As part of sparqs' 10th anniversary celebrations, we are pleased to launch our Guidance for the development and implementation of a Student Partnership Agreement in universities.
Student Partnership Agreements were first outlined in the Scottish Government’s paper, Putting Learners at the Centre, which proposed a document setting out how students and their institutions interact.
sparqs was ideally placed to develop this idea further, and with the agreement of the Scottish Government, set about initiating discussions with the sector about the specifics of the Student Partnership Agreement model. This model adheres to the Scottish contexts of student engagement and quality enhancement.
Student Partnership Agreements are a way in which students’ associations and institutions can promote ways in which students can interact with staff at their institution to improve quality. They’re also an opportunity to agree a set of three to five priority areas upon which the students’ association and institution will work together, in partnership.
The guidance was developed using the advice of a working group made up of interested staff and students from universities across Scotland. A Student Partnership Agreement has already been agreed at the University of the Highlands and Islands, and work on this topic is already underway at other universities, including The Robert Gordon University and the University of Abertay Dundee.
The next step will be to run pilots in colleges, and produce a second set of guidance more suited to the college sector.
If you have any questions about Student Partnership Agreements or the guidance, or if you are interested in developing a Student Partnership Agreement, please contact Mike Williamson, Development Advisor at sparqs on Mike.Williamson@sparqs.ac.uk
