There will be two central discussion sessions at the seminar with the following themes.

1. How does student feedback inform quality? To what extent do institutions need to adopt new procedures to make student feedback effective?

2. To what extent does the White Paper encourage a closer link between quality and learning? Will the proposed concentration of research and the establishment of an accerss regulator encourage or detract from a focus on the quyality of student learning?

Click here for discussion session briefing notes (which will be available in hard copy in seminar packs)

Each session will be chaired by a volunteer (contacted in advance)

The role of the chair is to:
1. Invite all delegates to introduce themselves.
2. Briefly introduce the discussion theme (1 minute, see Theme discussion sheet).
3. Ensure that someone has agreed to make notes of the key points made.
4. Chair the discussion: all contributions should be made through the chair who should ensure that everyone who wants to speak has an opportunity and that no one dominates the discussion. The following is a simple means of doing this, as people indicate they want to speak, note their names on a list and then invite those on the list to contribute when their turn comes. Anyone who hasn't spoken should be placed higher in the list than those who have already spoken.
5. Identify key points in the discussion as appropriate and to move the discussion on if it becomes bogged down.
6. After 1 hour, invite the note taker to spend five minutes summarising the key points and adding anything he/she wants to say that has not been covered.
7. Ensure the session finishes on time.