Using authentic student personas to inform academic policy review with the lived experience of students: a case study from Nottingham Trent University
Sarah Lawther, Hedley Emmens, Melanie Welaratne · Perspectives Policy and Practice in Higher Education · 2024
This case study from Nottingham Trent University describes how an intra-departmental collaborative team used the lived experience of students to inform academic policy review. Drawing on data from Student 2025, a longitudinal study exploring the complexity of student experiences and identities, the team created authentic student personas called Student Voice Profiles and supported colleagues to use them in a pilot workshop to consider academic policy and policy changes. Findings were mixed: the pilot project highlighted areas for further development, including improvements to resources; it also generated considerable interest in the potential application of student personas to a range of teaching and learning enhancements, and demonstrated the value of cross-team collaborative working.