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Student Voice at GSA

We recognise the importance of interactions that happen every day between students and staff through learning in studios and workshops, or encountering each other informally in social spaces and at events. We acknowledge the strength of these interactions and the sense of community and belonging they instill in our students and staff.

In support of these we also provide a wide range of roles and opportunities for students and staff to contribute more formally to the direction and enhancement of the GSA through our strong system of student representation and other mechanisms for feedback.

The Student Voice Eco-System at the GSA encompasses various roles and mechanisms that ensure students have a voice in their educational experience, both individually and collectively. This includes:

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On this page you will find:

The GSA Principles for Student Engagement and Representation

Student Representatives (Class Reps)

School Officers

Students on Committees and Groups at all levels

GSASA Democracy, the Student Representative Council and Sabbatical Officers

School Forums

Student Experience Surveys

Student Consultant Roles

Teaching Awards

Internal and External Review

Principles of Student Engagement and Representation

At the GSA, we recognise students are experts in their learning experience and provide a valuable, meaningful, and impactful contribution to how we teach, support, assess, and guide learners during their studies. Our core principles for student engagement and representation, as set out in our Student Engagement and Representation Policy are:

1. Students are represented at all levels of the GSA, ensuring a strong and meaningful student voice in all decisions which impact their learning experience.

2. All students have the right and opportunity to provide constructive feedback on their experience of studying at the GSA.

3. Student feedback and contributions should be appropriately considered and responded to, ensuring that where students do contribute, they are informed of how their contribution is used by closing the feedback loop.

4. Where students provide feedback or requests for change which are not deemed feasible or appropriate this should be explained to students.

5. A range of mechanisms, structures, and representative roles are available to all students so that they can engage with and contribute at all levels of the organisation and are designed to meet the needs of our diverse student body.

6. Students who are engaged in representational roles are provided with appropriate training, support and guidance to enable them to succeed.

Student Representatives (Class Reps)

Class Representatives are elected students with responsibilities for representing the views, opinions and experiences of students on their programme of study. Class Representatives are elected at each year of study on a programme, representing the views of students for that year group and attend the Student-Staff Consultative Committee.

At least one Class Representative is elected per stage of the programme.

Class Representatives are voluntary positions providing opportunities to gain experience in advocacy, as well as professional skills through engagement with committees and representational activities.

Class Representatives are responsible for:

Gathering student views on their learning experience and providing feedback to academic and professional service staff to inform enhancements.
Working in partnership with their peers, academic and professional service staff to identify changes and improvements in response to student feedback.
Working in partnership with their peers, academic and professional service staff to report back to students on the outcomes of their feedback, closing the feedback loop.

Class Representatives are expected to make every effort to represent the opinions of their peers even if these do not coincide with their own views. They are supported by their Programme Leader to ensure they have appropriate means of gathering those views.

Class Representatives also have an important role working in partnership with their Programme Leader to ensure that the students they represent are informed of how their feedback has been used and where appropriate actions have been taken.

School Officers

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School Officers are employed, salaried students in each Academic School who work in partnership with staff on the development and delivery of enhancement projects each academic session.

The purpose of the School Officer role is to harness student expertise to support School-wide educational enhancement projects. The role of School Officer supports the development and delivery of projects, providing an effective and authentic student voice in our enhancement work.

School Officers work in partnership with key staff in their School to provide support in developing effective consultation activities with students and staff, contributing to enhancement activities, gathering evidence and developing case studies, resources and/or policies.

Key responsibilities of School Officers include: 

Collaborating with key staff and class representatives on enhancement projects within their School. 
Co-leading the design and facilitation of consultation activities with staff and students. 
Contributing to data collection and analysis from these activities. 
Supporting reporting to institutional committees e.g. Boards of Studies and working groups. 
Undertaking desk-based research to inform and support the production of student and staff-facing guidance and resources.

Applications for School Officers are now open!

If you have any questions about the role of School Officer, please get in touch with Rory O’Neill, Enhancement and Student Partnership Coordinator in the Learning and Teaching Team – R.ONeill@gsa.ac.uk

Each school has a particular area of focus so check out the job applications on the GSA recruitment site for more information.

