EVENT - 12th October 2021
Student Voice Network:
Effective student representation post-pandemic.
Event Overview
Date: Tuesday 12th Oct 2021
Time: 10am – 12:30pm
Location: Virtual (Zoom)
Due to the pandemic, the way that student representation is done has inevitably changed. It’s been a challenge for many universities and student unions to adapt to COVID-19, especially when capturing student voices.
However, we’ve learned numerous examples of innovative ways to effectively represent students through the interviews and discussions we’ve had with Sabattical Officers and Student Engagement staff.
As we look towards a “post-pandemic” future, it’s essential to ask how we ensure effective student representation? If universities are going hybrid – how do we capture all student voices? How can we support reps to use different modes of collecting feedback and better representing their peers?
These are some of the questions we know that are asked of newly-elected sabbatical officers.
We at Unitu want to provide you with the advice and support you need throughout the year to represent your students effectively.
In this webinar, we’ve invited two experienced and knowledgeable speakers to share their thoughts and insights on student representation in the upcoming year.
Participants on the panel will have the opportunity to network, pose questions and share best practices themselves in our interactive event.
In the event, we will discuss
- The importance of language and digital spaces with Current Students.
- The importance of identifying spaces students occupy post-COVID19.
- How SUs can utilise these to effectively engage with Students.
Speakers
Ashley Storer-Smith
Academic Voice & Policy Manager at Warwick Students' Union.
Nicole Parkinson-Kelly
Former VP Education at Ulster University
Agenda
Intro | 10:00 - 10:15
Session 1 | 10:15 - 10:55
Session 2 | 10:55 - 11:35
Break-Out Rooms | 11:35 - 12:00
Announcement | 12:00 - 12:30
Intro | 10:00 - 10:15
The event will begin with an introduction where we will provide context of the webinar’s central theme. We will also give a high-level context on what our speakers will be presenting.
Session 1 | 10:15 - 10:55
The first speaker at our event is Ashley Storer-Smith. Ashley is the Academic Voice & Policy Manager at Warwick Students’ Union as well as a Trustee at Trinity St David Students’ Union and Keele Postgraduate Association. Ashley’s start in Students’ Unions was in the role of Vice President Employability & Activities at London South Bank SU and has worked at a wide range of institutions including Newman Students’ Union and Brighton Students’ Union. Ashley’s experience and passion in the Students’ Unions is primarily focused on Student Voice.
Throughout the pandemic, Students’ Unions needed look at how they engage with their student body and ways to develop a digital solutions to effectively represent the voice of students. Now that we are going back to a more physical experience, it is important to develop and keep using these digital solutions. A blended student voice will engage a wider range of students and will help Students’ Unions to get a more accurate view of the student experience. This presentation will look at the typical underrepresented groups within Students’ Union Voice Structures and how innovating on a blended voice system will increase engagement with these student groups.
Session 2 | 10:55 - 11:35
The second speaker at our event is Nicole Parkinson-Kelly. Nicole studied Social Policy at Ulster University where she was elected as a Course Rep, School Rep and Faculty Rep. She also trained Course Reps as a Student Trainer, before becoming Ulster University Students’ Union’s first Vice President for Education for two elected terms. She sat on the Quality Assurance Agency’s Student Strategic Advisory Committee and was part of the team which launched the Unitu pilot and research project within Ulster University.
Nicole has now stepped out of the Higher Education sector, but through her session she will share her learning from being an education officer during the transition to online learning environments in the pandemic. The main topics of her talk will be: advocating for recorded lectures, reviewing the accessibility of our learning portals and bringing student representation into the 21st century.
Break-Out Rooms | 11:35 - 12:00
We will have some break-out rooms as an opportunity to discuss and network with other HE professionals. These sessions will be led by the speakers themselves.
Announcement | 12:00 - 12:30
In the last part of our event we will share exciting news about a new networking initiative Unitu is bringing out for all Higher Education professionals.
Register To Attend The Webinar
Fill out the form to attend the event:
Unitu helps universities to improve the student experience by effectively engaging with the student voice in real time.