The Student Voice Weekly

Dr Stuart Grey

The Student Voice Weekly is a short podcast for UK higher education leaders who want to turn student feedback, policy and research into practical action. Each week, Dr Stuart Grey, founder of Student Voice AI and Senior Lecturer at the University of Glasgow, unpacks the latest evidence on student voice, assessment, feedback, regulation and institutional improvement. Expect concise briefings on HE research, OfS and QAA developments, NSS and survey practice, and practical ways to use student comments more rigorously.

  1. Time poverty is the new hidden barrier

    2d ago

    Time poverty is the new hidden barrier

    This week, Dr Stuart Grey discusses time poverty and student voice evidence: how low-income students lose study time through work, travel, administration, money pressure, and systems that assume spare capacity. The episode covers time poverty as widening participation evidence, fair process in student evaluation systems, Cardiff's QER recommendation on student voice mechanisms, Advance HE's TEF analysis, and practical ways to read comments about workload, organisation, and trust as evidence about system design. In This Episode - Why time functions as a classed resource for low-income students. - How timetable design, attendance requirements, deadline bunching, travel, and payment schedules can reproduce inequality. - Why student evaluation systems earn trust through procedural justice, not just fair-looking scores. - What Cardiff's QER recommendation says about representation, support structures, and wider student engagement. - How TEF evidence can miss the technicians, demonstrators, studio staff, and lab teams students actually experience. - A practical way to split mixed comments before turning them into action plans. Student Voice Practice Time poverty comments should not be filed only as individual resilience or study skills issues. They are often evidence about scheduling, workload, communications, finance, placement design, and whether the course leaves students enough room to participate. The useful question is not simply whether students are working hard, but whether the system is spending time they do not have. Research Spotlight - Time poverty creates hidden inequality for low-income students: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/time-poverty-creates-hidden-inequality-for-low-income-students/ - Student evaluation systems earn trust through fair process, not just fair scores: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/student-evaluation-systems-earn-trust-through-fair-process/ Across the Sector - Cardiff's QER review says student voice mechanisms need clearer purpose and wider reach: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/cardiff-qer-student-voice-mechanisms-clearer-purpose-wider-reach/ - Advance HE's TEF analysis shows student voice evidence still misses part of teaching excellence: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/advance-he-tef-student-voice-evidence-teaching-excellence/ From the Archive - Key elements of team teaching: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/successful-team-teaching-in-higher-education/ - What are media studies students telling us about course organisation?: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/challenges-in-media-studies-course-management/ - Are medical students' workloads manageable?: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/workload-challenges-faced-by-medical-students-in-higher-education/ Practical Takeaway Take one programme where work, travel, care, or placement pressure is already visible in the comments. Map the first four teaching weeks against contact hours, gaps between sessions, deadlines, attendance rules, and administrative pinch points. If the map shows the course needs spare time students do not have, that is widening participation evidence. Full Episode Page https://www.studentvoice.ai/podcast/episodes/015-time-poverty-is-the-new-hidden-barrier/ Subscribe Subscribe to The Student Voice Weekly: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/newsletter/

    8 min
  2. Belonging is built in seminars, not slogans

    May 29

    Belonging is built in seminars, not slogans

    This week, Dr Stuart Grey discusses belonging and student voice evidence: why international wellbeing, friendship formation, and collaborative study are shaped by ordinary academic contact rather than slogans or one-off events. The episode covers everyday community engagement, friendship and collaborative study, DfE franchise arrangements guidance, Jisc's new "None of the above" option, and practical ways to read comments about belonging as evidence about curriculum design, wellbeing, and confidence. In This Episode - Why belonging often depends on small, repeated points of contact in teaching. - How international student wellbeing is shaped by routine engagement with staff, peers, and the wider community. - Why friendship formation and collaborative study put belonging inside course design. - What DfE franchise arrangements guidance means for comparable student feedback evidence across delivery partners. - How a "None of the above" option can improve survey data quality when answer sets do not fit. - A practical way to sort belonging comments by the kind of action they require. Student Voice Practice Belonging evidence becomes more useful when teams read comments by what they reveal, not only by the words they mention. A seminar comment may be evidence about teaching delivery, confidence, peer connection, and wellbeing at the same time. The practical task is to separate provision problems, participation problems, and relationship problems so the right team can act. Research Spotlight - Everyday community contact shapes international student wellbeing: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/everyday-community-contact-shapes-international-student-wellbeing/ - Friendships and collaborative study shape belonging more than extracurricular activity: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/friendships-and-collaborative-study-shape-belonging-more-than-extracurricular-activity/ Across the Sector - DfE franchise arrangements guidance raises the stakes for student feedback evidence: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/dfe-franchise-arrangements-student-feedback-evidence/ - Jisc Online Surveys adds a "None of the above" option, and why it matters for student feedback data quality: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/jisc-online-surveys-none-of-the-above-student-feedback-data-quality/ From the Archive - Does nursing course content deliver breadth and relevance?: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/course-content-in-nursing-education-in-the-uk/ - Architecture students on personal development: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/architecture-students-on-personal-development/ - Student voice in the development of assessment practices: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/the-benefit-of-student-voice-in-assessment-practices/ Practical Takeaway Map belonging comments by action route before deciding the intervention. Some comments point to seminar design, some to group work structure, some to staff contact, and some to timetable or cohort stability. Treat belonging as a design parameter, then take the map into the programme team meeting. Full Episode Page https://www.studentvoice.ai/podcast/episodes/014-belonging-is-built-in-seminars-not-slogans/ Subscribe Subscribe to The Student Voice Weekly: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/newsletter/

