Engaging and empowering student representatives as agents of change at The University of Nottingham Ningbo China.

The Learning Community Forum (LCF) at The University of Nottingham Ningbo China is a student-led forum where views regarding the provision of teaching and learning in general are collected and voiced. While the LCF may potentially identify issues that are otherwise overlooked by university-sanctioned surveys, it is confronted with various challenges. This paper investigates into the challenges and problems as encountered by the LCF student representatives by looking at two case studies: the LCFs of the Language Centre (LC) and of the Department of Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering (MMME) at UNNC. The study aimed at identifying areas that worked well and those that needed improvement through interviews with student representatives to provide input for the design of a Nottingham Advantage Award (NAA) module. The NAA, as an instrument to address those identified challenges and problems, provides the following: 1) formal recognition of student contribution to teaching and learning, 2) training and relevant skills to empower student representatives as agents of change, and 3) increased future employability through encouraging active reflection on their experience.