An experiment in democracy that brought benefits for students and staff

“My view is that universities ought to be spaces for experimentation and innovation in the way that we do democracy,” says Dr Jeffrey Kennedy, Lecturer in Criminal Law and Co-Director of the Criminal Justice Centre at the School of Law.

Following a year of teaching and learning under COVID-19 restriction, Dr Kennedy saw an opportunity for just such an experiment. He used a Westfield grant to run a ‘Students’ Jury’ to inform plans for the second year of pandemic learning at the School of Law. Dr Kennedy co-led the project with law student Karoline Leitgeb, with external support from two democracy organisations -- DemSoc and the Sortition Foundation.

He explains: “We drew inspiration from what are often called ‘deliberative mini-publics’ – things like citizens’ assemblies and citizens’ juries. Climate assemblies are a good recent example.”

The Students’ Jury included 12 undergraduates. They were invited to join through a lottery process designed to select people who broadly represented the demographics of the school, for example in terms of gender and programme of study. “We asked the 12 who were selected if they would take on this role of service to their peers and 12 out of 12 said yes, which was amazing.”

“It’s worth pointing out that often when students give input, you get a self-selecting group. They tend to be more the more confident, ambitious students, but this process involves greater diversity, including students who might not usually get involved.”

Over four days the Students’ Jury heard from several panels of speakers, including experts in public health and digital education, staff from the School of Law, and the presidents of the National Union of Students and the University and College Union. Then they worked with independent facilitators to deliberate before agreeing on a set of recommendations.

The recommendations touched on issues such as how students’ work ought to be assessed and how technology should be used, as well as workload for both staff and students. The recommendations were shared with staff and the management committee at the School of Law.

Dr Kennedy says: “Not all the recommendation were realised in the decision making that followed, but they informed discussions and staff members were drawing on the report when justifying particular positions. It had an influence on decision making that we think made for better choices going forward in the school.”

Dr Kennedy has also been conducting research on the experience of the students who took part. This shows that the students developed new skills such as critical thinking, listening and communicating. “They shifted from thinking about their own particular needs to thinking about the school as a whole. They also felt empowered and more confident to participate going forwards, for example by getting involved in the legal advice centre or starting to vote.”

He adds: “Through this project we’re bringing the School of Law to the forefront of democratic experimentation in society. It’s early days, but we’re already seeing some benefits, so I’d like to see more of this in higher education.”