Effective student engagement in internal
Quality Assurance and University management
Nik Heerens - NIAD-UE Forum, Tokyo - 22 July 20131

Overview presentation
Student engagement in internal quality assurance and university
management:• What is it?

• Why is it important?
• In which areas should students be involved?

• How to make it work?

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What does student engagement mean?
1. To talk of student engagement is to recognise that students are active
participants in and directors of their own education experience. Engagement canbe distinguished from other related terms such as consultation, involvement, andparticipation, because it depicts a higher level of association, responsibility,empowerment and control afforded to the student.
2. “Students are active partners with shared responsibilities for their own
learning and achievement. Indeed, one of the defining characteristics of highereducation is the extent to which it relies on this active participation in, andstudent ownership of, the learning process” (QAA Scotland, 2008).
3. Student engagement exists in two separate but related contexts: theparticipation of students within institutional management and quality processes
and students’ engagement with their own individual learning experience.

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What are the benefits of effective student
engagement in internal QA andUniversity management?
‘’Universities are communities of learning achieved through a partnership
between staff and students. A committed partnership between students,
as active participants, and the staff at an institution will open up
possibilities for authentic and constructive dialogue, offering theopportunity for more holistic and reflective feedback and enhancement oflearning.’’ (Cross Sector group on student engagement England & Northern Ireland).

4Feedback
cycle
Dialogue between staff
and students at the heartof quality improvement.

5Different ways of involving students

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The outcome and the process of student
engagement• The outcome of engagement is continually useful feedback

and ideas coming from students; these can encourage staff,
who can learn from, respond to and employ them inenhancing the quality of education• The process of engagement is an inherently reflective

activity, which increases students’ competences (e.g.
analytical, negotiation, research and presentation skills) andmake them better learners, better individuals and better
citizens7

1. Curriculum
6. Quality andStandards

TheStudentExperience
5. Student Progression
And Outcomes

2. Learning resources
and theirdeployment

3. Teaching andLearning
4. Assessment andAchievement

8How to make effective student
engagement work in practice?
1. Support and encourage students to become more active, moreinterested and more responsible for their own learning
2. Encourage mutual understanding between students and staff
3. Engage with students to obtain feedback, perspectives andinsights that will help to identify strengths and weaknesses inteaching and learning processes and ways of improvement
4. Involve students in decision-making about their curricula,teaching & learning and all aspects of the student experience
5. Exchange examples of good practices of student engagement
within and between universities

9Challenges to student engagement
From a students’ point of view:• Students need to be sufficiently aware of what student engagementmeans for them and how it will improve their overall learning experience• Effective student engagement is largely dependent on how effectively
staff can encourage and inform students throughout their student journey• Correct conditions (policies, processes, buy-in, relationships) so thatstudents can effectively engage• In many cases students will need the opportunity and assistance toeffectively reflect upon their learning in order to be able to comment on it
successfully

10Challenges to student engagement
From a staff point of view:• Student Engagement means different things to different

people and therefore achieving student engagement won’t
necessarily be the same for all• Uncertainty about how to get the most out of student

engagement both at the individual and representative level• Past successes or failures with students can have an

impact on how positively staff view student engagement

11Improving student engagement: further
issues to consider• Are the right conditions in place for individual and representativeengagement? – policies, procedures, opportunities• Are different types of opportunities for engagement available for different
types of students?

• Do students have the correct information or knowledge to be effectivelyengaged• Is the timing of engagement right?
• Are students building on their experience of being engaged and havingthat opportunity to develop as co-creators or active learners?

12Effective student engagement in internal
Quality Assurance and University management
Nik Heerens - NIAD-UE Forum, Tokyo - 22 July 201313