Enhancing the Student Experience by valuing the Student Voice

Dr Paula Miles:  I will be delivering a talk reporting on a piece of longitudinal research that I have carried out with student interns. The research project explores the impact of online and hybrid learning on the student experience during covid, considering academic and social experiences and student wellbeing. This was a very successful project that shaped University policy and practice. This in large part came down to student involvement and valuing the student voice in the project, and the use of multiple and creative methods for collecting data from students.

About our speaker

Paula is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology & Neuroscience, at the University of St Andrews.  She has extensive experience lecturing and coordinating courses in New Zealand, Canada and Scotland. Paula is currently leading the University's Enhancement Topic - a Scotland-wide initiative to improve the learning experiences of students in higher education. Paula sits on the University of St Andrews Student Experience Strategic Management Group, was a member of the University’s Mental Health Task Force and Advisory Board, and has recently completed a term as Director of Teaching for the School of Psychology and Neuroscience. Paula's broad area of research is educational psychology. Her current work focusses on factors that influence the student experience at university. This includes: 1) assessing the effectiveness of different teaching styles; 2) investigating student wellbeing, particularly across transitional stages (secondary school to university, undergraduate to postgraduate); 3) academic integrity (good academic practice and academic misconduct) as understood by students and staff; and 4) investigating students' learning and social experiences during and after the pandemic.