Catherine McConnell

There are a growing number of institutions that through policy, strategy and emergent practices, are articulating, developing and advocating for student engagement in the scholarship of teaching and learning. Establishing an optimum environment for engagement (Pittaway and Moss, 2014) is a significant and enabling factor, and is essential for the growth of student engagement in learning and teaching. Establishing key principles that guide, underpin, and enable effective engagement practices can articulate a vision of SoTL partnership culture among staff and students (Felten, 2013).In order to move beyond student engagement as a ‘compliant' or ‘procedural' process argued ineffectual by Crick (2012), Lawson and Lawson outline extensive research which highlights the effectiveness of authentic and action-oriented forms of engagement (Lawson and Lawson, 2013: 445-446). Reeve (2012: 161) describe this behavioural activity as ‘agentic engagement'. The potential is for student engagement in learning and teaching research and practice to embody an active, participatory role, which develops students' critical enquiry, reflection and reflexivity. This paper will outline the culmination of two national projects enquiring into interrelated practicesof students engaged in research and scholarship (HEA Defining and Supporting SoTL: a sector-wide study) and Student Collaborators in Educational Development (SEDA small grant). Whilst these projects are in progress, it will be beneficial to share at this conference the emergent findings which represent the views of students and staff involved in partnerships. Early themes that have been identified and may be of interest to delegates include: - the environmental factors that enable student partnership - the establishment of key principles - the possibility for students to engage in interdisciplinary practices - the challenge of changing roles, identities and expectations - the practical tensions of partnership working - the ethics of engaging students and crossing boundaries There will also be opportunity for discussion and questions. Establishing a community of practice around student engagement and partnership in learning and teaching will offer a fora for both theorising, and collecting sector-wide evidence of practices and impacts. At a practical level, it will be possible for this group to consider developing helpful guidance for students and academics wishing to embark into this exciting SoTL territory.

The Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) scheme  is a student-owned, student-led mentoring scheme involving trained undergraduate student volunteers from levels five and six (second and third year) facilitating weekly study sessions for level four (first year) students. PASS has been running for two years in the School of Education at the University of Brighton. Other enquiries we have made have highlighted positive impacts of PASS on the first year experience. This investigation has concentrated on the experiences of the leaders. Through the voices of two staff supervisors and seven student leaders, this case study explores the key benefits and challenges experienced by the PASS leaders. The findings illustrate the leaders’ awareness of their growing confidence, communication and employability skills development, particularly pertinent for leaders in the School of Education in relation to their future career paths.

This case study provides a number of practice examples that illustrate the breadth of student engagement in SoTL work found across the six institutions contributing to interviews for this study. Issues arising highlight the affordances of formal and informal engagements, the embedded and ad hoc nature of the engagement, and the issue of opportunities for students who are paid vs. those who volunteer.

This paper outlines an action research project developed to investigate the gap in teaching and learning placement materials available to students, academics and practitioners in the art, design and media sector, particularly with respect to micro-businesses. Previous research, funded by the UK's Higher Education Subject Centre for Art Design Media (ADM-HEA) and the Centre for Excellence in Professional Placement Learning (Ceppl) has shown that the creative industries are becoming strongly characterized by ‘portfolio’ employment: sole practitioners, freelancers and the self-employed who have established innovative micro-businesses and small to medium-sized enterprises. Engagement between educators and this industrial sector plays a crucial role in maximizing the placement opportunities available to learners and connecting students with the entrepreneurial options available to them following graduation.

Partnership as an approach to pedagogic practice and co-creation in higher education is an orientation towards relationship-centred education. There is little exploration of social pedagogy in the higher education (post-secondary) context, yet recent research studied the similarities between the guiding principles underpinning learning and teaching partnerships and those of social pedagogy. This article presents the results of this empirical research, which explored the complexities of engaging ‘students as partners’ in learning and teaching in a UK university. This research found that partnership was used as an approach to democratise entrenched power relations in faculty–student relationships, empower a diverse student body to become co-creators of knowledge and foster inclusive learning communities that respect diversity and social inclusion. The three key concepts of democracy, agency and community are pillars of social pedagogy. Through this exploration of social pedagogy withi...

In this paper, we discuss a student–staff partnership project to diversify and decolonise the Higher Education curriculum at the University of Brighton, UK. The Inclusive Practice Partnership Scheme was launched in November 2020, and now in its second year, recruits 64 undergraduate students to co-develop the curriculum within each of the eight Schools across the University. The Scheme is unique in the sector in its focus on undergraduate student experience as the catalyst for a review of curriculum, supporting the development of this work across a wide range of subject areas. It uses the expertise of academic developers to guide and facilitate the work, developing an institutional approach with localised strategies and outcomes, and establishing effective partnership working relationships with academic staff to change perceptions about the relevance and importance of curriculum reparation in all disciplinary areas. The Scheme is a key part of University strategy that aims to address differential outcomes for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students and is supported through the Access and Participation Plan and Race Equality Charter Action Plan.

