Got an idea to improve your course or your university experience? Becoming a Student Voice Leader can put those ideas into action.
We have over 600 Student Voice Leaders, each representing every year of our courses. They act as a point-of-contact between students and staff, listening to your views and ideas and then working with the University to make changes that you really want to see. They are elected by their classmates at the start of each term and all students can nominate themselves for a role - no experience is necessary.
All Student Voice Leaders receive employability-boosting training from the MDXSU as well as support from the MDXSU Student Officer team and the six School Voice Leaders. Each term, Student Voice Leaders from across the University meet for Student Voice Conferences, discussing ideas for change and voting on which ideas will become policy.
Being a Student Voice Leader is a great way to gain skills and confidence, meet new people and boost your CV, all while making a genuine difference at Middlesex. It's easy to fit in around your studies and work, and you'll receive all the training and support you need.
For more information, head to the MDXSU website or email studentvoice@mdx.ac.uk
"Being a Student Voice Leader taught me so much. I was given the opportunity to network, meet new people, make friends and build professional relationships. However, most importantly of all, this role gave me the opportunity to create positive change and make a genuine contribution to Middlesex's student body."
- Aishah Piprawala, Graduate, Student Voice Leader for 3rd Year Sociology with Criminology
As a Student Voice Leader, you'll be invited to attend the Programme Voice Groups which takes place twice a year. These are productive meetings, useful for both students and staff and is the ideal opportunity to represent and feedback the views and concerns of your course and year to Academic and Service staff.
Along with the feedback you've collected, the Groups will also discuss information relating to the quality of your programme such as:
Based on these discussions, the following documents will be available on MyUniHub for all students to review. They contain information about your programme, including feedback from previous students, what changes have been made, and feedback from your external examiner. You'll also be sent the relevant documents before each Programme Voice Group;
You'll be encouraged to contribute during the Group as well as attend the pre-meeting to ensure you can give feedback and shape the agenda of the Group meeting. If you're not able to attend, you'll have the opportunity to submit a written report instead. If there are no Student Voice Leaders able to attend, ideally the Group should be rescheduled to ensure there is an active discussion about the programmes.
The minutes of the previous Programme Voice Group will be made available to all students for review and you will be able to provide feedback to your cohort.
It's important that you understand the remit of your role as well as the type and content of evidence you're going to submit. Attending the MDXSU Student Voice conference will help prepare you and there are online training resources on the MDXSU website as well.
The Programme Voice Group should be a place for discussion and an exchange of views, it should not be an environment for individual criticism or blame. A Programme Voice Group should allow students and staff to work together to improve the experience – for both staff and students – on a programme or group of programmes.
Have a read of the full documentation for Programme Voice Groups which includes expectations of Student Voice Leaders and staff.
The dates for the pre-meeting and main Programme Voice Group will be scheduled before the start of the academic year and made available in the programme handbook and on MyUniHub. Below is an example year/term structure:
| Date | Activity |
|---|---|
| Start of term | Meeting dates will be made available in your programme handbook |
| Two weeks prior to the pre-meeting | You should collect cohort feedback and prepare for the pre-meeting |
| Pre-meeting | You will give student feedback, and agree the agenda and discussion to be addressed at the Programme Voice Group |
| One week prior to the Programme Voice Group | The agenda will be sent to all members (including you) and would include reports and papers. These should be read in advance of the meeting |
| Programme Voice Group takes places | |
| One week post-meeting | The action plan should be circulated, ideally within 1-2 days |
| Four weeks post-meeting | The minutes and the action plan (as a reminder) should be circulated |
