Communities of practice and ‘student voice’: engaging with student representatives at the faculty level

Student engagement in institutional governance and curriculum development is an important and valued aspect of higher education (HE).In the UK, changes to funding and quality assurance arrangements have led to concerns that a consumerist model is developing, with implied changes to the relationship between students and universities.The National Union of Students has responded by calling for reframing these relationships as communities of practice (Streeting and Wise 2009) and more recently as a clearly defined partnership (Wenstone 2012).This article explores the applicability of a theoretical model (communities of practice, Wenger 2001) to the realities of practice relating to one aspect of student governance, through a project that revitalised the way one university faculty worked with student representatives (O'Hara and Flint 2010).Using theory as a critical lens, to explore how this project promoted the development of a community of practice, provided valuable insights and recommendations for developing the engagement of students with institutional governance.Our analysis also highlighted the complexity of applying this framework in practice and recommends integration with complementary scholarship around student voice and partnerships.