What is the Student Experience and Opinion Panel?
The Student Experience and Opinion Panel is a community of Westminster students who engage in research activities to help improve the student experience, in exchange for a reward.
Throughout the year we ask panellists about their experiences and opinions on a range of improvements and developments and exciting topics at the University of Westminster, which are always focussed on the student experience. Panellists who take part in the research topics are rewarded for their time through cash, e-vouchers and points on your Employability Award.
Research (including focus groups, interviews and surveys) can take place either on-campus, or online.
You can find out more about the impact that the panel has had on the University by following our Instagram channel or by contacting [email protected].
Previous year's topics included:
- Assessment and feedback
- Employment
- Learning and teaching
- International students’ support needs
- Student Perspectives on the Usage of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Who is eligible to take part?
All University of Westminster students!
Become a panellist
To become a member of the Student Experience and Opinion Panel, complete our online registration form.
The information captured here forms the basis of your personal profile and helps us work out which future surveys and research projects will be most relevant to you. We work out which surveys or research projects are most relevant to you by comparing your personal profile information to the research requirements agreed for each research project. For example, the University may wish to capture the opinions of mature undergraduate students (aged 21+ at the time of enrolment) and therefore we would contact panellists whose profiles matched this criterion.
We are keen to identify students representing a broad spectrum of the student population and welcome interest from students who study full-time/part-time, undergraduate/postgraduate and from a range of demographics.
What’s in it for me?
As a panellist, you'll be helping to make sure that the University meets students’ needs and you'll have real input into decisions that will affect current and future students.
You will:
- Have your views listened to and taken seriously
- Meet new people
- Receive incentives (in the form of cash – sent via transfer to your UK bank account, e-vouchers, and points on your Employability Award)
- Gain new skills and confidence
- Put your communication skills into action
- Have the opportunity to demonstrate your teamwork, time management, negotiation, and presentation/meeting skills
What is expected from student panellists?
Each student is an equal member of the panel. We ask that the panellists:
- Participate honestly and constructively
- Respect others opinions and ensure you interact in a respectful way with fellow panellists
- Provide constructive opinions/feedback
- Ask questions and make suggestions
Occasional homework or preparation may be required before some of the sessions. Where this is required panellists will be given additional incentives for completion.
Participation is never mandatory. You can always drop out at any time although we prefer you to complete tasks once you start them and we don’t normally pay any incentives for incomplete tasks.
- No-shows to groups (i.e. a student who signs up but does not attend to assigned research) will be removed from the panel if this occurs more than three times during an academic year.
Terms and Conditions and Privacy Notice
You can opt-out of the panel at any point by contacting: [email protected].
All your contact information will be deleted should you choose to opt-out of the Student Panel. For more information on our terms and conditions and how we use your personal information, please see the Student Panel Terms and Conditions and Privacy Notice.
Hear from our panel members
The Student Panel gave me numerous opportunities to contribute to the University's development as an institution, to the wellbeing of students as representatives of that institution and to my personal improvement. It established a collective consciousness, thus creating a deeper sense of belonging to University matters.
– Undergraduate student, Design, Creative & Digital Industries
I enjoyed being part of the Student experience and opinion panel because it allowed me to share my views with the university and improve the services it offers for future students. If you want to feel more involved in university life, I would definitely recommend joining the panel and take part in face to face and online focus groups as well as other activities!
– Postgraduate student, Westminster Business School
You can hear from more student panellists by heading to the highlights on our Instagram page.
Hear about the positive impact that our panellist are having on the student experience
The following quotes below are from various Departments across the University and the Students’ Union, detailing how engagement with the Student Experience & Opinion Panel in the academic year 2021/22 has enabled their teams to improve the student experience for students at the University of Westminster.
You can hear from other departments by heading to the highlights on our Instagram page.
The research conducted by Kirsty played a huge part in shaping a lot of my manifesto work this year. Some of the key issues that the research underlined to me include the lack of postgraduates’ exclusive spaces on campus. We have always been aware of this issue, however, the research highlighted students’ point of view and this was extremely helpful when it came to lobbying the university for more PG spaces – as I can always refer to students’ quotes in the research. I have also been able to use this research for my own report on tackling the Postgraduate Attainment and Awarding Gaps. I believe this research will play a major role in the way future postgraduates’ experience is shaped at Westminster.
– Vice President Postgraduate Education, Student Union
Students who participated in the User Acceptance Testing for our new Service Desk portal were able to check that students were able to successfully access and use the system. Testing included logging tickets, looking up self-service documents and using the software's various features. Their help ensured we were able to test functionality from a student perspective, and their feedback contributed to the improvement of various elements in the system.
– Information Systems and Support