Interview with Josh Gall, North East Scotland College Students' Association 29 Nov 2017
In this interview, we talk to Josh Gall, Regional President of the Students’ Association at North East Scotland College. He is in his second sabbatical year, having served a year as Depute President. Previously he studied Social Sciences at the… Read More
Consultation on the future of the UK Quality Code – open until Wednesday 13th December 2017 28 Nov 2017
The UK-wide Standing Committee for Quality Assessment (UKSCQA) which oversees the aspects of the quality arrangements which are shared across the UK, has recently launched a consultation to review the UK Quality Code. In 2012 the UK Quality Code was developed… Read More
Welcome to our new Development Consultant, Steph Kirkham 20 Nov 2017
We are delighted to welcome Steph Kirkham to the sparqs team! Steph joins us as a Development Consultant and will be with us for the coming year, providing maternity cover while both Stef Black and Hannah Clarke are on maternity leave. Huge… Read More
Interview with Rachael Page, Fife College 25 Oct 2017
In this interview we talk to Rachael Page, a Community Skills student at Fife College’s ASPIRE Centre (Additional Support Programmes In Real Environments). She is a strong advocate for students with disabilities, has been a course rep, and recently undertook… Read More
ARC Network meeting on 29th November is open for bookings! 30 Sep 2017
Registration is still open for our next Academic Representation Co-ordinators’ network meeting, taking place on Wednesday 29th November 2017 at City of Glasgow College's City Campus. The meeting will include a major presentation and panel session on the role of student-led teaching awards in generating data… Read More
Bookings are still open for sparqs Course Rep Training 2017-18 29 Sep 2017
Bookings are still open for sparqs Course Rep Training during academic year 2017-18. The training is in full flow, with over 20 sessions delivered during the initial weeks. While a number of institutions deliver their Introductory CRT via their own IAT schemes or other in-house systems, our wider range of products… Read More
Interview with Jim Metcalfe, CDN 28 Sep 2017
In this interview we talk to Jim Metcalfe, Chief Executive of the College Development Network (CDN), who he joined in 2017. Previously he worked for the Carnegie UK Trust and Age Concern England, and also in public policy research. He… Read More
Interview with Kat Bateson, Highlands and Islands Students' Association 29 Aug 2017
In this interview we talk to Kat Bateson, a Student Engagement Assistant with the Highlands and Islands Students’ Association, the students’ association of the University of the Highlands and Islands. She is a former student officer of Inverness College UHI… Read More
Save the dates for our 2017-18 Academic Rep Co-ordinators' network meetings 23 Jul 2017
We are delighted to announce the dates for the forthcoming meetings of our Academic Representation Co-ordinators’ (ARC) network. Our ARC network brings together academic representation and student engagement staff from universities, colleges and students’ associations across Scotland to learn, share and… Read More
Interview with Dale Whelehan, Trinity College Dublin 23 Jul 2017
In this interview we talk to Dale Whelehan, Education Officer and Deputy President for 2016/17 at Trinity College Dublin Students' Union in Ireland. Outside his sabbatical year he is a student of physiotherapy, and this past year was involved in… Read More
Interview with Raziya Isayeva, Khazar University, Azerbaijan 27 Jun 2017
In this interview we talk to Raziya Isayeva, Development Director at Khazar University in Baku, Azerbaijan. Besides this role she teaches management and is studying a PhD in Educational Leadership, and has been involved in European conversations around strengthening student… Read More
That's Quality! Colleges 2017! 15 Jun 2017
Our annual induction event for college officers - That's Quality! Colleges 2017 - is taking place on Wednesday 9th August at City of Glasgow College. There are still a few places availabile if you've still to register! The event is aimed at new and… Read More
That's Quality! Universities 2017 is open for bookings! 31 May 2017
Register now for our annual 2-day residential induction event for university student officers with an education remit and students’ association staff. The event is taking place on Wednesday 26th and Thursday 27th July 2017, at the West Park Conference Centre in Dundee. The event aims to… Read More
Interview with Jodie Waite, Glasgow Caledonian University VP and incoming NUS Scotland VP Education 30 May 2017
In this interview we talk to Jodie Waite, incoming Vice-President (Education) of NUS Scotland for 2017-18. In 2016-17 she has been Vice-President for the Glasgow School of Business and Society at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) Students’ Association, and served a previous… Read More
That's Quality! 2017 induction events for college and university officers - save the dates! 03 May 2017
