The National Student Engagement Programme Pilot rolled out the first Institutional Development Work Stream in National College of Ireland, Letterkenny Institute of Technology, NUI Galway, Waterford Institute of Technology and Cork Institute of Technology in 2016 and 2017.

The Analysis Workshop

Each institution completed an analysis workshop with staff and students from across the college and students’ union, facilitated by sparqs. The day long workshop began with two exercises  exploring student partnership. The first utilities the ‘Ladder of Citizen Participation’ published by Sherry Arnstein in 1969.

The second explores the relationship between a Students’ Union and an Institution using the Matrix developed by Peter Cadogan. You will find the full article here: Peter Cadogan Matrix

Participants then used materials developed for the Scottish Framework for Student Engagement to identify specific areas of focus for their institution for which strategies were developed.

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The strategies from all 5 institutions were anonymised and reviewed by the pilot working group to develop a number of National Projects for the areas important for all pilot institutions.

Sector-Wide Roll-Out of the Workshop

A number of changes were implemented for the 2017/18 roll-out of the workshops across the sector, based on a review of the 2016 Pilot. The main change was the introduction of an Induction Meeting with the Student Engagement Working Group in each institutions before the planning for their Analysis Workshop began.

During 2017/18 and 2018/19 academic years,the workshop was completed in the following institutions:

  • Institute of Technology Tralee
  • Institute of Technology Sligo
  • Dublin Institute of Technology
  • Griffith College Dublin
  • Maynooth University
  • Dublin City University
  • Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology
  • Athlone Institute of Technology
  • Institute of Art, Design and Technology
  • Institute of Technology Carlow
  • Limerick Institute of Technology

IT Tralee Workshop IT Sligo Workshop

To enquire about the NStEP Institutional Analysis Workshop, or any aspect of our wider programme of work to support higher education institutions, please contact the Programme Manager at nstep@usi.ie