student feedback and leadership - Office for Learning and Teaching

Student Feedback & LeadershipThis suggests that for a multi-level leadership approach to student feedbackto be effective, there is need for formal leaders to take action that is congruentwith policy decisions in order to develop shared understanding about policyand its implementation. There is also a need for systems and infrastructureto support implementation. For this to occur there is a need for DEVOLVEDLEADERSHIP in which power and authority to implement policy is given to theteaching academics. These staff may not hold formal leadership positions but,as they are responsible for learning and teaching and thus for studentfeedback, they do hold informal leadership roles in student feedback.This is illustrated in Figure 9.Figure 9 Distributed Leadership Model Element One: Devolved LeadershipSharedUnderstandingDEVOLVEDLEADERSHIPCongruent ActionSystems & InfrastructureIn applying this model to the experience in Cycle One the followingreflections emerged:1. The Plenary did provide an opportunity for a vertical slice of the Universityleadership to discuss their role in responding to student feedback.Emerging issues for leadership in student feedback that wereidentified by participants at the Plenary included:––the need to adopt a positive approach to leadership in the useof student feedback rather than a culture of blame on individualteachers.––cultural change leadership takes time.––the importance of ensuring an equitable balance between financialreturns and resources for quality learning and teaching.– – the importance of comparing data using a consistentsystems approach.Page 42