{"id":6309,"date":"2026-05-06T11:30:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T10:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/LTAcademy\/?p=6309"},"modified":"2026-05-06T11:30:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T10:30:24","slug":"nothing-about-us-without-us-working-side-by-side-with-our-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/LTAcademy\/nothing-about-us-without-us-working-side-by-side-with-our-students\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Nothing about us, without us\u2019 \u2013 working side by side with our students"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Lisa Gallone, Student Projects Officer, reflects on this year\u2019s poster exhibition and highlights the Student Experience Partners scheme. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span data-contrast=\"none\">Annual poster exhibition\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245418&quot;:true,&quot;134245529&quot;:true,&quot;335559738&quot;:160,&quot;335559739&quot;:80}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">On Wednesday, 29 April, the Student Voice and Partnership team in the\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cardiff.ac.uk\/about\/our-profile\/who-we-are\/education\/cardiff-learning-and-teaching-academy\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Learning and Teaching Academy<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0invited staff and students to attend the annual poster exhibition to celebrate and explore the inspiring, innovative projects our students have been part of this year and see how partnership is helping to shape the learning experience for everyone.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Partnership and\u00a0co<\/span>\u2011<span data-contrast=\"none\">creation\u00a0are at the heart of what we do. Our Student Experience Partners are paid to work alongside staff on projects that deepen our understanding of\u00a0students\u2019\u00a0lived experiences and evolving needs.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Exhibition visitors were able to read 20+ posters cataloguing just some of the projects the scheme has supported this academic year, with the Student Experience Partners being on hand to chat about their work and several giving presentations of the impact of their project.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">This year\u2019s projects\u00a0delved\u00a0deep\u00a0into\u00a0topics which matter to students and staff alike\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/padlet.com\/gallonel1\/student-experience-partner-scheme-9yrj5e7wtxu6vg6p\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">view the topics here<\/span><\/a><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Co-creating AI guidance for students:<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">AI tools are rapidly reshaping student life, yet university guidance\u00a0hasn&#8217;t\u00a0always kept pace. Students need clear, honest, and\u00a0practically useful\u00a0information: not just rules, but real examples of how to use AI ethically and effectively in their studies and careers.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Futures Curriculum:<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This project focused on the co-design and evaluation of an innovative Futures module,\u00a0which will\u00a0equip undergraduate students to engage with complex, interdisciplinary and future-focused challenges, with a particular focus on future wellbeing. Through collaborative, workshop-based learning, students\u00a0will\u00a0develop critical and creative thinking, futures-thinking and teamwork skills while responding to real-world challenges.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Understanding and improving student engagement with EDI activities in the School of Chemistry:<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Reapplying for Athena Swan is not only about meeting an institutional framework, but also about reflecting on how inclusive,\u00a0accessible\u00a0and responsive the\u00a0School\u00a0is in practice.\u00a0Student input is therefore essential, as it helps ensure that actions and priorities are informed by lived experience rather than assumptions alone.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Opening the event,\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/profiles.cardiff.ac.uk\/staff\/hughese36\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Elgan Hughes<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">, Student Voice and Partnership Manager,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0said<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0the\u00a0scheme\u00a0has become one of the University\u2019s most effective and transformative mechanisms for change,\u00a0not just what it delivers, but what it\u00a0<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">develops<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, and how profoundly it is reshaping the work we do as staff.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"post-6314 media-6314\" class=\"image align-none\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/LTAcademy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/286\/2026\/05\/Elgan-2-1-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><figcaption class=\"caption\">Elgan Hughes, Student Voice and Partnership Manager \/ Rheolwr Llais Myfyrwyr a Phartneriaeth<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Guest speaker<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0was\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><a href=\"https:\/\/profiles.cardiff.ac.uk\/staff\/tonksaj\">Professor Amanda Tonks<\/a>, Interim <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">PVC Education and Student Experience<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">, who said<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cAt its heart, this is a partnership model that goes far beyond consultation. It is about\u00a0co<\/span>\u2011<span data-contrast=\"auto\">creation, trust, and recognising students as skilled contributors to institutional work. What the evidence now shows very clearly is that this model delivers\u00a0<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">exceptional value in two directions at once<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">: it develops students as confident, capable professionals, and it strengthens staff projects in ways that would be impossible without lived student insight.