sparqs' team news 04 Mar 2021
An update on some recent and forthcoming staff team news.... At the end of February we were very sad to say farewell to two member of our staff team, Hannah Clarke and Denise McCaig. Hannah has been with sparqs since June 2014… Read More
Your case studies for our major report celebrating partnership during the pandemic 04 Mar 2021
What successful partnership have you and colleagues developed during the COVID-19 pandemic? sparqs is planning a report to highlight and celebrate the successes of engagement and partnership across Scotland in this challenging academic year. We are seeking your examples for this… Read More
Updated education officer induction resource for colleges and their students’ associations 04 Mar 2021
Our guide to developing an education officer induction in colleges has been updated for the 2020-21 year and aims to provide support for the effective engagement of the students’ association education officer, Vice-President (Education) or equivalent. It is specific to colleges,… Read More
SESN on 9th March 2021 is still open to book! 04 Mar 2021
Our Student Engagement Staff Network will have its next meeting on Tuesday 9th March from 10.00am until 1.00pm. There's still time to book if you're planning to attend. The network is aimed at staff in universities and colleges with student engagement and academic representation development roles. The… Read More
March's NEON meeting is open to book! 04 Mar 2021
Bookings are now open for the next meeting of our National Education Officers' Network (NEON) on Thursday 18th March 2021, from 10.00am until 1.00pm. NEON is designed to be a space for officers to network and work on issues together in… Read More
Sharing your practice in student engagement 04 Mar 2021
At a time of uncertainty and change, it is ever more important that the wonderful student engagement work that institutions and students’ associations are doing can be celebrated and shared around the sector. So this article is a guide to… Read More
SPOTLIGHT ON... New College Lanarkshire's review of their course rep and feedback systems 04 Mar 2021
New College Lanarkshire Students’ Association has been reviewing how effective their course rep system is at allowing students to get involved in qualitative feedback processes and have their voices heard. Read on to find out more about their work… After discovering… Read More
'Talking Student Engagement' Interview with Kevin Sinclair 04 Mar 2021
In this interview, we talk to Kevin Sinclair, Student Engagement Manager at the University of the Highlands and Islands. His role involves activities related to engagement, student development and widening access. Prior to joining the university, he had a number… Read More
SPOTLIGHT ON... UHI's COVID-19 Student Panel 03 Feb 2021
This ‘SPOTLIGHT ON’ features a new initiative from the University of the Highlands and Islands that aims to gain feedback on key changes that arise from the adjustments made during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recognising that various changes and interventions would be… Read More
'Talking Student Engagement' Interview with Ruth Ní Bheoláin 03 Feb 2021
In this interview, we talk to Ruth Ní Bheoláin, Quality Assurance Officer at Hibernia College in Dublin, Ireland. Ruth is an experienced Quality Assurance and Enhancement professional with broad experience in higher education. She chairs the Higher Education Colleges Association’s Academic… Read More
SESN on 9th February is still open to book! 03 Feb 2021
A reminder that our Student Engagement Staff Network meeting on Tuesday 9th February 2021 (from 10.00am until 1.00pm) is still open to book! Following consultation with network members, this meeting will be the first in our new format of monthly, half-day events. The network is… Read More
Briefing note to institutions to support student engagement in the SFC Review 03 Feb 2021
In December 2020, sparqs published a briefing note to all student officers to support ongoing engagement of students in the shaping and influencing of the SFC Review of Coherent Provision and Sustainability. To complement this, we have developed, in partnership… Read More
Student Partnership Agreements during COVID-19 03 Feb 2021
We are pleased to publish a new COVID-19 SPA briefing note on how Student Partnership Agreements (SPAs) can be developed and considered during the current pandemic. Partnership practice has never been more important given the critical role of students in identifying… Read More
Our SESN meeting on 9th February 2021 is open to book! 11 Jan 2021
Our Student Engagement Staff Network will have its first meeting of 2021 on Tuesday 9th February from 10.00am until 1.00pm. Following consultation with network members, this meeting will be the first in our new format of monthly, half-day events. The network is aimed at staff… Read More
Our national events on the impact of COVID on the SLE are open to book! 11 Jan 2021
We are pleased to announce that bookings are now open for our series of 5 national events to gather the views of 5 student cohorts on the impact of COVID on their Student Learning Experience. Taking place in late January and… Read More
Happy New Year from the sparqs team! 11 Jan 2021
Happy new year from the sparqs team! We look forward to working with you all again during what will most certainly be a busy 2021! As a sector, we have much to be proud of in terms of our response to… Read More
NEON on 21st January is still open to book! 11 Jan 2021
A reminder that bookings are still open for the next meeting of our National Education Officers' Network (NEON) on Thursday 21st January 2021, from 10.00am until 12.45pm. NEON is designed to be a space for officers to network and work on issues together… Read More
Briefing note to support student engagement in the SFC Review 11 Jan 2021
In case anyone missed this just before the break.... to support the ongoing engagement of student officers in the shaping and influencing of the Scottish Funding Council's Review of Coherent Provision and Sustainability, we have produced a short briefing note for all officers.… Read More
A recap of our COVID-related resources so far 11 Jan 2021
As the new year begins, an opportunity to recap on our resources developed so far in response to the challenges of the pandemic. Some of the older ones may not be so relevant at this point in the academic year,… Read More
January's NEON meeting is open to book! 17 Dec 2020
Bookings are now open for the next meeting of our National Education Officers' Network (NEON) on Thursday 21st January 2021, from 10.00am until 12.45pm. NEON is designed to be a space for officers to network and work on issues together in a cross-sector… Read More
