HISA shares practice at major student engagement conference

The recent 2025 RAISE conference in Glasgow saw three contributions from HISA about perspectives on student engagement to a wide audience. 

RAISE (Researching, Advancing and Inspiring Student Engagement) is a global network of staff and students interested in student engagement in higher education founded in 2010. It is an influential network drawing in staff from across the UK and around the world which supports a range of activities and thinking about student engagement, including a podcast, journal, various networks and research opportunities, and a major annual conference. 

2025’s conference, held at the University of Glasgow on 4th and 5th September, was the first time RAISE has brought its flagship event to Scotland, and HISA was on the agenda no less than three times including on two keynote panels. 

• UHI Moray student Charlotte Usher presented on her work as last year’s pilot Subject Intern in UHI’s Business, Leisure and Creative Economy subject area, in which she engaged in various internal quality processes, laid the foundation for HISA’s current Faculty Intern scheme, and led an innovative project to explore students’ perceptions of imposter syndrome in their studies. 
• HISA’s Director of Student Engagement and Representation Simon Varwell spoke alongside colleagues from other institutions about findings from a UK-wide project funded by the Quality Assurance Agency to audit student representative practices. 
• Aimee Cuthbert joined a concluding keynote panel alongside other key sector voices to share perspectives on the current challenges for student engagement. 

The conference also saw elections to RAISE’s committee, and Aimee was elected as a representative of students’ union staff. 

RAISE’s conference is one of a number of recent occasions where HISA has been invited to share its practice across the Scottish and UK sectors and even internationally. As a students’ association representing a huge diversity of students in a complex, federal and multi-campus context, HISA’s approaches to supporting the student voice in partnership with the university are distinctive and innovative, ensuring students are involved in shaping their experience at a time of major change.