In this paper, we discuss a student–staff partnership project to diversify and decolonise the Higher Education curriculum at the University of Brighton, UK. The Inclusive Practice Partnership Scheme was launched in November 2020, and now in its second year, recruits 64 undergraduate students to co-develop the curriculum within each of the eight Schools across the University. The Scheme is unique in the sector in its focus on undergraduate student experience as the catalyst for a review of curriculum, supporting the development of this work across a wide range of subject areas. It uses the expertise of academic developers to guide and facilitate the work, developing an institutional approach with localised strategies and outcomes, and establishing effective partnership working relationships with academic staff to change perceptions about the relevance and importance of curriculum reparation in all disciplinary areas. The Scheme is a key part of University strategy that aims to addres...

Student-staff partnerships in higher education re-frame the ways that students and staff work together as active collaborators in teaching and learning. Such a radical re-visioning of the relationships between students, staff, and the institutions within which they function is both potentially transformational and a significant challenge given the deeply entrenched identities, and attached norms, that form a part of the institutional culture. Explicit examination of the ways in which identity formation and navigation influences, and is influenced by, student-staff partnership is an important but under-explored area in the partnership literature. Drawing on structured reflective narratives focused on our own partnership experiences, we employ collaborative autoethnographic methods to explore this nexus through a social identity lens. Results highlight the need to move away from the labelling of dichotomous student/staff roles and identities in the context of partnership to a more nua...

This literature review focuses on the objectives of the research project which were to: - Update on recent developments in the international literature on SoTL to inform the project- Chart the way SoTL is defined, supported, and embedded in institutional policy in the UK - Provide resources to support institutions in relation to their rewards and promotions processes- Identify strategies to engage students in SoTL- Inform the next iteration of the Higher Education Academy UK Professional Standard Framework The review examines the way SoTL is defined in the literature; SoTL in the disciplines; SoTL as educational development; SoTL in institutions; national frameworks for promoting SoTL; and student engagement with SoTL. The methodology for the review is outlined in paragraph 1.2. The conceptual framework for examining SoTL is discussed in paragraph 2.2. The paper concludes with a set of findings and recommendations emerging from this literature review. These must be read with referen...

This case study provides a number of practice examples that illustrate the breadth of student engagement in SoTL work found across the six institutions contributing to interviews for this study. Issues arising highlight the affordances of formal and informal engagements, the embedded and ad hoc nature of the engagement, and the issue of opportunities for students who are paid vs. those who volunteer.

RAISE convened a major event on June 23 rd 2017, hosted at Birmingham City University. This was undertaken under the auspices of the RAISE Special Interest Group on Partnership. The event organisers were successful in bringing together leading, international commentators and practitioners to discuss and reflect on developments in partnerships between students and staff in Higher Education.  We noted that students and staff working in partnership has rapidly become a major feature of the HE landscape around the world. There is much evidence to show that partnership working may be a powerful catalyst to enhance student engagement and enhance student learning. Indubitably there are benefits to staff and institutions too. Developing such an ethos presents an attractive alternative to neo-liberal, transactional and consumer models of HE. We wished to take stock of these developments and explore the opportunities, challenges, and consequences of such approaches. Is partnership truly inclu...

There are a growing number of institutions that through policy, strategy and emergent practices, are articulating, developing and advocating for student engagement in the scholarship of teaching and learning. Establishing an optimum environment for engagement (Pittaway and Moss, 2014) is a significant and enabling factor, and is essential for the growth of student engagement in learning and teaching. Establishing key principles that guide, underpin, and enable effective engagement practices can articulate a vision of SoTL partnership culture among staff and students (Felten, 2013).In order to move beyond student engagement as a ‘compliant' or ‘procedural' process argued ineffectual by Crick (2012), Lawson and Lawson outline extensive research which highlights the effectiveness of authentic and action-oriented forms of engagement (Lawson and Lawson, 2013: 445-446). Reeve (2012: 161) describe this behavioural activity as ‘agentic engagement'. The potential is for student e...

The Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) scheme  is a student-owned, student-led mentoring scheme involving trained undergraduate student volunteers from levels five and six (second and third year) facilitating weekly study sessions for level four (first year) students. PASS has been running for two years in the School of Education at the University of Brighton. Other enquiries we have made have highlighted positive impacts of PASS on the first year experience. This investigation has concentrated on the experiences of the leaders. Through the voices of two staff supervisors and seven student leaders, this case study explores the key benefits and challenges experienced by the PASS leaders. The findings illustrate the leaders’ awareness of their growing confidence, communication and employability skills development, particularly pertinent for leaders in the School of Education in relation to their future career paths.

The work environment is an important space for students to learn and develop and increasingly they need to find part - time employment alongside their studies in order to support themselves while they are studying. This chapter reports the results of an investigation that explored the role the university can play in providing work on campus and the impact of such opportunities on the student experience and engagement with the university community. The enquiry identified a number of paid roles available to students across the university, ranging from library shelvers through to ambassadors, mentors, peer learning facilitators and research assistants. The perspectives of students in these roles were sought, and through these a number of positive aspects to their higher education and their lifewide experience have been identified such as an increased sense of belonging. Challenges relating to student employment are mainly around systems for employment and students’ sense of equality an...

This PASS leadership module has been designed to enable student leaders to obtain additional academic credit for their commitment and contribution to the Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) scheme, and support development of leadership skills. Student lead ers are introduced to the skills, knowledge and strategies necessary to facilitate group learning, and use reflection as a key approach to improving their PASS sessions and personal development . The module offers a range of workshops, online materials, gro up and individual activities for students to draw upon, to inform their PASS sessions, and enable the leaders and PASS students to get the most out of the scheme. This chapter describes the peer learning scheme , how it was developed and the challenges faced during the first two years of implementation . It considers the variety of reflective and transformative learning theories that informed the design and dev elopment of the module and explores the transformational learning o...

Transition from foundation degree (Fd) to the third year of an undergraduate degree (top-up) can cause apprehension (Greenbank 2007:98; Tierney and Slack 2005:384). Students can find that they appear to be entering a totally different world where they are presumed to know exactly what is expected from them. The Fd students have their own preconceptions and expectations of the third year of study, and they may feel extremely apprehensive or conversely appear over-confident. There is very little literature about the transition from Fd to university and the student experience (Gorard et al 2006:116-119), and with the changes currently taking place in higher education, student satisfaction and achievement will become increasingly important (BIS 2011). This paper focuses on key features of a transitions programme developed by a student support tutor in collaboration with a partner college, which included visits, taught sessions, and a major component of PASS (Peer Assisted Study Sessions...

This case study will reflect on the approach that the University of Brighton Student Engagement Group (SEG) has taken towards embedding student engagement across the University and through working together on the national REACT project. The SEG comprises colleagues from Engagement and Information (Quality), the Centre for Learning and Teaching and the Students’ Union. Working together - and bringing individual areas of specialism to this partnership - has provided both a productive approach to a range of aspects of student engagement and connected three areas of the university that previously did not have a joined-up approach. The types of activities the group has focused on include: recruiting School-based Student Engagement Champions; holding a Student Engagement staff away-day; attending local meetings with Champions to establish rapport and get a good idea of the context of student engagement and who the ‘hard-to-reach’ students are within each School. This paper situates the en...

This paper outlines an action research project developed to investigate the gap in teaching and learning placement materials available to students, academics and practitioners in the art, design and media sector, particularly with respect to micro-businesses. Previous research, funded by the UK's Higher Education Subject Centre for Art Design Media (ADM-HEA) and the Centre for Excellence in Professional Placement Learning (Ceppl) has shown that the creative industries are becoming strongly characterized by ‘portfolio’ employment: sole practitioners, freelancers and the self-employed who have established innovative micro-businesses and small to medium-sized enterprises. Engagement between educators and this industrial sector plays a crucial role in maximizing the placement opportunities available to learners and connecting students with the entrepreneurial options available to them following graduation.

... other designer-makers as well as students (from secondary school to postgraduate level ... and reflective practices afforded by periods in the workplace or connected with the ... valuable for developing students' entrepreneurial skills; but, for students, the explicit link between 'learning ...

This workshop will offer participants an overview of select methodologies and conceptual frameworks that can encourage deep reflection and critical analysis in two areas: student voice, and student-staff partnership. Firstly, we will discuss the conceptual and discursive constructions of the student-university relationship, questioning the drivers, actors, and decision-makers involved, through a combination of critical theory and post-structuralism. We will then consider the use of Situational Analysis (Clarke, 2003) which posits that understanding can be deepened through the use of three kinds of analytic maps: situational maps, social worlds/ arenas maps, and positional maps. This approach has potential to draw together studies of discourse and agency, action and structure, and other material elements, to analyse the complexity of partnership situations.