The dates have now been confirmed for our annual induction events for officers.... That’s Quality! Universities 2017 will take place on Wednesday 26th and Thursday 27th of July; and That's Quality! Colleges 2017 will take place on Wednesday 9th August. Both events… Read More
Interview with Simon Boehme, The Quality Assurance Commons, USA 27 Apr 2017
In this interview we talk to Simon Boehme, Director of Student Engagement at The Quality Assurance Commons for Higher and Postsecondary Education based in Oakland, California, which has been established to explore new ideas in quality assurance. Simon also serves… Read More
2017-18 Associate Trainer recruitment - deadline 10th May! 31 Mar 2017
Calling all course reps and apprentices! Do you have experience as a course rep and will be a student during 2017-18 ? Or...... Will you be an apprentice during 2017-18, or are you a recent graduate apprentice wishing to develop your core skills? ....if so, and you… Read More
sparqs Academic Representation Co-ordinators' Network meeting - 4th May 2017 30 Mar 2017
The next meeting of our Academic Representation Co-ordinators’ network is taking place on Thursday 4th May 2017 in Edinburgh and is still open for bookings. The meeting will share national and institutional practice on a number of topics of current priority, such as… Read More
Interview with Gohar Hovhannisyan, Armenian National Students’ Association 29 Mar 2017
In this interview we talk to Gohar Hovhannisyan, International Officer with the Armenian National Students’ Association (ANSA), and a Masters student in insurance at the Armenian State University of Economics. She has been heavily involved in ESPAQ, a European project… Read More
Thank you to everyone who attended the sparqs Conference! 24 Mar 2017
A huge thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to the sparqs Conference on Thursday 23rd March 2017, at Surgeons' Hall in Edinburgh! The day was a great success, with a fantastic turnout of around 200 delegates from Scotland and all over… Read More
2017 sparqs Student Engagement Awards Winners! 24 Mar 2017
We are delighted to announce the winners of the sparqs Student Engagement Awards 2017! The awards were presented at the end of the sparqs Conference on Thursday 23rd March 2017, in a fantastic end to the day, which recognised and… Read More
Interview with Greg Mannion, University of Stirling 27 Feb 2017
In this interview we talk to Greg Mannion, a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Social Sciences (Education) at University of Stirling. His approach to educational research brings together theory and empirical perspectives on participation and rights-based education, intergenerational education,… Read More
sparqs Conference ~ 23rd March #sparqs17 26 Feb 2017
The sparqs Conference is almost here and we look forward to welcoming you! Taking place on Thursday 23rd March 2017, at Surgeons' Hall in Edinburgh, it is aimed at students, managers and practitioners in colleges, universities and other post-16 providers, from within Scotland and beyond. … Read More
sparqs Student Engagement Awards shortlists announced! 26 Feb 2017
We are delighted to announce the shortlists for the 2017 sparqs Student Engagement Awards! Thank you to everyone who submitted nominations, they were of a very high standard and it was a tough decision for panel members to choose between them. We invited award… Read More
sparqs 2017 Student Engagement Awards 20 Feb 2017
We are pleased to announce the shortlists for the sparqs Student Engagement Awards, taking place at our Conference on 23rd March 2017 in Edinburgh. Good luck to all those in the running and thank you to everyone who submitted nominations, they were of a… Read More
Interview with Dougie Smith, City of Glasgow College Students' Association 26 Jan 2017
In this interview we talk to Dougie Smith, Students’ Association Liaison Officer at City of Glasgow College. After squeezing out as much time as a university student as possible (eight years), he taught History and Modern Studies in secondary schools,… Read More
sparqs is recruiting for Trustees! Closing date: 2nd Feb 2017 13 Jan 2017
We are currently looking for committed and dynamic individuals to join our volunteer Board of Trustees and contribute towards the governance and strategic development of our services. We are looking to recruit trustees with a range of skills and interests including legal,… Read More
Academic Representation Co-ordinators' Network meeting - Tuesday 14th February 2017 11 Jan 2017
Still time to apply to attend the next meeting of our Academic Representation Co-ordinators’ network taking place on Tuesday 14th February 2017 in Edinburgh. The meeting will share national and institutional practice on a number of topics of current priority, such as… Read More
How Good Is Our College? event - Thursday 2nd February 2017 10 Jan 2017
There are still a few spaces left on our event taking place on Thursday 2nd February 2017 - How Good is Our College?: Understanding the new quality arrangements. This event will provide an introduction to the new quality arrangements for colleges. The morning… Read More
