Enhancing and developing the use of OneNote Class Notebook beyond the Covid-19 pandemic

Enhancing and developing the use of OneNote Class Notebook beyond the Covid-19 pandemic

 

By: Rita Balestrini, Department of Languages and Cultures, r.balestrini@reading.ac.uk

Overview

The project built on T&L innovation embraced in the Department of Languages and Cultures (DLC), where Microsoft’s OneNote Class Notebook (CN) was trialled during the Covid-19 pandemic to overcome the constraints of teaching languages remotely. The outcomes provided knowledge of DLC students’ experience of CN and understanding of the type of support needed by CN users to staff users of CN, and to colleagues in Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) and Digital Technology Services (DTS), and informed the development of technical and pedagogical support and guidance for CN users.

Objectives

The project aimed to enhance student learning by improving the use of CN, and had the objective to facilitate sharing of knowledge and expertise, gain insights into students’ experience of CN and inform TEL and DTS decision-making on the tool.

Context

CN is a digital T&L tool to store materials (e.g. text, images, handwritten notes, links, recorded voice, videos), where students and teachers can work interactively in and outside the classroom. It is organised into three parts:

  • ‘Content Library’ – where only the teacher can add, edit, and delete materials.
  • ‘Collaboration Space’ – a place to collaborate in groups open to everyone in the class, where multiple users can work on a page simultaneously or asynchronously.
  • ‘Teacher Only’ – a private space invisible to students.
  • ‘Student Notebook’ – a private area that only a student and their teacher can see and use, where they can interact directly on a page.

CN continues to be used in some language modules as it proved to be effective beyond a remote teaching environment and offered features that supported accessibility and inclusivity in language learning.

screenshot of the classroom notebook
Screenshot of a Class Notebook © Rita Balestrini

Implementation

  • In 2022–2023, I held three sessions with DLC staff users to share practice and ideas on using CN, and record information on what support would enhance teaching with CN. I also held in-person, small group meetings with DLC CN student users from all year groups to gain insights into their experience of CN. The feedback gathered informed the development of a branched MS Forms survey, which was completed by 28 (of 50) student CN users.
  • I facilitated a cross-School (DLC, Institute of Education, Law) ‘teaching conversation’ to reflect critically on the pedagogical value of CN.
  • I wrote a project report for DTS and TEL and shared with them the findings from the needs analysis.

Impact

  • The project created a ‘space’ for the sharing of practices, knowledge, experience and expertise, which in turn, enabled the enhancement of the use of CN.
  • It enhanced students’ learning and increased their engagement with CN learning activities – as evidenced by the students’ survey.
  • As part of ‘internal monitoring and review’ practice, the outcomes of the ‘teaching conversation’, informed the School of Literature and Languages (SLL) T&L enhancement process.
  • The project should inform the integration of CN with other applications (e.g. Teams), and the provision of technical and pedagogical support for CN users.

Reflections

CN offers a paperless learning environment and facilitates the organisation of T&L materials in a clear and, ‘potentially’ visually intuitive, hierarchical structure. Students evaluated CN positively as a useful ‘digital binder’ and ‘learning tool’ (Average Rating [AR] 4.15 and 4:00 respectively, on a scale of 1 to 5). Most of them felt that materials and resources were easy to access (AR 3.89), and it was easy to take notes within CN (AR 3.74).

CN users generally agreed that navigation in CN is quite ‘fluid’ compared to Blackboard. However, I think that for this fluidity to be fully meaningful pedagogically CN requires a thoroughly thought-out structure, with reasoned and transparent ‘labelling’ throughout the learning environment.

There can be issues in meeting current assessment policies when using CN for summative assessment. However, CN greatly facilitates the provision of feedback with a digital pen or by audio-recording on a page. Staff value the possibility of monitoring individual and group activities and providing private, individualised feedback in different formats; students appreciate highly receiving feedback directly in their personal notebook, which stands out as a noteworthy result of the survey (AR 4.26), especially considering that feedback in general ‘is often framed as the dimension of students’ experience with which they are least satisfied’ (Winstone & Carless, 2020, p. 5).

The ‘Collaboration Space’ can be used for class activities, collaborative projects, sharing resources, and a channel for students’ voice – additional uses of this area depend on the subject taught. CN allows students to take ownership of a shared area and use it for independently chosen purposes, which helps create a sense of ‘community’ and a feeling of ‘online connectedness’ (Hehir et al., 2021).

Regarding technical issues, 68% of respondents did not report any. The others mentioned a variety of problems (e.g. syncing issues, ‘handwriting’ and ‘highlighting’ not anchored to text). Many reported difficulties were linked to using different CN versions, devices, or operating systems, which suggests that improvements could come with advice from technical support specialists.

Follow up

In future, students’ experience of using CN could greatly benefit from:

  • staff sharing and discussing practices across different subjects to facilitate pedagogical enhancements (e.g., communities of practice, special interest groups, TEL forums);
  • making access to CN easier and facilitating its integration with Teams and Blackboard;
  • the availability of expert support from DTS and TEL (e.g. technical assistance, TEL resources and sessions for users).

