We have an Academic Representation system in the University that allows students to feedback on their course and experiences in their learning community, these structures are termed the Student-Staff Committees (SSC) that each School and Institute possess.
Our University campus is now characterised by diverse nationality, ethnicity, ability, age groups, and educational backgrounds. It is vital that we engage such students in our representation systems to ensure that they are being fully represented and so that all groups benefit from the consequences of such engagement. Where staff meet students on an equal level, the representation system is a sound platform to welcome and engage diverse populations of students.
True representation should be the embodiment of EDI, however, we want to know just how ‘representative’ we are in our Dental SSC and do we truly represent all student voices? Therefore, we (Luisa Wakeling (SSC Staff facilitator) and Paula Waterhouse (EDI Staff Rep)) applied to the Faculty Education Research Development and Practice unit for some funding to employ a student intern to help them investigate just that.
As part of this project, we will be recruiting student Equality Reps to help us review the inclusivity of our SSC, recruitment and training, and champion EDI in our curriculum and learning community.
Dr Luisa Wakeling
Lecturer, Dental Sciences