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Student Voice Forum Policy

This policy sets out the University's requirements for the establishment, operation and evaluation of Student Voice Forums, which support student engagement, partnership working and continuous enhancement of the student experience.

Please Note: Compliance with this policy is mandatory and subject to institutional oversight. 

Supporting Guidance - Guide to: Student Voice Forums

Contents

1. Purpose and Status

2. Principles

3. Scope and Levels

4. Remit

5. Membership and Governance

6. Operation of Student Voice Forums

7. Reporting, Escalation, and Integration

8. Communication with the Wider Student Body

9. Training and Support

10. Evaluation and Monitoring

11. Enhancement Opportunities

Appendix A: Student Voice Forum Compliance Checklist

Appendix B: Mapping Student Voice Forum Remit to the sparqs SLE Model

References and Key Resources

Policy

1. Purpose and Status

This policy sets out the mandatory institutional expectations for the establishment, operation, and evaluation of Student Voice Forums across the University of Glasgow. It forms part of the University's Academic Quality Framework and supports the delivery of the University's Learning & Teaching Strategy 2026–36, particularly its commitment to student partnership and an inclusive learning experience. It applies to all Schools and Graduate Schools.

Student Voice Forums are a core mechanism for student engagement, quality enhancement, and partnership working. They provide the primary formal structure through which Class Representatives - students elected to represent the views of their peers at course, subject, or programme level - and staff come together at local level to discuss the quality of learning, teaching, and parts of wider student experience, and to ensure that student feedback leads to visible action. Student Voice Forums are not simply a reporting mechanism, they are the primary space where Class Representatives and staff work in genuine partnership to identify issues, co-create solutions, and drive meaningful improvement.

Compliance with this policy is required and will be monitored through annual and periodic quality assurance processes. This policy is supported by a suite of accompanying guidance documents, templates, and resources, which provide practical advice on implementation. These are available in the Guide to: Student Voice Forum and should be read alongside this policy.

2. Principles

The University of Glasgow is committed to working in meaningful partnership with students on matters relating to learning, teaching, assessment, and the wider student experience. Student feedback is integral to continuous improvement and to assuring the quality and standards of the University’s provision.

All Student Voice Forum activity should reflect the following principles, which align with the Student Engagement Framework for Scotland and the University’s Student Voice Framework:

• Co-created. Students and staff work collaboratively in partnership to identify and address issues, co-create solutions, and share responsibility for outcomes.
• Inclusive and participatory. Every student, regardless of discipline, level of study (UG, PGT, and PGR) or mode of attendance, should have equal opportunity to be represented, give feedback, and receive updates.
• Ongoing dialogue. Active listening and engagement by staff and students, with timely and responsive communications. Feedback is channelled to the appropriate people, and plans, actions, and outcomes are made visible.
• Effective feedback mechanisms. The process should be meaningful but not bureaucratic. It should be scalable to cohort size and learning mode and integrated with existing mechanisms such as surveys and internal quality assurance activities.
• Actionable and measurable. Transparency, reasoning, actions, and feedback are visible to all students within Subjects/Schools/Colleges to close the feedback loop effectively.

2.1 The sparqs Student Learning Experience Model

The sparqs Student Learning Experience (SLE) model provides the sector reference point for structuring student–staff dialogue about the learning experience. The SLE model comprises nine building blocks – the key elements that make up the learning experience – and is underpinned by three cross-cutting lenses. Student Voice Forums at the University of Glasgow should draw on the SLE model to ensure that their discussions are broad-ranging and that feedback is gathered across the full breadth of the student experience.

Building blocks: Curriculum; Resources, Environment and Technologies; Learning and Teaching Delivery; Progression and Achievement; Assessment and Feedback; Community and Belonging; Student Partnership; Support and Guidance; Organisation and Management.

Lenses: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion; Mental Health and Wellbeing; Sustainable Development. These lenses should be applied across all areas of Student Voice Forum discussion.

