Emma MacIsaac Appointed Student Lead for Scotland’s STEP Programme

Emma MacIsaac, President of North East Scotland College Students’ Association, has been appointed as the new College Student Topic Lead for Scotland’s Tertiary Enhancement Programme (STEP).

STEP is the national programme for colleges and universities managed jointly by The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) and College Development Network (CDN) and commissioned by the Scottish Funding Council as a delivery mechanism of Scotland's Tertiary Quality Enhancement Framework.

Emma will join a core team of four STEP Topic Leads – two members of staff and two students, representing both colleges and universities – who act as sector-level champions of enhancement across Scotland. Together, they provide leadership, insights, and expertise to drive improvement and innovation in learning and teaching.

Along with our University Student Topic Lead, Adelayo Adebayo (University of Stirling), Emma will represent students in STEP’s various governance groups, highlight student-led perspectives at STEP events, and contribute to the ongoing evaluation of the programme.

Emma said: I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve as College Sector Student STEP Topic Lead. I look forward to representing students at a national level and helping to drive positive change within Scotland’s tertiary education sector.'

Alison Eales, Quality Enhancement Manager at QAA Scotland, said: 'We're very happy to welcome Emma to this key role and look forward to working with her in supporting and guiding the suite of new collaborative projects that we're launching this autumn to promote the enhancement of the student experience across Scotland's tertiary sector.'