Student engagement

This area covers the University of Nottingham’s arrangements to ensure that students are fully involved and represented in all aspects of their learning experience, and have a range of opportunities to engage in the University’s quality assurance systems, at University level, at programme and academic level.

The University obtains regular feedback from students through a number of methods, including:

• Questionnaires, such as the National Student Survey (NSS)
• Course and module evaluation mechanisms
• Individual and group feedback meetings
• Representation on committees at all levels of the institution
• Participation in the periodic Periodic Assurance and Continuous Enhancement Review (PACER) procedure.

Student representation

Students are represented on all of the University’s main committees, including student representatives from the overseas campuses where appropriate. In addition, schools are consulted on proposals from Education and Student Experience Committee (ESEC), Education Delivery Board (EDB) and Quality and Standards Committee (QSC) by way of Faculty Teaching Committees, which include student representation.

For more information about ESEC, please consult the following:

Education and Student Experience Committee

For more information about EDB, please consult the following:

Education Delivery Board

For more information about QSC, please consult the following:

Quality and Standards Committee

Feedback on modules and programmes

Feedback on modules and programmes is collected from students by means of the University’s Student Evaluation of Modules (SEM) and Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET).

They also have an opportunity to raise issues through their school’s Student Staff Fora (SSF or Learning Community Forum). This feedback is considered by schools as part of the annual monitoring process which is overseen by QSC.

For more information about the use of SET and SEM or about SSFs, please consult the following:

Policy on the collection and use of SET and SEM surveys

Student Staff Fora

Periodic Assurance and Continuous Enhancement Review

The University’s Periodic Assurance and Continuous Enhancement Review (PACER) process provides an opportunity for student involvement in three ways:

• By means of including a student representative on the School Review Panel;
• By including student feedback (for example, data from the National Student Survey (NSS), Nottingham Student Experience Survey (NSES), Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) or Research Experience Survey (PRES)) as part of the documentation provided to the Panel in the School Information Pack;
• By including meetings with undergraduate and postgraduate (taught and research) student representatives as part of the Review schedule.

For more information about our review processes, please consult the following page:

Programme monitoring and review

As part of the University’s commitment to enabling students to give effective feedback on the student experience, schools, departments and divisions should ensure that they have student representation on their Teaching Committees (or equivalent). This should include the Senior Course Representative(s) for that school, department or division. These meetings shall, wherever possible, be scheduled for times and dates when students are able to attend.

A mechanism shall be put in place to ensure that student representatives are able to feed back discussions from the Teaching Committee or equivalent; this may involve the Student Staff Forum (SSF).

Each faculty must ensure that they have student representation at their Teaching and Learning Boards and Student Experience Committees (or equivalent, on each campus); in the UK for undergraduates this should include the relevant UG Faculty Representative and for postgraduates this should include the relevant PGT or PGR Faculty Rep and/or Postgraduate Sounding Board member.

The Students’ Union shall be responsible for delivering recruitment systems and effective training for student representatives at all levels, including initial induction training and ongoing development opportunities. The Students’ Union will engage with the University to review and monitor training on an annual basis.

The Students’ Union and the University shall be jointly responsible for delivering an induction programme and ongoing support for staff responsible for Student Staff Fora (SSFs).

Student representatives should be given effective support in demonstrating employability skills developed through their duties.

For more information about these arrangements, please consult the following:

Student's Union

Student Staff Fora

The University regularly monitors all quality systems (for example, by way of the PACER procedures) to ensure they are working effectively. This includes monitoring the effectiveness of student engagement within these systems by seeking views from student representatives on University committees and via the Course Rep system. 

For more information about Student Staff Fora, Action Logs and Annual Reporting, please consult the following:

Student Staff Fora

The satisfactory operation of the assessment system relies to a large extent on the co-operation of the student body. The responsibilities of the individual student in this regard are as follows:

• To read carefully and comply with academic regulations, which can be found online.
• To submit coursework on time and to keep all returned coursework throughout the duration of their University career.

• To complete in a timely manner the necessary forms to ensure examination entries are correct. That is, module entry form (Autumn); module confirmation form (Spring); and individual examination timetable (both semesters).
• If, in exceptional circumstances, an extension is needed in order to complete a piece of coursework, students must follow the Policy on Circumstances Affecting Students' Ability to Study and Complete Assessments.
• To attend the required examinations.

For more information, please consult the following:

Policy on Circumstances Affecting Students' Ability to Study and Complete Assessment

Extenuating circumstances

• To inform your school immediately (using an Extenuating Circumstances form, which can be found below) if there are any personal or medical circumstances which may have affected your performance, and to provide documentary evidence.
• To inform your school immediately (using an Extenuating Circumstances form) if for any reason you are absent from an examination.

• When applying for extenuating circumstances, please complete the following:

  • Student Services - Extenuating circumstances form
• To inform your school if you are, or believe yourself to be, dyslexic, or have any other disability which may affect your examination performance. If you wish to request alternative arrangements on the grounds of dyslexia, disability or long-term medical condition, you should approach Disability Support Services by the published deadlines.

For more information, please consult the following:

Disability Support Services

Religious observance

• Where appropriate, to complete a religious observance form by the published deadlines.

Student Services – Religious observance

Other

For more information about student engagement with assessment, please consult the following page:

Student Services Academic regulations