University recognises student support excellence

A new interactive tool to help students explore what they can expect from their university experience and what is expected of them has won the 2019 University of the Highlands and Islands student support initiative award.

Now in its fourth year of running, the award recognises and honours projects which have enhanced the experience of its students.

The winning project partnership agreement resource from Inverness College UHI, was created by students and staff working together to create a shared understanding of what students can expect from their experience, and what will be expected of them, as active learning partners. This resource is now included in the college’s induction information for students, providing a channel for proactive discussions between students and staff.

The university’s dean of students, Dr Iain Morrison said: “One of this university’s greatest strengths is the support we provide for our students and once again, these projects help to illustrate this.

“We were thrilled to receive such strong entries from across the university’s academic partners. Alongside our worthy winner, this year the judging panel highly commended Perth College UHI for its “reading club project” and Inverness College UHI for the “peer educator” initiative, with a further four entries being commended for their work.”

Catriona Meighan, Student Engagement Officer at Inverness College UHI, said: “We worked closely with the student body including the Highlands and Islands Students’ Association in Inverness to explore aspects of the student experience, creating a joint vision and developing a resource on our virtual learning platform for all students to use.

“The aim of our partnership agreement resource is to embed the student voice in everything we do, with the aim of strengthening relationships between students, staff and the wider community. I am delighted that this work has been recognised by the university, as the student experience is at the heart of what we do. We have successfully enrolled nearly 5000 users and have already received positive feedback from staff and students. Our goal is to continue to cultivate a mutually respectful learning journey for everyone studying at Inverness College UHI.”

Andrew Bowie, outgoing President of the Highlands and Islands Students’ Association, Inverness, who was on the project group, said: “HISA Inverness is thrilled to have won this award in partnership with the college which recognises the outstanding work which we’ve been able to achieve together. This project has been developed at grassroots level with a diverse range of students. We have benefited immensely from this resource and have used it to shape the priorities which we’ve worked on during the course of this year. We’re excited to see how this approach continues to develop in future years.”

Andrew moves on to the role of Highlands and Islands Students’ Association Vice President for Higher Education this year.

Mark Wilkinson, Head of Student Wellbeing and Inclusion, Edinburgh Napier University, one of four judges praised the University of the Highlands and Islands in their ongoing focus to find new ways of supporting their students.

He said; “It was a pleasure to be asked to take part. This award is an excellent way to highlight the vital role that student support services has in the enhancement of a student’s learning experience. It presents an opportunity to share good practice across the university’s academic partnership and with other universities such as mine.”