sparqs' Parliamentary Reception 12 Dec 2012
Our parliamentary reception on 11th December 2012 provided an important opportunity for all those working in the field of student engagement to come together to celebrate the progress Scotland has made over the last 10 years. Our celebration report provides the… Read More
Celebrating Student Engagement in Scotland - sparqs Parliamentary event 19 Sep 2012
Our parliamentary reception on 11th December 2012 provided an important opportunity for all those working in the field of student engagement to come together to celebrate the progress Scotland has made over the last 10 years. Our celebration report provides… Read More
The SFC's Merger Support and Transformation Fund Are A Real Opportunity for Students' Associations to Access 19 Sep 2012
Merging colleges have the opportunity to submit a bid to the Scottish Funding Council for funding to deliver their merger. The Scottish Funding Council have said they will look favourably on funding proposals which have been developed with full engagement… Read More
Developing Student Officer Understanding about Regionlisation - Activities at 2012 Gathering 19 Sep 2012
Regionalisation and its implications was a major topic for discussion throughout The Gathering in August 2012. NUS Scotland’s Vice President Education, Graeme Kirkpatrick led a workshop for college student officers where they looked at the opportunities and challenges regionalisation offers… Read More
Enhancement Themes 19 Sep 2012
sparqs has worked with QAA to produce a leaflet to be distributed to students through Course Rep Training. The leaflet aims to help students see how the national work of the Enhancement Themes can be useful to them in their… Read More
Including Achievement as a Course Rep in the Higher Education Acheivement Report 19 Sep 2012
sparqs has produced guidance for universities on different approaches to recognising the role of course reps with a view to acknowledging their work through section 6.1 of the Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR). By identifying what is expected of course reps… Read More
That's Quality! 19 Sep 2012
This year, our That’s Quality! event held on 30th August 2012 saw some exciting changes. We encouraged associations to bring larger teams of participants including staff and designed the event to encourage teams to plan their priorities for the year… Read More
SPOTLIGHT ON...Forth Valley College - Engaging Students Through Fairtrade 19 Sep 2012
In March 2011 Forth Valley College succeeded in a bid to become the first college in Scotland to achieve Fairtrade Status, as awarded by the Fairtrade Foundation, London. The status was awarded jointly to Forth Valley College and its student… Read More
Course Rep Training - resource for students with additional support needs 19 Sep 2012
sparqs recently published a training pack to support students with additional support needs become course reps. It has been designed to be delivered by the college, either in class by the tutor or by a student support officer. We’d be… Read More
Course Rep Training - pack for ESOL students now available 19 Sep 2012
With the support of the ESOL (English as a Second or Other Language) Department at Stevenson College, sparqs has produced a training package for college tutors to use with ESOL students. The training covers the main key areas of standard Course… Read More
Student Partnership Agreements - update 19 Sep 2012
Student Partnership Agreements (SPAs) can help institutions articulate how students are engaged in quality processes, as required by external quality arrangements. If you’re interested in the new Chapter B5 on Student Engagement in the Quality Code, this might be what… Read More
Course Rep Training for Students in Supported Education 12 Jun 2012
The issue of supporting students with additional support needs to become engaged in the quality of their learning and teaching was raised with sparqs by several colleges. This led to a year long project exploring how this could be effectively… Read More
Student Engagement Community of Interest Develops 12 Jun 2012
Scotland’s Colleges’ new Community of Interest for Student Engagement was launched on Monday 19th March 2012, with the support of sparqs and NUS Scotland. Its focus is primarily on academic representation and governance, and supporting staff practitioners who work with… Read More
Accrediting Course Reps through HEAR 12 Jun 2012
Aimed at Quality staff, staff from Registry or Academic Affairs and Students’ Association officers, the event explored different ways of recognising the role of course reps for inclusion in section 6.1 and what support could be provided to enable student… Read More
Partnerships for Change: Supporting the Student Voice Through Regionalisation 12 Jun 2012
In response to the challenges faced by colleges through regionalisation/mergers/federations, NUS and sparqs are pleased to announce their new project, Partnerships for Change: Supporting the Student Voice through Regionalisation. Many of you will already know that as colleges merge, federate and… Read More
SPOTLIGHT ON... The University of the West of Scotland - good practice to make your student-staff liaison meetings or equivalent more effective 12 Jun 2012
As a result of a review of Student-Staff Liaison Groups (SSLGs), UWS recognised that students should be leading and chairing all of the meetings. In order for these meetings to be a success, both the students’ association and the university… Read More
Student Partnership Agreements (SPAs) 12 Jun 2012
Since the inclusion of SPAs in the Scottish Government’s post 16 review we have been exploring and clarifying what they might mean. Student officers have helped shape some key principles through SLEEC (Student Learning Enhancement & Engagement Campaign) discussions and subsequently… Read More
SLEEC (Student Learning Enhancement and Engagement Campaign) 12 Jun 2012
At its event in May 2012, SLEEC divided participants into different groups, one for college students and the other for university students. This allowed the groups to focus on particular issues that were unique to them. Colleges discussed their experiences… Read More
QUEST for Quality for Students Project 12 Jun 2012
Led by the European Student Union (ESU) the QUEST for Quality for Students project aims to find out how students are involved in quality across Europe, what their views on quality assurance and enhancement are, and how they can be… Read More
Enhancement Themes Conference - Developing and Supporting the Curriculum 05 Mar 2012
sparqs will launch a video at its stall during the Enhancement Themes Annual Conference on 7th & 8th March 2012. The video has students from colleges and universities across Scotland taking about ‘How they would like to learn’ and ‘How… Read More
A New QAA Code of Practive for Student Engagement 05 Mar 2012
The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) has launched a consultation on guidance to help higher education providers engage their students in quality assurance. The guidance will form part of the UK Quality Code for Higher Education (the Quality Code). QAA’s… Read More
College Community of Interest to Develop Practice in Student Representation 05 Mar 2012
The engagement of students in quality and governance has increased considerably in the college sector in recent years, and this presents challenges and opportunities not just for student officers themselves but also for the staff who support them. Given the wide… Read More
Supporting Student Engagement in your school, faculty or department 05 Mar 2012
sparqs’ consultancy theme on departmental representation has produced a new toolkit for universities, colleges and students’ associations. One of the recent topics explored through sparqs’ collaborative, theme-based approach to its consultancy work has been departmental representation. This draws on sectoral interest in… Read More
SPOTLIGHT ON... Clydebank College 05 Mar 2012
Obtaining student feedback is something that most institutions have struggled with. Finding the balance between getting the information the institution needs to improve its provision and ensuring the students are asked in a way that increases responses while at the… Read More
Accrediting Course Reps through the Higher Education Achievement record (HEAR) 05 Mar 2012
sparqs has been exploring the issue of how to formally recognise the role of course reps with a working group made up from staff and students from six universities. It was identified that some guidance on how to recognise the… Read More
Student Learning Enhancement and Engagement Campaign (SLEEC) 05 Mar 2012
SLEEC is a joint project between sparqs and NUS Scotland. Issues explored through SLEEC have included the updating of the quality arrangements, Public Information, Key Information Sets and Student Partnership Agreements. At its most recent event in February 2012, SLEEC encouraged… Read More
sparqs Strategic Thinking Day 05 Mar 2012
Our strategic thinking day at the beginning of February 2012 was attended by around 30 participants from right across our range of stakeholders. It was an interesting and extremely valuable start to our strategic planning process. The day facilitated a… Read More
