HUMS SES 2013-16
UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES
Student Engagement Strategy and Progress 2013-16
A. Overview
The College of Humanities aims to:
-
Provide a framework that defines and measures the remit and impact of ‘student engagement’ for UG and PGT students.
Meet core objectives set out in the co-authored University and Students’ Guild Student Engagement Strategy:
 “providing students with support to integrate and join communities within the University”
 “building capacity for students to engage”
 “extend(ing) the Change Agents concept”
 “developing a strong and overarching brand and strap line to promote student engagement as part of the Exeter experience”
-
Identify the key student engagement priorities that the College of Humanities aspires to support over the next three years. These
priorities address the following challenges:
 Engaging a wider and varied spectrum of students: not just catering for a small ‘super-engaged elite’.
 Meeting the evolution and changes in student expectation.
 Packaging, marketing and communicating student engagement to applicants, current students and staff.
 Sharing good practice across colleges.
 Valuing, supporting and celebrating student engagement activity and allocating appropriate resources.
This strategy has been formulated through analysis and comparison of best practice across the University, input from Humanities staff and
students, the support of the University’s Student Engagement Manager and the direction of a working party. The Strategy provides a framework
for planning and making future funding requests. The Associate Dean for Education has primary responsibility for overseeing this Strategy.
B. Definition
There is no single sector wide definition of the term ‘student engagement’. It is an umbrella term that covers a vast range of activities and
initiatives that seek to actively support staff and student partnerships and integrate students within the wider University community. The focus of
these activities and initiatives vary depending on the institution, staff and students. The QAA defines student engagement as being “all about
involving and empowering students in the process of shaping the student learning experience” (QAA 2012). The HEA supplies a similar
definition and emphasises the role of students as “active partners in shaping their learning experience” (HEA 2013). A University of Exeter
student defined the term succinctly and powerfully as “students captivated by involvement” (Exeter 2011).
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HUMS SES 2013-16
The College of Humanities appreciates the relationship between student engagement, the student experience and attainment. Student
engagement within the curriculum, individual disciplines, the College and the wider University allows students to contribute to the development
of our academic community and to accrue vital and transferable skill sets. The following 4 strands provide a basic framework for understanding
the remit and scope of what we accept and understand the term to cover. 13 priorities have been identified and proposed for the next three
years within this area.
C. Priorities
The following table outlines the activities and initiatives that Humanities plans to support, measure and mature over the next three years. This
strategy is a working document that will be updated with current progress.
1. Student Engagement in own learning
e.g. taking ideas from the classroom and developing them outside the taught curriculum (e.g. student and staff panel debates); innovative forms
of assessment and opportunities for learning outside the classroom
Priority
1.1 Innovative
curriculum design
– providing active
learning
opportunities within
each taught
programme.
Activity
Support and
development
i. Supporting innovative i. Accreditation
module and programme Committee holds bank of
design.
past and current
modules; direct student
input in the creation of
modules; June 2013
Report on Accreditation
Good Practice; Hums
EQE Education Advisor
to support and share
expertise.
Measure of progress
and impact
i. EQE advisor;
monitoring MACE
feedback and attainment
with modules and
programmes.
Operational
Responsibility
i. Accreditation
Chair.
Progress Jan
2014
i. Accreditation
Blog;
Accreditation
SSLC Rep; GPO
support.
ii. Field trips and active
learning inside and
outside the classroom:
currently Hums covers
ii. Compulsory Course
Costs Audit 2012-13.
ii. Associate Dean
Education; College
Manager.
ii. Annual
compulsory
course cost
audit.
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ii. Aspire to provide
discipline ‘Student
Engagement Budgets’
with a block ring-fenced
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1.2 Supporting
autonomous
learning – students
taking responsibility
for their own
learning; being able
to self-reflect and
cope with
challenges.
