New QAA toolkit supports enhanced student engagement practice

A new Student Engagement Toolkit, produced by QAA, aims to support student leaders and higher education staff to plan enhancement-led student engagement activity. The toolkit supports those leading on student engagement to explore the UK Quality Code and identify what it means for them in the context of their provider.

The resource is broken down into a series of exercises to support planning enhancement activities that engage students. These exercises can be completed at the most relevant time and adapted to fit the context of an individual provider. The toolkit is complemented by a workbook which provides space to complete each exercise and record planning activities.

The toolkit has primarily been designed for student leaders and other senior student representatives who may be new to working in higher education and quality. It may also be used by staff working in students’ unions (or equivalent) and academic and professional services staff to inform training and support for student representatives, student interns and other students engaged in quality enhancement activity.

Dr Ailsa Crum, QAA’s Director of Membership, Quality Enhancement and Standards said: ‘The Student Engagement Toolkit builds on QAA’s longstanding commitment to student engagement.  Through this toolkit, QAA aims to equip students and student representatives, in partnership with staff, to evaluate current practice and plan enhancement activities using evidence to positively impact the student experience.’

The toolkit has been tested with a representative sample of QAA Members and students from across the UK who are involved in leading and supporting student engagement activity within their institutions. Feedback from the testing group was extremely positive with one participant stating: ‘The toolkit explains what student engagement is, and is not, with clarity…the exercises are exactly what is needed to bring engagement in line with other elements of the quality process.’

The  Student Engagement Toolkit is available to QAA Quality Insights Members on our Membership Resources Site. Staff and students from QAA member institutions can register to use the site via our simple registration form.

In 2022, QAA will also offer student engagement training to support members in using the Toolkit.