2024 Symposium | Agents of Transformation

Friday, 20 September

Location: The University of Sydney & Online

The fifth national SVA Symposium was dedicated to exploring the transformative power of student voice in higher education. This event brought together passionate students and staff who are driving change through their commitment to student voice and partnership. We delved into the pivotal role student voice initiatives play in shaping higher education.

The SVA Symposium allows practitioners and students to share current practices, deepen their understanding of student voice and partnership practical and theoretical principles, and discuss challenges that inspire innovation and cross-institutional collaboration.

The Symposium features thought-provoking keynotes, workshops, case studies, panel sessions and informal networking for students and practitioners from Australia and neighbouring countries. The event will be delivered in person and online and followed by networking. 

The theme 'Agents of Transformation' emphasises the vital role of practitioners and students in driving institutional change through active engagement and partnership. We look forward to learning about your transformative practices and fostering further innovation following the Symposium.

Program

  • Professor Ryan Naylor, Academic Coordinator (Education Quality) and Professor of Higher Education, Sydney School of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney

    This keynote presentation explores the transformative potential of student voices in reshaping educational experiences and outcomes within higher education. These voices can heard through a variety of participation models, from consultation through collaboration to partnership and empowerment—but it is essential these voices are heard.

    The keynote centres reciprocity and mutual respect as key aspects of this potential for change, and problematises the risk of transactional dynamics in universities. These risks may be influenced by traditional educational paradigms, and potentially further exacerbated by advances in artificial intelligence. The keynote will examine these issues through several case studies, including the concept of student success; equity and widening participation; and policy changes following the Universities Accord and the social role(s) of universities.

    This provocation aims to spark dialogue on redefining the interaction between students and educational institutions, envisioning a future where education is a collaborative, inclusive, and transformative force in both individual lives and broader communities.

  • Students and practitioners from Australian higher education institutions will share their research, case studies and good practice in nine presentations which will run concurrently in three streams. Please refer to the Case Study abstracts document at the top of the page for more information

  • This panel discussion delves into the critical aspect of evaluating the effectiveness of student voice and partnership initiatives within educational institutions. The session aims to explore various methods and metrics that can be used to assess these initiatives and discuss how such evaluations can drive continuous improvement of student engagement in institutional decision-making.

    Panellists:

    Professor Kerri-Lee Krause (PhD, GAICD PFHEA, FSRHE)

    Chair of the Higher Education Standards Panel, Australian Government Department of Education

    Sabrine Yassine

    Steering Committee Member, Global Student Forum; Academic Board Student Representative, UTS; Welfare Officer, National Union of Students (NUS)

    Satoshi Sanada

    Principal Policy and Local Engagement Officer, Victorian Skills Authority (VSA)

  • This session will be led by the SVA Steering Group Chair Ali Jaquet and supported by student and staff facilitators at each table. Each table will explore different topics in the student voice space to shape future discussions and resource creation in the sector. This session is a perfect opportunity to connect with students and colleagues, reflect on the previous sessions and set the direction for SVA’s focus in 2025.

Meet the Speakers

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Meet the Speakers 〰️

Keynote: Professor Ryan Naylor

Ryan Naylor is Academic Coordinator (Education Quality) and Professor of Higher Education in the Sydney School of Health Sciences. He is a Fulbright Scholar, and Principal Fellow, HEA.

Ryan is also a member of the Editorial Board for the journal, Student Success. His current research focuses primarily on understanding and addressing barriers to success in higher education. He has published widely on issues of access to higher education, equity interventions and their evaluation, and the experiences and expectations of students.

See Ryan’s research and publications here.

2024 SVA Members

SVA is accepting event sponsorship which allows us to provide travel grants for students and organise two fantastic days of student voice community coming together. Please contact SVA Coordinator to view the sponsorship prospectus.

FAQs

  • Practitioners - Educators, student support staff, and other professionals within the tertiary education sector who implement student partnership initiatives, programs, and practices. Practitioners who champion student voice and create support structures to include student voice in institutional decision-making.

    Students - Students who play a crucial role in shaping learning experiences and the overall student experience on behalf of themselves or a cohort they represent. Student leaders, representatives and executives in student-led organisations who advocate for student needs at class, faculty, institutional and national levels. 

    Academics and Researchers - Academics and researchers who contribute valuable knowledge and expertise to discussions about student partnership, influencing the design of inclusive teaching methods and research on effective student engagement strategies.

    Leaders - Tertiary and vocational leadership, administrators, and policymakers who hold the authority to make significant decisions that impact the student experience. 

  • >> Save the date and register for the Symposium to attend on the day or online.

    >> Promote the Symposium to your colleagues and students.

    >> Present at the Symposium – Submit your Abstract to us by 19 August.

  • This is a fully catered event, please submit your catering request via the registration form.

