Student voice has always been an important aspect of Leo Baeck College life. Student involvement and feedback is an integral part of the learning opportunities offered by LBC, contributing to the personal and professional development of students as educators and rabbis. Student engagement and feedback is vital to the quality assurance and enhancement of LBC and its provision.
There are a number of formal ways students can voice their opinion listed below:
1. Student Representation on Committees and Boards
One formal way of having the student voice heard is through student representation of the Leo Baeck College’s boards and committees. There is student representation on almost every committee at LBC, except for the Examinations Board and the Placement & Admissions Board which deal with personal issues affecting students. Some committees also have parts of the meeting closed to students. Although sitting on committees can be time-consuming, student involvement with the various College committees is vital and a practical way to gain experience in working with lay leaders and other professional staff. The student representative on each committee is there to give voice to student opinion and to represent student views.
2. End of Semester Feedback Forms, Programme Surveys and other Audits
Another way in which student opinion is sought is through end of semester feedback forms and end of year surveys. The material collected from these forms feeds directly into the Leo Baeck College’s annual monitoring process. In addition, specific audits and surveys of workshops and seminars are carried out occasionally to help LBC evaluate the learning experience and to enable students to give their feedback.
3. Exit Interviews
All students participate in an Exit Interview at the end of their studies at Leo Baeck College.
4. Student Society
The Students Society represents all students at LBC. In addition to its own meetings, the Students Society meets with the Principal and other staff. As noted above, an important function of the society is to elect student representatives to the College’s Boards, Committees and Teams. This enables the students’ voice to be heard on all the central bodies of LBC, which, in turn, can influence policy.
The subscription to the Students’ Society is currently between £5 and £10 per semester although the Society may change this figure from time to time.
5. Involvement in Projects
From time to time, Leo Baeck College invites student involvement in specific projects such as curriculum development of programmes or other projects.
In addition to these formal ways for students to voice their opinions, students can at any time approach their personal tutors, academic tutors, Link tutors, the Principal, the Dean, the Director of Jewish Education, the Coordinator of Rabbinic Community Placements and the Head of Academic Services.