The second annual Student Voices in Higher Education Conference is set to explore the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on student feedback and strategies for its optimisation. The conference, hosted by Explorance, will take place on 16th and 17th April at BMA House in London.

Experts from AdvanceHE, QAA, and Jisc will team up with university and student leaders over the two-day event to share insights on leveraging AI capabilities in higher education. The conference will be interspersed with interactive sessions, including keynotes from distinguished speakers, presentations led by higher education institutions (HEIs) and students, as well as multiple expert panel discussions on relevant topics.

Headlining the sessions will be Dr Charles Knight, Assistant Director, Knowledge & Innovation at AdvanceHE. His keynote will focus on "Enhancing T&L for student and institutional success: how AI can create unprecedented drivers for change." Other notable speakers include Eve Alcock, Director of Public Affairs at QAA, discussing the importance of student engagement through her speech, "Assurance and enhancement: effective student engagement, and why student voices matter."

The event will feature a University Leaders Panel and a Student Representatives Panel. Within the University Leaders Panel, Professor Cassie Wilson of the University of Bath, Professor Harriet Dunbar-Morris from the University of Buckingham, and Brian Green of the University of Strathclyde will hold a discussion on "How can we ensure that student voices inform and impact institutional strategic priorities for enhancing teaching effectiveness and student experience?"

Student voices will also find representation in the panel including Lulu Chen, Education Officer at Newcastle University Students Union, Georgia Stephenson, Student Voice Coordinator at University of York Students' Union, and Simeon Anyalemechi, President at University of Salford Students Union. The panel will discuss "How can student voice lead to more powerful solutions that address learning excellence, teaching effectiveness and student experience?"

Dr Knight, along with Sue Attewell, Co-leader of National Centre for AI in Tertiary Education at Jisc, and Matthew Abley, Institutional Research Analyst at the University of Westminster, will form another panel that will focus on "Unlocking the power of open-ended student feedback for better decision-making."

The conference brings together contributors and delegates responsible for strategic planning, teaching and learning, student experience, satisfaction and voice, quality assurance and enhancement, as well as course and module evaluation. The primary aim is to leverage AI effectively in capturing student perspectives through surveys and other feedback sources.

"We are really excited to host the Student Voices in Higher Education Conference, which provides a unique space for academic, professional and administrative teams to share best practice, insights and lessons learned from student voice initiatives," stated John Atherton, VP Sales EMEA at Explorance.

Atherton punctuated his excitement by stressing the implications of integrating student voices into the design, implementation, and delivery of higher education initiatives. This integration, as he sees it, can lead to more "powerful solutions that address learning excellence, teaching effectiveness, and student experience."