Welcome to the
Edinburgh Napier Student Charter
At Edinburgh Napier University, we want staff and students to work together to improve the quality of the student and learning experience. To achieve this, we all
have a responsibility to each other. This charter, explains this responsibility and sets out the level of service you can expect while you are studying with us. It also says
what we expect of you.
The Student Charter has recently been updated to reflect our ambitions that
Edinburgh Napier University graduates be confident and employable; differentiating themselves from non- graduates by demonstrating the following attributes:
• Creative application of, and contribution to, knowledge;
• World of work prepared;
• Learning for life; and
• Citizenship
We expect every student will be ambitious for themselves and to actively participate in learning, professional development, broader student life opportunities and citizenship. We put students at the heart of everything we do and will provide the environment, experiences and facilities that help students to succeed.
We are committed to equal opportunities, equal access to facilities, and fair practice, respect and courtesy for all. For your part, we expect you to treat staff and your peers with respect and courtesy. We focus on partnership because we believe that the best way to improve Edinburgh Napier is to improve communication between students and staff.
The Student Charter is categorised into 11 sections, brought together as an overview below. Each section has further detailed expectations, which you can view by clicking on What you can expect/Your responsibility or on the [more information] link.
What you can expect: You can expect us to design and deliver programmes which are attractive and relevant to employers, appropriate to the 21st Century, foster confidence and curiosity, promote global citizenship, value inclusion, and enhance your social capital. You can also expect us to offer you the opportunity to work in partnership with us to achieve this.
Your responsibility: We can expect you to engage positively with your academic studies, the broader curriculum, your diverse peer group and with other opportunities that support your academic, professional and personal growth.
What you can expect: You can expect us to appoint, support and develop high quality staff and to recognise the value that students place on staff that are knowledgeable, motivating, skilled and who stretch you to achieve your full potential.
Your responsibility: We can expect you to have a professional attitude, attend all timetabled classes, prepare for and participate fully in class and ask for advice if you are having difficulties with your academic studies.
What you can expect: You can expect us to design and administer appropriate assessments which support your learning and development, and which are fair, transparent, varied and effective, and where appropriate, offer opportunities for collaboration with staff.
Your responsibility: We can expect you to use assessment as a tool for learning and reflection, that you adhere to the University regulations and procedures and to engage, where the opportunity, arises with the design of your assessment.
What you can expect: You can expect us to offer you regular, useful, timely and constructive feedback on your assessments and progress in order to foster self reflection and autonomy and also to reflect on, and respond to, feedback that you give us on service delivery, programme delivery and the student experience.
Your responsibility: We can expect you to engage positively with, and recognise the value of, the feedback you receive and also to routinely engage in evaluations of learning, assessment, services and the student experience, so that we can enhance our services and programmes of study.
What you can expect: You can expect us to provide physical and virtual environments which are modern and appropriate and which facilitate your learning both individually and in groups.
Your responsibility: We can expect you to use these environments creatively to access resources to underpin your independent learning and to work within these environments respectfully and in ways that do not impact negatively on others.
What you can expect: You can expect us to design and provide spaces and facilities to encourage extra-curricular social and sports activities with other students and promote a sense of belonging.
Your responsibility: We can expect you to make the most of extra-curricular opportunities presented, including participation in clubs and societies, and to be aware of how such activity adds value to your CV and future employability.
What you can expect: You can expect us to provide you with an excellent and comparable academic experience whether you are studying on or off campus, to offer support services that are easily accessible and which recognise the diversity of need within the student community, to strive continuously to improve our services in response to student demand, to supply relevant and up-to-date information, and to adhere to the highest professional standards in all of our dealings with you. We also aim to provide students in Edinburgh with access to a range of high-quality facilities across all of our major sites taken together.
Your responsibility: We can expect you to be responsible and courteous in return, to be proactive in looking for help and information, to access published information, to familiarise yourself with your programme handbook, University regulations and procedures, and to understand that services in large organisations like ours must balance multiple viewpoints and issues.
What you can expect: You can expect us to actively welcome students from a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures, and to promote inclusion through flexible entry and exit points, support at points of transition, the use of technology, reasonable adjustments to support individual needs and the embedding of internationalisation into the curriculum.
Your responsibility: We can expect you to respect and value differences, contribute positively to the learning of others and to recognise diversity and internationalisation as opportunities for growth.
What you can expect: You can expect us to design an education which looks beyond the immediate goals of a qualification and a job, and prepares you for careers and lives as both ‘rounded’ citizens and independent, critical thinkers.
Your responsibility: We can expect you to engage with opportunities which help you to develop an understanding of societies’ economic, social and cultural needs and to demonstrate active citizenship and ethical understanding and behaviour.
10. Student Representation |
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What you can expect: We value student representation as one of the key routes to enhancing the quality of the overall student experience. We commit to working in partnership with Napier Students’ Association, as the recognised democratic student representative organisation on campus, to enable student-friendly and effective forums through which students’ ideas and aspirations on their overall student experience can be channelled and any concerns addressed.
Your responsibility: We can expect you to engage positively with any of the democratic forums and processes provided for the student body to contribute to discussions and decisions on their higher education and the support mechanisms provided. We encourage you to engage with your student representative so that they can articulate your views, become a representative yourself at programme, faculty and senior level and to seek elected office at Napier Students’ Association.
What you can expect: You can expect us to maintain an open, accessible, reasonable and straightforward complaints system. We will take any concerns seriously and respond appropriately and within good time. Whenever possible, we will seek to informally resolve any difficulty at the point of origin.
Your responsibility: We can expect you to let us know if a problem may be developing and to seek to informally resolve any difficulty in the first instance.