Over the past two years, the Enhancing Student Voice through SSLCs project has transformed how we listen to and act on student feedback. Student Staff Liaison Committees (SSLCs) have always been a vital link between students and staff, but this project has taken them to the next level making them more consistent, impactful, and visible across our university.

As the project team, Tracy Reed, Rachel Collings, Tegan Alexander-Prewett and Sarah Chapman are really proud of the benefits that have been delivered.

Here, Projects and Engagement Lead, Tegan Alexander-Prewett, talks about the project, what they have achieved and why it is one of the projects she is most proud of:

“My team work on a range of projects, this one has been my favourite for many reasons and it’s been a pleasure working together with a range of colleagues across the university.

“We’ve introduced a best practice guide for academic co-chairs and student representatives, co-designed with SUSU and academic colleagues. This serves as a practical toolkit that helps make SSLC meetings collaborative spaces where student voices shape action. We were really pleased that our academic colleagues rated these guides highly, noting a real improvement in meeting quality.

“We’ve also simplified processes. Now, all SSLC minutes are stored in one central SharePoint site, making it easier for students to see what’s happening and for staff to track actions. A new Emerging Themes Report is now circulated meaning the whole university has insight into what matters most to our students. This will help identify trends and become more responsive to students’ needs. It’s amazing to see that this report is being used more widely in the university to make positive change for our students, if you’d like to read past reports they can be found here: Your Voice – Documents – Emerging Themes Report – All Documents

“For staff, the benefits are clear; we now have a consistent process across all faculties, streamlined templates that support the student voice, and better training documents that encourage staff to use digital skills effectively.

“For students, the impact is even bigger. SSLCs now feel like a genuine partnership, actions and outcomes are prioritised in minutes, so students know their feedback counts. When students feel heard, they feel they belong. And when staff have clear processes, they can focus on what really matters- creating outstanding experiences.

“One of the things I am most proud of and why I have enjoyed this project so much is that it has been a collaborative effort from the very start. Our team have thoroughly enjoyed co-designing solutions with academics, Professional Services and SUSU and we are proud of the achievements. The project reflects the University’s commitment to empowering its community and fostering excellence through collaboration and co-design.

“We’d like to give special thanks to the Subject Matter Experts and SUSU representation who made this happen and continue working on the project… So thank you to Joshie Christian, Kate Weston, Rebecca Would, Charlie Carson, Alex Withers, Catherine Dodson, Clare Brockman and Karen Piggott for your insight and dedication.”

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