Towards true students’ participation in QA (institutional level)Karina UfertEuropean Students’ UnionExecutive committee member, karina@esu-online.org

About ESU

44 members (national unions of students) in 37 countries around EHEA

The aim of ESU is to represent and promote the educational, social, economic and cultural interests of students at the European level towards all relevant bodies

Quality with students’ eyes

Ongoing processFit for purpose Context sensitivity taken into considerationQuality enhancement oriented quality

cultureTool to facilitate trust and understanding

Quality as a shared sense

Berlin Communiqué (2003) mutually shared criteria and methodologies on QA on and institutional, national and European level should be developed

Back to ESG (equal stakeholders) – a tool for empowerment of students’ participation in QA?

Students’ involvement in QA

Why? (starts from recognizing the added value student can bring – not about ticking the boxes)

Shared commitment towards creation of a true quality culture

Effective communication

Students’ involvement in QA

How? Not the question of methods, but the

purposeHolistic perspective towards the internal

QA mechanismBack to essential 4 questions (EUA)

ESG Part 1

Questionnaires is not the limit for students’ participation in internal QA;

Students’ participation mainstreamed through the whole process – treating as stakeholders (also relates to participation in HEI governance)

Creates ownership of the learning process“Educating students to have a say on

quality”

BWSE 2009

Fit for purpose (e.g. improving teaching)Diversifying methods (e.g. focus groups,

“best-practice competitions”)Establishing proper communication

(providing feedback)Mainstreaming students’ participation

(what about curricula design?)

Not only QA, but the whole paradigmStudent centered learning – responsibility

and ownership! A challenge for all (particularly for

students)Responding to changes in the society and

openness (also putting more focus on generic skills)

Stress not only on employability, but also active citizenship

A helping handToolkit on Student centered learning by ESU and

EI:

www.t4scl.eu

a pioneer initiative, aims to assist policy makers in designing sound student-centered learning (SCL) strategies and approaches and to increase the capacity of student and staff representative organizations to be active partners in spreading a culture of SCL in higher education institutions across Europe.