On, during and around.
A guide to preparing student discussions in accordance with the COBRA model
Department of Education Professionalization & Education Support (KU Leuven)
Student Council KU Leuven
Students and COBRA
Students play an big role in the COBRA story. You belong to an important group that will be consulted
yearly and that will be able to give input in how you experience a study programme and what could
(even) be better in the future. In every study programme, the voice of the students will be taken
seriously and all your suggestions, feedback, … will be taken into account.
The quality of the discussion depends on the manner in which the conversation proceeds. As a
student, you have the opportunity to play an important role in this, for instance, by taking the role of
moderator. The person that moderates the discussion, will have to make sure that the students don’t
wander from the subject, that everyone has the opportunity to contribute and that a consensus (about
the answers to the different questions) is reached at the end.
Preparation
Proper preparation is crucial. The checklist below may help you with preparing the conversation:
 I am aware of COBRA and I am able to explain the model in my own words (in case you do
have trouble with this, no problem! Take a look at the brochure of the Student Council).
 I generally know what the new educational vision stands for (for more information, go through
the explanation that goes along with the vision!).
 I am aware of the purpose of this discussion. I’m able to give a brief explanation about how
this conversation fits into COBRA and what will happen with the students’ input.
 I know the various questions that will be discussed and what is meant by those questions (in
case you have doubts, go through the guidelines).
 The room (with beamer) is booked and – if the discussion is held at noon – sandwiches and
drinks are ordered. In case you forgot, do not panic, just contact the secretary of your faculty
and they will help you further!
 I know who the participants are and they are aware of the place and time when they are
expected. If this isn’t the case, you should contact your faculty. The faculty is responsible for
the selection of the students and the communication.
 I know who I can contact for practical matters.
 I have worked out a time schedule and I know how much time each question should get. In
general, the amount of time is divided equally over the number of questions.
 You dispose of an overview of the intended learning results (objectives) of the study
programme.
 You know when the results of the conversations with students, lecturers and staff members
will be discussed on the Programme Committee.
 You know who you can contact for further questions and/or when a problem occurs.
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Organisational and practical boundary conditions
 The room should be quiet.
 The seats should be arranged in a way that everyone can see each other, for instance in a Ushape.
 As a moderator, try not to have your seat on one side and the respondents on the other side.
Avoid the head of the table as well.
 Be sure to project the report to where it’s visible for everyone.
Role moderator
Below, we give you some tips ’n tricks1 that can help you moderate the conversation:
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Ask whether the students would like a short introduction to the questions, if that doesn’t turn
out to be necessary, you don’t need to do it.
Briefly describe what is considered as ‘the study programme’. For example, when it concerns a
Master’s degree, we shouldn’t be talking about the Bachelor’s programme.
Emphasise that the students can also mention positive things and good practices.
Use subquestions to make the replies more clear.
Also, clearly indicate that the students are allowed to
speak in their own name and don’t have to represent
the opinions of ‘the student’.
Make sure to emphasise that there are no ‘right’ or
‘wrong’ answers and that everyone is more than
welcome to express their own opinion.
As a moderator, you will also take part in the discussion.
Of course, this is not very evident. Take into account
that everyone should get a chance to talk and that you
have to reach consensus together. Like this, the
moderator’s opinion should not be left out of account nor should it carry more weight than
other opinions.
Provide an open discussion culture: this means that you make sure that everyone can have their
say and that you try to avoid a big hubbub.
Be focused during the discussion. On the basis of your time schedule, you know how much time
you need for each question and try not to wander from the subject of that question.
Make eyecontact. Not only does this show that you’re interested in what is said, but it can also
help invite quieter students to talk more.
These tips are based on the following sources:
Participation hand book VVS: http://www.durfdoen.be/static_media/uploads/documenten/participatie+VVS.pdf
Tips conversation techniques UGent: https://www.ugent.be/nl/univgent/waarvoor-staat-ugent/diversiteit-engender/etnischcultureleminderheden/groepsgesprekken/rolmodellenwerking.htm/tips-gesprekstechnieken.pdf
Oral skills Rijksuniversiteit Groningen: http://www.rug.nl/science-and-society/language-centre/academischecommunicatievaardigheden/hacv/mondelinge-vaardigheden/voor-studenten/gesprekstechnieken
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Check whether you understood the participants’ message on a regular basis. A helpful trick is to
rephrase it.
Try to reach consensus. The purpose of the conversation is to formulate answers to the six
questions, answers that the various participants can all agree with.
Deontology
It is important that the converation is about the quality of education within the study programme and
that all matters that play a role in it are mentioned. However, it’s not intended that the discussion
turns out to be an ‘oral evaluation of lecturers’: try to avoid talking about people, instead, talk about
all aspects that have a positive or negative influence on the quality of education. Don’t respond ad
hominem, but respond to a person’s statement. If necessary, emphasise this during the conversation
The report
Not only the discussion itself, but also the report is of great importance in COBRA. After all, on the
basis of the report and other actors (lecturers and staff members) the PC formulates points of action
in order to attack some of the areas of concern that were mentioned. In its turn, the report on the PCmeeting, together with that of other programmes, will constitute input for a discussion in the Faculty
Council.
The following tips can be of help for the report:
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Project your notes during the conversation. After all, the report is mostly written during the
discussion itself. This is also very helpful for the moderator in order to follow the main elements
of the discussion.
Give enough thought to the things that are being written down. Ask the students regularly
whether they think everything’s displayed correctly.
Work in groups to formulate the arguments explaining the final conclusion. After all, everyone
should agree on this conclusion.
In the report you should focus on the elements that concern quality of education. Other issues
can also be discussed, but in the report you should only note down the matters that are relevant
for the programme.
For each question you should mention the most important elements and all the different points of
view. Next, you try to write a final assessment which should be completed with an explanation from
the group.
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