Student Voice: A Widening Participation (WP) Perspective Conference

Wednesday 8th March 2023 9:30am - 3:00pm - Westwood Teaching Centre

This joint event between the WP Staff and Student Networks is open to all staff and students at the University of Warwick around the theme of 'Student Voice' for WP Students.

This event is an opportunity to highlight the support, opportunities and challenges faced by staff and students who study and work at the university. The event will take the format of Interactive Workshops (45 mins) or WP Insight presentations (20 minutes).

Programme

Opening Keynote (09:30 - 10:15) Having a Voice: A Lived Experience Student and Staff Panel  PresentationLink opens in a new window

Workshop A - 'A journey from Young People's experience to practical action.' PresentationLink opens in a new window

This session will be led by the ThinkHigher Team.

A brief introduction into ThinkHigher’s experience of interviewing young people for a range of research projects, our process, the impact of this on the young people involved and how we used the research to shape ThinkHigher programmes.

Workshop B - 'A Students' Union perspective into WP'  PresentationLink opens in a new window

This session will be led by the Student Voice Advisors from the SU.

This interactive workshop explores themes of belonging, class & how a Students' Union caters for Student Voice. Our aim is to unmask how to encourage and respect an authentic voice for students, and to make sure the environment is accessible for those from a WP background.

WP Insights (1 and 2) - 'Parental involvement: bridging the gap' and 'Adjusting to living in the unknown'

These two twenty minute snapshots will each explore the following:

Bridging the gap: parental involvement in higher education - Student led PresentationLink opens in a new window

Students from widening participation backgrounds and students whose parents didn't go to university are disadvantaged before even applying to higher education due to the lack of knowledge and misconceptions about university held by their parents. This presentation will talk about the challenges and barriers faced by these students as a result, both during the application process and in general university life, before looking at how universities can do better in ensuring the burdens associated aren't placed on the students themselves.

Adjusting to living in the unknown - Student led PresentationLink opens in a new window

WP Insights (3 and 4) - 'Co-creation, gamification and student engagement' and 'Are some voices more overpowered than others? Exploring the disparity of student voices within the different widening participation communities'

These two twenty minute snapshots will each explore the following:

Co-creation, gamification and student engagement - Staff led PresentationLink opens in a new window

Gamification can be defined as the use of game design elements and principals used in a non-game context. Gamification within education works on the basis that learners engage more when they are having fun. However, much of this is controlled by the teacher who designs and sets the experience – but what learning can be gained from handing over control to the students.

We wanted to take this even further and inspire students to co-create quizzes to promote greater learning and improve student experience. This session will discuss research conducted into the international foundation students’ experience of the gamification of learning, with a focus on the co-creation of quizzes within online and face to face seminars. Participants will gain an insight into the attitudes and behaviours of international students in the use of co-creation combined with game-based technology. The research presented will consider the use and benefits of co-creation in gamification, the impact on student learning, student experience, and their sense of belonging. We will also explore issues relating to anonymity, whether students see the gamification as a ‘test’ or not, accessibility and inclusive teaching.

Are some voices more overpowered than others? Exploring the disparity of student voices within the different widening participation communities. - Student led  PresentationLink opens in a new window

This session will explore the levels of disparity and engagement of student voices within the different widening participation communities. Is there an issue of representation or a lack of transparency around lived experiences? This session will be providing advice on how students can amplify their voice and be the change they want to see.

Workshop C - 'Centring Student Voices with Benefactors and Alumni' PresentationLink opens in a new window 

This session will be led by staff from the Alumni and Development Office.

Upon graduation, students become alumni. Alumni volunteer their time as mentors as well as financially invest in the next generation of students through donations. When it comes to alumni, supporting students is their primary philanthropic priority at Warwick. When speaking with donors, it is vital to share with them the great impact of their support. This is done through the Scholar Ambassadors. Students from a Widening Participation background apply to be part of the paid programme to share their stories and answer questions directly. Lead by Donor Relations Officer Sabath Shazia, the first member in her family to attend university, the Scholar Ambassador programme centres the student voice when speaking to benefactors and alumni. Given the chance, what would you add to this conversation?

Workshop D - 'Amplifying student voices' PresentationLink opens in a new window

This session will be led by a students and staff from the WP Team.

We will share our practice in incorporating a variety of student voices in our Widening Participation work to inform reflective practice and support current undergraduate students. We will take participants on an empathetic journey into the world of Widening Participation and explore how student voices can inform agile change to departmental practices and service provision.

WP Insights (5 and 6) - 'Working with our Priority Groups' and Voices in the Library'

These two twenty minute snapshots will each explore the following:

Working with our Priority Groups - Staff led  PresentationLink opens in a new window

This session will look at the range of support available at the University for care leavers, estranged students and asylum-seekers, and how this has been developed in collaboration with these students.

