Students in Higher Education Governance: The Portuguese case

Abstract

This article aims at analysing and discussing student participation in Portuguese higher education institutions and, specifically, in university governance. In a first moment, it describes this participation under both the previous (1988–2007) and the new legal frameworks (since 2007). A discussion of the changes introduced by this last framework and the extent to which it has contributed to the erosion of student participation in governance is undertaken. Next, the article deals with the ways students are involved in quality assessment at both its systemic and institutional levels. The case of a specific Portuguese university is used as an example of how this involvement takes place. The article concludes with a discussion on the main features of Portuguese student participation in governance, focusing on its effectiveness and suggesting measures for improvement.

Keywords:

• governance
• national systems of higher education
• student experience

Notes

1. For simplicity, this article concentrates on the university case, since the situation in the polytechnic sector is quite similar, apart from stronger participation of external stakeholders in their governance bodies.

2. At the time, the coordination of teaching in Portugal was mainly performed in a fragmented way, at subject level (the Chairs), by the Chair holders, without student participation.