Imperial College London is a dynamic organisation, with decisions being taken regularly, at all levels, to ensure that the College continues to grow, develop and improve. It’s well established that continuous change is essential to the development of any organisation; but it is also well established, within Higher Education, that effective student engagement improves outcomes for institutions and for students. These outcomes manifest themselves in terms of academic attainment, retention, social capital and student satisfaction.
Imperial College Union, as the voice for all students at the College, believes that effective student consultation is not only desirable for the above reasons, but also leads to better decision-making, especially when applied proactively. To this end we have developed this Consultation Framework. It has been developed to act as a resource for departments, in order to provide a suggested approach for efficient and effective decision-making, with student consultation applied in a proportionate and relevant manner.
This is not an approval for the decision made, but rather for the process of consultation
The framework enables the user to produce a series of suggested consultation methods, to be completed as a guideline, which are flexible according to circumstance, and relate to the potential impacts of the decision being made. The level of consultation the platform recommends has been standardised according to balanced feedback from large numbers of College staff and students, as well as College and Union committees. This framework does not attempt to change the good practice, which already happens in many departments; rather it sets to determine a minimum standard for consultation, agreed by all affected parties, against which departments can set themselves against, should they wish to, without confusion as to what constitutes ‘consultation’. In setting this standard, confusion can be avoided between staff and students as to whether appropriate consultation has taken place.
This framework is as much about communication as it is about consultation. Guidance is given on how best to communicate with students, particularly with regard to how their opinions were factored into the decision making process. By improving communication, students will feel better listened to, resulting in a greater feeling of self-efficacy and greater subsequent engagement with the consultation process. Furthermore, by better communicating to students the context of the decision, students will have a greater understanding of why a decision has been taken.
The Union will provide support to individuals and departments in both the application of the framework and, crucially, in the facilitation of the consultation process, with particular consideration given to departments who may lack the resources to consult to the standard advised. For those who are less familiar with the Union, the framework contains guidance regarding the Union representation structures and what help is available.
Based on my central manifesto pledge, running for the position of ICU President, and fitting in with the objectives of the College’s Education and Student Strategy, this framework is responding to a genuine call for best-practice student consultation across the College and presents the opportunity for the Union and the College to act in partnership to achieve this. The Union itself will be applying the method to the decisions it makes on a regular basis, as well as providing strong avenues for feedback, to initiate a review of the framework each year.
Without necessarily being exhaustive, by improving consultation, this framework will reduce unintended consequences and the chance of needing to rework changes. We believe that it will help legitimise decision-making, manage student expectations and ultimately produce better outcomes.