The deadline for applications is Thursday 26th September at 23.59.

Find out more & Apply: School Officer

Students on Committees and Groups at all levels

Do you want to help improve the student experience at the GSA?

Do you want to get more involved with decisions which impact students?

Having strong and effective student voices within the School is fundamental to improving the student experience. Increasing student representation and participation on GSA committees and groups is a key part of this. Committees and groups develop projects and proposals which impact students experience of Glasgow School of Art. They can shape policies, evaluate feedback and work on projects to improve the school. Being a member of these allows you to directly inform this work and how it is taken forward, ensuring that student voices are heard across all levels of the school.

We are looking for Class Reps to become student members of three key GSA committees and groups: the Education Committee, the Programme Amendment and Course Approval and Amendment Group (PACAAG), and the Learning and Teaching Group.

Being a student member of a committee or group comes with additional responsibility, with the time required to read papers ahead of meeting and attending. For this reason, GSA will award a £65 honorarium for each meeting that is attended, a part from the Student Partnership which all reps are encouraged to attend.

Payments will be issued December, May and August of each year, and the fee would still be payable when committees are moved or cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. If you have any questions regarding payment, please get in touch with the GSA Learning and Teaching Team - learningandteaching@gsa.ac.uk

Education Committee

There are 2 student places available to Class Reps or School Officers on GSA's Education Committee. The Education Committee is responsible for the oversight of all matters relating to the development, quality assurance and enhancement of GSA’s undergraduate and postgraduate taught provision.

Time Commitment: The Education Committee meets four times per academic session, and all meetings are on a Wednesday from 2pm – 5pm.

13 November 2024, 2pm - 5pm.
11 December 2024, 2pm - 5pm.
12 February 2025, 2pm - 5pm.
2 April 2025, 2pm - 5pm.

New members of the Committee will be invited to attend an induction session on with the Secretary and Convenor of the Committee. This will also be the opportunity to discuss the papers ahead of the first meeting - date tbc

Programme Amendment and Course Approval and Amendment Group (PACAAG)

There are 2 student places available to Class Rep and School Officers on GSA's Programme Amendment and Course Approval and Amendment Group (PACAAG). PACAAG is responsible for providing focused deliberation on minor programme and course amendments, and new course approvals, and considers these matters on behalf of the Education Committee.

Time Commitment: The group will meet a minimum of 2 times per year with the following dates confirmed:

9th April 2025, 2pm - 5pm.
13th August 2025, 2pm - 5pm.

Learning and Teaching Group

There are 2 places available to Class Rep and School Officers on the Learning and Teaching Group. The Learning and Teaching Group is responsible for coordinating GSA’s enhancement of learning, teaching, assessment and the student experience. It is also responsible for overseeing internal and external reviews and staff development.

Time commitment: The group meets at least 4 times per year with the following dates confirmed:

7th November 2024, 10am – 1pm.
30th January 2025, 10am – 1pm.
20th March 2025, 10am – 1pm.

Put yourself forward!

To put yourself forward for one of these opportunities, you must be an elected Class Representative. Please complete our expression of interest form, which should include 100-200 words on why you would like to be involved and what you will bring to the committee/group.

Expressions of interest close Thursday 24th October 2024 at 12pm.*

*Please note that completing an expression of interest does not guarantee membership of a committee or group. Should we receive more applications than spaces available a selection process will be agreed between GSASA and GSA and used to identify student members.

GSASA Democracy, the Student Representative Council and Sabbatical Officers

The GSASA is an independent body that represents student interests, runs events and opportunities, and provides advice and advocacy.

The Students’ Association is committed to widening access to education and the arts, and is committed to offering opportunities for the personal and professional development of their student members during their time at GSA. 

The GSASA is a registered Scottish charity overseen by a Board of Trustees. Each year, they receive a block grant from the GSA that goes into supporting student societies, exhibitions, projects, student-run events and the activities of the Student Representative Council (SRC). 