1.3 Setting and
communicating
expectations –
working to ensure
that both student
and staff
expectations are
articulated and met.
all compulsory field
trips for core modules;
targeted deployment of
further resources may
make a noticeable
difference.
for supporting staff and
students to lead
innovative curriculum
design.
i. Developing diverse
forms of assessment
and feedback.
i.-ii. cf. Hums
Assessment and
Feedback Strategy 201213; Assessment Working
Party (Term 2, 2014); cf.
Hums SES 1.1.i.
ii. Providing
opportunities for
students to reflect on
their own engagement
with learning and to
benchmark against
cohort.
ii. Develop ways in which
to gather information and
promote information
between learning
engagement and
attainment.
iii. Resources and
organisation.
iii. Monitoring and
supporting ELE; central
Library support.
i. Effectively
communicating the code
to staff and students and
integrate with current
practices; actively
involving students in
complaints procedures;
investigate the
introduction of an annual
i. Honour Code Launch
for 2013-14.
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i.-ii. Central data
analytics: MACE;
attendance; EQE
support; ADE monitoring
feedback turnaround.
i-ii. Associate Dean
Education;
Assistant College
Manager
(Education).
iii. Student visits and
interaction with ELE.
iii. Academic staff.
i. SSLC reactions;
qualitative staff and
student feedback from
the first year of
implementation; no. of
student cases.
i. Associate Dean
Education;
Graduate Project
Officer (Student
Engagement).
i.-ii. GPO
assisted with
MACE redesign
(pending).
i. Exeter Ethos
launched in
Fresher Talks;
plastic cards
given out;
posters put up;
GPO attending
academic
misconduct
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rolling ‘Student
Engagement Campaign
Budget’.
ii. Personal Tutor role.
ii. Promote Personal
Tutors as having an
academic support role
for students, rather than
just ‘when things go
wrong’; Personal Tutor
Working Party (Term 2,
2014).
panels; report to
go to DVC.
ii. Senior Tutors Group;
EQE development and
review.
ii. EQE Advisor.
ii. Working Party
in pipeline.
Operational
Responsibility
i. Graduate Project
Officer (Student
Engagement).
Progress Jan
2014
i. 11 SSLCs, 14
Subject Chairs
and 82 Reps;
SSLC Rep roles;
82% attendance
at GPO-led
SSLC training; 2
pre-ESG
meetings held;
SSLC rep
meeting
attendance c.
75%.
2. Student engagement in representation, quality assurance processes and enhancement
e.g. SSLCs, Annual Programme Monitoring, MACE, NSS and Change Agents
Priority
2.1 Student
representation –
strengthening current
framework and
assessing how to
identify and address
under-performance.
Activity
Support and
development
i. Student Staff Liaison i. Discipline-specific
Committees, in 2012- training and induction;
13 88 UG/PGT Hums individual committee
reps.
roles (e.g. Library
Champion); clearer job
roles; democratic
election of all reps;
signposting nonsuccessful reps to other
opportunities; creation of
Lib Arts and AHVC
SSLCs; College-wide
coordinator.
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Measure of progress
and impact
i. Increase in no. of
students standing as
candidates; voting
turnout; SSLC meeting
minutes; KPIs and items
addressed; cross
collaboration with other
student groups; pre-ESG
meeting with ADE.
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2.2 Individual
student feedback providing avenues for
students to offer
feedback on key
activities, processes
and services.
2.3 Change Agents
– supporting students
to instigate and lead
research driven
change.
i. National Student
Survey (NSS) and
Postgraduate Taught
Experience Survey
(PTES).
i.-ii. Survey data and
action plans to go to
SSLCs; open access to
data and action plans;
wide promotion of
response to feedback.
ii. Module and Course
Evaluation System
(MACE).
ii. Follow central
recommendations on
changes to MACE.
iii. Innovative ways of
capturing feedback
(EQE to provide
examples).
iii. The Graduate Project
Office to offer focus
group facilitation and
planning to all teams and
disciplines within Hums;
incentivising and
engaging non-typical
students to participate
where possible.
i. Change Agents: in
2011-12 Hums
supported 11 (7
attached to SSLCs)
projects, in 2012-13
Hums supported 16
(13 attached to
SSLCs) projects.
