Student Quality Reviewers 2022-23

SQR roles for 2022-23

 

Student Reviewers of Teaching Practice

Students Reviewers of Teaching Practice have discussions with staff about their teaching, based on teaching observations and review of, e.g. an assignment brief and a Moodle course. These discussions provide a chance for reflection and review about the staff member’s teaching practice and the learning experience of students on the course. Staff benefit from having the perspective of a student, which particularly provides insights into how engaging their teaching is. Students have enjoyed focusing on the process of learning and also valued the opportunity of meeting staff who are genuinely motivated to improving the experience of students. Work takes place in pairs, with two students working with one staff partner, and activities are agreed between the student-staff pairing and then spread out across one term. There is an initial briefing session, online training and full support from the UCL ChangeMakers team throughout.

Staff might have a particular area they want you to focus on in particular, as well thinking more generally about that practice. This is a structured role where you will:

  • Meet a member of staff alongside another student you have been paired with. Use this time to get to know each other and discuss what you are all trying to get out of the process to help focus your observations;
  • Observing some teaching instances. This will almost certainly involve ‘live’ teaching e.g., a lecture but could also include looking at the Moodle and any assessment tasks to see how it all fits together;
  • Meet with you staff at set times to talk about what you have been observing. This is a key time understand why things are being done a certain way and offer some suggestions for where things could be done differently. Make sure you let staff know what is working well! You can meet as often as you like but we recommend at least once during observations;
  • You might run a focus group with students, or invite them for coffee and biscuits after a lecture to have a general chat about how they feel and are experiencing the course;
  • Produce a written report (we have templates for this). This is helpful because it might be staff don’t redevelop the course until the summer and may not remember your discussions in detail;
  • We also recommend meeting to discuss the reports.

 

Assessment Design Student Partners

You will work as a group to research assessment design, identifying examples of good practice and innovative design within UCL and across the higher education sector.

Working alongside academic staff and fellow Assessment Design Student Partners you will participate in workshops, hackathons and ChangeMakers’ assessment and feedback initiatives, to share experiences of assessment and feedback and explore innovative assessment approaches and good practice. You will support academic staff to use the ‘ChartTool’ to map module assessments enabling programme teams to visualize assessment across programmes.

You will work with the Arena Programme Design Unit throughout the review, and you will also be able to access support from the ChangeMakers team.

What is involved?

You will be part of a team, sharing out roles and responsibilities, based on interest and experience. The activities are likely to vary as the initiative is developed but typical activities may include:

  • Complete an assessment audit on UCL programmes and provide constructive feedback on potential strengths and weaknesses of the assessment design
  • Join an innovation hub on the assessment design, a collaborative and creative space to try out assessment approaches.
  • Work with other students to gather a diverse range of student perspectives, conducting focus groups and surveys
  • Upload assessments to the ‘ChartTool’
  • Review new programme proposals, before meeting with the programme design team in a 1-hour workshop where you will discuss the assessment strategy and share perspectives to support the team to refine their proposal.
  • Join workshops and activities as part of ChangeMakers assessment and feedback activities, for example collaborating with staff in workshops on creative assessment design.

What will I gain from participation?

  • Experience of working in a team with peers and staff
  • Understanding of a range of approaches to assessment design
  • Insight into assessment and feedback practices across UCL

Programme Design Student Partners

There are two parts to this role; you will act as a member of PMAP (Programme and Module Approval Panel) meetings, taking an in-depth look at new proposals and looking at whether they are ready to go, or whether more work is required; and you participate in a Programme Design workshops, working with programme design teams as they prepare new programmes.

What is involved?

The panel meetings will be carried out online, usually through MS Teams and last for around two hours, and you’ll need to participate in one meeting during the year, working with other students to make sure you swap thoughts on the paperwork and take part in the online panel to give verbal and on occasion written feedback. Before the PMAP panel you will participate in a pre-PMAP meeting (online) this will give you an opportunity to discuss initial thoughts, ask questions about the panel and process so that you are supported to fully participate in the panel.

