Student Voice

The University’s student academic representative system is managed in collaboration with the University of Cumbria Students’ Union (UCSU).  Student representatives operate at course level, playing a critical role in enabling us to understand our students’ experience of the courses – focussed on teaching, learning, assessment and academic support.   Representatives gather feedback from their fellow students, liaise with the academic team and attend Staff/Student Forum meetings to feedback the views of students on the course.  Representatives are inducted, supported and trained by UCSU.  Further information. 

Staff Student Forum meetings bring together student representatives and staff involved in the delivery of courses to discuss the student experience and to discuss any matters of note, providing the opportunity to consider what is working well and any suggestions for beneficial changes.  They focus on discussion of the student academic experience on programme. Actions agreed in each Forum are posted on BlackBoard for all students to see, with the response from the programme team added when available.  The meetings take place twice a year and a summary of this information is fed into Institute Quality Enhancement Committees.

All undergraduate and postgraduate taught students are asked to engage in mid-module survey.  This provides the opportunity for you to feed back on your experience during module delivery so that appropriate actions/enhancements can be identified.  Taking part in mid-module evaluation provides an opportunity to have your voice heard and it enables you to tell us what is working and what we can improve whilst the module is still running.  Feedback from mid-module surveys is shared with students and a summary posted on Module Blackboard.

The University actively encourages and promotes participation in the National Student Survey (NSS). Responses are reviewed and analysed to inform enhancements, and the sharing of best practice, across learning, teaching, assessment, student support and the provision of services to you.  Recent examples of university level enhancements arising out of NSS feedback include:

• Improving the way we communicate your assessment results to you, so they are clearer and easier to understand
• Ensuring that you will normally receive feedback on an assessment within 20 working days, and in a form that helps with your next assignment
• Investing in more electronic books and journals so that you can access everything you need to support your learning, whether you use the campus library or study from home or your workplace 

Further details about the NSS.

The Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey is a national survey of postgraduate taught students inviting them to comment on their course and experience.  The results help us compare how we are doing with other institutions, to make changes that will improve what we do in future, and to keep doing the things that students value most helping improve the experience of students in the future. 

Further details about the PTES.

Access and Participation describes different stages of the student journey through university, from applying to and enrolling at university (access), to continuing to study each year of the course and graduating from university (participation).  The University of Cumbria Access and Participation Plan sets out how staff will work together to support students with the ability and desire to go to University to have equality of opportunity to succeed at all stages with us, whatever their characteristics and circumstances.   This Plan is accessible to students, the public and is approved by our regulator the Office for Students.  You can read the summary on our website.  We have an Access and Participation Steering Group that leads on monitoring the progress and impact of our commitments in the Plan.  The Steering Group has representation from the Students' Union, Leaders in Professional Services and Academic Institutes.  See also information about our Student Advisory Panel jobs.