Student Engagement and Enhancement

Student Engagement and Enhancement

The Student Engagement and Enhancement (SE & E) team provide evidence-based insight to enhance existing practices and facilitate positive change for students and the University. The team strives to help foster a community where both students and staff listen to one another, collaborate, and challenge safely, whilst amplifying the voices of those who go unheard. It is our mission to enable an inclusive environment where all students from all backgrounds are empowered to feel a sense of belonging.

SE&E areas of work

In line with the University of Derby’s Learning, Teaching, and Assessment Framework, the work of SE & E focuses on the following strands: student insight, sense of belonging, and developing a culture of partnership. To achieve student engagement, students and staff work in partnership; students are seen as partners. Student engagement empowers students to share their voices and feel engaged in decision-making, enhancement, and quality processes (Lowe and El Hakim, 2020). Research shows that when students become engaged members of the university community and invest further in their learning, the positive interaction leads to a sense of belonging and increased student satisfaction (Humphrey and Lowe, 2017).

  • Student surveys - national and internal surveys, including the National Student Survey, Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey, Postgraduate Research Experience Survey, and programme questionnaires
  • Student panel activities – targeted focus groups and questionnaires
  • College student voice forums in collaboration with the Union of Students
  • Student polls on the student portal (UDo)
  • Enhancements and improvements based on student voice analysis
  • Closing the feedback loop by letting students know how their comments have been heard and taken on board
  • Cultivating student co-creation opportunities (e.g., collaborating with students on the online University Induction module)
  • Encouraging returning students and staff to be Welcome Heroes to support new students
  • Supporting international students to enable them to organise their own international events
  • Supporting and working in partnership with our student Comms Ambassadors
  • Working with specific student groups including Access, Foundation, international, and students studying at the Chesterfield campus
  • Creation of University of Derby site maps to help students navigate university sites
  • Recruiting staff and student Welcome Heroes to support students during the key intake points of September, January, and March
  • Delivering WelcomeFest and the Global Gathering events in collaboration with the Union of Students to help students build connections
  • Working with Student Comms on the Welcome Magazine to help prepare students ahead of arriving at university
  • Collaborations with the Union of Students to create tailored events for international students
  • Working to embed English language support
  • Building links with the local community, church, and on-site multi-faith centre to help students form connections with other groups outside of the University
Nine colleagues from the Student Engagement and Enhancement team stood outside in front of the trees.
Meet the team

Meet colleagues within the Student Engagement and Enhancement Team at the University of Derby.