How are staff-student partnerships driving institutional change?Sarah Knight, Student experience, Jisc

London9/12/2015

@CANagogy #JiscCAN http://can.jiscinvolve.org

Students as change agents - why do it?

‘In order for universities and colleges to foster more inclusive learning environments, we believe that students must be empowered as active and participatory agents, not as mere consumers, so that they can articulate their own conceptions of what makes good learning environments, and work in partnership with academics and administrators to realise these conceptions.’

Report available from http://bit.ly/1L0Q02c

» The 2014 NUS Report, radical interventions in teaching and learning:

Role of students as change agents» Student ‘change agents’ are students who work with staff to lead,

support or develop change within an institution» The 2014 UCISA Digital capabilities survey reports that 30% of

respondents are working with students as change agents with another 46% of respondents ‘working towards’ this.

» Different ways change agents can work from leading their own change to supporting a defined project or taking part in institutional processes such as recruitment and teaching practice observations

» Titles may differ:› Champions, change agents, digital leaders, student fellows, student

ambassadors, student partners, student researchers, co-designers, co-creators, co-developers

» See new Jisc guide on Developing successful student partnerships available from http://bit.ly/jisc-partnership

Where are you now?

Consultation

• Opportunities are provided for students to express individual opinions, perspectives, experiences, ideas and concerns

Involvement

• Opportunities are provided for students as individuals to take a more active role

Participation

• Decisions are taken by students to take part or to take a more active role in a defined activity

Partnership

• There is a collaboration between an institution or department or faculty and student, involving joint ownership and decision making over both the process and the outcome

NUS Student Engagement toolkit – http://bit.ly/NUStoolkit

Working in partnership

» “Partnership is fundamentally about a relationship in which all involved – students, academics, professional services staff, senior managers, students’ unions and so on – are actively engaged in and stand to gain from the process of learning and working together. Partnership is essentially a process of engagement, not a product. It is a way of doing things, rather than an outcome in itself.”

» Healey, M., Flint, A. and Harrington, K. (2014) Engagement through partnership: students as partners in learning and teaching in higher education. York, Higher Education Academy. Available at: http://bit.ly/1gztC3u

http://can.jiscinvolve.org @CANagogy

» The 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

» Over 350 members subscribed to the CAN community mailing list» Facilitates the sharing of best practice through

› Support for face to face networking events › CAN webinars› CAN case studies – 10 institutional case studies will soon be available

» Developing successful student staff partnerships online guide» Journal of Educational Innovation, Partnership and Change» SEDA accredited Jisc Institutional Change Leader online course running from October 15

» What is the Change agents’ network (CAN)?

Benefits of working in partnership

» 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

» Increases confidence and skills (e.g. communication, team-working, management, research skills)

» Enhances networking with e.g. employers, community» Improved employability and job prospects

» Benefits for students:

Benefits of working in partnership

Staff» Gain from and with students including the development of their own digital

capabilities – an important dimension to their CPD» Raising of individual profiles in their institutions and in the sector

Institutions» Aids retention» Engages students with research-led change» Students inspire academics in technology-led educational innovation

Employers» Stimulates students to engage with employers and communities» Students more likely to become leaders in their professions and communities

» Wider benefits:

Benchmarking the student digital experience

»Jisc, NUS and TSEP»bit.ly/digistudentexp

Developing successful student staff partnerships

» New online guide available from: http://bit.ly/jisc-partnership » Benefits of student-staff

partnerships» Quick start» Viewpoints implementation

framework, resources and guidance› Partnership setup› Partnership implementation› Capabilities, development and

accreditation› Sustaining and embedding

partnerships based on evaluation of impact

» Case studies» Webinars » Other agency initiatives

Examples of student – staff partnership working

http://bit.ly/cancasestudies

Student engagement at University of Lincoln

“One of the things I got frustrated with is the project-based approach, when funded projects highlight best practice in an area but that when the funding stops the wonderful ideas just die. I wanted to make sure the learning from ‘Student as producer’ was embedded into core quality processes and the annual monitoring of programmes”Professor Mary Stuart, vice chancellor, University of Lincoln

University of Lincoln» Student engagement champions – each department was invited to nominate

a member of staff to lead on engaging students as partners to improve the quality of what they do. The initial number of six champions has now grown to 46 with 20 of these being located within academic schools.

» Funded project leaders – staff and students can apply for development funds which aim to stimulate and support innovative practice.

» Student recruiters – students are invited to participate in the recruitment processes, interviewing potential members of staff including teaching staff, senior managers, support staff and professorial students.

» Student consultants – the students consulting on teaching (SCoTs) team is comprised of students recruited to provide consultancy on a subject other than their own.

