Simon Varwell
@hisasimon.bsky.social
Director of Student Engagement & Representation (“dosser”) at @thinkuhi.bsky.social’s Students' Association. Arnstein's Ladder stan account. PFHEA. Masters in Student Engagement. Ex-sparqs. He/him. Inverness, Scotland. Personal: @simonvarwell.bsky.social
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Simon Varwell
@hisasimon.bsky.social
· Feb 3
I've set up a starter pack for student engagement and partnership - in all its myriad forms! Fire away if you can suggest someone I should add (or have embarrassingly failed to add you!). go.bsky.app/5jFu51s
I love this. I also read a thing the other day on creative uses of phones in classrooms, but this is compelling too - effectively "forcing" creativity but not in a threatening way. I guess for me the question is how are you encouraging creative/critical thinking, more than what tool you're using.
Our friend Erin has written a really great blog on finding alternative ways of teaching in the face of the constant push to use new technology (see: AI). Worth a read, particularly if you're in education.
open.substack.com/pub/touchofa...
open.substack.com/pub/touchofa...
Teaching and Technology
Last semester I decided to experiment
open.substack.com
February 12, 2026 at 8:15 PM
I love this. I also read a thing the other day on creative uses of phones in classrooms, but this is compelling too - effectively "forcing" creativity but not in a threatening way. I guess for me the question is how are you encouraging creative/critical thinking, more than what tool you're using.
Reposted by Simon Varwell
This is an interesting account of the merger that created @citystgeorges.bsky.social. There are key insights in here but as noted there isn’t a mergers playbook, so each one will be different. Headroom - both financial and institutional capacity - is key.
www.hepi.ac.uk/reports/we-b...
www.hepi.ac.uk/reports/we-b...
'We believe this is the way to do it’: Exploring the City St George’s merger - HEPI
City St George’s: HEPI report sets out practical insights and recommendations from a landmark university merger. A new HEPI report, ‘We believe this is the way to do it’: Exploring the City St George’...
www.hepi.ac.uk
February 12, 2026 at 8:40 AM
This is an interesting account of the merger that created @citystgeorges.bsky.social. There are key insights in here but as noted there isn’t a mergers playbook, so each one will be different. Headroom - both financial and institutional capacity - is key.
www.hepi.ac.uk/reports/we-b...
www.hepi.ac.uk/reports/we-b...
Nice yin yang with the gritting outside my office this morning. Perhaps a metaphor for student partnership or the collaboration inherent in our sector or something.
February 11, 2026 at 4:53 PM
Nice yin yang with the gritting outside my office this morning. Perhaps a metaphor for student partnership or the collaboration inherent in our sector or something.
I think the media has a big part to play in this, as they often do not recognise and articulate the existence of SUs as autonomous policymakers in such debates. Universities in these sorts of situations have often had to patiently explain "we didn't make that decision, we are not the SU".
Reform is threatening Bangor University over a student society’s decision. The society isn’t Bangor University—but this is a neat preview of how a Reform government would work: public money for supporters only. Trump-style politics, UK edition.
Authoritarian reflex is already working just fine.👇
Authoritarian reflex is already working just fine.👇
February 10, 2026 at 12:47 PM
I think the media has a big part to play in this, as they often do not recognise and articulate the existence of SUs as autonomous policymakers in such debates. Universities in these sorts of situations have often had to patiently explain "we didn't make that decision, we are not the SU".
Just presented an update from HISA to the @thinkuhi.bsky.social Foundation. What a rich and diverse wealth of experiences its members have. Much to learn from them and follow up on. Also a thought-provoking presentation by the Green Freeport with their vision and plans for the region's future.
February 9, 2026 at 2:19 PM
Just presented an update from HISA to the @thinkuhi.bsky.social Foundation. What a rich and diverse wealth of experiences its members have. Much to learn from them and follow up on. Also a thought-provoking presentation by the Green Freeport with their vision and plans for the region's future.
Reposted by Simon Varwell
Remember to check the sparqs' sector job board - there is a current vacancy advertised at Edinburgh College for a Representation Assistant - www.sparqs.ac.uk/sector.php?p...
February 9, 2026 at 1:00 PM
Remember to check the sparqs' sector job board - there is a current vacancy advertised at Edinburgh College for a Representation Assistant - www.sparqs.ac.uk/sector.php?p...
Heading over the bridge to @uhiinverness.bsky.social to see the gang there and join our SVR meeting. A chilly morning for a walk but lovely light.
February 2, 2026 at 11:11 AM
Heading over the bridge to @uhiinverness.bsky.social to see the gang there and join our SVR meeting. A chilly morning for a walk but lovely light.
Back in the office today after a long closure, home working and of course the holidays. Lots to catch up on, and various SVR meetings this week to join and support. And yes my external keyboard needs a dust.
February 2, 2026 at 8:59 AM
Back in the office today after a long closure, home working and of course the holidays. Lots to catch up on, and various SVR meetings this week to join and support. And yes my external keyboard needs a dust.
