ABSTRACT
This chapter summarises the history and current practice of the two major methods of engaging students in quality assurance of education in Australia: the use of student representatives and student surveys to gather feedback. It examines student engagement with university quality assurance through student participation in formal and informal student representation. The chapter argues that conceptions of the roles students—and academics—play within university hierarchies and governance structures has profoundly affected the ways students have been permitted to take part in their educational experiences, and particularly in quality assurance and enhancement. Student feedback surveys were widespread in Australia by the 1980s, although the 1990s saw a rapid growth in the design and development of data collection instruments, and the last decade has seen an increased emphasis on quality assurance in their usage—led to in large part by government policy.
