The role of the extra-curricular award in a university’s Student Experience Strategy.

Abstract

As fees rise and students become the prime funders of their undergraduate education, universities are challenged to meet the demands of a ‘value for money’ culture without losing their claim to be communities of learning, in which students actively collaborate in the production of a positive student experience rather than being positioned as passive consumers. Furthermore, as competition for graduate jobs increases, both students and employers are using engagement with extracurricular activities (ECAs) as a differentiating factor in the employment market. This is the context for the growth of schemes to recognise students’ ECAs through an additional award. For Bournemouth University, the trigger to pilot our Student Development Award in 2010/11 was the creation of our Student Experience Strategy. One of its aims under the core theme of Student Communities is to ensure that students feel a valued member of the BU community. This article explains how the award attempts to achieve that.