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| Students Creating Change: Embedding Student Engagement at Bishop Grosseteste University
As part of the Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategy, Bishop Grosseteste has a strong commitment to embedding student engagement opportunities into the University experience. Through a combined approach of staff/student partnerships as well as student employment opportunities, we have created opportunities for our diverse student body to be a more active partner in their University experience – with various initiatives from student led research projects to the creation of a team of student digital ambassadors. This session will discuss the process undertaken by Bishop Grosseteste University to embed this project across the institution and discuss the impacts that it has made on students in its first year of development. |
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| Nottingham to Ningbo: Change Agents across the globe : University of Nottingham
The Students as Change Agents programme launched in the 14/15 academic year now spans several campuses, in the UK and internationally. Students and staff work together on projects to improve teaching and learning and the university experience. Projects range from establishing peer support to instigating change in assessment processes. Students can receive a 10 credit recognition for their work by completing the Nottingham Advantage Award module. The scheme is growing across the university from 5 projects in the pilot year to 12 currently in progress. Student involvement is the heart of the programme. In 2015, a team of students conducted a review of the pilot year, producing an evaluation report outlining areas for improvement. Students have implemented these changes, which have included a suite of online training sessions, built with Xerte Toolkits, enabling all students across all campuses to engage with and receive support from the programme. |
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| Students as Partners in Developing and Delivering Employability Education : University of Birmingham The Personal Skills Award (PSA) is the University of Birmingham’s extra-curricular skills award, providing recognition for extra-curricular involvement and employability education for over 2000 undergraduate students. Over the past few years, the PSA has begun to recruit undergraduate students (in paid roles) to work in partnership with the team to develop educational materials.We began with running a ‘Digital Projects Week’ in summer 2015, where a group of ten students were recruited to work together to create video resources for our suite of online employability courses. Video: https://youtu.be/vDRUt2EIoww |
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| Student Champions and the Extended Classroom at Warwick :University of Warwick “Student Champions: a competency framework, process model and developmental approach for engaging students in the enhancement of learning, teaching and the student experience in higher education.”We will show how this is embedded into the WIHEA Digichamps scheme using Moodle and badges, and how it follows our institution-wide strategy for widening and deepening the adoption of technology enhanced learning: the Extended Classroom. The presentation will focus upon how the 9 student roles described in the framework fit within the strategy, and how this provides valuable opportunities for student development. |
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| EdLab: Manchester Metropolitan University EdLab creates academic and social gentle partnerships, where knowledge generation and exchange is decentralised and collaborative between students and their local and regional communities. The core goals of EdLab are student enrichment and employability. We develop innovative educational provision and practice through community engagement with sustainable, genuine and positive impact. To achieve this, students are encouraged and supported to work with communities to solve problems in inventive and enterprising ways. By working in ad-hoc ways with communities in informal spaces we enrich the experiences of learners, youth and community. Along the way, we discover more about how ‘flat’ collaborations operate to produce innovation in education and community development. MMU students play an integral role in experimenting and documenting this process, and MMU staff add their knowledge and experience to the project’s outcomes. |
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| Transitions: Nottingham Trent University Nationally, Art and Design courses are dominated by middle class students (often female), much of it due to the application and selection process; usually involving the production of a portfolio of work discussed at an interview. However, there are increasing numbers of non-traditional students entering onto art and design courses, but progression and achievement is lower than for traditional students as they struggle with the pedagogies, language and tutor expectations that are not familiar to them.Within Art and Design at NTU five students, from non-traditional backgrounds, have been employed to examine student and staff perspectives of studying the subjects and write design briefs to develop support materials relevant to the different disciplines which will become ‘live’ projects for all students. These multi-media support materials will be available on a dedicated VLE site and should enable all students to understand course requirements and ‘narrow the gap’ in progression and achievement. |
