Abstract
The literature shows that despite the strength of the principles shared around the importance of the strategic participation of students in the good management of higher education institutions, the practice is far below the desired standards. This chapter explores the power of comprehensive student participation plans to improve higher education models by fostering the development of a broader and multidimensional culture of student participation. Empirical contribution draws on the recent and innovative experience developed at the University of Évora, a public university in Portugal, a south European country. At the end, it is expected that the lessons learned from this experience might help worldwide higher education systems and institutions, administrators, faculty, and trustees to understand how specific countries structure their higher education systems and how they are dealing with global critical issues, thus increasing awareness and capacity to develop solutions addressing identified challenges.
TopIntroduction
The participation of students in the government of higher education institutions (HEIs) is considered one of the main values of the Bologna Process and the consequent European Area of University education. It has its roots in the democratic governance model of the higher education, which emerged in Europe after the student revolts in the decade of 1960 of the XX century and conceives the universities as institutions that must be democratically governed, with the participation of all its politically significant constituents, including students. Despite the strength of the principles shared around the importance of the strategic participation of students in the good management of higher education institutions, the practice is far below the desired standards.
After successive crises in the Portuguese universities during the 60's of the XX century, student activism, as well as its politicization, presented itself as an engine for the democratization of university and freedom in Portugal. Until then, student movements were essentially related to the defense of associativism, not with questioning the university system or confrontation with the regime. In that period, there was a massive awakening of student associations, given the national political context. It must be remembered that Portugal found itself until 1974 on the rule of a regime dictatorial. Since then, student participation has faced ups and downs, being now consensual that participation is far from the desired.
Student participation covers all aspects of academic life for which students can make a significant contribution (influencing, cooperating, etc.), either formally, through the existing structures and mechanisms, or informally, through individual action. The literature emphasizes the importance of student participation, both for the higher education systems performance and the student’s intellectual and social development.
A comprehensive student participation plan is key in higher education institutions, as it defines a comprehensive and coherent set of actions that affect all dimensions on which student participation can be envisaged. As said, they are integrated plans, coherently aligned with the objectives and strategies of universities, assuming the community-wide involvement, also contributing for the development of a broader culture of student participation.
This chapter aims at addressing an international contribution based on the recent and innovative experience developed at the University of Évora, a public university with approximately 10,000 students, located in Portugal, a south European country. The University of Évora just finished the first Comprehensive Student Participation Portuguese plan known so far: the Comprehensive Student Participation Plan of the University of Évora 2022-2026 (Novas et al., 2022). This plan was prepared within the scope of the STUPS project - Student Participation Without Borders. The STUPS project is a transnational and inter-university project, under ERASMUS+ program, composed by five partner institutions and led by the University of Huelva (Spain). It gathers three institutions of higher education – University de Huelva (UHU) - Spain, University of Évora (UÉ) and The University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria (FH Upper Austria – Austria), a Spanish public body of evaluation and accreditation of universities - Agencia Andaluza de Evaluación y Acreditación Universitaria - and the student organization most representative from Europe with members from 40 higher education European space countries European – The European Students’ Union (ESU, Belgium). The general objective of the STUPS project is to increase student participation and lay the foundations of a network European focused on the development of new practices to promote student participation in the context of higher education. The target groups of the STUPS project are students, student leaders, disadvantaged students and other from under-represented categories and university managers. As such, the project recognizes the important role performed at the management level university with competence in participation, inclusion, and equality students to dialogue and raise awareness about the cooperation benefits.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Under-Representation of Student Categories: Insufficient or disproportionately low representation of students with certain characteristics. Depending on the context, it may include students of a particular gender, age, nationality, ethnicity, health condition, socioeconomic status, or any other social condition. Women, disadvantaged people, and social minorities are often identified as underrepresented categories of students.
United Nations Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development: A plan of action for people, planet, and prosperity, that establishes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and 169 targets. The UN Agenda 2030 envisages “a world of universal respect for human rights and human dignity, the rule of law, justice, equality and non-discrimination”. It was launched in New York on 25-27 September 2015 and is aimed at ending poverty in all its forms.
Vulnerable Students: Students considered to be at academic risk (e.g., school failure, dropout, discrimination) or social risk (e.g., poverty, exclusion, mental illness) due to specific characteristics such as a gender, age, nationality, ethnicity, health condition, socioeconomic status, or any other social condition.
Performance of Higher Education Institutions: The evaluation of the set of actions, tasks and processes carried out in Higher Education Institutions related to teaching, research and third mission activities, as well as the direct and indirect outcomes resulting from these actions.
Bologna Process: The broad process developed across European countries to ensure comparability in the standards and quality of higher education qualifications. It includes several ministerial meetings and agreements that resulted in the creation of the European Higher Education Area under the Lisbon Recognition Convention. It takes its name from one of the oldest universities in the world, founded in Bologna, Italy, in 1088, where the Bologna declaration was signed by education ministers from 29 European countries in 1999.
Student Participation Index: An analysis measure that periodically portrays the global performance in terms of student participation in each educational institution. Additionally, the Student Participation Index makes it possible to monitor the implementation of ongoing actions, assess their effectiveness against the set objectives and introduce feedback with the aim of reviewing ongoing actions to ensure greater student involvement.
Participation: The condition of taking part or being involved in something.
Gender Equality Plan: Formal document consisting of a set of institutional commitments and specific actions with the aim of promoting gender equality in an organization through a broad process of structural change.
Comprehensive Student Participation Plan: A formal document, approved within a given educational institution, which includes an integral and coherent set of actions that affect all dimensions in which student participation can be encouraged.
Student Participation: The condition of taking part or being involved in any aspect of academic life (government and management, academic and quality, social, cultural and sports, equality, and inclusion), to which students can make a significant contribution (influence, cooperate, etc.), either formally, through existing structures and mechanisms, or informally, through individual action.