The Scottish Government

Improve attendance and retention of student representatives at committees/boards of management meetings. Reasons why students might not become involved include:

• existing time commitments;
• a perception that being a representative would take up a considerable amount of time;
• intimidating to be the sole student member on a committee; and
• lack of clear remit or profile for course representative means that they are unsure of their role.

Students and Students' Associations could:

• provide induction training and further support. SPARQS and NUS Scotland training and other support is reported as having an impact on the effectiveness of learner participation;
• encourage participation on such courses;
• increase awareness of the student representative's role associated with their membership of the committee/board of management through schemes like the Reid Kerr College's Student Association Handbook.

Colleges could:

• ensure that student representatives receive sufficient and timely training;
• produce guidelines/remit to assist the student representative;
• combine Course Team Boards of several cognate programmes;
• allow the election of two course reps or a deputy representative;
• have open meetings;
• encourage participation in student representation by explaining that it will enhance the CVs of representatives; and
• reward and recognise for undertaking the role of course representatives, e.g. by issuing certificates.

Variety of methods used in the selection process of representatives. Sometimes centrally co-ordinated, or organised by the class tutor. Therefore representation is not uniform and the significance of the role can be diminished.

Students and Students' Associations could encourage students to think carefully about the selection process so that learners are choosing the most appropriate representative.

Colleges could:

• wait until October to hold the elections for class representative; and
• ensure that they give staff consistent guidance on procedures for electing student representatives to committees.

Improve the participation rates/involvement in student representation among some groups of students ( e.g. students from engineering & construction subjects, young males, part-time students, on-line students, those in outreach centres and disabled students).

Students and Students' Associations could:

• use a wide range of communication methods to encourage participation;
• appoint students with disabilities, women's and race equalities officers who have a proactive role seeking out particular groups of learners; and
• use language and communication methods which reflect the literacy levels of the different audiences.

Colleges could:

• use inclusive strategies, such as those used at John Wheatley College, to collect views from groups that might otherwise have been excluded;
• expand focus groups to specifically include learners who may face barriers to learning, inclusion and/or progression;
• invite samples of learners within relevant groups to participate; and
• adopt a buddy system to encourage participation.

Future work:

• SPARQS projects will be looking into supporting engagement from students not undertaking full-time studies and how to effectively encourage student representation amongst students in engineering and construction subjects.
• Encourage 'Equality Forward', the new Equalities Unit, to look at equality and diversity issues relating to the student experience and student representation.

At times learners appear more interested in raising issues concerning general college experiences, e.g. car parking arrangements, than learning and teaching issues.

Colleges could:

• use 'pro formas' for course representatives - this has been proven to lead to an increase in the number of comments made about the curriculum;
• provide other forums in which to discuss general issues; and
• use a learner-centred quality review activity. According to this, specific classes (drawn from a range of f/t, p/t, evening and outreach centre classes) are identified and provided with a questionnaire designed to focus their group discussion. The learners are supported by their student assoc. Meanwhile, class reps. discuss and identify issues which are then presented to the Focus Group.

Future work:

• SPARQS project will look at how to focus discussions at course level meetings on learning and teaching issues rather than generic experience.

Little student representation in the decision-making groups at the middle level of college management.

Students, Students' Associations and Colleges could:

• arrange meetings between course representatives and the Principal every 6-8 weeks; and
• sector managers could meet groups of course reps. from their section monthly and these meetings could also be used to discuss academic issues and the wider college experience.

Communication issues among students, i.e. student representatives are sometimes not able to communicate effectively back to their fellow students.

Main method that students' associations used to communicate with course reps. was through regular meetings. However, sometimes there are difficulties in finding a suitable time to hold these meetings.

Students and Students' Associations could:

• use a sabbatical officer to arrange induction talks, etc. and take the lead role in informing students about the course representative system;
• hold students' association meetings during lunch times;
• use surgeries and other events in all campuses; and
• use other communication methods such as student induction processes, student handbooks/diaries, websites and the media, e.g. local radio stations.

Colleges could:

• provide lunch for meetings of the students' association;
• provide a nominated member of staff to act as a link between the students' association and the college;
• use other communication methods such as student induction processes, student handbooks/diaries, websites and the media;
• pay for taxis for course representatives from outreach centres etc. so that their representatives can attend meetings;
• provide adequate space for student representatives to meet;
• providing funding for a full or part-time sabbatical officer; and
• consider existing ICT resources to improve communications.

Future work:

• SPARQS project to look at issues of communication between representatives.

Poor communication between staff and students; for example, staff not knowing whether or not their college has a sabbatical officer.

Students, Students' Associations and Colleges could:

• encourage informal contact between staff and students; and
• encourage the use of guidance time as an effective means of identifying concerns.

Colleges could:

• consider using existing ICT resources to improve communications; and
• consider the introduction of a guidance forum where central specialists and teaching staff with a tutorial role could meet on a monthly basis to discuss and collate the main issues arising from student guidance sessions.

Poor feeback mechanisms.

Data Gathering - the use of questionnaires relating to the course, the college experience and for support services. While questionnaires provide useful data and trend information, the integrity of the results depends on the attitude of the students towards them.

Students and Students' Associations could:

• encourage students to complete questionnaires;
• encourage their disability, women and race equalities officers to seek information/feedback from these specific groups;
• students' association class reps. could support learners in learner-centred quality review activities; and
• highlight the value of completing the questionnaires in a responsible manner.

