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<description>Latest news from sparqs - Driving Student Engagement - Edinburgh, Scotland</description>
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<title>Updated Induction Resource for Academic Representation Co-ordinators</title>
<link>https://www.sparqs.ac.uk/news-detail.php?page=1480</link>
<description><![CDATA[We are pleased to announce an update to our induction resource for new academic representation co-ordinators and similar students&#8217; association staff. The Induction guide for Academic Representation Co-ordinators contains helpful information for any new students&#8217; association or institution staff member with a student engagement role.
No matter the new staff member&#8217;s prior experience or knowledge, the guide contains helpful context, resources, and reflective activities to support their induction.&#160;
The guide includes introductory information about and activities related&hellip;....]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink='true'>https://www.sparqs.ac.uk/news-detail.php?page=1480</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Have you booked your That&#039;s Quality! places? </title>
<link>https://www.sparqs.ac.uk/news-detail.php?page=1481</link>
<description><![CDATA[A reminder that our annual That's Quality! programme for student officers and students&#8217; association staff is still open for summer 2026 bookings!&#160;
Students' associations - please think about which of your officers and staff need to attend and get them registered by midday on Friday 17th July, if you've not already done so.&#160; Many thanks to everyone who has already registered!&#160;
The full programme now comprises the self-study module and the extended residential event:

The online self-study module&hellip;....]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink='true'>https://www.sparqs.ac.uk/news-detail.php?page=1481</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Welcome to our new Development Consultants</title>
<link>https://www.sparqs.ac.uk/news-detail.php?page=1482</link>
<description><![CDATA[We are delighted to announce that we have appointed two new Development Consultants to the sparqs staff team, Cerys Davies and Sophie Kennedy. Between them they bring a great balance of knowledge and expertise and we look forward to working with them both very soon.
Cerys joined us on Monday 29th June from Aberdeen University Students&#8217; Association, where she was the Student Representative Co-ordinator. She has been involved with sparqs in recent years as a regular&hellip;....]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink='true'>https://www.sparqs.ac.uk/news-detail.php?page=1482</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Update on the design of a PGR Experience model for Scotland</title>
<link>https://www.sparqs.ac.uk/news-detail.php?page=1474</link>
<description><![CDATA[We are pleased to share an update on our work to create a model of the Postgraduate Research Experience to complement the existing model available for taught students. The PGR model will play a key role in quality enhancement processes across Scotland, and sparqs is keen to ensure the model is representative of the authentic PGR experience.
Over the course of March and April 2026, we engaged with dozens of researchers as well as staff and&hellip;....]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink='true'>https://www.sparqs.ac.uk/news-detail.php?page=1474</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Have you planned your Course Rep Training for 2026-27?</title>
<link>https://www.sparqs.ac.uk/news-detail.php?page=1475</link>
<description><![CDATA[As colleges and universities across Scotland look ahead to the next academic year, if you&#8217;ve not already made your plans, now is a good time to think about how your institution will deliver Course Rep Training in 2026-27! &#160;Further to our news article in early April, we want to give another reminder that early planning can help you decide what model will work best for your students, your staff capacity and your wider approach to&hellip;....]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink='true'>https://www.sparqs.ac.uk/news-detail.php?page=1475</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Some prompts for planning for the year ahead! </title>
<link>https://www.sparqs.ac.uk/news-detail.php?page=1476</link>
<description><![CDATA[A few prompts and reminders which might be helpful to students' associations and institutions around this time of year, some of which we&#8217;ve already flagged in recent articles&#8230;.&#160;
Course Rep Training planning
Following on from the reminder in our early April news article about CRT planning, please see a further CRT reminder in our separate news article today!&#160; In recent weeks we have been contacting Course Rep Training (CRT) organisers within Scottish institutions/SAs to ask about their&hellip;....]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink='true'>https://www.sparqs.ac.uk/news-detail.php?page=1476</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Douglas Blackstock appointed as Chair of the sparqs Trustee Board</title>
<link>https://www.sparqs.ac.uk/news-detail.php?page=1477</link>
<description><![CDATA[We are delighted to announce that Douglas Blackstock has been appointed as the new Chair of the sparqs Trustee Board. Douglas is the successor to Sir Andrew Cubie, who has held the post for the last seven years. &#160;We are very grateful to Sir Andrew for the induction and handover planned in the lead up to Douglas formally taking up post later in the year.
Douglas brings extensive leadership experience from across higher education quality assurance,&hellip;....]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink='true'>https://www.sparqs.ac.uk/news-detail.php?page=1477</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Rob McDermott appointed as STAG College Co-Chair</title>
<link>https://www.sparqs.ac.uk/news-detail.php?page=1478</link>
<description><![CDATA[We are very pleased to confirm the appointment of Rob McDermott as the College Co-Chair of sparqs&#8217; Tertiary Advisory Group (STAG).
Rob, who is Head of Quality, Teaching and Enhancement at Forth Valley College, has been undertaking the role on an interim basis following Ann Baxter stepping down as Co-Chair in May 2025. This appointment follows a recruitment process informed by input from STAG members and the University Co-Chair.
The appointment reflects the strong leadership Rob has&hellip;....]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink='true'>https://www.sparqs.ac.uk/news-detail.php?page=1478</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>&#039;Talking Student Partnership&#039; interview with Holly McAdams</title>
<link>https://www.sparqs.ac.uk/news-detail.php?page=1470</link>
<description><![CDATA[Our 'Talking Student Partnership' interview series continues with another video conversation from Scotland&#8217;s tertiary education sector!
The next interview in our series features Holly McAdams, Vice President Academic at Heriot-Watt University Students&#8217; Union. In our interview, Holly reflects on her two years as a Sabbatical Officer, covering topics such as:

Effective student engagement and partnership in self-evaluative processes.
Global and transnational representation and partnership.
Lecture capture and digital learning resources.
And much, much more!

View the video interview below (filmed with&hellip;....]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink='true'>https://www.sparqs.ac.uk/news-detail.php?page=1470</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Our recruitment for ATs is still open... deadline 9am on 11th May!</title>
<link>https://www.sparqs.ac.uk/news-detail.php?page=1471</link>
<description><![CDATA[A reminder that our 2026-27 Associate Trainer recruitment is still open for applications - deadline 9am, Monday 11th May 2026!&#160;
Calling all student reps!&#160;

Do you have experience as a course/apprentice or other representative role?
Will you be a student or apprentice during 2026-27?

....if so, and you would like to earn some income, apply to be a sparqs Associate Trainer to train student representatives during academic year 2026-27!&#160;&#160;
To be eligible, an applicant needs to be a student or&hellip;....]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink='true'>https://www.sparqs.ac.uk/news-detail.php?page=1471</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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