After you have attended a panel, you will participate in two or three programme design workshops (this will be based on your availability). You will work with other student partners to review new programme proposals, before meeting with the programme design team in a 1-hour workshop. In the workshop you will be meeting with the programme designers to discuss the proposal, ask questions and share perspectives that will support the team to refine their proposal. You’ll also be able to access support from the ChangeMakers team to help interpret and understand the paperwork you’ll receive throughout the year should you need it.

Internal Quality Review (IQR) –Student Panel Members

Internal Quality Review is UCL’s central academic quality process. It is a rolling programme of peer review, in which all academic departments of UCL are reviewed every six years. The IQR plays a pivotal role in providing a high-quality learning experience for students.

As a member of an IQR Review Team you will:

  • Read the department’s self-evaluation and supporting evidence;
  • Contribute to a planning meeting of the review team, prior to the review visit;
  • Participate in interviews with staff and students during the review visit –the visit takes place over one working day;
  • Contribute your views to a short IQR report containing recommendations and good practice which will be shared more widely to enhance the student experience.

IQR is an opportunity to:

Meet and work with a wide range of people, including members of UCL’s Senior Management Team, senior education and quality assurance leads and UCL’s brilliant academic students and staff. Experience a warm and supportive review environment where you will be treated as a full member of the Team and encouraged to give your input into the process.

Full training and mentoring at each stage so you feel comfortable with your role. You’ll also be able to access support from the ChangeMakers team to help interpret and understand the paperwork you’ll receive throughout the year should you need it.

Student Curriculum Partners

Research shows that inclusive curriculum initiatives benefit all students. To help us enhance the inclusivity of UCL’s curriculum, we developed the Inclusive Curriculum Health Check, a resource designed to help staff reflect on the inclusivity of their programmes. However, this resource does not account for student perspectives on the inclusivity of the curriculum. To bridge this gap, the BAME Awarding Gap Project set-up the Student Curriculum Partners (SCP) Scheme, which offers the opportunity for students and staff to work together to enhance the inclusivity of the curriculum, particularly concerning race and ethnicity.

Student Curriculum Partners are responsible for reviewing modules in pairs or small groups using a supporting guidance framework. Students then have the option of sharing their feedback directly with staff, or having their feedback shared anonymously through the BAME Awarding Gap project team, to help facilitate change. This is an opportunity for students to enhance the curriculum for themselves and their peers, and to shape the future of UCL’s learning experience.

What does the role involve?

  • Attending a training session;
  • Carrying out a review with fellow Student Curriculum Partners using a supporting guidance framework;
  • Completing a written proforma (as a pair or group) detailing your feedback;
  • Discussing your feedback with the BAME Awarding Gap Project team;
  • Participating in an optional meeting to share your feedback directly with the relevant module convenors;
  • Corresponding with the scheme co-ordinator as required;
  • The scheme requires no more than 20 hours work in total.

The scheme is an opportunity for you to enhance your analysis, communication, and influencing skills. It is also an opportunity to meet other students and take part in work to improve the student experience for future cohorts of UCL students.

Curriculum Review Student Partner (new for 2022-23!)

This is a new role we are currently developing to respond to the fact that increasingly staff and students are wanting to work together on curriculum content, often viewed through different lenses e.g., accessibility, sustainability, skills, employability, assessment etc. More info will be forthcoming but this is how we envision the role working:

  1. Staff nominate their programme or module and identify what in particular they wish to look at;
  2. The SQR team help recruit students, who might be from the department or external to it or a mix;
  3. You receive training on the different tools and lenses through which to review the curriculum;
  4. You meet the member of staff and their team and agree on how and what you are reviewing;
  5. You conduct the review – working in pairs – and meeting with your staff partner as needed;
  6. Optional: run a workshop with students and/or staff to discuss the findings;
  7. Write a recommendation report, working with your staff partner.