facility will provide information to the Student Representatives on where the feedback originates from (e or a learners).
Student Representatives have access to Survey Monkey feedback from their cohort’s feedback.
Template Agenda
Student / Staff Liaison Committee Agenda
Date
10.00am – 12.00pm, Ambassador House, Paradise Road, Richmond, TW9 1SQ
Attendees:
- Welcome
- Minutes of the last meeting
- Learning and teaching
- Programme development and review
- Learning and support services
- Programme and module administration
- Student support and guidance
- Facilities
- Learning resources (RelION / Science Direct and other)
- Feedback on any other academic issues
- AOB
