Engaging students in Institution-led Review - a practice guide for universities and SAs - sparqs

Please note that this guidance is currently being updated in line with the tertiary approach to quality. The updated resource for both colleges and universities will replace this 2016 guidance (applicable to universities only at the time of publication) in due course. 

This resource was developed in conjunction with The Robert Gordon University's Gray's School of Art and IT Services department.

This guide has been produced to help schools, departments or sections in universities who are undergoing Institution-led Review to engage their students and student representatives throughout the process.

It is aimed primarily at those preparing for reviews, such as departmental senior management, quality administrators or school/department student officers. As student engagement is a core ingredient of the process, it is recommended that those leading a department or section’s review preparation engage with relevant student representatives at the earliest opportunity to read through this guide and consider the questions it raises.

The sector’s approach to reviews is being revised and redeveloped as part of a planned review of Scotland’s quality arrangements with revised arrangements due to be in place for academic year 2017-18. This guide explores a range of practices and approaches that can support student engagement in review and will be transferable as revised arrangements develop. However, once the arrangements for 2017-18 are published we will review this guide accordingly.

sparqs is enormously grateful to a large number of individuals who contributed to this guide, not least those in The Robert Gordon University’s Gray’s School of Art and IT Services who generously involved sparqs in their preparatory activities, shared their perspectives, and worked with sparqs to develop and trial a variety of approaches to student engagement in the reviews.

A two-page executive summary of this guide is also available.

For further information, please contact us at admin@sparqs.ac.uk.  

(May 2016)

Item Number:228