Student Engagement Strategy 2025–26

A structured framework through which Watney College ensures that student voice informs academic development, quality assurance, programme delivery and the overall strategic direction of the College.

Strategic objectives

Watney College seeks to achieve the following strategic objectives through this engagement strategy.

Strengthen the role of student voice in shaping programme delivery and academic development
Establish effective and representative student participation structures
Promote partnership working between students and staff
Ensure inclusive engagement for all student groups, including mature and part-time learners

Support student participation in quality assurance and enhancement activities
Improve communication of institutional responses to student feedback
Strengthen student engagement within work-based learning environments

Alignment

This strategy aligns with the College's Business Plan 2026–2031, the UK Quality Code for Higher Education, and the institutional governance framework. External reference: UKSCQA / UKQC.

Student representation and the three strategic themes

Student representation structure

Course representatives — elected within each programme cohort to represent peer views
Lead student representative — primary liaison between students and governance structures
Committee participation — Student Engagement & WBL Committee, Programme Committees, Academic Board

Theme 1 — Student voice and representation

Maintain an effective student representative system · Provide structured training for representatives · Close the feedback loop by communicating outcomes.

Theme 2 — Staff participation

Provide staff development sessions on student engagement · Encourage integration of student feedback in programme development · Promote collaborative problem-solving.

Theme 3 — Work-based learning engagement

Collect structured feedback from placement students · Integrate employer and student feedback into programme review · Monitor placement experiences in healthcare programmes.

Governance, monitoring and inclusion

Governance oversight structure:

Student Engagement & WBL Committee — primary oversight of strategy implementation and placement engagement
Quality Assurance Committee — reviews student feedback in relation to programme monitoring
Academic Board — ensures engagement outcomes inform academic strategy and quality standards
Board of Directors — receives institutional summaries on engagement outcomes

Monitoring and evaluation

Implementation monitored through: internal student experience surveys, programme evaluation feedback, student representative reports, committee monitoring reports, and annual quality review processes.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

Engagement activities ensure inclusion of mature learners, part-time learners, students with disabilities, and students from diverse backgrounds. Participation levels are monitored to ensure activities remain accessible to all.

Key Performance Indicators

Theme	Key Performance Indicators
Student voice and representation	Representative coverage across all cohorts · Participation in training · Student satisfaction indicators · Evidence of actions taken on feedback
Staff participation	Staff training participation · Programme-level actions from student feedback · Student satisfaction with staff communication and support
Work-based learning engagement	Student participation in placement feedback · Employer engagement in programme review · Programme adjustments based on placement feedback

Last reviewed: November 2025 · Version: 2.0 · Next review: November 2026

Download the full Student Engagement Strategy (PDF)