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Kingston University - Developing best practice in engaging students to enable and support inclusive cultural change in HEIs

This project explores the various drivers for the development, methods of implementation, key elements of success and measures of impact of student engagement programmes in six higher education institutions (HEIs) in England.

Led by Kingston University (and in collaboration with the University Alliance), the project explores effective student engagement programmes in six higher education institutions in England to identify the key elements which make them successful in supporting the transition to more inclusive institutional cultures. 

The project identifies some key ingredients and projects which make a difference for staff and students in enabling a more inclusive culture. Moreover, bringing the programme leads and students together from the six universities through the project’s ‘sandpit’ methodology further developed our collective understanding of success and enabled the sharing of practice to inform future transformative developments.

Collaborative Development Fund 2022-23 launched

Three projects are announced for the 2022-23 Collaborative Development Fund (CDF) for addressing key sector challenges together

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Aims and objectives

The project aims to offer Advance HE members a rich and diverse evidence base of ‘what works’ in student engagement that effectively drive inclusive cultural change and a framework to design and implement their programmes.

Project Outputs

Project Output - Case studies

This series of case studies explores the key attributes of student engagement programmes which support meaningful, far-reaching, and sustained transformation to more inclusive higher education.

The case studies have been produced by:

  • Anglia Ruskin University
  • Birmingham City University
  • Kingston University
  • Teesside University
  • University of Hertfordshire
  • University of Brighton
Read the case studies
CDF 21-22-Case study-Kingston Cover

Project Output - Toolkit

This toolkit encourages reflections on the effectiveness of student engagement programmes in improving the inclusivity of institutional cultures in Higher Education and identifies a range of key ingredients which support their efficacy and success

Explore the toolkit
Student engagement toolkit-CDF21-22 (Kingston)

Project Output - Videos

Video 1- Benefits of participating in student engagement projects

A short video outlining a range of recommendations from students to students about the benefits of participating in student engagement projects.

Video 2- Key ingredients for engaging students in enabling inclusive cultural change in HE

This short video identifies a range of attributes from student engagement programmes across six UK higher education institutions which support their efficacy and success in terms of developing inclusive practices in their institutions.

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Project team

Dr Annie Hughes and Valentina Scarinzi  from Kingston University led the project. Each institutional contribution is led by a Strategic Institutional Project Lead from each of the six collaborating University Alliance Universities: Anglia Ruskin University, Birmingham City University, Kingston University, Teesside University, University of Brighton, and the University of Hertfordshire.

Kingston University CDF project team

Each of the strategic leads hold a Senior Leadership role in learning and teaching and student experience within their institutions. The team also included the Programme Leads of the ten student engagement programmes showcased in this project.  Twenty-four students from our six Universities attended the sandpit and shared their experiences of participating in, and co-creating the various programmes.

The sandpit was facilitated by our two external consultants, Graham Holden, and Penny Sweasey.

Anglia Ruskin University: Katie Potts (Institutional Strategic Lead); Amanda Crouch, Katie Johnson, Linda Brown, Rachel Wilkenson (Programme Leads); Carol Katiyo, Deividas Nikulin, Simone Campo, Viktorija Blumberga (Students).



Birmingham City University: Dr Melanie-Marie Haywood (Institutional Strategic Lead); Lesley Taylor (Programme Lead); Abdullah Hamed, Luke Parkes, Madina Outama (Students).

Kingston University (lead institution): Tamara Reid (Programme Lead), Gabriela Viana Brasileiro, Nasra Hersi and Trusha Oza (Students).



Teesside University: Dr Sam Elkington, Paul Chesterton (Institutional Strategic Leads); Alex Wood, Tom Wing (Students).



University of Brighton: Joanna Macdonnell (Institutional Strategic Lead); Jo Hall, Susan Dejesus (Programme Leads); Alex Adams, Ally Gregory, George Diamantopoulos, Jade Kent, Kiarna Innis, Maddie McClellan, Tim Danson (Students).



University of Hertfordshire: Professor Helen Barefoot (Institutional Strategic Lead); Dr Amanda Yip, Julie Vuolo, Lucy Bamwo (Programme Leads); Eva Thuo, Joanna Szpunar, Michal Kochanowicz, Sahil Bhatnager, Vivian Umossoh-Ime (Students).