Students as researchers in Widening Participation

institutions: transformations &

employabilityDr Diana Pritchard (Centre for Learning Excellence)

Steve Kendall (Academic Partnerships Office)Faith Manthenga (2nd Yr Department of Management and Business Systems)

University of Bedfordshire

UoB an Access Institution

Students with limited experience of professional workplaces

Employability: priority for students and UoB

Limited understanding of impact of UG research on student employability

Surge of interest in HE sector to engage students as learning partners

What ways might UG research (be understood to) enhance student employability in a WP context?

=Pilot (summer) Student Researchship

Started June 2014

The (WP) Context

academics students Centre for Learning Excellence (CLE) Academic Partnerships Office

With a sustainability focus…around research and teaching interests of academics (who volunteered)

A collaboration

how sustainability is relevant to disciplines, student interest and

employability

elements for curriculum design

ways that UG research may enhance student employability and career perspectives

approaches and support mechanisms to foment research culture in the UG curriculum

develop cross-disciplinary exchanges and academic-student collaboration

the feasibility of replication of this model

Our pooled objectives were to identify:

Recognition of sustainability skills within the

academic research environment (Dept Management & Business Systems)

Employability skills for sustainable construction (Dept Construction & Science Technologies)

Molecular sampling techniques on aquatic communities relevant to biodiversity and environmental change theory (Dept Life Sciences)

Selection criteria: 1 through competitive process; 2 targeted (1 for prior interest in sustainability, 1 for potential)

Selected: 3 women, 2 mature, all with caring responsibilities Paid at the living wage of £7.65 per hour <£2,000,

Research topics

Key activities* Different learning approaches (scheduled, guided and independent learning;

peer assisted; participatory and co-created ; learning across disciplines)

Data collection: laboratory work; reading; designing and implementing questionnaires, workshops, focus groups; conducting interviews

Analysis and evaluation: with mentors, in group meetings and discussions to review progress and evaluate experience; during informal exchanges with other students

Dissemination via written and oral presentations to fellow students and institution-wide, and ‘bridging back’ to ‘feeder colleges’

Critical reflection on research learning via entries and responses to blog

* This combination renders the pilot distinct from UG dissertations

Focus groups with fellow students

Dealing with some challenging questions

Outcomes & findings

Sustainability*involves common understandings, but different skills and is best achieved through participatory approaches, direct practices, and visits

UG research appears to enhance student employability/career perspectives:

Rosie: “This pilot gave me the confidence to give up my menial jobs and start thinking proactively about working on projects

that are at the core of my personal interest…. so this has been an invaluable focuser.”

Esra: “This ..has opened my eyes to many job and career options. I know now I don’t want to work in a laboratory but

am already preparing to put through some applications for companies recruiting”.

* It is less relevant to expand on this aspect for this presentation

Outcomes & findings

UG research appears to enhance student employability/career perspectives:

subject knowledge, technical and research skills acquired reinforced and expanding learningdirect academic benefits and fuels aspirationssoft skills acquired and developed ANDtransformed self-esteem and social confidence boosted ambitions

“Oh no, not critical reflection”: we all developed skill to monitor and evaluate effectiveness, a valuable tool in personal and professional process (Schön, 1983)

Forged further institutional experience of academic-students collaboration

…Outcomes & findings continued

Gained students access to quality interactions with professionals

Activities enhanced confidence and developed sense of agency

Increased student appreciation of the value their life skills

Raised career aspirations

Suggests ways to develop our WP practice : Access to research, not just teaching

Students as co-creators implies shifting notion of learning “from an acquisition model to one of participation .. and active engagement” (Dawson et al 2014): Particularly beneficial in WP contexts?

Enhanced student experience

Ref: M. Dawson, F. Cook, A. Lambton (2014), Active Engagement Strategies: Students as Co-Creators of Knowledge, 6th International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies, 7-9 July.

Implications for access institution

Feasibility of replication of this model

Particular value for summer period Yr 2/3

Appropriate selection process to recruit student

Funding and time resource intense

Support by academics deflects from their own research endeavours

Enthusiasm is key for UG research: “No formulaic combination of activities optimizes the research outcome, nor should

providers structure their programs differently for unique racial/ethnic minorities or women. Rather, it seems that the inculcation of enthusiasm is the key” (Russell et al, 2007).

Alternatively, what elements can be delivered for broader benefits?

Ref: Susan H. Russell, Mary P. Hancock, James McCullough (2007) Benefits of Undergraduate Research Experiences. Education Forum. Science , 27 April. Vol 316.