This ‘SPOTLIGHT ON’ features the Students as Change Agents (SACHA) programme run by the University of Edinburgh. A skills development project open to students from across the university, participants are presented with complex challenges set by external organisations, and are trained in team work, design thinking and using data to come up with fresh ideas to tackle these challenges.
In August 2022, two groups of change agents presented their findings in response to a question set by sparqs: how can education in Scotland be the most inclusive in the world?
You can see both groups’ reports and video presentations in our Resource Library, which demonstrate the depth and breadth of research undertaken by the teams into institutional and national activity on widening access, articulation, equality and diversity, and student engagement.
Simon Varwell, Senior Development Consultant at sparqs, said:
“The SACHA programme is a great way of developing students’ skills, but also putting their creativity and insight at the forefront of our sector’s decision-making. Anyone with an interest in student perspectives on inclusive education will learn a great deal from the group’s reports and videos.”
Corinna Rengger, one of the responders to sparqs’ challenge, said:
“Working with my team, our SACHA coaches and the staff at sparqs gave me the opportunity to develop the skills and mindset necessary to engage productively with complex social problems. It expanded my understanding of the obstacles facing current and proposed initiatives aiming to improve higher educational outcomes in Scotland, which is undoubtedly an issue I will remain passionate about.”
For further information, please contact sacha.project@ed.ac.uk, see the outputs in the sparqs’ Resource Library, or visit the Students as Change Agents website.
