Baking in an ethos of partnership – an institution and student union’s approach to enhancing student representation and feedback mechanisms.

Abstract

This case study reports on an institutional approach to enhancing and addressing feedback loops at The University of Winchester and Winchester Student Union, specifically in reference to our largest student representation mechanism. This mechanism, our Student Academic Representatives scheme (StARS), is administrated by Winchester Student Union but employs a partnership model with the university. Drawing on Bols’s (2017) framework for effective student representation, we hope this paper, outlining our rejuvenated approach to the scheme, can support the development of others seeking to improve their own approaches by considering an ethos of institutional partnership and co-creation, namely in the context of a university and students’ union working collaboratively to fulfil such aims.