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| OSCE Peer-Mentoring: University of Nottingham Pharmacy students at the University of Nottingham undertake OSCEs (objective structured clinical examinations); students rotate around ‘stations’ where they must apply clinical knowledge and communication skills. There will typically be someone acting as a patient and an academic marking the student’s ability to apply their learning in an empathetic manner. Student representatives suggested a mock OSCE to prepare for such assessments, using student volunteers to act as either patients or markers. Training was set up with support from academic staff, consisting of two elements: writing scenarios and giving effective feedback. School staff agreed to support with administrative and academic input but the entire initiative was student led. The entire first year (n=178) signed up for one of two three-hour mock OSCE sessions. Both first year students and volunteers provided feedback immediately after the event, and first years again after undertaking the real exam, allowing us to improve each new session. |
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| Making Partnership Work: University of Hull The University of Hull recruited five student interns to be involved with a Learning Enhancement and Academic Practice (LEAP) Directorate project which focuses on supporting and ensuring the full implementation of the University’s Personal Tuition policy. Interns work alongside representatives of the Student Union, LEAP and a member of academic staff who acts as project manager. The interns are directly involved in designing and piloting monitoring mechanisms, creating online resources to support tutors, designing and delivering training and working with selected academic areas to pilot and evaluate the approaches taken. The project is also acting as a pilot for future approaches to partnership at Hull.This presentation will look at some pros and cons of student-intern partnerships within this context. It provides examples of good practice which have benefited both student and staff experiences within the project and highlights some unique and insightful learning which has emerged from the project. |
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| Employers in the Frame: Coventry University Coventry University’s Central Careers Fair was the ideal opportunity for us to work with a group of three final year Media students to create a short film (‘What do Graduate Employers Want?’). By interviewing some of the employers attending the fair, the film would highlight the employability skills that help graduate applicants stand out from the crowd. It was an opportunity for us to share expertise and collaborate at a professional level to plan, script and produce an educational film.On the day of the fair we worked as a team to complete the film quickly and efficiently against a very tight timescale as the employer representatives had limited time; no retakes were possible. The students gained confidence in their film making skills and in working with others to meet professional standards and deadlines; these are clearly important aspects in enhancing their employability. Further collaborative projects are planned. |
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| Fostering an (Earth and) Environment for partnership? University of Leeds The School of Earth and Environment (SEE) values the contribution students can make to the academic community and encourages and supports partnerships throughout teaching, research and co-curricular activity. Embedded within the culture of the school and the wider university is a positive approach to student led initiatives through formal roles and student generated ideas.Jen, George and Amy are instrumental in many of these initiatives and would like to share their experiences of a variety of partnerships for sustainability. Jen coordinates the Sustainability Action Group and works with students on initiatives to improve engagement. George has established a group for students interested in becoming practically engaged with sustainability and is extending the student to student mentoring scheme. Amy is a ‘Sustainability Architect’, course representative and is exploring sustainable mobility through an Undergraduate Research Scholarship. Together they are part of a student-lead waste group encouraging recycling of items no longer wanted by students who are leaving their accommodation. Jen Dyer, Amy Parsons, George Middlemiss |
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| Champing at the digital bit – iChamps at the University of Southampton: University of Southampton Students at the University of Southampton have the opportunity to work with academics on projects relating to the development of digital skills. All of the work that the students are involved in are supported by the implementation of digital open badges and the use of ePortfolios. The iChamps would like to share what they have been doing and how they earn their badges that form part of their managed online presence and how we are intending to scale up this initiative to include additional developmental opportunities for students and staff. |
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| Blended as the new normal: a journey in partnership: University of Northampton This showcase focuses on a journey in partnership. The partnership starts as students join Northampton’s well-rehearsed CAIeRO (Creating Aligned Interactive Educational Research Opportunities) learning design workshops, elsewhere known as Carpe Diem. As active contributors, students have a say – and often shape – entire modules, as well as reality-checking activities that course teams design. This practical, early involvement helps to co-own and implement the shift to “blended learning as the new normal” that the University is driving. The resulting learning outcomes, assessments and storyboards explicitly incorporate the 10 Employability+ skills, as shown in Northampton’s Framework of Graduate Attributes (Changemaker at Northampton for Graduate Employability, ChANGE). This journey in partnership is an example of good practice because it offers consistent and integrated opportunities to enhance students’ and graduates’ employability through student-staff collaboration within and outside the curriculum. Dr Rachel MaxwellVideo – https://youtu.be/bMHY_QJD4os |