Voices in the Library - Staff led

The Library Associates Scheme offers the opportunity for students to work collaboratively with the Library. Through the scheme students are exposed to how the Library works via a series of masterclasses with staff, they are invited to shape decision making and future planning for services and Library as place. We place the student voice at the centre of the scheme and actively participating in a range of projects such as running events and improving our collections to better represent our student body.

Through our services and collections, the Library plays a key role in engaging our students and staff to challenge and broaden perspectives. This work supports the university's position on decolonising the curriculum as well as supporting wider inclusivity aims. As centres of knowledge production, the Library and Modern Records Centre would welcome further opportunities to collaborate with WP students and staff from other departments, and to help give a voice to new and silenced narratives.

WP Insights (7 and 8)- 'Understanding Engagement and Performance of Social Mobility Students' and 'Finding Your Voice As An Ethnic Minority Student' PresentationLink opens in a new window

These two twenty minute snapshots will each explore the following:

Understanding Engagement and Performance of Social Mobility Students - Staff led

In this session we present some research on performance and engagement gaps across modules, and assessment types. We are particularly interested in studying ways in which participation and assessments might “exclude” and/or foster wider scholarship towards inclusive practices. The project addresses students' voice in both direct/indirect ways. Information received via focus groups (direct method) and a revealed preferences approach (indirect method) will be used to discuss how we should address students' concerns to help their transition, and progression once at University.

Finding Your Voice As An Ethnic Minority Student - Student led

A discussion around my experiences as a black, widening participation student. Exploring the intersectionality between my journey as a black Christian, the direction that I wanted to take in life and university life.

Lunch

Workshop E - 'Connecting Voices of WP Students and Staff: A Guide' - Student Led PresentationLink opens in a new window

Student voice is an integral part of the university experience, and feeling represented and listened to by staff can make a real difference to underrepresented student groups. This workshop will aim to help staff identify networks in which they can actively engage with Widening Participation student groups, and also to effectively address student concerns with WP-specific issues, including financial hardship and caring responsibilities. The aim is to be more informed about how to support with these issues empathetically, and how to identify these voices within the student body.

WP Insights (9 and 10) - 'Engaging with, and responding to student voice through the Widening Participation Student Peer Support Coordinators in The School of Modern Languages and Cultures' and 'Warwick Philosophy Black Voices Network: Its Foundations and Its Future'

These two twenty minute snapshots will each explore the following:

Engaging with, and responding to student voice through the Widening Participation Student Peer Support Coordinators in The School of Modern Languages and Cultures - Staff led

We have set up a network of student peer support coordinators to work with and engage different groups of students in SMLC through the school’s inclusion action plan. We will discuss the reasons these roles were created, our work so far and the positive outcomes we hope to achieve through engaging student voice.

Warwick Philosophy Black Voices Network: Its Foundations and Its Future - Staff and student led PresentationLink opens in a new window

The Warwick Philosophy Black Voices Network (BVN) is an organisation founded by Warwick Philosophy students in 2020 with the support of the Philosophy Department. It provides a safe and supportive space for Philosophy students from Black Heritage backgrounds to meet, discuss, and make change. In this presentation, you will find out how the BVN was founded, where it is going, and how it interacts with the Philosophy Department as a whole, including the Department’s mechanisms for amplifying and implementing the student voice.

WP Insights (11 and 12) - 'Time's up for awarding gaps' and 'What is ‘student voice’ and how can it be used by universities in a non-exploitative way?'

These two twenty minute snapshots will each explore the following:

Time's up for awarding gaps - Student led PresentationLink opens in a new window

Progression is often overlooked when WP students are accepted to study at selective institutions. We know awarding gaps exist in the performance between contextual offer and standard offer students, so how do we eliminate these gaps? Thalia and Becca aim to highlight the findings from a UG Dissertation about Awarding Gaps in the Law School, reflecting on student and staff perspectives, inviting you to consider some of the challenges WP students face at university and how we can begin to best support them.

What is ‘student voice’ and how can it be used by universities in a non-exploitative way? - Student led PresentationLink opens in a new window

Olivia Collins discusses student voice and its role at University of Warwick for widening participation (underrepresented) student communities. This presentation will evaluate some of the ways that University of Warwick collects and responds to student voice, and will offer up ways in which this can be improved, aiming towards a more equal exchange between students and institutions

WP Insights (13 and 14) - 'Community Leadership, Changing the World' and 'Using Student Voice in committees'

These two twenty minute snapshots will each explore the following:

Community Leadership, Changing the World - Student led

This student led session is about creating lasting impact through local change, “changing the world, by changing a world.” In this session the student shares their journey in community leading, supporting hundreds of young people in his local area and most importantly how you can create meaningful impact too.

 Using student voice in committees - Staff led PresentationLink opens in a new window

Exploring ways that we can support students to positively engage in University Committees and share some examples of current practice used in the Widening Participation Student Advisory Group and training for SU committee reps.

Closing Plenary (14:15 - 15:00) Taking Action on Student Voice: Review, Own and Action PresentationLink opens in a new window