Universities UK, GuildHE and the National Union of Students (NUS) is hosting a conference on student engagement as part of a joint sector approach to support institutions in this key area.  The conference will also launch the Higher Education Funding Council for England’s report on student engagement in higher education institutions.

The day will provide delegates with an opportunity to feed into plans for future practical support to help institutions develop policies in this area.

Confirmed speakers so far include:
• Dr Ruth Farwell, Vice-Chancellor, Buckinghamshire New University
• Nik Heerens, Head of Student Participation in Quality Scotland (SPARQS)
• William Locke, Centre for Higher Education Research and Information (CHERI)
• Wes Streeting, President, NUS

Throughout the day, delegates will hear from a wide of range of institutions how they’ve approached the issue of student engagement, both in plenary speaking sessions and breakout workshops.  The conference will be of interest to student union presidents, pro vice-chancellors for student experience, student course representatives, directors of student services, deans of students and curriculum leaders.

Student Engagement: Report of research for HEFCE
William Locke, Assistant Director, and Ruth Williams, Principal Policy Analyst, Centre for Higher Education Research and Information (CHERI), The Open University

Putting into Practice: HEI and Student Perspectives
Marcia Ody, Teaching and Learning Manager, and Michael Smith, Final Year Combined Studies Student, Students as Partners programme, University of Manchester

Steve Barnett, Chair of Academic Standards, and Helen Plant, Student Union President, Harper Adams University College

Workshops
1. Student engagement and empowerment: student involvement at Liverpool Hope University
Dr Tony Finnegan, Senior Lecturer, Health and Applied Social Sciences, Liverpool Hope University
2. The HE student experience: transferable models between HE and FE institutions
John Clayton, sabbatical Student Union President, Cornwall CollegeSupporting
3. Student engagement: the Scottish approach
Nik Heerens, Head of Student Participation in Quality Scotland (SPARQS)
4. Student empowerment: a discipline based approach
Adam Mannis, Project Manager and Subject Adviser, and Susan Doyle, Subject Centre Manager, UK Centre for Materials Education, Higher Education Academy

Panel discussion and ways forward
Dr Ruth Farwell, Vice-Chancellor, Buckinghamshire New University
William Locke, Assistant Director, CHERI
Aaron Porter, Vice-President, NUS
Dr Paul Taylor, Director, The Reinvention Centre for Undergraduate Research