Due to COVID-19 the eighth Summer Symposium has been changed to the NEON Symposium and will be held online on Wednesday 21st and Thursday 22nd October.
The theme will be “Let’s work together – how can students shape the future of widening access”.
During the event, we will examine the priority placed on involving students, both prospective and existing, in the design, delivery and evaluation of widening access & participation at the strategic and operational level.
The voice of students, their stories, experiences and views are becoming increasingly important as we find ourselves trying to navigate higher education (HE) and widening access in uncertain times.
Universities are now trying and re-open whilst maintaining social distancing, provide lessons online, conduct outreach work online or within the constraints of social distancing. The student voice is crucial to understanding whether universities are delivering what they set out to, and how well they are doing so.
In particular, the voice of students from under-represented groups is crucial to understanding how current circumstances affect them in similar and unique ways. Moreover, the views of students are a key means of measuring success in the short term, in the absence of data on outcomes within this specific context.
How can we ensure more effective, equal partnership with the beneficiaries of widening access initiatives and that the student voice becomes a key part of the work which is carried out across the whole student lifecycle?
And how, in this current time, when there is uncertainty and lack of knowledge relative to in other circumstances, can we obtain the student voice in a way that truly captures their experience?
During the event, we will be discussing the importance of partnership working in order to both widen access to HE and to support students from under-represented groups into employment. We will talk about the challenges of engaging students in a productive way that enhances the work we do and ensures that their needs are being met.
We are seeking research papers/best practice examples that focus on the above theme. More general papers covering any area of access & participation work are also welcome. For more information and to submit, please click here.
