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Putting principles into practice: Student engagement and partnership in teaching and learning. Dr Abbi Flint – Students as Partners team – Higher Education Academy. StudentsasPartners@heacademy.ac.uk . 22/7/2013. The Higher Education Academy.
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Putting principles into practice: Student engagement and partnership in teaching and learning • Dr Abbi Flint – Students as Partners team – Higher Education Academy • StudentsasPartners@heacademy.ac.uk • 22/7/2013
The Higher Education Academy • Works in partnership with HEIs, student bodies, academic and professional staff and sector agencies and funders. • Champions excellence in learning and teaching in higher education. • Committed to improving the student learning experience by: • raising the status of teaching • adding to the body of knowledge relating to pedagogy • enhancing professional teaching practice • facilitating networks and communities of practice. • http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/strategic-plan • The Higher Education Academy Strategic Plan 2012-2016
What and why? • 1. What does the term ‘Student Engagement’ mean to you? • 2. Why are you interested in student engagement? Image used under creative commons license: Peter Patauhttp://bit.ly/11yaYAN
Different meanings of student engagement • With quality enhancement • Governance • Decision-making • Representation • Agents of change • Impacts less tangible and difficult to quantify • With their own learning • Behavioural perspective • Student behaviour and institutional practices • Psychological perspective • Behavioural, cognitive and affective • Socio-cultural perspective • Broader social context: power; culture; discourse • Well evidenced impacts
Conceptual framework of engagement, antecedents and consequences (Kahu, 2013)
Ladder of student participation 8. Student-initiated, shared decisions with staff 7. Student-initiated and directed (supported by staff) 6. Staff-initiated, shared decisions with students 5. Consulted and informed 4. Assigned but informed 3. Tokenism 2. Decoration Non-participation 1. Manipulation Partnership Participation Involvement Consultation Adapted from Hart (1992) based on an article on citizen participation by Arnstein (1969).
Our Students as Partners work • Students as Partners team • Dr Kathy Harrington and Dr Abbi Flint • Three areas of focus – students as partners in • the individual student experience of engaged learning and research • learning and teaching enhancement at institutional and national levels • the HEA’s strategic direction and programmes of work • Partnership as a process not a product. It is a way of doing things, not an outcome in itself. • It’s about how and why we work in partnership with students, as well as what we do.
HEA partnership principles • Equality of value whilst recognising difference and the unique contribution each partner makes • Acknowledgement of power relationships: being clear about where ownership for issues and agendas lies and how outcomes of work will be used. Being prepared to challenge structures and practices that re-affirm existing inequalities. • Creating an environment that encourages risk taking • Identifying resources to support partnership working • Embracing a shared commitment to evaluation and learning • Celebrating successful outcomes of and approaches to partnership working • Regular on-going dialogue amongst the partners, encompassing synchronous and asynchronous communication channels • Authenticity: where there is a clear rationale for students – and others – to work in partnership, each partner has a stake in the agenda and in taking the work forward • Inclusivity: the absence of barriers that prevent engagement in partnership work • Speaking ‘with’, not ‘for’ or ‘about’ students • Being open to radical transformation, not just slotting partnership work into existing structures and processes • Development of shared purpose, values and principles. Including the need for partnership work to be acknowledged and assented to by all parties involved • Taking time to understand our perceptions of one another and how that affects partnership relationships • Joint decision making and accountability arrangements • Taking time to build trust
Needs analysis • Where is the biggest ‘gap’? • Where do you want to focus your efforts? • What strategies might we use to move from engagement to partnership?
Keep in touch Image used under Creative Commons License: Stefan http://bit.ly/1bElMAK • Website: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/students-as-partners • E-mail: StudentsasPartners@heacademy.ac.uk • Twitter: @HEA_SaP • Mailing list – sign up at https://my.heacademy.ac.uk/
References Chickering, A. and Gamson, Z. (1987) Seven Principles for good practice in undergraduate education. AAHE Bulletin, 40(7), 3-7. Hart, R. (1992) Children’s participation: from tokenism to citizenship. UNICEF Kahu, E. (2013) Framing Student Engagement in Higher Education. Studies in Higher Education, 38(5), 758-773 Quality Assurance Agency (2012) UK Quality code for Higher Education – Chapter B5: Student Engagement Wenstone, R. (2012) A Manifesto for Partnership. National Union of Students.