Responding to the student voice - Evidence for Enhancement

A Student-led project

We work with students and staff from across the Scottish higher education sector to deliver a student-led project in each year of the Enhancement Theme. A Steering Group, which has a student chair and involves input from a range of staff and students as well as sparqs, provide direction for the project. Each project aims to develop policy, practice, resources and networks around common issues and areas of interest.

In 2017-18, the Responding to Student Voice project explored policy and practice. It examined the ways in which institutions and students’ associations respond to student feedback. During this project students and staff worked together to develop a set of core principles that underpin policies and practices relating to responding to student voice in a range of contexts.

Sector-wide activity

We produced a resource pack based on a set of card that sets out a series of interrelated principles of practice. Staff and students worked in partnership to design and shape the cards, aimed at improving policies, processes and practices around responding to student voice.

Resource pack

Responding to student voice: Principle of practice cards - revised instructions for using online

Publication Date: 02 Jun 2020

This new resource has been developed to support the use of the Student Voice Cards online by staff and student communities. Reflecting the need to amend institutional or individual strategies of gaining student feedback, this resource provide advice on the use of the cards online.

Author:	QAA Scotland
Format:	PDF
Size:	0.31 MB

Responding to student voice: Principles of practice cards

Publication Date: 13 Nov 2018

The Principle of Practice cards aim to provoke discussion and reflection, and to be useful in planning and review exercises. Each card presents a principle; a short definition; some challenge questions; an exercise encouraging critical reflection; enhancement-focused and evidence-engaged planning. The Responding to Student Voice project was part of the Evidence for Enhancement Theme.

Author:	QAA Scotland
Format:	PDF
Size:	1.02 MB

Responding to student voice: Principles of practice cards (editable version)

Publication Date: 16 Nov 2018

This editable version of the Principle of Practice cards aim to provoke discussion and reflection, and to be useful in planning and review exercises. Each card presents a principle; a short definition; some challenge questions; an exercise encouraging critical reflection; enhancement-focused and evidence-engaged planning. The Responding to Student Voice project was part of the Evidence for Enhancement Theme.

Author:	QAA Scotland
Format:	PPTX
Size:	0.46 MB

Responding to student voice: Introductory sheet

Publication Date: 16 Nov 2018

This sheet provides an overview of the principles of practice cards, with suggestions about who might find these useful and in what context they might be used. The Responding to Student Voice project was complete as part of the Evidence for Enhancement Theme.

Author:	QAA Scotland
Format:	PDF
Size:	0.79 MB

Responding to student voice: Planning sheet

Publication Date: 12 Nov 2018

You can use this planning sheet to record and plan activities and interventions emerging from discussions and workshops based on the principles cards. The cards allow you to see how these activities and interventions relate across the principles. The Responding to Student Voice project was part of the Evidence for Enhancement Theme.

Author:	QAA Scotland
Format:	PDF
Size:	0.07 MB

Responding to student voice: Principles of practice poster

Publication Date: 12 Nov 2018

This A2 poster includes the principles and definitions for the Responding to Student Voice project completed during the Evidence for Enhancement Theme.

Author:	QAA Scotland
Format:	PDF
Size:	0.10 MB

The whole two-day workshop was about sharing the Scottish approach to Quality Enhancement, including the significant emphasis placed on student partnership and engagement. The student voice cards were perfect for illustrating the different levels at which this works in our own sector and to help our Sri Lankan colleagues to consider the relevance to their own context. We placed emphasis on the role that students had contributed to the development of the cards and associated resources on the QAA Enhancement Themes website. The cards themselves were then used as a tool to initiate discussion about the diversity of student engagement approaches and possibilities. The conversations triggered by using the cards as prompts were rich and hugely thought provoking.

Katrina Swanton
Edinburgh Napier University

We gathered evidence through a consultation with the Scottish higher education sector and a scan of international practice to form our student voice principles of practice. We have published a report on the findings of this research, comprising a literature review, interviews and surveys.

Responding to student voice: Insights into international practice

Publication Date: 12 Nov 2018

This report presents a series of insights and provocations emerging from a scan of international practice. It offers a series of evocative exemplars of practice and outlines the benefits and challenges associated with common practices in this area. It also reflects on what forms effective or good practice. Dr Vicki Trowler, with Professor Paul Trowler and Professor Murray Saunders complete this work for QAA Scotland, as part of the Evidence for Enhancement Theme.

Author:	QAA Scotland
Format:	PDF
Size:	4.16 MB

Alongside, and in support of, the principles of practice, the Responding to the Student Voice project sought to identify and share a wide range of examples of practice. We have drawn resources from a project event aimed at sharing effective practice and from the institutional and student association/union.

Curated examples of practice and useful resources from around the sector

We have selected examples of practice and resources to showcase a range of approaches to responding to student voice, as well as the formation and sharing of policy and strategy around this activity.

Student voice ‘hub’ pages

Student voice | University of Edinburgh
Student Voice | University of Southampton
Student Voice | Liverpool Hope University
Student Voice | University of Plymouth
Student Voice: Share your student voice and make difference | Manchester Metropolitan University

Responding to student voice resources

Your voice has been heard | University of Aberdeen
“Your voice has…” webpages | Nottingham Trent University
Your voice matters blog | University of Brighton

Student Associations/Unions

Student voice | University of Strathclyde Students’ Union
Your voice, your ideas | Queen Margaret University Students’ Union
School Presidents | University of St Andrews Students’ Union
Booklet explaining student voice (PDF, 1.04MB) | University of Dundee Students Association
Student voice website | Robert Gordon University Students’ Union

Policy and strategy resources

A guide to student voice for staff | University of Plymouth
Closing the loop: actions and improvements | The University of Auckland
Revitalising the Student Survey Process at Heriot-Watt University: Closing the feedback loop and how do we know we have made a difference? (PDF, 0.77MB) | Heriot Watt University
Closing the feedback loop models (PDF, 0.80MB) | University College Dublin
‘Closing the loop’ blogpost | Sheffield Hallam University
Obtaining and responding to feedback from students: University Code of Practice (PDF, 0.44MB) | University of Glasgow
Policy for listening to and responding to the student voice | University of Portsmouth

Sector views and related resources

The Student Experience Partnership resources | The Student Engagement Partnership (TSEP)
Student Partnerships in Quality Scotland resources | sparqs
Use and Abuse of the Student Voice | Stella Jones-Devitt and Jill LeBihan (Sheffield Hallam University for AdvanceHE)
Researching student voices | Liz Austen (Sheffield Hallam University for Wonkhe)

A Student-led project

Sector-wide activity