i. Protect and grow
volume of non-SSLC
based projects; promote
value of the process as
well as output; support
students to carry out
effective and robust
research; inter-
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i.ii. No. of students
completing surveys; no.
and type of qualitative
comments; SSLC
minutes; response to
feedback explicitly
mentioned on module
descriptors and student
facing webpages.
i. Assistant College
Manager
(Education) [DF];
Graduate Project
Officer (Student
Engagement).
i. NSS Action
Plans gone to
SSLCs; NSS
SSLC reps; NSS
DoE email.
ii. Assistant
College Manager
(Education) [JH].
ii. Headline
MACE results
available to
SSLCs for
uploading to
ELE.
iii. Staff feedback on
information gained;
discipline and type of
student participating;
pre-ESG meeting and
ESG student attendance.
iii. Student
Engagement and
Employment
Officer; EQE
Advisor.
iii. Focus groups
in Lib Arts,
Modern
Languages,
Archaeology and
across College.
i. Volume and type of
projects; discipline and
type of student involved;
comparative tracking
over academic cycles;
cross-College
comparison and
collaboration; Teaching
i. Graduate Project
Officer (Student
Engagement).
i. 20 (4
continuing, 16
new) proposed
projects across
9 disciplines: 1
proposed
Annual Fund Bid
and 1
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2.4 Transparency
and communication
– explaining the
internal processes
that directly impact on
students and using
students to
communicate with
other students about
the wider student
experience.
i. College and Subject
Taught Handbooks.
ii. Student
communications
output: e.g. Student
Room ‘ambassadors’,
student blogs and
video pilots.
disciplinary projects;
aspire towards discipline
Student Engagement
Budgets.
i. Tailoring taught
handbooks for effective
student use; 2012-13
Hums Student
Communications Report
to go to June 2013 ESG.
Awards nominations.
interdisciplinary
project.
i. Student feedback;
more intuitive structuring
of information; decrease
in enquiries.
i. Associate Dean
Education; Student
Engagement and
Employment
Officer.
i. College and
Subject
Handbooks
updated for
Term 1; student
intranet working
group; students
sit on ESG.
ii. Review and
investigate expansion of
2012-13 Student Room
trial at Cornwall across
all disciplines; Study
Abroad blogs; Hums
Student Communications
Report June 2013;
YourExeter discipline
video pilots.
ii. Increased breadth and
volume of output;
positive feedback on
Student Room from
applicants.
ii. Student
Engagement and
Employment
Officer.
ii. Study Abroad
blogs; SCP led
FLC ELE
resource page;
YourExeter;
SSLC ELE
pages.
3. Student engagement in the academic and wider community
e.g. peer assisted learning; Graduate Project Office; employing students; HASS Research Strategy; Drama T3; buddy schemes; ambassadors
Priority
Activity
3.1 Peer assisted
learning – treating
i. Undergraduate
Writing Centre (Exeter),
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Support and
development
i. Investigate funding
streams; establish
Measure of progress
and impact
i. No. of peer advisors
employed; no. of student
Operational
Responsibility
i.-ii. Writing Centre
Lead Academic;
Progress Jan
2014
i. 9 Writing Peer
Advisors
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HUMS SES 2013-16
and valuing students
as partners in their
learning experience.
3.2 Employment –
embedding students
and graduates in the
operation and
delivery of college
services.
launched in January
2012 / Undergraduate
Writing Centre
(Cornwall), launched in
September 2012.
alumni sponsorship for
long term; expand
discipline intake.
visitors; no. of repeat
student visitors; student
visitors from different
disciplines; assessment
marks.
ii. Discipline-based
peer assisted learning
(e.g. language tutorials
in Classics Society and
Modern Languages
Societies).
ii. Strengthen language
peer tutorial schemes
(e.g. Language
Tandem); expand peer
tutorial schemes outside
grammar and language,
e.g. methodology, core
module support and
subject buddy schemes;
recommendation for
central support and
standardisation from
Skills Team; request for
EQE skills time to
support in short term.
i. Maintain and improve
GPO model on 2012-13;
tighten links between
GPOs and individual
disciplines; aspire to
expand the scheme to
Cornwall.
ii. No. of peer tutors and
tutees; improvement of
tutor and tutees’ grades;
formally delivered and
recognised peer assisted
learning training.
i. Graduate Project
Office: since 2011 six
graduates have been
employed within Hums
through the Graduate
Business Partnership
scheme as ‘Graduate
Project Officers’.