The Student Representative Council

The SRC is the independent representative body of students at the GSA - they can run campaigns and support student initiatives in the GSASA and the GSA. The SRC is elected through the class rep systems and at meetings of members such as the Annual General Meeting. The SRC is made up of a Campaigns Committee, Funding Committee and Societies Committee. These committees are chaired by the Student President and Vice President and supported by the wider team at the Students’ Association.

Sabbatical Officers

The Student President works with the GSA and the Students’ Association for the benefit of students across the School. They influence learning and teaching strategy and student welfare matters, develop the Class Reps' programmes and campaign for issues that matter to students, as well as organising events and workshops in line with student needs.

The Vice President addresses emerging student needs by supporting student-led activities, professional development, and welfare initiatives. They collaborate with students to organise workshops, events, and exhibitions, while co-developing charitable projects, campaigns, and supporting societies.

For more information about the GSA Students' Association, please check out the GSASA canvas site.

Alexandra Haplichnik, Glasgow Student City (Interior Design, 2024)

School Forums

School Forums are a space for students, student representatives, academic staff and student-facing professional support services to discuss matters of mutual interest and concern and provide an opportunity for students to engage with matters relating to the wider student experience.

School Forums are held twice per academic session, during a time where all students within the School should be enabled to take part.

School Forums are coordinated and delivered in partnership by the School Officer and a nominated member of staff within the School, ensuring the forum is facilitated in partnership.

Student Experience Surveys

Student experience surveys allow all students the opportunity to provide feedback on their experience of studying at the Glasgow School of Art, providing us with essential insights as to what is working well, what can be improved upon, and measuring how successful our enhancement work has been to improve the student experience. Surveys are essential in providing clear measures of students' satisfaction with their studies, which we report internally and externally.

Over the month of February, we host a Survey Season where we ask all undergraduate and postgraduate taught students to take part in an online survey about their student experience.

All students answer the same questions, and the data you provide informs improvement and enhancement projects on your course and in the wider school.

There are two types of survey:

The National Student Survey: A UK wide survey for all graduating undergraduate students
The Student Experience Survey: A GSA survey for all undergraduate and postgraduate students not taking part in the NSS

The results of Survey Season are analysed and the results and outcomes of the survey are fed back to groups including the Student Partnership Group and through your the student reps.

Future students can also view the NSS results, this enables anyone thinking about applying to higher education can see what students, like you, thought about your course – so they can make better decisions about where to study.

For more information about Survey Season, and results from previous years, please see the Student and Staff Intranets:

Student Consultant Roles

The Student Consultant role is a remunerate part time post (1 day per week for 6 months) recruited from our student body to a specific enhancement project. This project is linked to our Education Strategy and has specific aims to enhance the student experience. The process for recruitment is competitive, with applicants evidencing key skills in developing consultation activities, desk-based research, and working as a key member of a team.

The project is co-led by the Student Consultant and a member of the GSA staff who acts as staff partner, line manager and mentor. Together they scope, develop, and deliver the project in partnership identifying how key stakeholders will be engaged, what the outcomes/resources of the project will be and how these will be disseminated to achieve impact.

Examples of projects delivered in this way have included:

Image by Adam Nolan (MDes Communication Design, 2023)

Teaching Awards

The GSASA Teaching awards launched in 2021/22 as a partnership initiative between the GSA and Students Association to celebrate and recognise the excellent practices across the GSA to support student learning and enhance the student experience. The awards are coordinated between the GSASA and the Learning and Teaching Team with a truly student led approach to the design of the awards and the judgement process. Each year the Learning and Teaching Team undertake an analysis of the award nominations to help identify good practice and share learning with colleagues. Please use the links below to read the reports:

GSA Teaching Awards 2023 Report.pdf

Teaching Awards 2022 Overview Report.pdf

Internal and External Review

Students involved in internal and external reviews play a crucial role in providing their perspectives on their learning experiences at the GSA. Through the GSA's review processes, the student experience is at the heart of evaluating the effectiveness of delivery, which is why it is key that students participate either as interviewees or members of the review panel.

The process for getting involved in a review varies depending on the type of review and its schedule. Typically, students and their representatives are identified by programme teams, professional services, or the GSA Students' Association to participate.