    8 min
  3. AI Feedback Needs Teacher Judgement and Better Design

    May 22

    AI Feedback Needs Teacher Judgement and Better Design

    This week, Dr Stuart Grey discusses AI feedback and student voice evidence: how universities can use AI feedback without removing teacher judgement, and how assessment evidence connects with student value, belonging and attendance. The episode covers AI feedback design, paid student voice roles, QAA Scotland's review of awarding evidence, HEPI's latest findings on student value and belonging, and practical ways to test whether feedback is specific, trusted and usable. In This Episode - Why students tend to value AI feedback most when teacher judgement stays visible. - How paid student voice roles can make representation more accountable when the route from input to action is clear. - What QAA Scotland's national review of awarding arrangements means for student voice evidence around assessment. - Why student value, belonging and attendance need local comment analysis rather than headline numbers alone. - A practical way to review AI feedback pilots before scaling them. Student Voice Practice Student voice work is most useful when it turns a general sector discussion into an institutional question that teams can test locally. For AI feedback, that means asking students whether the feedback was specific, whether they trusted it, and whether they could use it in their next piece of work. Research Spotlight - Students value AI feedback most when teacher judgement stays in the loop: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/students-value-ai-feedback-most-when-teacher-judgement-stays-in-the-loop/ - Paid student voice roles can make representation more accountable: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/paid-student-voice-roles-can-make-representation-more-accountable/ Across the Sector - QAA national review: awarding arrangements and student voice evidence: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/qaa-national-review-awarding-arrangements-student-voice-evidence/ - Student Academic Experience Survey: student value, belonging and attendance: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/student-academic-experience-survey-student-value-belonging-attendance/ From the Archive - Computer science students' views on Covid-19 challenges: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/computer-science-students-views-on-covid-19-challenges/ - Navigating university life: insights from education students: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/navigating-university-life-insights-from-education-students/ - English literature students' perspectives on Covid-19: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/english-literature-students-perspectives-on-covid-19/ Practical Takeaway Before scaling an AI feedback pilot, ask students three direct questions: was it specific, did they trust it, and could they use it in the next piece of work? Then compare those answers with teacher judgement rather than treating the tool output as the answer. Full Episode Page https://www.studentvoice.ai/podcast/episodes/013-ai-feedback-needs-teacher-judgement-and-better-design/ Subscribe Subscribe to The Student Voice Weekly: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/newsletter/

    9 min
  4. When Scores Miss the Feedback Story

    May 15

    When Scores Miss the Feedback Story

    This week, Dr Stuart Grey discusses feedback evidence: how universities move beyond headline scores and into the student comments, context and action trail underneath them. The episode covers feedback literacy, OfS scrutiny of assessment feedback, NSS 2026 preparation, and why student feedback comments need to be grouped by the kind of action they require. In This Episode - Why assessment and feedback scores can hide several different problems. - How feedback literacy can develop even when survey scores stay flat. - What the OfS Northampton case signals about evidence, clarity and student voice. - Why NSS 2026 preparation should connect scores with comments, module evaluations, rep feedback and other student voice routes. - A practical way to split feedback comments into timing, clarity and usability. Student Voice Practice This week's Student Voice update looks at the first trials of the comment review pipeline, including full-text search across student comments. The aim is to let teams move from a dashboard theme to the exact student comments behind it, then review coding decisions in context. Research Spotlight Feedback literacy can develop even when survey scores stay flat: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/feedback-literacy-can-develop-even-when-survey-scores-stay-flat/ PhD competency confidence varies by research style: evidence from 1,105 doctoral students: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/research-styles-phd-competencies/ Sector Watch OfS requires clearer assessment feedback at Northampton, and why student voice evidence matters: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/ofs-northampton-assessment-feedback-student-voice-evidence/ NSS 2026 has closed, and what universities should do before the July results: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/nss-2026-has-closed-what-universities-should-do-before-the-july-results/ From the Archive Does personal development in business studies improve outcomes?: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/personal-development-in-business-and-management-studies/ Are medical technology students let down by communications?: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/navigating-the-waves-medical-technology-students-perspectives/ Inverted learning: turning traditional teaching methods upside-down: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/inverted-learning-turning-traditional-teaching-methods-upside-down/ Practical Takeaway Take one recent set of assessment or feedback comments and split them into three piles: timing, clarity and usability. Then check whether the actions you had planned actually match the pattern in the comments. Full episode page: https://www.studentvoice.ai/podcast/episodes/012-when-scores-miss-the-feedback-story/ Subscribe to Student Voice Weekly: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/newsletter/