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i. GPOs supporting or
within new divisions;
feedback from staff and
students.
Student
Engagement and
Employment
Officer; EQE.
employed;
commitment in
budget; growth
in appointments
for hours open
and wider intake
of disciplines.
ii. Ongoing
schemes: ML,
CLAH, ENG and
the FLC. New:
FLC and ML
integrating
Erasmus
students.
i. Student
Engagement and
Employment
Officer.
i. 8 GPOs
currently
employed
across College;
pilot joint role
with Academic
Policy and
Standards; 1
GPO at Penryn;
c. 35 applicants
per role.
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ii. Student Campus
Partners: since 2010 27
UG/PGT student
interns and 84 UG/PGT
students on casual
claims have been
employed by Hums
(see below 3.3.ii).
3.3 Research
community –
opening up and
involving students in
the wider Hums
research
community.
i. Engage UG/PGT
students in wider
College Research
Community.
ii. Employing UG/PGT
students as research
interns.
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ii. Hums disciplines and
admin managers given
planning advice and
recruitment support by
Student Engagement
and Employment Officer;
investigate the
introduction of a Study
Abroad Peer Advisory
scheme; (see below
3.3.ii).
i. Report to go to ADR in
2013 on potential activity
(e.g. workshops, events
and student input on
research panels); cross
disciplinary collaboration
with CSSIS; integration
with Grand Challenges.
ii. Increase in volume
and reoccurrence of SCP
roles; recruitment in new
teams; reduction of
casual claims in favour of
SCP contract; Hums
Finance to track records
of employed UG/PGT.
ii. Student
Engagement and
Employment
Officer.
ii. 15 SCPs
currently
employed;
additional 11
SCPS to be
employed in
Term 2.
i. No. of students
attending research
workshops and events;
volume and topic of
dissertations
i. Student
Engagement and
Employment
Officer; Graduate
Project Officer
(Student
Engagement).
i. Student-led or
involved journals
in CLAH, HIST,
ENG and
Penryn; Meet
Your Professor
initiative in ENG,
ML and LIB
ARTs; Week 6
research panel
debate in HIST;
dissertation
option offered in
all UG/PGT
disciplines.
ii. Support academic staff
to hire UG/PGT students
for short internships, if
appropriate, outside of
term time; aspire for a
pilot in Hums
discipline(s) post-2014.
ii. No. of student interns;
breadth and type of
work; increase in PGT
and PGR applications;
correlation between
research project and
dissertation topics.
ii. Student
Engagement and
Employment
Officer.
ii. 665 hours
funded out of a
requested 2,185:
11 SCPs to be
hired in Term 2.
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HUMS SES 2013-16
3.4 College and
discipline
community –
supporting the
promotion and
facilitation of cocurricular events
and activities that
sustain and develop
the idea of a wider
academic
community.
iii. Involving PGT
students in the PGR
community.
iii. Review of current
interactions; involvement
in PG Conference;
consideration as part of
the College PGT review.
iii. Attendance at the
PGR conference; cross
PG initiatives and
projects; increased PGR
applications.
i. Student
Ambassadors: in 201213 there were c. 30
student volunteers who
represented their
discipline at open and
visit days.
i. Support ambassadors
to be able to talk to
applicants about wider
College and University
opportunities; role in staff
induction; review of
voluntary and paid
student roles within the
College.
i. Track level, discipline
and type of student.
ii. Support disciplinebased events and
initiatives: e.g. T3 in
Drama, which facilitates
individual student-led
stage productions.
ii. Develop and mature
how events can interlock
with central initiatives,
i.e. Grand Challenges.
iii. UG/PGT induction.
iii. PGT Induction
Review; College
UG/PGT Fair in
Fresher’s Week; access
to event support budget;
link with Honour Code
Launch.
