President of Education

President of Education End of Year Report

Academic Representation: As PresEd, I lead all academic representatives (eg. Class Reps and School Presidents). Together we make up a core component of the Union and work to ensure the student body are heard by the University on academic matters and thereby enhance the educational experience at St Andrews. 

Undergraduate Academic Forum (UAF): UAF is a meeting between School Presidents and senior university staff, such as the Dean of Learning and Teaching and the Vice-Principal (Education), to discuss the key issues affecting undergraduates.   It is chaired by the President of Education and is a crucial forum for expressing the mood and opinion of undergraduates to senior staff.

Postgraduate Academic Forum (UAF): PGAF is a meeting between Postgraduate Presidents and senior university staff, such as the Provost and Director of Student Experience, to discuss the key issues affecting postgraduates. It is chaired by the President of Education and is a crucial forum for expressing the mood and opinion of postgraduate students to senior staff.

Students’ Association Trustee Board: I serve on the Students’ Association Trustee Board to steer the strategic direction and long-term sustainability of the Students’ Association.

Senior Leadership Team​: I sit on the Senior Leadership Team to ensure all Union decisions are made with students in mind.

1413 Teaching Awards: On behalf of the Union, I organise the 1413 Teaching Awards to recognise the excellent teaching that happens in St Andrews.

I represent the views of students on a wide range of university committees, ensuring student needs are communicated and taken into account when building core university policies. 

University Court: I represent students on University Court, and attend 4 of its sub-committees Planning and Resources Committee, Governance and Nominations Committee, Academic Sensate, and Academic Assurance Group, to ensure student views are present when the biggest university decisions are made.

University Committees: I attend key university committees to ensure student views are present when decisions are made relating to their academic experience, and policies are written that will affect them. Some of these committees are listed below.

·        Learning and Teaching Committee​

·        Postgraduate Research Committee ​

·        Academic Monitoring Group​

·        Education Strategic Management Group​

·        Teaching Infrastructure strategy group​

·        Libraries and Museums Trustee Board​

·        Spaces and Places​ Committee

Quality Assurance and Enhancement: I work closely with the University’s Quality Team to ensure the high quality of courses offered at the university. Through involvement in University Reviews of Learning and Teaching, Module Feedback Questionnaires, Institution Liasson Meetings, Annual Academic Monitoring Dialogues, and co-writing the university’s Self-Evaluation and Action Plan, I work to making sure our academic experience is the best it can be!

I monitor developments in national education policy and am responsible both for making external bodies aware of student views as well as for informing students about policy changes which directly impact you.

I work with external organizations to help keep the University of St Andrews ahead of the curve in national developments. Some of these organizations and meetings include:

·        Scotland’s Tertiary Quality Student Expert Group​

·        National Education Officers Network​

·        The Scottish Funding Council

·        The Quality Assurance Agency

·        Student Partnerships in Quality Scotland

Over the past year, I have liaised with national bodies to ensure St Andrews students are impacting national education policies. Some of these national consultations have included:

·        Compassionate Communications​

·        Artificial Intelligence​

·        Student Concerns/ Complaints Process​

European Students' Union: I have been selected as a member of the European Students' Union Quality Assurance Student Expert Pool! Through my membership I aim to improve university provisions across Europe through involvement in international quality assurance procedures.

European University Association: Alongside the Vice-Principal (Education) and Dean of Learning and Teaching I have been selected as a member of the European University Association’s Quality Assurance Thematic Peer Group. Alongside universities from across Europe, we explore practices and lessons learnt in organizing and implementing quality academic experiences for students.