Obvious gap in the market here, @thinkuhi.bsky.social! "A unique and young blend of ten different regions and specialities...", the blurb almost writes itself.
Time for a bold new international higher education league table. This time it is to mark Burns night and is a ranking of HigherEd whiskies.
Immortal Memories: The All New HigherEd Whiskies Ranking
Time for a bold new international higher education league table. This time it is to mark Burns night and is a ranking of HigherEd whiskies. Slàinte!
wonderfulhighered.com
January 30, 2026 at 12:02 PM
Obvious gap in the market here, @thinkuhi.bsky.social! "A unique and young blend of ten different regions and specialities...", the blurb almost writes itself.
This is good. I love the idea in here of "friendship interviews" - doing research into student experience in context of already knowing people. Ideally as a community all a rep/SU does is in that context, and I wonder how much we consciously plan it like that with meaningful existing connections.
NEW on Wonkhe: Survey fatigue is real, trust is at an all-time low, and partnership frameworks often operate like consultation in disguise. Nikita Asnani explains why student voice needs to become structure, not just sound buff.ly/0E8yPj3
January 29, 2026 at 3:43 PM
This is good. I love the idea in here of "friendship interviews" - doing research into student experience in context of already knowing people. Ideally as a community all a rep/SU does is in that context, and I wonder how much we consciously plan it like that with meaningful existing connections.
Such an good piece. Not sure today's (younger) students are growing up so wedded to career, employers and the grind. Partly that's precarity, partly it's a pushback on The Way Things Are Done. How are we, instead, teaching them to critically reflect on and reshape industry and workplace?
Is academia just a job?
We assigned this paper in our professional development seminar last week and it was quite popular.
My view: I grew up in a working class family and no one I knew considered their job "a calling". I also had a bunch of jobs that felt, well, like jobs.
We assigned this paper in our professional development seminar last week and it was quite popular.
My view: I grew up in a working class family and no one I knew considered their job "a calling". I also had a bunch of jobs that felt, well, like jobs.
January 28, 2026 at 4:42 PM
Such an good piece. Not sure today's (younger) students are growing up so wedded to career, employers and the grind. Partly that's precarity, partly it's a pushback on The Way Things Are Done. How are we, instead, teaching them to critically reflect on and reshape industry and workplace?
We're doing a lot of thinking about student-led spaces in @thinkuhi.bsky.social. Here's one terrific example from @uhimoray.bsky.social where we are redeveloping a social space into an environment shaped by and for our members. hisa.uhi.ac.uk/news/article...
Aye Pod News and the Tale of Student Feedback
In this blog, the Moray President talks about changes to the Aye Pod and the fantastic way that UHI Moray listened to student feedback about making it a better student space.
hisa.uhi.ac.uk
January 28, 2026 at 4:36 PM
We're doing a lot of thinking about student-led spaces in @thinkuhi.bsky.social. Here's one terrific example from @uhimoray.bsky.social where we are redeveloping a social space into an environment shaped by and for our members. hisa.uhi.ac.uk/news/article...
Exciting to see that we are recruiting for players for the @thinkuhi.bsky.social shinty team. Here's hoping for a third year of success in Littlejohn! Great that UHI is firmly on the map for student sport and studying here isn't a bar to being on the national stage. hisa.uhi.ac.uk/news/article...
Recruiting for SHINTY
It's that time of year again! Read on to find out how to get involved with Shinty as preparations for the Littlejohn Vase begin!
hisa.uhi.ac.uk
January 28, 2026 at 4:34 PM
Exciting to see that we are recruiting for players for the @thinkuhi.bsky.social shinty team. Here's hoping for a third year of success in Littlejohn! Great that UHI is firmly on the map for student sport and studying here isn't a bar to being on the national stage. hisa.uhi.ac.uk/news/article...
Another helpful @wonkhe.bsky.social piece today, about food. Communal eating is inherent to the human experience, or at least to our sense of being a communitarian, social species. Educational institutions also claim to be communities. We know food works at our events. wonkhe.com/blogs-sus/no...
Nom nom nom – food and belonging on campus
This page requires a Wonkhe SUs login Username Password Lost password? Remember me Username or E-mail: For problems logging in contact sus@wonkhe.com and for more details about Wonkhe SUs and subscrib...
wonkhe.com
January 23, 2026 at 12:52 PM
Another helpful @wonkhe.bsky.social piece today, about food. Communal eating is inherent to the human experience, or at least to our sense of being a communitarian, social species. Educational institutions also claim to be communities. We know food works at our events. wonkhe.com/blogs-sus/no...
A useful and challenging @jimdickinson.bsky.social piece on risk, decision-making and "meso-level scaffolding" in SUs. Our dispersed structure has a lot of autonomous decision-making, but I'm taking lots away about the freedom for student groups to experiment. wonkhe.com/blogs-sus/we...
Well that will never work. Why is creativity so hard in SUs?
