Student Engagement
Student engagement refers to the active participation of students in different aspects of university life. Engagement can be conceived in terms of both breadth (the number or range of activities students partake in) and depth (the kind of engagement experienced through these activities e.g. behavioural, emotional, cognitive). Student engagement fosters the fulfilment of personal and academic potential and is fundamental to achieving the sense of belonging that underpins a transformative university experience.
Student engagement is the responsibility of both students and staff. Whilst students should have access to a diversity of engagement opportunities it is ultimately their choice, as autonomous learners, as to how far they take these up.
Student Voice and Partnership in T&L mechanisms at UoR & Students’ Union
Institutional Level
| Student Voice & Partnership mechanism | Owned by | About |
| The Student Panel | CQSD | The Student Panel provides feedback on institutional level priorities and projects, to help shape strategic decisions at the University |
| Student Voice Ambassadors | SSE | The Student Voice Ambassadors Student Voice ambassadors are representative group of students and ensure all our communications feature the student voice from a variety of backgrounds. |
| Racial Equality Panel | SSE | This work specifically looks at racial justice within teaching and learning at the University. Students will work alongside staff in reviewing submissions on Racial Equality in Teaching and Learning and curating the collection |
| Open Student Meetings | MCE | It provides the only opportunity for students to engage directly with senior leadership. |
RUSU
| Student Voice and Partnership Mechanism | Owned by | About |
| RUSU Full-time Officer Team | RUSU | Full-time Officers are elected Trustees of RUSU and represent the student voice at the highest level; influencing at university meetings and sitting atop multiple representation systems. |
| RUSU Diversity Team | RUSU | Part-time Officers are elected to represent and campaign for specific underrepresented groups of students. |
| RUSU Student Voice | RUSU | Student Voice Members set the direction of the Students’ Union through policy and campaign proposals; ideas are discussed, put forward to campus-wide votes and Full-Time Officers are scrutinised. |
| RUSU Student Experience Forum / Have Your Say | RUSU | Students get the opportunity to join an online forum, independent to the university whereby student members share their experiences with their RUSU Officers to help improve the student experience in an informal environment. |
| RUSU Student Members Insight Research | RUSU | Insight research into the student experience and the impact of the Students’ Union on this, also feeding back on what priorities the Students’ Union should be working on. |
| RUSU Course Rep Consultations | RUSU | Course Reps have the opportunity to meet with each other and their Senior Rep to share ideas and discuss T&L matters, to help effectively feedback to staff at programme level. |
| RUSU Wellbeing Champions | RUSU | Wellbeing Champions are school-based volunteers who work closely with the RUSU Welfare Officer to actively promote and support initiatives, services, and campaigns to improve students’ mental health and wellbeing. |
School Level
| Student Voice & Partnership mechanism | Owned by | About |
| RUSU Senior Reps | RUSU | Senior Reps gather representative feedback from students at school level and lead a team of Course Reps within a school to help improve the student experience by feeding up to the RUSU Education Officer and staff at BOSSEs. |
| Programme Approval Scrutiny | CQSD/RUSU | New Programme Scrutiny Panellists are paid to remotely contribute to the scrutiny report for a new programme. |
| Periodic Review | CQSD/RUSU | Periodic Review Panellists are paid to attend a two-day review visit alongside preparatory reading and review reporting in order to fulfil this role. |
| Periodic Review Student Submitter | CQSD/RUSU | Periodic Review Submitters are independent student volunteers from that programme who create a report through gathering student feedback on the quality of their programme to contribute to the Periodic Review. |
Department Level
| Student Voice & Partnership mechanism | Owned by | About |
| Student Partners | CQSD | Student Partners work collaboratively with academic staff at department level on discrete partnership projects to develop and implement the School Teaching Enhancement Action Plans. |
| PLanT | CQSD | PLanT projects are awarded £500 to support students and staff to work in partnership to identify problems, find solutions, and enhance practices in teaching and learning. |
Programme Level
| Student Voice & Partnership mechanism | Owned by | About |
| RUSU Course Reps | RUSU | Course Reps represent students’ feedback at programme level. They attend termly Course Rep Consultations with their Senior Rep and SSP Group meetings with UoR staff. |
| Programme Evaluation | Programme teams | Student feedback on their experience of the programme as a whole. |
| Module Evaluations | Module convenors | Student feedback on their experience at the end of their module. |
| Mid-module Evaluations | Module convenors | Student feedback on their experience mid-way through their module. |