Student engagement

Article Type: Research news From: Education + Training, Volume 51, Issue 3

The majority of higher education institutions and further education colleges rate their student engagement processes – such as questionnaires and student representation systems – as reasonable or very effective, but student unions are less likely to do so. The Centre for Higher Education Research and Information (CHERI) was commissioned by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to undertake a study of the extent and nature of student engagement in the higher education sector in England.

The study found that institutions view student engagement as central to enhancing the student experience, but the emphasis seems to be placed on viewing students as consumers. For student unions, the emphasis is on viewing them as partners in a learning community. The latter notion seems to be stronger in certain subject areas (for example, Art and Design and Performing Arts) than others.

The majority of HEIs and FE colleges rate their student engagement processes– comprising a basic model of student feedback questionnaires and student representation systems – as reasonably or very effective; student unions are less likely to do so. Detailed discussions with staff and students within a diverse range of HE providers showed that actual practices vary between and within institutions and that their effectiveness could be improved.

Higher education institutions, student unions and further education colleges with significant higher education provision were surveyed to establish a baseline measure of the nature and extent of student engagement processes. Further exploration of institutions’ formal and informal processes and their effectiveness was undertaken through fieldwork with a number of higher education providers and student unions.

The report “Student engagement and partnership: shaping the learning experience” can be downloaded at: www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/rdreports/2009/rd03_09/