Unitu - The Student Voice Platform

⭐ Unitu Empowers Student Reps ⭐ 📈 With Unitu, student reps like Imran Ali Khalifa are seeing a huge shift in engagement. Before, it was a challenge to gather feedback from students, but now Unitu makes it easier than ever. Students are sharing their thoughts, and reps can bring these concerns directly to the table, ensuring their voices are heard. 💬 Unitu has empowered students to connect and actively contribute to the university experience, fostering a stronger, more inclusive community. 🤝

❓👩🎓What is Essential vs. Optional in Rep Training? Striking the right balance between core training and optional opportunities can make all the difference for student reps. In our webinar on Rep Training, Jeffrey Wiltshire shared insights on how to support reps throughout their training journey: 🔹 Focus on the Essentials: Many reps thrive when they have a clear understanding of what’s expected. By providing core training that covers the basics—like understanding their role, attending meetings, and effective communication—they can feel confident and equipped without feeling overwhelmed. 🔹 Offer Optional Development: For those looking to go further, creating clear pathways for additional leadership growth can be incredibly valuable. Think advanced training in areas like public speaking, mental health first aid, or facilitating group discussions. This approach offers reps the chance to build new skills without adding pressure to those who are content with the basics. 🔹 Understand Their Needs: Using brief training needs assessments helps tailor extra support to each rep’s specific interests and areas for improvement. This way, reps can indicate whether they’d benefit from sessions on particular skills or want to dive deeper into areas like engaging with societies or supporting diverse student communities. 🔹 Be Transparent About Expectations: Clearly distinguishing between what training is required and what is optional ensures reps know what’s needed to succeed, while still having the freedom to take on more if they choose. This transparency can help them feel empowered, knowing they can pursue growth opportunities on their own terms. By providing this clarity and flexibility, you can ensure reps feel supported and empowered to excel in their roles. 📽️ To watch the full webinar, follow the link: https://bit.ly/3UbblPz

🎉New partnership announcement! 🤝We are excited to announce that Unitu has partnered with Notre Dame Student Association, marking the beginning of Unitu’s journey in the Australian Higher Education sector! Notre Dame Student Association is dedicated to representing and supporting students across a diverse range of academic disciplines. With their commitment to fostering a vibrant student community, this partnership aligns perfectly with Unitu’s mission to amplify student voices and enhance the student experience. 📊By using Unitu’s student voice platform, Notre Dame Student Association can now centralise and streamline feedback, providing real-time insights and empowering their students to shape their university experience. This collaboration represents an important step for Unitu as we expand into the Australian HE sector, supporting institutions in creating more responsive, inclusive, and engaging environments for their students. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to innovate and grow globally! 🌏

Did You Know❓ ➕Unitu's Touch Points have significantly increased feedback response rates for Student Voice meetings at universities! Elke Theissl, Faculty lead from UCL, reported receiving "over 80 responses within a day or two," thanks to our streamlined and accessible feedback collection process. More feedback means a more representative student voice! 🙌Empower your students and see how Unitu can transform feedback into meaningful action at your institution.

❓👨🎓How do you get your reps engaged with training? With Freshers' Week behind us, many of you are now preparing your reps through training. But ensuring reps remain engaged can be challenging. Here are a few strategies shared by our guest speaker, Nikita Patel, in our webinar on Training & Support for Student Leaders: 🔸Provide Incentives--> Linking training hours to awards or certificates can be an excellent motivator. Some institutions even offer additional rewards like freebies to boost participation. 🔸Make Training Accessible--> Not all students have the same availability. Offering multiple session times (such as late afternoons or evenings) ensures flexibility for those with family or work commitments, making it easier for everyone to attend. 🔸Offer Flexible Formats--> A mix of in-person and online options gives reps the flexibility they need to engage. This not only increases attendance but also caters to different learning preferences. 🔸Consider Travel Reimbursement--> For commuting students, covering travel costs or holding sessions in accessible locations can significantly improve engagement. 🔸Tailor Your Content--> Ensure that your training is relevant and tailored to the specific needs of your reps. This can make the sessions more engaging and directly applicable to the challenges they’ll face in their roles. By making training more flexible, rewarding, and relevant, you can keep your reps engaged and ready to represent student voices effectively. 📽️To watch the full webinar on "Strengthening Student Leadership: Diverse Approaches for Training & Support", follow this link: https://bit.ly/47YdQum

