We are delighted to share that Dr Ramin Nassehi, Paula Moore, Bethan Worth and Dina Asdaghi of UCL Economics have won a Faculty Education Award for the “You Said, We Did”: Student Partnership Committee in Economics” initiative.

The award recognises the exceptional contribution to education within the faculty and ongoing commitment to student engagement, learning and academic excellence.

In recognition of this achievement, the team has also been nominated for an institutional UCL Education Award under the category of Impactful Student Partnership.

 

About “You Said, We Did”

Traditionally, staff–student representative forums have focused on students reporting issues, with staff responsible for taking notes and acting afterwards. While this approach captures useful feedback, it can position students as passive contributors with an emphasis on information transfer. Meetings risk becoming spaces for generating exhausting lists of problems rather than resolving them collectively.

At UCL Economics, the Student Partnership Committee (SPC) has been redesigned to foster a more collaborative dynamic. Bringing together students, academic staff and professional services as one team, the SPC shares responsibility for both identifying and addressing issues. Hence the motto: “You Said, We Did”.  This spirit is reflected in the innovative format of its meeting. The first phase focuses on listening together and the second part on solving together.

This structure shifts students from passive reporters of concerns to active contributors to solutions, embedding partnership, accountability and sustained impact within departmental practice.

Impact within the Department of Economics and beyond

  • Transformed staff–student meetings into structured, solution-focused and enjoyable sessions, strengthening trust and openness.
  • Increased student preparation, participation and sense of ownership in departmental decision-making.
  • Established a visible “You Said, We Did” feedback loop, improving transparency and accountability.
  • Served as a proof of concept for a redesigned partnership model, with plans to use this format as a blueprint for MSc programme-level engagement.
  • The model has been disseminated through engagement with the SPC Staff Committee under the umbrella of UCL Arena, sharing practice across departments.
  • The project was presented at the University of York’s Teaching and Learning in Economics Symposium under the theme “Building community in large economics cohorts”, extending its reach beyond UCL.