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| In the beginning – working together as partners from the start: University of Salford We would like to share our experience of students and staff working together in partnership in the beginning of the life of an academic staff member.Up until 2015 staff interviews consisted of the traditional presentation to a panel followed by questions – we decided that this was not the best way to decide on the abilities of a teacher. We therefore introduced a process whereby the candidates are asked to provide a 15 minute teaching session to staff and student instead of a presentation. This session is assessed and forms part of the interview process. Although we have not carried out detailed research at this point anecdotal evidence suggest that the candidates find this extremely beneficial, staff feel the process is valuable and the students feel engaged, part of the School and the decision making process. Neil Withnell and Paula Evans Video – https://youtu.be/x3uCielAtoA |
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| DigiBuds – A peer mentoring scheme to improve the digital confidence of students and staff: Southampton Solent University Since 2014/15 I have led on an initiative at Southampton Solent University whereby students who consider themselves to have good digital skills are recruited to become digital mentors – DigiBuds. We offering training on giving presentations and supporting other learners to imbue them with the confidence advise both students and staff in scheduled workshops in class time, online and in drop in sessions in the library. As well as benefiting those who receive support, the DigiBuds themselves have gained transferable skills from the experience. Peer to peer mentoring helps them identify the extent of their own digital capability, as often it is only when they start coaching others that they realise how much they actually know.Fiona Mckichan Video – https://youtu.be/ONOcs_vfVzE |
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| Discover Ementoring: An innovative Partnership! University of Sheffield At the University of Sheffield, we pride ourselves on our widening participation (WP) work. As part of our portfolio, we run 6 successful sustained outreach schemes for participants in Year 12 and 13 from a WP background. There are currently over 600 students benefiting from regularly visiting the University campus and interacting with our amazing academic staff and students.But even this level of engagement is not enough. We want our undergraduate students to be there for our participants, day in, day out. We achieve this through a specially commissioned ‘Discover ementoring’ platform and support from the Brightside Trust. Together, we will show you how we use this innovative tool, in partnership with our student volunteers, to create an atmosphere of trust and community. This approach ultimately enhances the learning experience of our participants and opens the door to the amazing range of opportunities on offer here at Sheffield. Kate Smith, Helen Carter Video – https://youtu.be/1whQ9jf8mnU |
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| StudentDVX (digital voice experts): Epping Forest College StudentDVX is a scheme that is run alongside the college’s academic programme and was introduced to support curriculum teams in developing eLearning resources. This has expanded to engage students and staff in promoting a positive academic and personal experience of college life. To reach the aim StudentDVX are actively researching lecturer’s pedagogic practices to promote best ePractice. They also identify lecturers recommended for making sessions enjoyable, interesting and used techniques that enabled learners to develop both depth and breadth of knowledge in a subject. The StudentDVX then created a StudentDVX channel on PlaneteStream that contains various programmes. This is still being developed but so far there is:-
Vikki Logier, Wendy Davis, Brad Forsyth, Bruna Zocoloti, Stefan Zuna, Jeremy Scale Video – https://youtu.be/n1MFDj7Bgck |
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| GitHappy: Bucks New University This project involved undergraduate software engineers in the final year of their studies, who worked with an academic on a live industry brief. The international brief represented a significant challenge: to develop a system that provides ‘non-expert’ access to specialised image-data processing workflows. Alongside the development process itself, the group worked with a researcher to collaboratively capture the process of working in partnership. The ten minute session will provide an overview of the experience. In doing so, it will highlight the challenges students face in taking part in partnership projects and perceived benefits. Student-led communication processes are seen as an importance feature of partnership, as facilitated by technology. |
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| ReVisioning the Virtual Learning Environment: Loughborough University and The Higher Education Academy Anecdotal evidence suggested that the virtual learning environment (VLE) at Loughborough University was being used by both staff and students as an expensive file repository. This project was designed to develop an evidence base of how the VLE was actually being used by students and to work with students to develop a more intuitive and interactive learning space. Following a survey of over 300 students from the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, a one-day workshop with eight students and three staff from the School was facilitated by the Higher Education Academy. The students mapped the way they used technology, both socially and in their learning, and considered how the VLE could be used to more effectively support their learning. An appreciative inquiry model was used to provide a professional and practical environment where students could explore their own ideas and recognise the diverse needs of different learners.This showcase will use a narrative structure to demonstrate the process that students and staff used to develop their mutual understanding of how to use technology and specifically the VLE to support learning. |
