National Student Engagement Network

Event Report – 1st December 2022

The first in-person National Student Engagement Network since 2019 was held at Maynooth University. Thank you to the teams at Maynooth Teaching & Learning and Maynooth Students’ Union (MSU) for their support in organising and hosting this exciting opportunity to bring students and staff from across the Irish higher education sector together again. It was a lively day of debate and discussion that NStEP hopes to build on.

The event explored a number of themes, including student engagement in quality assurance and enhancement activities, supporting students in governance and decision-making, student partnership in student services, SaPiA (student partnership in assessment), resources for supporting students’ union officers, and student success strategies. Importantly, the Network offered staff and student representatives a chance to consider how these issues and ideas can be addressed in their own institutions, as well as shaped at the national level.

If you weren’t able to join us in-person, please find the speaker presentations below, as well as our Event Report which includes contributor and attendee perspectives on the event.

Student Engagement in Higher Education Quality Assurance

Maureen McLaughlin – Academic Registrar & Director of Student, Library and Academic Services at Northumbria University

What has Student Engagement ever done for us? The what, why and how – observations from a UK perspective

Chairperson: Oisín Hassan (NStEP)

Student Engagement in Higher Education Quality Assurance

Niall Daly – President, Maynooth University Students’ Union (MSU)

Broadening Student Engagement in Quality Review Processes

Chairperson: Oisín Hassan (NStEP)

Student Engagement in Higher Education Quality Assurance

Niamh Kennedy – NStEP Postgraduate Student Associate Intern

Devleoping Student Engagement Initiatives for Postgraduate Research Students (PGRs)

Chairperson: Oisín Hassan (NStEP)

Disabled Community Engagement Project

Rachel Murphy – Graduate Intern at Trinity Disability Service

Cocreation in the Trinity Disability Service: The Path to Meaningful Student Partnership in Student Support Services

Chairperson: Megan Griffiths (NStEP Student Trainer)

Student Partnership for Student Success Strategies

Lisa O’Regan, Eddie Corr, Conor Cronin, Aisling Flynn, Alex Balfe – Maynooth University and Maynooth University Students’ Union

Student Partnership for Student Success Strategies: Enabling Policies & Practices for Student Success Initiative

Chairperson: Judith Veld (NStEP Student Trainer)

Power Dynamics in Governance

Kevin McStravock – Lead Policy Officer (Devolved Nations and Europe) at the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA UK)

“You’re in the wrong seat”: Exploring Perceptions of Power Dynamics among Student Governors

Chairperson: Áine Daly (NStEP Student Trainer)