» Student and staff insight scheme – every member of the university’s executive team is paired with a student for a year at a time.

» See http://bit.ly/canlincoln

Students as partners in UCL digiFest

» 5 day festival of all things digital

» Designed to share and grow innovation across the university 

» Students and staff collaborated as equal partners

» “I learned a lot about project management, having to manage the initiative from start to finish. I also learned about working as part of a wider project team and managing myself in that team as well as marketing and ticket management.” Edward Conder, 2nd year Geography student and President of UCL Film Societyhttp://bit.ly/cancaseUCL

Student Academic Partners at Birmingham City » Institutionally embedded» 2009 – present » Funding for around 100 hours student employment, » Around 50 projects a year (339 total to date)

Main project themes:

» Development of new content» Consultation» Employability» Thematic» http://www.bcusu.com/learning/academicpartnerships/saps/

What is ‘Mission Employable’?› Created a student-led employability strategy for the Faculty of Humanities, Faculty-wide plan for an existing discipline-level peer mentoring scheme by giving the power of change to the students› Student interns collaborated with Career Destinations and Faculty staff to create content for a compulsory Employability Module for all first-year students› Launched a VIP Alumni Scheme and External Advisory Board (EAB), which together encouraged greater employer engagement with the Faculty and build lasting links with our students› Faculty-wide Peer Mentoring Scheme, to encourage swift integration and an uptake of opportunities by new students while simultaneously developing the transferable skills of the current students acting as mentors› Technology selected by students was seamlessly integrated into these activities› To give all Humanities students the tools with which to create their own future career opportunities› https://blog.soton.ac.uk/missionemployable/

Using technology to support employability

» Summary report» HE case studies and vignettes» FE case studies and vignettes» Full report including:

› 20 case studies + vignettes (HE/FE/skills)› Challenges› 5 dimensional model – technology for employability› Guidance:

– programme teams– institutions

› Recommendations for sector bodies

http://bit.ly/employabilityproject02/12/2015

Share your ideas » In your groups:

› Share how you are working in partnership with your students on digital projects?

› Share ideas on how you could scale up partnership working in your faculty or university wide

› List any challenges or barriers to scaling up and embedding partnership working

› Make notes on the flip chart› Tweet with #jiscCAN› Add to the Padlet -

http://padlet.com/sarahknight/CAN

Visioning – year 2020

» Student satisfaction, institutional reputation, performance in league tables?

» Enhancements to programme design and delivery (e.g. TEL)?

» Enhanced digital literacies (students and staff)?

» Embedded in QA processes / TEF / Learning Gain?

» Enhanced student employability and employer engagement?

» Student awards / HEAR? » Enhancements to communications and

engagement (multiple stakeholders)?» Student union initiatives?

What measures of success could we define for successful student-staff partnerships?

» Enhancements to student services, resources and IT infrastructure?

» Student recruitment, induction, retention, support, mentoring and transition?

» Embedding partnerships in policies, strategies, operational plans? (institutional, local and programme levels)?

» Budgets and resources for partnerships?» Approaches to

innovation/change/enhancement?» Senior management (real) support (institutional

and local levels)? » Embedded in strategic business process re-

engineering / integrated ICT / student journey initiatives?

Challenges

What are the key challenges we all face?

» Project funding running out. » Other initiatives take over as flavour of the month» Student motivation / involving ALL students» Gaining buy-in e.g. from senior management, academic staff, administrative staff,

support staff etc» Demonstrating impact» Integrating into strategies, policies, plans» Implementation at the local level e.g. departments/faculties/schools » Implementing at the programme level (including all transitional phases) » Gaining appropriate budgets and resources?» External factors and environment?

What one thing?

29/06/2015

Driving institutional change through staff-student partnership

» Send a text to 0207 183 8329 starting with digi

» NOTE - if you don’t start the text with digi, it won’t go to our inbox

What one thing can you do to support student-staff partnership working in your university?

Find out more» Jisc NUS TSEP Benchmarking the student digital experience – http://

bit.ly/digistudentexp » Developing successful student staff partnerships -

http://bit.ly/jisc-partnership » Change agents’ network – http://can.jiscinvolve.org » Enhancing the student digital experience - http://

bit.ly/digitalstudentguide » Case studies of institutional practice -

http://digitalstudent.jiscinvolve.org/wp/exemplars» Using technology to support employability - http://

bit.ly/employabilityproject » The Student Engagement Partnership – http://www.tsep.org.uk » REACT project – http://www.studentengagement.ac.uk

Find out more…

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

http://digitalstudent.jiscinvolve.orghttp://can.jiscinvolve.orgFollow us @CANagogy

Join our mailing list:www.jiscmail.ac.uk/CAN

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