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| Engaging Students in Designing the ‘Academic Book of the Future’: University of Lincoln In May 2016, co_LAB (The LSFM Collaboration Laboratory Research Network) undertook an intensive, interdisciplinary workshop that was designed to bring together students from across within the University of Lincoln to explore the Academic Book of the Future. The student participants considered the possibilities for the production and dissemination of academic knowledge in the context of the digital age, aiming to challenge, expand current perceptions and lay the groundwork for a wider view of what might be an acceptable and appropriate format for the ‘book’ in the 21st Century. Using the core research questions of the AHRC-funded ‘Academic Book of the Future’ project as the focus for the workshop, students were encouraged to explore and challenge a number of related issues |
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| Student Academic Partners – A case study of students using technology to enhance the student experience: Birmingham City University
tudent Academic Partners (SAP) provides an opportunity to integrate students into the academic community of the University. This initiative acts as a quality enhancement mechanism which gives students an opportunity to work alongside staff to create interventions. It generates a sense of ownership and pride in the institution by providing students and staff with a direct opportunity to work collaboratively to strengthen learning and teaching at the University. There have been numerous occasions where students have taken it upon themselves to implement a blended learning approach in order to enhance the student experience. For example, we will focus on a project that involves students who blog about their experience in the workplace. The rationale for this particular project was to give students the opportunity to feedback their new and growing experience in the workplace. As well as benefitting the ‘bloggers’, this project aimed to inform incoming students about what the workplace is like. |
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| Lifting up learning with student-led research: Abertay University Abertay has a history of innovative practice in learning and teaching and engaging in partnership working between staff and students. In this showcase we wish to highlight student involvement in pedagogic research. In 2016 we launched student-led pedagogic research projects (known at ATLEF 4, ATLEF standing for Abertay Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund). Five projects have been funded including students developing online polling software, creating a web-page for games students to share gaming projects and artifacts for critique and feedback, exploring the impact of alternative classroom configurations on student engagement, a student-led review of Abertay’s innovative ‘Feedback Week’ and student-created educational resources to aid transitions. Our approach to student engagement which led to our student-led pedagogic research will be discussed and we will give a practical demonstration of student-created educational resources using technologies such as Xerte, as well as highlighting other innovative practice from the student-led projects.Video – https://youtu.be/ppQdEZckQFA |
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| Developing a Student Academic Facilitator Role at the University of Portsmouth
Student Academic Partners (SAP) provides an opportunity to integrate students into the academic community of the University. This initiative acts as a quality enhancement mechanism which gives students an opportunity to work alongside staff to create interventions. It generates a sense of ownership and pride in the institution by providing students and staff with a direct opportunity to work collaboratively to strengthen learning and teaching at the University. There have been numerous occasions where students have taken it upon themselves to implement a blended learning approach in order to enhance the student experience. For example, we will focus on a project that involves students who blog about their experience in the workplace. The rationale for this particular project was to give students the opportunity to feedback their new and growing experience in the workplace. As well as benefitting the ‘bloggers’, this project aimed to inform incoming students about what the workplace is like. |
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| Flip View and Learn: University of Lincoln
This session focusses on how interactive media can contribute to the flipped classroom. This innovative approach encourages staff and students to co-create the curriculum and engage successive learners in enrichening the learning environment. Creating suitable media content prepares learners for active in class participation and supports a wider audience through more visual, inclusive and responsive teaching delivery. Technologies enable learners to enrich online learning environments with learning objects such as short videos and real world case scenarios to support different stages and aspects of the learning journey. Recent student feedback shows that timely use of interactive media as part of a content rich virtual learning environment can assist reflection, critical thinking and progression. These processes facilitate collaboration across programmes and disciplines to support professional development as learners engage in more real world projects both within higher education and within communities of professional practice. The session will use a padlet wall to gather responses from the audience, it can be found here (https://padlet.com/jaspershotts/fliplearning) Video: https://youtu.be/2tKcnI9vX1A |