Student Experience Conference

2013
By Jonathan Pearmain

UCA

Student Experience Conference - 21/02/2013

n Thursday I attended UCAs Student Experience Conference in London. It was a fascinating day aimed at creating discussion between students and staff in how UCA needs to move forward over the coming years. The two key topics of the day were: Student Engagment Students as Partners What does Student Engagement mean? It means taking on board students feedback, increasing student representation, liasons between staff and students, and tutor/staff open door policies. A key element here is student represtation, and Course Reps were also a key part of the conference - with the Student Union continuing its drive to improve the role. It was highlighted that adequate student representation means: an awareness of the role, nominations and elections, training, undertaking the role, monitoring. This would be talked about later in the conference. It was interersting to note that from the National Student Survey, students in Art & Design and the Performing Arts were the most likely to respond positively to Students as Partners.

UCA Mobile Application

was initially highly skeptical upon hearing about the UCA App, thinking it another gimmick we really dont need. However, lo and behold, after the demonstration I was absolutely blown away. The demonstration showed the app to be designed brilliantly; simple, streamlined, and intuitive. The app is currently going through revisions, having be through a very Created in collaboration with students, sucessful testing phase and is hoping to the UCA App fulfills the following needs, be release mid March. identified by students: Access to learning materials Access to UCA Email Library: Browsing, Reservations and Account reviewing Check PC Availability Emergency Help Guide Pocket Guide: Useful academic and general information Print Credit: Add to, and view recent transactions News and Events Campus Maps Food & Drink, both on-site and locally

MyUCA - Differential Diagnosis

regular albatross at the Student Experience Conference is MyUCA. What is meant to be an effecient, easy and accesible way for students to link into their needed resources and information; is reported year after year to be awkward, clunky, confusing and a barrier to their online learning experience. Tony Reeves, one of UCAs Learning Technologists, held a group Differential Diagnosis - highlighting differenting categories and having the conference vote green (for health and effeciently working), orange (for in need of reworking), red (completely unuseable). Email: Orange Library: Green myRecords: Orange Support: Orange Student Ads: Red Announcements: Orange Course Resources: Red Timetables: Red myFuture: Orange straights. It interesting to note that the librarty scored most highly, since they were one of the most heavily critcised facilities last year - its clear theyve gone to great efforts to improve. We split into focus groups and came up with six areas wed like to see improvement in - and then voted on all the groups suggestions to discover which came up as most needed. The results were: Fluid Design: Less clicks, remove double login for email, personalised home page. Tutor Training: Using MyUCA efficiently, diesseminating good practice. Online Transactions: Ability to check and top up print credit. Stylish Design: A simple aesthetic that is both user friendly and represents us as a university of art and design. Synergy in both design and use with UCA App.

Its immediately clear that MyUCA is in dire

Student Engagement at Birmingham City University

irmingham City University have been one of the insitutions at the forefront of developing Student Engagement, and have done so to great effect. Representative, Paul Chapman, came to talk to us and delve into BCUs methods and results. with the opportunities to do so. BCU started a campaign called OpportUNIty, which aimed at getting students employed by the uni in a variety of roles, to increase students sense of belonging to the university institution. These roles included: The results were a huge growth in student and staff relationships, and a joint awareness of expectations. Student collaboration and employment created a sense of ownership and empowerment. The atmosphere of sharing allowed good practice to be shared and developed across disciplines, tutors and students - the uni as a whole.

Firstly, why focus onStudent Engagement? It yields three key benefits: University recruitment, Student Jobs on Campus: An on campus retention and reputation; student happiness, temping agency. Jobs such as receptionists, satisfaction and work; and teaching, new canteen staff, curators, guides etc. resource for feedback and collaboration. Mentoring Partnerships: payed mentors covering different stages and areas of So what is Student Engagement actually about? younger students projects. Collaborative Projects: Large scale, multi Generating a Learning Community disciplnary projects. Students as partners, as collaborators. Student Academic Partners: Paid work to A spectrum, not a bolt-on develop new course content, in collaboration Students at the centre of design and delivery. with tutors. Student Employment. Student Entrepreneurship: Financial backing for students. To quote Chapman, Belonging to a uni is like gym membership. Just having a membership card doesnt make you fit - youve got to turn up and work up a sweat. So its down to both the students to engage, and the uni to provide them

Course Rep System

A huge focus for UCA this year has been the Student Unions focus on the Course Rep System. Having felt a bit lack lustre over the past few years, the SU have really attempted to steer it towards fostering student ownership. While it hasnt been a complete success this year, theyve seen a huge increase in the number of course reps, the number of votes and the positive response from tutors/staff. The focus groups were assigned the task of identifying exactly what theyd like in a course rep, and what training should be provided to achieve those things.

Key things identified were: Confidence: An ability to talk to tutors and students about serious issues, and to speak with authority and tact. Authority: Reps should feel able to approach tutors on issues such as inadequate teaching, poor lectures and student complaints - without fear of rebuke. Approachability: Course reps are the voice of the students, so students should feel able to talk to them honestly and confidently - and expect their points to be acted on. Where the Course Rep System develops is going to be down to Union effort, but also engagement of students in the system over the coming years.