Peter Chatterton, Sarah Knight, Mark Kerrigan, Simon Walker

Effective practice in setting up and implementing staff-student partnerships: lessons learnt from Change Agents Network

02/09/2014

#CAN2014 www.changeagentsnetwork.co.uk

Welcome and introductions

Sarah Knight, Senior Co-Design Manager, Jisc@sarahknight

Peter Chatterton, Consultant@balham

Simon Walker, Head of Academic Development, University of Greenwich@sialker

Dr Mark Kerrigan, Director of TL&AFaculty of Health, Social Care & EducationAnglia Ruskin University@MarkKerrigan

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‘Students as partners is not just a nice-to-have, I believe it has the potential to help bring about social and educational transformation, as long as we know what we are trying to do and we maintain a critical attitude about the ways the concept is adopted and used.’ 

Rachel Wenstone, Vice President (Higher Education), NUS

A Manifesto for Partnership (November 2012)

Change Agents’ Network – Students as partners

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Background and context

» NUS Student Engagement model

» Use this model to evaluate your current student engagement practices

» http://www.nusconnect.org.uk/campaigns/highereducation/student-engagement/toolkit/

» HEA Engagement through partnership: students as partners in learning and teaching in higher education - https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/engagement-through-partnership-students-partners-learning-and-teaching-higher-education

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Ways of engaging students in the digital environment

» Gathering information- Surveys, interviews, focus groups to find out about student expectations- Participative / observational methods to explore practices and attitudes- Social media – with students' consent – to collect information- Analyse existing data e.g. NSS/USS/ISB/PRET/local surveys

» Stimulating, gathering and responding to ideas- Interactive and fun e.g. crowdsourcing, hashtags, ideas tree, padlet...- Make sure students can share ideas and see how they are acted on

» Representation

» Partnership projects: 'making things better‘

» See Jisc Digital Student Study – http://digitalstudent.jiscinvolve.org

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Benefits of engaging students

» Benefits for students:

› Gain an experience of leadership and influencing change.

› Gain experience of using research to shape change.

› Students can gain recognition through awards such as leadership awards, academic credit, extra-curricular awards and awards accredited through external bodies.

› Enhances student experience.

› Increases confidence & skills (e.g. communication, team-working, management, research skills).

› Enhances networking with e.g. employers, community.

› Improved employability and job prospects.

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Benefits of engaging students

»Benefits for staff:‘… the novice-expert dynamic has been overturned. Two years into the project, we have observed and reflected on the fact that it is not us who are privileging the Student Fellows by awarding them with these important roles, but rather we who are privileged because of the insights we have gained from being allowed into their worlds. Student Fellows have given us an honest insight into what goes on behind the scenes when technology is brought into the mix and how re-shaping feedback influences their confidence, self-belief, well-being, subject knowledge and collaborative skills.’

Bath Spa University and University of Winchester, FASTECH project

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Students as partners

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Change Agents Network

»Supports students working as change agents, digital pioneers, student fellows and students working in partnership with staff on technology related change projects

»Networks and connects staff and students in colleges and universities across the UK working on such projects

»Communicates, disseminates and influences the sharing of good practice

»Publishes the open access Journal of Educational Innovation, Partnership & Change

»Runs an accredited course on being a Change Agent/Institutional Change Leader through SEDA

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Accreditation – Institutional Change Leader

Accreditation via SEDA….in progress

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Journal of Educational Innovation , Partnership &Change

https://journals.gre.ac.uk/index.php/studentchangeagents

• Opinion Pieces • Case Studies / Project

reports• Research Articles • Book Reviews • Technology Reviews • Deadline for

submissions 20 October 2014

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Supporting staff and student partnerships

» A series of resources to support staff and students in instituting student partnerships:

› Practice points› Viewpoints for student partnerships› Case studies› List of benefits› Useful links› Educational agency initiatives

http://tiny.cc/can001

Viewpoints: a framework/process to support change

» Originally developed by the University of Ulster

» Funded by Jisc Institutional Approaches to Curriculum Design Programme (2008-2012)

» Original focus on curriculum design, assessment and feedback

» Adapted to different contexts e.g. › Flexible Curriculum› Student Partnerships› Digital Literacy› Work-based learning

http://wiki.ulster.ac.uk Jisc Design Studio page: http://tinyurl.com/vpointswiki

Change Agents’ Network – Viewpoints Toolkit

» Supporting staff and students in:› setting up and implementing partnerships with students (including students as

change agents)

› developing student and staff capabilities (including implementing accreditation)

› evaluating and sustaining student partnerships

» The toolkit:› a set of (good practice) “Viewpoints” cards (practice points/top tips)

› a web-site with resources – linked to the Viewpoint cards http://tiny.cc/can001

› a proposed methodology for using the toolkit

» A community of practice:› helping to inform and shape the toolkit join CAN@jiscmail.ac.uk

› using it (piloting…….. embedding)

› refining it and maintaining its currency

Viewpoints: a framework/process to support change

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The Resource Kit for Staff

»Questions about the resources?

Opportunity to experience the Viewpoints toolkit

› Partnership set-up “Your VC/Principal wants to improve your NSS ratings and believes that student partnerships can help this and has tasked you and your colleagues to take this forward. Use the Viewpoints cards to create a prioritised plan”.  

› Partnership implementation “Your VC/Principal wants to improve your NSS ratings and believes that student partnerships can help this - another member of staff has developed an outline plan and you and your colleagues are now tasked to take this forward. Use the Viewpoints cards to create a prioritised plan”.   

› Capabilities, development and accreditation “You and your colleagues have been tasked by the PVC/Vice-Principal (Student Experience) to focus on developing capabilities and accreditation for students and staff involved with student partnership initiatives. Use the Viewpoints cards to create a prioritised plan”.  

› Evaluation, impact and sustainability “Your institution has undertaken two successful pilot student partnership projects and you and your colleagues have been tasked to sustain and embed these - Use the Viewpoints cards to create a prioritised plan.”

Discussion

» Would the Viewpoints toolkit be useful in your institution?

» Does it need amending/developing further?

» Would you want to customise it?

» Do you have any case studies to add to it?

» http://padlet.com/sarahknight/CANJuly2014

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Find out more…

Change Agents’ Network:s.knight@jisc.ac.uk

peter.chatterton@daedalus-e-world.com

mark.Kerrigan@anglia.ac.uk

S.Walker@greenwich.ac.uk

www.changeagentsnetwork.co.ukFollow us @CANagogycan@jiscmail.ac.uk visit www.jiscmail.ac.uk/CAN

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