Colleges could:

• use online questionnaires;
• use focus groups and interviews with students, especially where basic skills may present a difficulty for students;
• have staff to help scribe or type responses for students rather than relying solely on written forms;
• subscribe/sign up to the 'Student Voice' scheme;
• devise new ways of involving learners in the feedback process, e.g. use of graphics to aid learners comprehension of the text (an example of this can be provided);
• follow the John Wheatley model, whereby:
  • Learner Focus Groups (Quality Review Groups) are organised at various point throughout the year;
  • End of Year satisfaction Surveys are issued to learners in June; and
  • the information obtained from these exercises is supplied to all curriculum and moderation teams.
• have regularly timetabled guidance time; and
• consider the introduction of a Principal's Question Time.

Future work:

• Colleges will be expected to develop appropriate feedback mechanisms as part of their self-evaluation process. These will be part of the evidence base for HMIE college reviews.
• The Funding Council have commissioned national student satisfaction surveys and a longitudinal study of 2004 leavers.

Visibility of the student association.

Students and Students' Associations could:

• encourage officers themselves to get out and about.

Colleges could:

• provide associations with a permanent home; and
• provide adequate resources.

Best practice needs to be disseminated more widely.

Future work:

The Executive and other organisations could consider how best to disseminate best practice more widely, e.g. events, newsletters, seminars, a dedicated website.

Overall high level of satisfaction among students. 91% of learners were satisfied with the college as a whole. Corresponding figure for HE institutions is 90%.

When comparing the levels of satisfaction from the period 2001-2003, there has been an increase in the following areas:

• number of contact hours;
• size of the groups in which learners are taught;
• adequacy of access to computer facilities;
• relevance of courses to job aspirations;
• balance between the amount of formal attendance and private study time; and
• adequacy of general help, learning support and guidance received from teaching staff.

Colleges could:

• provide a centrally located, attractive and well-publicised student support service, appropriately staffed and proactively seeking out those who may need help; and
• provide induction week activities which help students to settle into their chosen programmes and college life in general.

No significant findings with regard to levels of satisfaction and gender, ethnicity, subject group, disability or year of study.

Future work:

• The Funding Council and/or Equalities Forward could be asked to undertake qualitative research to continue to broaden understanding of the satisfaction level of these groups.

Students lack of involvement in the design and delivery of learning.

Colleges could:

• use students during their internal audit process;
• use HMIE's Guide to Evaluating Inclusiveness;
• consult learners during the design of programmes and, where possible, take their views into account;
• conduct internal subject reviews where students who study within the subject area are interviewed; and
• involve students in the External Review Board.

High level of disruptive behaviour in the sector was reported as a concern by students.

Future work:

• The Funding Council are considering whether to undertake qualitative research to continue to broaden understanding of issues such as this which are raised by students.
• SFEU are considering a suite of staff development activities and a toolkit designed to address key issues arising from managing the learning and behaviours of disaffected and disengaged young learners.

Mixed views about facilities - lower levels of satisfaction on matters relating to:

• availability of books;
• adequacy of advice and support with financial and personal issues;
• appropriate advice on careers, etc;
• quality of equipment; and
• access to computer facilities.

Lack of in-depth information about learners' views relating to the college environment, other facilities and resources.

Colleges could:

• arrange the joint use of facilities with other organisations such as universities.

Colleges do seem to survey learners about college facilities. However, this does not seem to be collated at a national level. Possibly the Funding Council needs to include more questions relating to facilities in their student satisfaction reports.

Appeals and complaints procedures

Colleges could:

• provide a suggestion or comments box - the comments could then be passed to the boards of management; and
• set up a panel (including a student member) that decides on complaints from students.

Inclusion issues:

• social events;
• learning experience;
• learning support;
• work experience; and
• post-college experience.

Practical solutions to complex needs - arrangements and funding issues.

Although almost all colleges have undertaken significant developments to promote inclusiveness, there are some gaps between the most and the least effective colleges in the ways that they respond to additional support needs.

Colleges and Students' Associations could:

• provide information about social events in accessible formats;
• adopt a buddy system;
• plan learning support in advance;
• provide events which are suitable for all students; and
• encourage disability awareness training.

Colleges could also:

• have staff present in areas where students may feel anxious;
• continue to make use of the BRITE technology facilities and staff development opportunities;
• expand their in-house staff development programmes to offer comprehensive coverage ( i.e. beyond mere compliance with disability legislation) to all staff;
• prepare, and use, a comprehensive disability statement in booklet form, which is widely available in alternative formats and updated annually;
• provide learning support assistants;
• follow Jewel and Esk Valley College's good practice example of identifying the support needs of students at risk of dropping out - this involves staff monitoring attendance, following up on non-attendance, and then, after discussion with the student, putting in place a tailored package of support measures, i.e. 'a student recovery plan';
• use multi-agency support and partnership, e.g. with social work, voluntary organisations, schools and Careers Scotland; and
• pay due care and attention to the HMIE publication on Evaluating Inclusiveness; a Guide for Scotland's Colleges.

HMIE have identified that the key components of an inclusive college are its:

• ethos, values and relationships;
• professional activity undertaken to match curriculum content and delivery arrangements to the requirements of individuals; and
• infrastructures and partnerships which enable it to respond to need flexibly and imaginatively.