Jim Dickinson explores how students’ unions have professionalised themselves into creative paralysis – and what continental counterparts can teach us about embracing experimentation, silliness and sur...
wonkhe.com
January 23, 2026 at 9:09 AM
A useful and challenging @jimdickinson.bsky.social piece on risk, decision-making and "meso-level scaffolding" in SUs. Our dispersed structure has a lot of autonomous decision-making, but I'm taking lots away about the freedom for student groups to experiment. wonkhe.com/blogs-sus/we...
Reposted by Simon Varwell
Do English universities which teach apiary have to meet the B conditions?
January 22, 2026 at 1:32 PM
Do English universities which teach apiary have to meet the B conditions?
Are short accredited courses about bacteria known as microbe credentials?
January 22, 2026 at 11:10 AM
Are short accredited courses about bacteria known as microbe credentials?
Is it that time of year again? Nominations are open for our Student Elections for our 2026-27 Student Officer team. Excited to see what might come of this process! #LeadHISA hisa.uhi.ac.uk/news/article...
2026 Student Elections - Nominations Now Open!
Looking for a paid work experience where you can meet new
people and make a real positive difference?
Why not nominate yourself to become a Student Officer!
hisa.uhi.ac.uk
January 19, 2026 at 1:29 PM
Is it that time of year again? Nominations are open for our Student Elections for our 2026-27 Student Officer team. Excited to see what might come of this process! #LeadHISA hisa.uhi.ac.uk/news/article...
I've been quiet of late, partly because I am hugely busy (in a "can't always share" kind of way). But also because when I do check Bluesky it's hard to find the student engagement/partnership chat. Where is everyone?
If there are people I've missed from this starter pack please shout!
If there are people I've missed from this starter pack please shout!
I've set up a starter pack for student engagement and partnership - in all its myriad forms! Fire away if you can suggest someone I should add (or have embarrassingly failed to add you!). go.bsky.app/5jFu51s
January 16, 2026 at 4:19 PM
I've been quiet of late, partly because I am hugely busy (in a "can't always share" kind of way). But also because when I do check Bluesky it's hard to find the student engagement/partnership chat. Where is everyone?
If there are people I've missed from this starter pack please shout!
If there are people I've missed from this starter pack please shout!
Reposted by Simon Varwell
sparqs has developed a Scotland's Tertiary Enhancement Programme (STEP) Practical Guide, with practical suggestions on what students' associations and officers can do at each stage of STEP.
Download the guide and get more information here:
www.sparqs.ac.uk/announcement...
Download the guide and get more information here:
www.sparqs.ac.uk/announcement...
Launch of STEP Practical Guide to Student Engagement
sparqs is delighted to announce the publication of our Practical Guide to Scotland’s Tertiary Enhancement Programme (STEP). This guide has been produced for students’ association officers and staff…
www.sparqs.ac.uk
January 15, 2026 at 8:30 AM
sparqs has developed a Scotland's Tertiary Enhancement Programme (STEP) Practical Guide, with practical suggestions on what students' associations and officers can do at each stage of STEP.
Download the guide and get more information here:
www.sparqs.ac.uk/announcement...
Download the guide and get more information here:
www.sparqs.ac.uk/announcement...
Reposted by Simon Varwell
I'm constantly revising my list of reasons why we don't use AI in my class. This one is specific to a first-year writing intensive. Free to borrow/adapt! 🙂
January 14, 2026 at 1:22 PM
I'm constantly revising my list of reasons why we don't use AI in my class. This one is specific to a first-year writing intensive. Free to borrow/adapt! 🙂
The UHI research conference begins tomorrow, and I am thrilled to be presenting at it along with a colleague from HISA about the world of scholarship of student engagement and partnership - and what UHI's unique perspectives can bring to it.
January 6, 2026 at 2:14 PM
The UHI research conference begins tomorrow, and I am thrilled to be presenting at it along with a colleague from HISA about the world of scholarship of student engagement and partnership - and what UHI's unique perspectives can bring to it.
Very interesting post. Where I work, I think there's an advantage in that the University of the Highlands and Islands (a) was talked about as a concept, with that name, for decades prior to its establishment, and (b) is arguably one of the most famous and evocative regions in... maybe the world? 1/2
New Post: Coherence before appearance: when design becomes evidence, not decoration www.hepi.ac.uk/2026/01/06/c...
January 6, 2026 at 10:22 AM
Very interesting post. Where I work, I think there's an advantage in that the University of the Highlands and Islands (a) was talked about as a concept, with that name, for decades prior to its establishment, and (b) is arguably one of the most famous and evocative regions in... maybe the world? 1/2
I fixed this advert so it actually reflects students' key role in enhancing learning in partnership.
January 5, 2026 at 11:24 AM
I fixed this advert so it actually reflects students' key role in enhancing learning in partnership.
Good morning and happy new year everyone! Looking forward to lots of chat about student engagement and partnership over 2026.
January 5, 2026 at 8:39 AM
Good morning and happy new year everyone! Looking forward to lots of chat about student engagement and partnership over 2026.