Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Student Agency
Page last updated:
A course should be designed to empower students because students are the principal agents of their engagement, learning and success.
Reflective questions for course teams
- What influence, if any, does an individual student have in relation to their study approaches, pace of study, or timetable? Is there flexibility in course organisation to enable students to manage their studies alongside other commitments?
- Do students have a voice in relation to the way the course is organised and managed? How do you seek their views, reflect on these views and respond?
- What agency do students have over their educational gain? i.e., what they gain from their educational experience? How are students encouraged to reflect on what they have gained? How does the course team know what each student has gained?
- At the beginning of the course, do you ensure all students know how the course will run, how to access and use course resources and how they will be assessed on the course?
- At the beginning of the course, do you diagnostically assess each student’s knowledge of the subject, and their academic and digital skills? If so, do you provide additional resources and support for students who have gaps in their skills and knowledge, and signpost them to academic support services? If not, can you do this?
- At the beginning of the course, do you ascertain each student’s concerns, perceptions, ambitions and barriers to engagement? How do you proactively support students to overcome barriers to engagement?
- Do all new students know, from the start of the course, who to contact if part of their experience isn’t meeting their expectations? Do new students receive meaningful contact swiftly on arrival, so they have an individual link to academic staff, and are they appropriately signposted to their Course Director, Academic Advisor and other named contacts for responses?
- At the beginning of the course, do you establish ethical and behavioural expectations for students? How? Do you ensure that students on the course know what they can expect from the course team, so they do not have unrealistic expectations, e.g., response times or levels of support?
- Do you have planned, clear, accessible, course communications at critical times (e.g., pre-arrival, assessment periods, during off-campus placements, and when there are timetable changes)?
- How does the course team support students to progress through the course and prepare to successfully progress from their course? Are employability and careers guidance integrated into the course?
- Does every student have a named academic advisor? Do you have a clear process for students to discuss and progress their learning with their academic advisor at every stage of their course? Are academic advisors able to engage with students individually and follow-up on any issues?
- How does the course team respond to wellbeing issues raised by a student? How does the course team identify and refer a student to Student Services when needed? What is the mechanism for follow-up and support by the course team?
- Do you use GenAI to supplement student academic support? Are students encouraged to use GenAI to support their learning?