Each building block is accompanied by a set of reflective questions developed with students across Scotland. These questions can be used to prompt and structure Student Voice Forum discussion, and to help the forums move beyond surface-level issues to meaningful, enhancement-focused dialogue. The SLE model and reflective questions are available from the sparqs website.

As the sector develops additional frameworks (including, for example, a PGR-specific experience model), Student Voice Forums should draw on relevant models appropriate to their student population.

3. Scope and Levels

3.1 Required Student Voice Forum Levels

Student Voice Forums must be established and maintained at programme level (or an equivalent grouping of cognate programmes). This is where the majority of Student Voice Forum activity will take place.

In addition, each School must hold at least one School-level Student Voice Forum meeting per academic year, bringing together Class Representatives from across its programmes to consider cross-cutting matters, School-wide initiatives, and issues that have been escalated from programme-level Student Voice Forums.

Where a Graduate School operates distinctly from the School (typically for PGR students), a Graduate School Student Voice Forum must also be maintained.

Schools and Graduate Schools may operate additional Student Voice Forums where appropriate, provided reporting and escalation routes remain clear.

4. Remit

Student Voice Forums provide a formal forum for discussion, consultation, and joint problem-solving between students and staff. They may consider any matter relating to the student learning or research experience, excluding individual personal cases.

4.1 Core Areas of Consideration

To ensure comprehensive coverage of the student experience, the Student Voice Forum remit is aligned to the nine building blocks of the sparqs Student Learning Experience (SLE) model.

• Programme-level Student Voice Forums will focus primarily on matters directly related to students' day-to-day learning experience, including curriculum, teaching delivery, assessment and feedback, progression, and community and belonging.
• School-level Student Voice Forums will typically focus on cross-cutting matters, including the review of student survey outcomes and quality review reports, consideration of School-wide or institutional initiatives, and the resolution of escalated issues.
• All Student Voice Forums should draw on the SLE building blocks and lenses as a framework for ensuring breadth of discussion, but not every building block need be addressed at every meeting. 

Over the course of the academic year Student Voice Forums must:

• Review student survey results, including course evaluation questionnaire results and other relevant feedback.
• Track and monitor previous actions (“You Said, We Did” updates).
• Share and celebrate positive practice.
• Consider external and internal quality review outcomes.
• Provide input on School, College, or University-level initiatives that affect the student experience.

Class Representative feedback and the School’s response must be a standing agenda item at every meeting.

4.2 Exclusions

Student Voice Forums must not discuss personal matters relating to identifiable students or staff. Such issues must be directed to appropriate University procedures.

5. Membership and Governance

5.1 Composition

• Students must form the majority of Student Voice Forum membership, but a student majority is not required for meetings to be held.
• Membership must ensure coverage across the programmes, levels of study, and modes of attendance within the Student Voice Forum’s scope, so that no significant student cohort is unrepresented.
• At least one Class Representative for every major programme or year group, and at least one relevant academic and professional services staff member. Each Class Representative in a School must be a member of at least one Student Voice Forum.

5.2 Chairing Arrangements

The preferred model is for the Student Voice Forum to be chaired or co-chaired by a student. However, students are under no obligation to take on this role. Those who are willing to do so should be identified at the start of the academic year, normally elected from among Class Representatives. School-level meetings should also be chaired or co-chaired by a Class Representative from within the School.

• Students should be offered the opportunity and encouraged to chair or co-chair the Student Voice Forum.
• Where a student chairs the Student Voice Forum, a named member of academic staff should act as Vice-Chair to provide continuity and support.
• Chairs should be agreed or elected by the student members prior to the first Student Voice Forum meeting of each academic year.

5.3 Secretary

• Students must not act as Secretary, to avoid conflicts between representative and administrative roles.
• An appropriate member of staff must be designated to support administration, minute-taking, and action tracking.

