When I was applying to university, I really had no idea how they worked.
Being a first-generation student, if you had asked me before being an officer what a university looked like, I would have envisioned a big government team in an office.
Truth is, I really had no idea. I mean how would I and why would I even need to understand?
To me, university was always the highest form of education that “smart people” went to and up until my final year of college (where I realised, I might actually be one of those people), it felt completely out of reach.
Universities increasingly do more, with less, and for more students. And universities are increasingly struggling to get students to participate in activity other than studies, and it can feel quite frustrating for them.
Reflecting on my year as a student officer, I’ve been thinking about how we could create a community-oriented culture in our universities that would increase student participation.
There’s two parts to this – the how and the why.
The first is, just like any organisation, if you understand how it works, you feel like you have a place in it. If students could see the hard work that goes into running the university that they’re a part of, would they feel more inclined to support its success?
The second is that students need to understand the why. Students will only dedicate their time to something when they see the benefit of it. But how exactly do you articulate the benefit of “participating” to thousands of students, all with different perspectives?
Different perspectives
The answer isn’t simple. Students arrive at university from diverse backgrounds, each with their own understanding of “university” and the purpose that it serves.
And it’s important to consider that incoming cohorts have barely been a part of a conventional educational culture – some of their most important years of school or college were spent online.
There’s a fundamental misunderstanding that students can immediately adapt to the complexities of university as they were ten years ago. Students have changed, and will continue to do so, and approaches to engagement and participation need to change with it.
Explaining the how
When I return to my lectures this September, I will have a very advanced understanding of how my university functions.
But the understanding of most students sitting next to me in the lecture theatre will probably be very different.
Now, I’m not suggesting that students need to know the ins and outs of how universities work. But its important for organisations, that there is an understanding of how they work and the role expected of you within its strategy certainly helps to bridge the gap.
So why is it any different for students at university?
If we could give students an insight into how a university works, would they feel their place in its community and subsequently be obliged to contribute to fostering its success.
Students are always asked to contribute their feedback, but are not always clear in how it’s used. If students could see that there are dedicated teams relying on student input to push the best agendas for them, imagine the empowerment that they would feel. That their contribution is truly valued in shaping the environment that they study within.
If students knew how universities work would it enhance their belonging to feel a part of the wider institutional community?
I’m not talking about a student officer level of knowledge, but an understanding of what institution you’re a part of and what it’s setting out to do. And sharing that vision with students may be a step in building belonging and driving participation.
Explaining the why
It’s almost impossible to understand something without understanding why it exists.
I mean you could sit down with a lecture full of students, showing them how a university structure works. The same goes for employees of an organisation. But if they don’t know why the institution or business strategy exists, then how could they possibly form a connection to their place within it?
Most students will flow in and out of their timetables every day and in between be expected to participate. Without understanding why you are doing something – why on earth would you give your time to something if you don’t understand its importance?
I’m not being realistic about explaining the ins and outs of university governance to students in a lecture but what I am thinking about is a clear articulation of what is expected of students.
Some of the best methods of engagement are the ones where they clearly articulate the benefit and reasons behind doing something. By sharing why they’re doing another survey or a catch up session or why being a course rep or volunteering is good for their experience not only reinforces its importance but also demonstrates the motivations for co-creation.
I guess there are two things going on here. If we can demonstrate to students how things work and why they exist – not just universities as a whole but the processes, the programmes they study, the extracurriculars they get involved with – you would hope it will increase participation and have a subsequent indirect impact on belonging.
I’ve spent this year as a student officer and I’ll be going back to my final year of study now knowing all this information.
I will feel obliged to get involved because I know the importance of my participation to my institution and to myself.
I like to imagine a world where we could establish a community where all students understand that their contract with a university is so much more than signing for a degree. That they are signing to become a part of a community of thousands, responsible for co-creating the success of their environment. Sharing the how and why might help solve some of the dilemmas the sector is facing.