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Wrapping up the event, Professor Tonks presented Outstanding Contribution Awards to two students who have been instrumental to the scheme for the past few years, both going above and beyond in the role and fully deserving of this recognition for their impact and professionalism.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span data-contrast=\"none\">About the Student Experience Partners scheme\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245418&quot;:true,&quot;134245529&quot;:true,&quot;335559738&quot;:160,&quot;335559739&quot;:80}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Each year, around 35\u00a0trained Student Experience Partners work across the University on real, complex projects \u2013 from digital education and AI, to accessibility, policy development, and strategic change. These are not simulated exercises. They are live,\u00a0high<\/span>\u2011<span data-contrast=\"auto\">stakes\u00a0pieces of work, and students know that their input matters.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The student outcomes are clear: stronger skills, stronger confidence, and stronger employability\u00a0but what is equally important \u2013 and sometimes less\u00a0publicly\u00a0visible \u2013 is the\u00a0impact on staff projects and institutional practice.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Mandy continued \u201cStaff\u00a0who use the scheme\u00a0consistently report that working with Student Experience Partners improves the\u00a0<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">quality<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0of their work. Partners do not just\u00a0validate\u00a0ideas; they challenge assumptions, surface issues staff may not see, and help projects stay grounded in the realities of student experience.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">It tells us that the Student Experience Partners scheme is not an enhancement on the margins. It is a\u00a0strategic asset.\u00a0It develops students into confident, skilled graduates while simultaneously strengthening the quality,\u00a0inclusivity\u00a0and effectiveness of institutional projects. It creates a culture where students and staff work together as partners, not in parallel, and where lived experience meaningfully shapes\u00a0decision<\/span>\u2011<span data-contrast=\"auto\">making.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">And\u00a0perhaps most\u00a0importantly, it shows what students are capable of when we give them meaningful responsibility, proper support, and genuine influence.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"post-6310 media-6310\" class=\"image align-none\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/LTAcademy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/286\/2026\/05\/Hugo-trophy-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><figcaption class=\"caption\">Hugo Wu, School of Engineering \/ Yr Ysgol Peirianneg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"post-6311 media-6311\" class=\"image align-none\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/LTAcademy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/286\/2026\/05\/Raven-trophy-close-up-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><figcaption class=\"caption\">Raven Hope, School of Biosciences\u00a0\/ Ysgol y Biowyddorau<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"post-6311 media-6311\" class=\"image align-none\"><\/figure>\n<h2><span data-contrast=\"none\">Applying for the scheme\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;134245418&quot;:true,&quot;134245529&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:160,&quot;335559739&quot;:80,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Student Experience Partners are paid for their work, with the funding coming from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cardiff.ac.uk\/about\/our-profile\/who-we-are\/education\/cardiff-learning-and-teaching-academy\">Learning and Teaching Academy<\/a>.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Applications to use the scheme are closed for this year but will re-open in\u00a0July.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lisa Gallone, Student Projects Officer, reflects on this year\u2019s poster exhibition and highlights the Student Experience Partners scheme. ","protected":false},"author":6921,"featured_media":6313,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1115,986],"tags":[],"custom_author":[1122],"class_list":["post-6309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-awards-and-achievements","category-student-experience-partners","custom_author-lisa-gallone"],"lang":"en","translations":{"en":6309,"cy":6318},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4KqgK-1DL","meta_box":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/LTAcademy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/286\/2026\/05\/foyer-close-up-scaled.jpg","pll_sync_post":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/LTAcademy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/LTAcademy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/LTAcademy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/LTAcademy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6921"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/LTAcademy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6309"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/LTAcademy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6309\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6330,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/LTAcademy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6309\/revisions\/6330"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/LTAcademy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/LTAcademy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/LTAcademy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/LTAcademy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6309"},{"taxonomy":"custom_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/LTAcademy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/custom_author?post=6309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}