5.4 Staff Membership

Staff membership should normally include:

• An appropriate academic lead for the programmes covered by the Student Voice Forum (e.g. programme convenor, subject lead, or – for School-level Student Voice Forums – the School or Graduate School academic lead for Learning and Teaching).
• Appropriate academic staff representation from across the programmes within scope
• Staff with responsibilities for student support.
• Representation from Professional Services (e.g. Library; Careers, Employability and Opportunity; Student Learning Development) where relevant.

6. Operation of Student Voice Forums

6.1 Meetings and Agendas

• Student Voice Forums must meet regularly during the academic year. This should include:
  • A pre-meeting or introductory session at the start of each semester (or at least a week in advance of the main meeting), bringing together the Class Representatives and the academic lead or vice-chair to welcome, build rapport, agree the format and priorities for the semester, and begin co-creating the agenda for the first meeting.
  • At least one meeting per semester at programme level (or equivalent grouping of cognate programmes).
  • An optional summer meeting may be held where relevant.
• Additional meetings may be scheduled based on need. Schools are expected to liaise with Class Representatives to maximise attendance, whether in person or online.
• Agendas must be circulated in advance with a clear deadline for submission of items.
• A standard University agenda template must be used, covering standing items with flexibility for local additions.

6.2 Minutes and Action Management

• Standard University agenda, minute and action tracker templates must be used.
• Minutes and action trackers must be stored in an agreed central location accessible to students and staff.
• All issues raised must result in a clear outcome: action, decision, or justified closure.
• Actions must be assigned to named individuals with agreed timescales and follow-up.

7. Reporting, Escalation, and Integration

7.1 Reporting Routes

• Progress on actions must be reported at the next meeting and shared with student cohorts.
• Student Voice Forum outcomes and actions must be reported to the relevant School or Graduate School Learning and Teaching Committee, and relevant College or University fora.

7.2 Escalation

• Issues that cannot be resolved at programme level, or that recur across multiple meetings or academic years without resolution, must be escalated to the School-level Student Voice Forum and, where necessary, to School and/or College Learning and Teaching Committees.
• There must be a clear and documented escalation route from programme-level Student Voice Forum to School-level Student Voice Forum and onward to School and/or College Learning and Teaching Committee.

7.3 Annual Summary Reporting

Each Student Voice Forum must produce an annual summary report, co-authored with Class Representatives, which:

• Identifies key themes and issues.
• Summarises actions taken and outcomes achieved.
• Highlights unresolved matters and escalation.

These reports feed into Annual Quality and Enhancement Review processes and should be presented within the annual monitoring cycle. It also serves as the primary handover document for incoming Class Representatives and new staff members and should be written in language that is accessible to all audiences.

8. Communication with the Wider Student Body

8.1 Minimum Communication Expectations

Each Student Voice Forum must ensure transparent and regular communication with the wider student body. At minimum, this must include:

• A summary of outcomes and actions ("You Said, We Did") published in the agreed institutional location accessible to all students (e.g. the relevant VLE course page).
  
  

Schools are encouraged to supplement this with additional channels, which may include:

• Regular updates in programme or School newsletters.
• Summary slides included in teaching sessions.
• Class Representative Teams channels or other digital communication tools.
• Minutes and updates on a shared platform.

8.2 Accessibility

Communications must be easily accessible to all students, including part-time, distance learning, and international students.

Responsibility for ensuring effective communication rests with the Head of School or Graduate School.

9. Training and Support

9.1 Class Representative Training

Class Representatives should normally complete SRC-provided training prior to their first Student Voice Forum meeting. Where this is not practicable due to timing, representatives may attend their first meeting and must complete training at the earliest available opportunity.

9.2 Academic Lead Development

Mandatory training for Student Voice Forum academic leads must be completed. Staff members serving on Student Voice Forums should complete refresher training at least once every two years.

9.3 Training Content

Training for all Student Voice Forum members, including staff, should cover the sparqs Student Learning Experience (SLE) model and its reflective questions, partnership principles, inclusive and anti-racist practice, and working with data.