    8 min
  5. Welcome week is not your belonging strategy

    May 8

    Welcome week is not your belonging strategy

    This week, Dr Stuart Grey discusses belonging, partnership and timing: why welcome week is not enough to be a university's belonging strategy. The episode covers research on first-year introduction week, student voice as partnership, Portsmouth's assessment regulation changes and Westminster's mid-module check-ins. In This Episode - Why welcome week mainly strengthens peer belonging, not staff belonging. - Why belonging needs to be designed and checked across the semester, not only in week zero. - How dropout intention and wellbeing connect to belonging evidence. - Why student voice should be treated as partnership, not extraction. - How student feedback can reshape assessment regulations. - What earlier module feedback can look like in practice. Student Voice Practice The episode includes a Student Voice update on previews of the new NSS 2026 reports and the gap between central analysis and department-level action. Research Spotlight Welcome week attendance boosts peer belonging, but not staff belonging: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/welcome-week-attendance-boosts-peer-belonging/ Student Voice as Partnership, Not Extraction: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/student-voice-as-partnership-not-extraction/ Sector Watch Portsmouth's assessment regulation changes show how student feedback can reshape assessment rules: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/portsmouth-assessment-regulation-changes-student-feedback/ University of Westminster's Mid-Module Check-ins show what earlier module feedback can look like: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/westminster-mid-module-check-ins-earlier-module-feedback/ From the Archive Student perspectives on HRM course content: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/student-perspectives-on-hrm-course-content/ Obstacles to students voice in curriculum design: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/obstacles-to-students-voice-in-curriculum-design/ King's Wellbeing Survey, and why joined-up student feedback matters: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/kings-wellbeing-survey-joined-up-student-feedback-system/ Practical Takeaway Check whether your belonging evidence distinguishes peer belonging from staff belonging. If it does not, you may be measuring one part of the experience and acting on another. Full episode page: https://www.studentvoice.ai/podcast/episodes/011-welcome-week-is-not-your-belonging-strategy/ Subscribe to Student Voice Weekly: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/newsletter/

    8 min
  6. Engagement is a design problem, not a student problem

    May 1

    Engagement is a design problem, not a student problem

    This week, Dr Stuart Grey discusses engagement as a design problem. Weak engagement often tells universities something about the conditions they have created, not simply something about student motivation. The episode covers student engagement research, generative AI feedback, Glasgow's assessment and feedback tool and Wonkhe's AI assessment report. In This Episode - Why engagement gaps often point to institutional design. - How unclear briefs, late feedback and inconsistent expectations shape student behaviour. - What research suggests about institutional design and student background. - Why students may use generative AI for feedback while still trusting teachers more. - How Glasgow's assessment and feedback tool shows action on student voice. - Why late feedback can drive student AI use. Student Voice Practice Stuart starts with a deceptively simple question: when engagement is weak, where should universities look first? Research Spotlight Student engagement depends more on institutional design than student background: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/student-engagement-depends-more-on-institutional-design-than-student-background/ Students use Generative AI for feedback, but trust teachers more: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/students-use-generative-ai-for-feedback-but-trust-teachers-more/ Sector Watch Glasgow's assessment and feedback tool shows how universities can act on student voice: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/glasgow-assessment-feedback-tool-student-voice/ Wonkhe's AI assessment report shows how late feedback drives student AI use: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/wonkhe-ai-assessment-report-late-feedback-student-ai-use/ From the Archive What do art students need from learning resources?: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/art-students-views-on-learning-resources/ King's College London partners with Student Voice AI: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/student-voice-and-kings-college-london-2025/ Do adult nursing students feel their courses support personal development?: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/adult-nursing-students-views-on-personal-development/ Practical Takeaway Take one engagement concern and identify the design friction underneath it: unclear expectations, timing, access, workload, assessment structure or feedback delay. Fixing the design is usually more useful than another reminder. Full episode page: https://www.studentvoice.ai/podcast/episodes/010-engagement-is-a-design-problem-not-a-student-problem/ Subscribe to Student Voice Weekly: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/newsletter/

