The primary purpose of the self-evaluation is to enable student officers and college staff to take stock and take action. It focuses on two simple but very challenging questions: How good are we now? How good can we be?
The self-evaluation should facilitate a shared assessment of the current effectiveness of the students’ association in representing the interests of students. It should enable recognition of skills and good practice, as well as areas for development, and spark off new ideas and opportunities.
As the students’ association and the college both have key roles to play in ensuring the students’ association’s effectiveness, the self-evaluation should asses the activities and practices of both organisations. To enable the Joint Working Group to do this the Self Evaluation Tool sets out a series of Evaluation Measures, organised by Theme, and example evidence and questions for the Joint Working Group to consider.
The process of self-evaluation should aid learning and common understanding between partners. Recognising that each partner may have different perspectives, students’ association and college may want to carry out separate evaluations first, and then combine results. This would enable the students’ association and college to identify any conflicting perceptions, expectations, or priorities, and to explore and develop their own knowledge and practice. They would then be in a strong position to agree objectives and ways forward.
Openness, honesty, and trust between the partners will be key. Partners should take care to ensure that the process of self-evaluation is consistent with the Principles of the Framework, and support and embed student leadership of the association. College staff and officers should undertake the process as equal partners, but final decisions about the organisation of their association should be made by students themselves.
Timescales
The self-evaluation should be carried out every year.
After the first year it may only require updating in line with new evidence and priorities, and to ensure that each officer team is able to bring in new perspectives.
The timing of the self-evaluation should fit with the students’ association’s and college’s own planning cycles. However, there is value in holding it later in the academic year when officers will be able to speak with more experience.
Sources of Evidence
Self-evaluation should be based on verifiable evidence gathered from a range of sources. The more robust the self-evaluation the more reliance can be placed on it.
A key source of information for completing the self evaluation will be professional discussions between student officers and college staff. Taking other sources into account will enable partners to corroborate their own judgements. The Joint Working Group will also need to refer to written guidance and documentation and cross reference this with what actually happens.
Completing the self-evaluation should also ideally include conducting research into students’ views of the association and student voice in the college to ensure that planning takes the needs of student members into account.
Self-Evaluation Process
The students’ association and the college should agree a process which ensures that all partners are able to be involved in the self-evaluation and planning; the outcomes of the partnership working are jointly agreed; and this strategic level planning translates into action at an operational level. Partners will need to ensure that there is sufficient time and resources available for this process to be effective.
Students’ Association Development Plan
The Joint Working Group will need to create a Students’ Association Development Plan. This plan should set out how the students’ association and the college will work together to address development areas identified through the self-evaluation process and to develop the students’ association and strengthen its ability to fulfil its representative purpose. All students’ associations and colleges will be at different stages of development and they will all have different contexts which will influence their approach.
Project Plans should be able to demonstrate how the chosen methods will enable the college and association to deliver the Principles. Principles should become standard and normalised throughout the college culture.
The Students’ Association Development Plan should be jointly owned by the college and the students’ association in order to support both partnership working and sustainability. Senior Management will need to ensure that it is embedded in the college’s planning process and committees. Incoming officers should be introduced to the partnership’s ongoing Development Plan by the Joint Working Group as part of their induction.
