The student perspective represented in the new LMS

In the academic year 2022/2023, I joined the steering committee of the new Learning Management System (LMS) as a student-assessor. At that time, I was in the completion phase of my bachelor's degree in Sociology and working 24 hours a week as an assessor in the faculty board.

As an assessor, my responsibility was to represent the student perspective within the faculty board and policies. This role brought me into various meetings and project groups, where I represented the student interest. It was thanks to Anneloes Krul, the then assessor of the Executive Board at the time, that I was able to participate in the New LMS steering committee. As with many other issues affecting students, there was also a need for student representation here.

I was soon convinced of the added value of participation. On the one hand, because of the importance of the learning management system for the day-to-day affairs of students, but also because of the opportunity to gain new insights into how such a procurement process works. After stepping down as student assessor and completing my bachelor's degree in Sociology, I was able to stay on in the LMS steering committee from my role as a master's student in Governance and Policy and student assistant on FSW's faculty education and policy team.

The steering committee comprises a diverse group of individuals who each bring a unique perspective, ranging from an education director to a head of education student affairs. It is inspiring to see how each member brings his or her unique knowledge and experience, resulting in a holistic approach to the project. During the process, we constantly balance these diverse perspectives, which range from technical, project-based to educational perspectives. Moreover, I appreciate the fact that we all share a common goal: improving education for students and optimising their learning experience.

What I like to see is how the university's search for a new LMS puts public values such as autonomy, humanity and justice at the centre. This emphasis on fundamental values is reinforced by intensive attention to the user experience of both students and staff, hopefully making the LMS a system that everyone fully supports. At the beginning of my time within the steering committee, I was overwhelmed by the technical and project aspects, but gradually I found my role by constantly critically evaluating how certain steps translated to the student experience.

My role within the steering committee is to ensure that one of the key user groups - the students - is adequately involved in the process.

For example, one of the points I have highlighted is the importance for students to continue to have access to previous course materials, even when moving to a new LMS. Indeed, students often use course material from previous courses as reference material.

In addition to my current efforts, I see it as my responsibility to continue to represent this voice and ensure that this is continuously integrated into the further development of the new LMS.