    8 min
  7. Trust is the missing piece in AI disclosure

    Apr 24

    Trust is the missing piece in AI disclosure

    This week, Dr Stuart Grey discusses GenAI disclosure as a trust problem. Students are more likely to disclose AI use when governance feels fair, consistent and credible in real teaching practice. The episode connects research with 739 students to QAA subject benchmark statements, QAA GenAI assessment focus groups and evidence on who completes student evaluations. In This Episode - Why GenAI disclosure is not just a policy communication problem. - How trust, fairness and implementation fidelity shape whether students disclose AI assistance. - Why inconsistent interpretation by staff turns disclosure into a social risk. - What non-response bias means for student evaluation evidence. - How QAA subject benchmark statements connect to student feedback evidence. - Why student voice on AI assessment needs more structure. Student Voice Practice The episode focuses on how overall sentiment averages can hide whose experience is changing, especially when institutions need to understand patterns by group, context or assessment design. Research Spotlight Students disclose AI use when governance feels fair and trustworthy: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/students-disclose-ai-use-when-governance-feels-fair/ Who Actually Fills In Student Evaluations? New Evidence on Non-Response Bias: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/who-fills-in-student-evaluations-non-response-bias/ Sector Watch QAA Subject Benchmark Statements, and what they mean for student feedback evidence: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/qaa-subject-benchmark-statements-student-feedback-evidence/ QAA's GenAI assessment focus groups show why student voice on AI needs more structure: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/qaa-genai-assessment-focus-groups-student-voice/ From the Archive Student Voice AI + evasys + Advance HE for PTES & PRES 2025: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/student-voice-ai-evasys-advancehe-ptes-pres-2025/ What did COVID-19 mean for business and management students?: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/business-and-management-students-experiences-of-covid-19/ Do history students benefit from clearer assessment methods?: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/evaluating-assessment-methods-in-history-courses/ Practical Takeaway Look at one AI disclosure rule and ask whether students would hear the same explanation from every tutor. If not, the governance problem is implementation, not just wording. Full episode page: https://www.studentvoice.ai/podcast/episodes/009-trust-is-the-missing-piece-in-ai-disclosure/ Subscribe to Student Voice Weekly: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/newsletter/

    8 min
  8. Belonging is not a single number

    Apr 17

    Belonging is not a single number

    This week, Dr Stuart Grey discusses belonging and retention: why one belonging score is rarely enough to explain who feels connected, who is drifting and what universities should do next. The episode covers a review of 66 studies on belonging, mature student induction, DMU's block teaching evaluation and Jisc's decision to retire Digital Experience Insights. In This Episode - Why belonging is not one thing and should not be treated as a single diagnostic score. - How belonging evidence changes when the job is descriptive, evaluative or predictive. - Why mature student induction needs to be designed beyond the default student. - What DMU's block teaching evaluation shows about faster feedback and survey evidence. - What the retirement of Jisc Digital Experience Insights means for benchmarking. - Why data security questions matter when universities process student comments with AI. Student Voice Practice Stuart reflects on the Future Facing Learning and AI in Higher Education conference at Teesside University and the question of who controls the AI infrastructure of higher education. Research Spotlight Retention work needs belonging evidence, not just a single score: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/retention-work-needs-belonging-evidence/ Induction can build mature students' belonging, but only if universities design beyond the default student: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/induction-can-build-mature-students-belonging/ Sector Watch DMU's block teaching evaluation links faster feedback with stronger survey evidence: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/dmu-block-teaching-evaluation-student-survey-evidence/ Jisc will retire Digital Experience Insights on 31 July 2026: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/jisc-digital-experience-insights-retirement-student-feedback-benchmarking/ From the Archive Gamification in statistics teaching: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/gamification-in-statistics-teaching/ Do accounting students value a balanced mix of assessment methods?: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/student-views-on-assessment-methods-in-accounting-education/ Do extracurricular activities genuinely benefit law students?: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/law-students-views-on-extracurricular-activities/ Practical Takeaway When looking at belonging data, decide first whether you are describing experience, evaluating an intervention or predicting risk. Each job needs different evidence. Full episode page: https://www.studentvoice.ai/podcast/episodes/008-belonging-is-not-a-single-number/ Subscribe to Student Voice Weekly: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/newsletter/

    8 min
See All (15)

About

The Student Voice Weekly is a short podcast for UK higher education leaders who want to turn student feedback, policy and research into practical action. Each week, Dr Stuart Grey, founder of Student Voice AI and Senior Lecturer at the University of Glasgow, unpacks the latest evidence on student voice, assessment, feedback, regulation and institutional improvement. Expect concise briefings on HE research, OfS and QAA developments, NSS and survey practice, and practical ways to use student comments more rigorously.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr Stuart Grey
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Student Voice Systems Limited
  • Show Website
    The Student Voice Weekly