The All Ireland Journal of Higher Education (AISHE-J) and the National Student Engagement Programme (NStEP) are seeking student volunteers to carry out reviews of articles submitted to the Special Issue on Student Engagement and Partnership, due to be published next year. This special issue is an important partnership effort to gather good practice and perspectives from students and staff across Irish higher education and further afield in student engagement.
Students in Irish higher education are invited to submit an expression of interest to join the volunteer Student Reviewer team.
About Student Reviewer Volunteering
Student Reviewers will form an integral part of the review process. Each reviewer will receive training on carrying out journal article reviews, and will be involved in at least two article reviews. Student Reviewers will work together in groups with other reviewers, supported by an experienced staff or student reviewer. Subsequent reviews may be carried out independently.
Why are Student Reviewers Needed?
Scholarly articles written for publication in academic journals go through robust review processes to ensure they are credible, well-structured, and have a clear hypothesis. Reviewers provide an expertise that can assist article authors to improve their work before they are approved for publication. Reviewers apply that expertise through a constructive critical analysis of the submitted work, provide clear feedback, and make decisions on whether an article should be published or not, and whether it could be amended.
Student engagement in decision-making is an important part of Irish higher education. It recognises that students are partners in their learning experience and in decision-making processes. AISHE-J and NStEP want to ensure that students can play a central and valued role in this special issue, ensuring student expertise can inform review processes.
About the Special Issue
The Special Issue on ‘Student Engagement and Partnership in Ireland’ is jointly edited by NStEP and AISHE and submissions will be reviewed by both academic experts and student reviewers. The Special Issue will be published February 2022.
Submissions from students and staff across higher education are invited. The Issue will have particular focus on the enhancement of the role of students as decision-makers in the learning community. Joint student-staff submissions and student papers are highly encouraged.
Both student engagement in decision-making and the intertwined concept of students as partners, have become a core feature of enhancement activities across Irish higher education. Meaningful engagement with students as a core constituent of the learning community re-imagines the relationship between students and staff, providing opportunity to foster a deeper connection to the institution and opens up the possibility of co-creating change. However, developing an authentic vision of engagement that truly involves the student as an influential partner is challenging. This Special Issue provides an opportunity to gather practice, perspectives, and experiences of the process of engagement and partnership between students and staff. We welcome submissions that can provide an understanding of the challenges and enablers to authenticity in student engagement practices, policies, and processes, and would encourage students and staff to collaborate and co-author.
Student Reviewers will gain:
- Experience of higher education peer review, journal, and research processes.
- Insights into higher education policy and processes.
- Critical analysis and collaboration skills.
- Transferable skills in communication, feedback, and decision-making.
- Experience that will prepare students for future opportunities in higher education and in professional life.
You do not need any experience to express your interest in this role, however, we do ask that you explain your motivation for being involved as a Student Reviewer.
Student volunteers will be eligible to receive a national Student Engagement Recognition Award once they have completed training and undertaken two reviews. More details about these Awards will be made available in due course.
Expressions of interest must be submitted by 5pm on Monday, 14 June 2021.
Training will be provided in late June or early July. We will notify interested students as soon as possible about the date of the training. Training will be held online.
If you have any queries, please get in contact with nstep@usi.ie