  • The Symposium will be held at the University of Sydney Camperdown campus in Sydney. For more information about the campus, scroll to the bottom of this page.

    You also can join the Symposium online as it will be delivered in a blended format.

  • Please reach out to your institution regarding the sponsorship to attend the Symposium in person.

    Scroll down on this page for travel information including the list of hotels and directions to the campus.

    Free parking will not be available for the attendees and parking spots may be limited on the day.

    Please email sva@usq.edu.au for any further questions.

  • The venue capacity is limited, if you are aiming to register more than 4 delegates from your institution please get in touch with sva@unisq.edu.au.

    Students and staff from member institutions can attend the Symposium for free, please refer to the list of members at the bottom of this page.

    Non-members can book to attend the symposium for a small cost, please refer to the registration page.

    If you are a student from a non-member institution and are unable to secure funding for the ticket, please get in touch with sva@usq.edu.au

  • The Symposium will be broadcasted online and some sessions will be recorded.

Panellists:

Professor Kerri-Lee Krause - Chair of the Higher Education Standards Panel, Australian Government Department of Education

Professor Kerri-Lee Krause (PhD, GAICD PFHEA, FSRHE) is an experienced university executive with longstanding leadership experience in public universities and independent higher education, most recently as Vice-Chancellor of Avondale University. She specialises in leading whole-of-university turnarounds with students and cultural transformation at the heart and she continues to maintain an active research and writing program as Honorary Professorial Fellow, Centre for the Study of Higher Education, The University of Melbourne. She holds the Australian Government Ministerial appointment of Chair, Higher Education Standards Panel and has wide experience in the field of higher education leadership, quality enhancement, regulation and governance.  She is internationally recognised for her higher education policy research on the contemporary student experience, the evolving nature of the tertiary education sector and implications for leadership, governance, quality and standards.

Sabrine Yassine - Steering Committee Member, Global Student Forum; Academic Board Student Representative, UTS; Welfare Officer, National Union of Students (NUS)

Sabrine is a final year student at the University of Technology Sydney, studying a Bachelor of Business/Bachelor of Laws. She is a prominent figure in student advocacy, serving as one of seven steering committee members of the Global Student Forum, which is the umbrella organisation of the world's major representative, independent and democratic student unions. Nationally, she holds the position of Welfare Officer for the National Union of Students, where she leads efforts to improve student welfare across Australia. Locally, Sabrine is an elected student member of the Academic Board at UTS, where she combines her passion for legal studies with a strong commitment to social justice, focusing on initiatives that promote cultural diversity, with a personal passion for refugee education and gender equality.

Satoshi Sanada - Principal Policy and Local Engagement Officer, Victorian Skills Authority (VSA)

Satoshi is a Principal Policy and Local Engagement Officer at the Victorian Skills Authority (VSA). The VSA was established by the Victorian Government in 2021 to provide evidence-based planning and solutions to meet current and future skills needs in Victoria. Satoshi is the lead designer and author of the VSA's new strategy for enhancing engagement and collaboration between learners and key actors (e.g. industry, education providers, government agencies) in designing skills policies, services and education offerings. He draws on his background in qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, poststructural and postcolonial theories, and education policy in the global context to facilitate critical discourses in the politics of diversity, voice and representation.

Our Sponsors

Introducing Our First Sponsor: Unitu - The Student Voice Platform

Unitu, the leading student voice platform, is our very first sponsor for Student Voice Australasia. Unitu has been instrumental in helping Student Associations and Universities across the UK and now in Australia to engage with the student voice over the last 10 years. Their platform helps institutions and associations to amplify student voices, generate actionable insights on the student experience, and effectively closes the feedback loop.

Anish Bagga, CEO and Co-founder of Unitu

Anish, the CEO and Cofounder of Unitu, will be present at the SVA symposium and summit on the 19th and 20th of September. Anish has a deep passion for student voice, having been a student rep himself and building Unitu back in 2012 during his final year at university. He is eager to meet you all, learn about your incredible work in student engagement, and explore ways to help associations and universities capture, analyse, and act on student feedback more effectively.

Feel free to say "hi" when you see him at the conference!

Location and venue information

The Michael Spence Building (F23)

The University of Sydney

Corner of Eastern Avenue and, City Rd, Camperdown NSW 2006

SVA Symposium Steering Group

The program is carefully curated by students and staff from member institutions alongside SVA Student Partner and SVA Coordinator. We thank our members for their time, ideas and effort in shaping this day: Samantha Trodden (University of Sydney Union), Karen Walker (University of Sydney), Chey Hamilton (JCU), Anthea D'Aloia (University of Adelaide) and Trish Behan, Adam Hatch, and Harley Addington for also being an incredible team bringing this event to the University of Sydney.