Have you ever thought about how much smoother your Student Voice meetings could run with a little help from AI? 🤖 🎯This year, 11 universities joined us for a pilot program to explore that very idea. With the power of AI, we helped them cut down hours of meeting prep, summarise feedback in minutes, and, most importantly, ensure every student voice was heard. The results? Game-changing: ✅ 2,000 unique responses gathered ✅ 100% of feedback summarised ✅ Hours of admin time saved From improving engagement to simplifying meeting prep, AI made all the difference. Curious to see how it all unfolded? 👉 Download our report and see how AI is reshaping student voice meetings for the better https://bit.ly/4eTuXji

5️⃣ Ways to help your Reps gather feedback 🗳️As the academic year kicks off, many student unions are preparing for Student Rep Elections. One of the key responsibilities of reps is gathering feedback from their peers. But what does effective feedback gathering look like? It’s not just about collecting complaints; it’s about identifying opportunities for growth, improvement, and enhancing the student experience. But how can your reps gather feedback that truly reflects the needs of their peers? Here are some methods to train your reps on: 🔸Surveys: Structured questions that provide valuable, quantifiable data. 🔸Drop-in Sessions: Casual chats often reveal insights that formal channels might miss. 🔸Social Media Engagement: Reaching students where they naturally engage. 🔸Lecture Shoutouts: Capturing real-time feedback during classes. 🔸Platforms like Unitu: A centralised space where all feedback streams—from surveys to informal chats—can be collated and dealt with. 🎯Unitu’s platform doesn’t just collect feedback in real-time; it allows you to analyse trends, generate instant reports, and respond quickly and effectively. Which method do you find most useful for training your reps to gather and manage feedback?

🌐 Creating a Connected Student Community for Distant Learners Distant learning can often leave students feeling disconnected, but it doesn’t have to be this way! With Unitu, we’re helping to bridge that gap and foster meaningful engagement through our student voice platform 🧑💻✨ 💡In fact, 53% of UK students found that digital tools make them feel more connected to their university, according to the 2020/21 Jisc Digital Experience Insights Survey. But there’s still room to do more, with 32% wanting better support in using these platforms. As online learning continues to grow in the UK, we’ve seen a 10% rise in students opting for distance learning programs over the past five years, reports the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), 2021—making it even more crucial to build platforms that ensure no student feels left behind. 👨🎓A student at Arden University shared how Unitu has become a supportive virtual community where issues are resolved, helping to turn the isolation of distant learning into a more connected experience with meaningful peer relationships. With Unitu, universities and students’ unions can seamlessly connect with students to enhance engagement, close feedback loops, and ensure every student’s voice helps shape their university experience🎯

🎊 Recently, Unitu had the honour of being the key sponsor of the Student Voice Summit, held at the University of Sydney and organised by Student Voice Australasia (SVA). 🔺 SVA is a leading network dedicated to enhancing student voice initiatives across the Australasian higher education sector. By connecting universities, students, and staff, SVA empowers institutions to amplify student feedback and shape policies that improve the overall student experience. Our CEO, Anish Bagga, had an incredible experience engaging with passionate student leaders and staff, exchanging insights on elevating student voice and exploring how technology can close the feedback loop. 🗨 Reflecting on the summit, Anish shared: "The energy and commitment from both student leaders and staff were truly inspiring. Seeing how dedicated they are to harnessing technology for real, lasting change was incredible." 🙌 Huge thanks to Anastasiia Kuleshova, Programme Coordinator at SVA, for all her efforts in making this event a success. This partnership marks a significant milestone as we expand our mission to empower student voices across Australasia. Stay tuned for more exciting updates!

🎓 Case Study: Wrexham University SU Boosts NSS Scores by 7 points with Unitu! At Unitu, we’re passionate about helping institutions enhance their student engagement, and our partnership with Wrexham Students' Union is a perfect example. 💬Faced with a familiar challenge by many HE institutions—collecting feedback was easy, but responding to it effectively was much harder. Students felt unheard, and engagement levels dropped. By partnering with Unitu, Wrexham SU centralised their feedback process, giving students real-time updates on how their input was being addressed. The result? Increased trust, stronger student-staff relationships, and a 7 point boost in their 2023 NSS scores for student voice! 🎯 👉Curious about how they did it? Read the full case study here: https://bit.ly/47GsCWp 📽️ Check out the video snapshot below!