The Student Engagement Framework for Scotland, the University's Student Voice Framework, and the Professional Standards Framework for Student Engagement (sparqs) should inform training design. Training will be coordinated by Student and Academic Services.

10. Evaluation and Monitoring

The effectiveness of Student Voice Forums will be reviewed annually through:

• Student Voice Forum annual summary reports.
• Feedback from Class Representatives and staff.
• Consideration within Annual Quality and Enhancement Review and Periodic Subject Review.

Student Voice Forums are a key component of the University’s Academic Quality Framework in maintaining academic standards and enhancing the quality of provision. Their effectiveness is directly considered as part of Annual Quality and Enhancement Review and Periodic Subject Review. The University's Student Voice Framework, the sparqs SLE model reflective questions and the indicators in Scotland’s Ambition for Student Partnership should inform self-evaluation of Student Voice Forum practice.

11. Enhancement Opportunities

Sections 3–10 of this policy set out the mandatory minimum standards that all Student Voice Forums must meet. Students and staff are encouraged to go further, developing additional or enhanced approaches to collaboration and partnership.

11.1 Recommended Good Practice

Schools and Colleges are encouraged to consider the following:

• Inviting Professional Services colleagues (e.g. Careers, Disability, or Wellbeing teams) to relevant meetings.
• Encouraging student-led initiatives or community-building projects to emerge from Student Voice Forum discussions.
• Creating additional opportunities for student and staff partnership beyond the formal Student Voice Forum meeting.
• Assigning a named academic contact for each year group or programme to act as an ongoing liaison point for student feedback between Student Voice Forum meetings.
• Using digital tools (e.g. MyGlasgow portal, VLE spaces) to display outcomes and enable student queries between meetings.
• Drawing on the sparqs SLE reflective questions to structure pre-meeting feedback gathering by Class Representatives.
• Additional, informal methods and mechanisms to gather student feedback, build community and embed partnership throughout the academic year are encouraged.

11.2 Local Flexibility

Some subject areas may need to adapt this policy to reflect structural or pedagogical differences (e.g. large multi-subject Schools, clinical environments, or research-intensive programmes). Local adjustments should be limited to enhancements of the baseline expectations. This may include adaptation of the meeting schedule to align more effectively and meaningfully with teaching structure, for example for PGT or PGR populations.

All deviations from baseline expectations must be agreed by the relevant College Learning and Teaching Committee and reported to Academic Policy & Governance.

Appendix A: Student Voice Forum Compliance Checklist

Schools and Graduate Schools must be able to evidence the following:

Appendix B: Mapping Student Voice Forum Remit to the sparqs SLE Model

The table below maps the core areas of Student Voice Forum consideration (Section 4) to the nine building blocks of the sparqs Student Learning Experience (SLE) model. The SLE reflective questions accompanying each building block can be used to prompt and structure Student Voice Forum discussion. The three SLE lenses (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion; Mental Health and Wellbeing; Sustainable Development) apply across all building blocks and should be considered in every area of discussion.

References and Key Resources

This policy is informed by and should be read alongside the following:

• University of Glasgow Academic Quality Framework: https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/policy/qea/aqf/
• University of Glasgow Student Voice Framework:https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/learningandteaching/studentvoice/framework
• University of Glasgow Code of Practice on Student Representation: https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/policy/qea/studentrepresentationmyclassreps/codeofpractice
• Student Learning Experience (SLE) Model (sparqs): https://www.sparqs.ac.uk/resource-item.php?item=293
• A Student Engagement Framework for Scotland (sparqs): https://www.sparqs.ac.uk/culture.php?page=168
• Scotland’s Ambition for Student Partnership (sparqs): https://www.sparqs.ac.uk/resource-item.php?item=300
• Professional Standards Framework for Student Engagement (sparqs): https://www.sparqs.ac.uk/institute.php?page=1090
• QAA Scotland: Student Engagement within the Tertiary Quality Enhancement Framework: https://www.qaa.ac.uk/scotland/tertiary-quality-enhancement-framework/student-engagement