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iii. Student
Engagement and
Employment
Officer and
Graduate School
PGR Student
Support
Administrator.
i. Admissions
Coordinator [CT].
iii. Unknown.
ii. No. of students
participating; student led
organisation; staff
attendance and
interaction; social media.
ii. Student
Engagement and
Employment
Officer.
ii. 44
productions in
2012; 49
productions in
2013; RAW: Arts
Emerging
Platform: 5
productions in
2013.
iii. SSLC feedback;
attendance at events and
fresher’s fairs.
iii. Education team
and Graduate
School.
iii. Reviewed
PGT induction
talk delivered in
Fresher’s Week.
i. Ongoing as
per usual.
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iv. Support activities
and events for student
minorities: e.g.
international and
mature students.
iv. Consultation with
international and mature
students; supporting
student societies to offer
wide range of activities;
Language Tandem
Scheme; Study Abroad
Peer Advisory scheme.
iv. Student feedback;
focus groups; breadth
and range of student
society activity; no. of
students involved in
schemes; liaison with
central University
support staff.
iv. Assistant
College Manager
(Education) [DF].
iv. Erasmus
students
assisting in oral
classes in ML;
GPO supporting
WP events, inc.
mature students.
0.5FTE:
increase from 6
attendees at
December
coffee morning
in 2011 to 26 in
2013.
Measure of progress
and impact
i. Membership nos.;
coordinated SSLC,
discipline and society
initiatives and activities;
YourExeter variety of
content.
Operational
Responsibility
i. Graduate Project
Officer (Student
Engagement)
[Streatham];
Graduate Project
Officer (Education)
[Penryn].
Progress Jan
2014
i. Classics
Society Change
Agents project;
society stands at
Week 6 College
Fair; Film
Society and
SSLC working
on joint Annual
Fund bid.
4. Student engagement in extra-curricular activities
e.g. societies and discipline-based volunteering
Priority
Activity
4.1 Academic
societies –
supporting and
connecting with a
defined group of
pre-engaged
students.
i. 14 Guild-affiliated
academic societies
attached to each
discipline within Hums.
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Support and
development
i. Connect societies with
discipline and College
contacts; GPO (SE)
coordinate SSLC,
discipline and society
agenda setting in T1;
comprehensive society
activity uploaded to
YourExeter.
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4.2 Disciplinebased
volunteering recognising
students’ affiliation
with their subject
and that
volunteering
provides valuable
transferable
skillsets.
i. Care Homes Project:
launched in 2011, in
2012-13 c. 160 UG
students enrolled.
i. Annual Fund bid has
been submitted to
employ a student to
administer and grow the
scheme; open scheme
across Hums.
ii. RAMMbassadors,
Countess Weir
Community Group and
the Gateway Project
offer small groups of
Hist., Theo. and Eng.
UG students the
opportunity to
volunteer.
ii. A key contact within
each discipline for
Community Action to
liaise and support; aspire
to grow and expand the
Guild discipline-based
volunteering schemes
across all disciplines.
i.-ii. No. of students
enrolled on scheme;
students from all
disciplines involved;
tracking Community
Action membership
demographics; varied
projects.
i. Academic Leads;
Graduate Project
Officer (Student
Engagement).
i. Care Homes
project ongoing
w/ SCP support.
ii. Graduate Project
Officer (Student
Engagement).
ii. Theology
(Sunday School
Volunteering);
Drama (Theatre
Buddy Scheme):
German and
Spanish
(Primary School
Language
Clubs).
Alex Ratcliffe (Student Engagement and Employment Officer)
Andrew McRae (Associate Dean Education)
Charlie Leyland (Student Engagement Manager)
Last updated: 7 January 2014 AMR END
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