References

  • Hehir, H., Zeller M., Luckhurst, J., & Chandler T. (2021) Developing student connectedness under remote learning using digital resources: a systematic review. Education and Information Technologies, 26, 6531-6548. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10577-1
  • Winstone, N., & Carless, D. (2020) Designing effective feedback processes in higher education. Routledge.

Reflecting on developing support for disabled students attending clinical training courses in the Charlie Waller Institute

 

By: Natalie Meek, n.a.meek@reading.ac.uk & Fisayo Adunola, f.adunola@reading.ac.uk, School of Psychology & Clinical Language Sciences
one woman writes on a whiteboard while another watches
© University of Reading

Overview

Academic tutors across the Charlie Waller Institute (CWI) courses recognised that disabled students faced specific challenges during their studies. Respecting the diverse voices of our student body is paramount, as noted within the student charter. As such we developed student led forum to access feedback and to enact change within courses. In this report we will reflect on the learning taken, and challenges met in engaging students with disabilities.

Objectives

  • Support students with disabilities.
  • Supporting students to have a reflective space to discuss respective challenges faced and to enable them to support one another and discuss helpful ways to cope.
  • Enact change within CWI courses, and in wider educational settings, based on student feedback.

Context

The CWI offers graduate and postgraduate clinical training courses. We have been receiving feedback from our disabled students that they were facing additional barriers and challenges in completing their courses. One area of feedback was feeling isolated within their peer group, and assessments and processes being less accessible to them.

Implementation

The group was to cover all areas of disability; neurodivergence, learning difficulties, physical, sensory and mobility disabilities. So far five groups have been conducted in the previous academic year, sadly attendance has been very low, three groups were conducted with only one student present. Although this meant a great listening space for that student, and an opportunity for the school to take direct feedback, there is little opportunity for peer support. We have identified several challenges to developing peer support groups for post-graduate training course cohorts. On the same day that our forum runs there are two other forums which are the Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) student forum and the Parent and Carers student forum. There has been some cross over as some of the trainees that have attended one forum have attended other forums.

Impact

So far, the forum has met each objective in part. However, one challenge that has arisen is attendance at the forum which has meant the reach hasn’t gone beyond a small number of students. This is a challenge we are continuing to work on as a school to enabled more disabled students to access this space. The reach of the group has also gone beyond the University or School, with contact being made with an accreditation body to respond to student feedback. An unexpected impact has been to enable undiagnosed neurodivergent students to access support through their attendance at the forum. One take away is the importance of students having more contact with the Disability Representatives (Dis Reps) and Disability Advisory Service (DAS), which this group has facilitated. In their role of Dis Rep, Natalie can offer further individual support to enable students to have further reasonable adjustments in university study and in professional service.

Reflections

Despite low turnout, facilitating the forums has been insightful in hearing the voices of students who often face barriers to social engagement within higher education and within wider society (McGuckin et al., 2013; Watson & Nolan, 2011). Our students face unique challenges due to the pressures of clinical training, which impacts their personal, professional, and educational lives. Challenges have varied from accessibility of buildings to difficulties with information processing.

Disabled students are not a monolith, so continuing engagement with diverse voices is necessary to understand our students’ strengths and challenges. The title of the group may be a barrier to engagement, the disability label holds stigma, and those with invisible disabilities may not identify with this label.

In addition to university related learning, our students have expanded on how larger systems, such as the health service and accrediting bodies, lack accessibility. This led to liaison with the British Association of Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP). We hope this forum will empower our students to engage equitably in our courses.

Follow up

Within CWI we have Diversity and Inclusion Support Officers (DISOs) who have been active in ensuring that the actions from the student forums are followed up and embedded within the direction of CWI. The forums are continuing throughout the 2023/24 academic year, we plan to continue responding to student feedback to facilitate engagement. A further review will be performed at the end of the 2023/24 academic year.

References

Developing resources to support student transition into HE

Developing resources to support student transition into HE

 

By: Mirjana Sokolovic-Perovic, m.sokolovic@reading.ac.uk, Jayne Freeman, j.e.freeman@reading.ac.uk, Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences
red welcome flag flying on a flagpole
Red welcome flag flying during Open Day at Whiteknights campus © University of Reading

Overview

This case study outlines how PCLS designed an induction booklet for UG programmes to provide additional pre-arrival support during transition into higher education. Psychology and Speech and Language Therapy students reported that they found the induction booklet useful and that it helped them to feel more prepared for university.

Objectives

  • To provide essential information about the course and university life before students arrive
  • To prevent information overload in Welcome Week by phasing information delivery into pre-arrival period
  • To support students in their transition to university by engaging them early with the School and their chosen programme
  • To reduce student anxiety about the transition to Higher Education

Context

Successful transition to university life is related to a range of outcomes including student retention, academic success and mental wellbeing (e.g., Cage et al., 2021). However, our students often report being concerned about joining university and feeling overwhelmed with the new information.

Traditionally, students receive a wealth of information during the Welcome Week, but it has been argued that transition should be viewed as a process. The induction could be extended into the pre-arrival period, putting the emphasis on early engagement. Successful pre-arrival interventions include various orientation plans, mentoring schemes, and programme-specific transition programmes (McInnis et al., 2000).

Early engagement should help students understand academic procedures and expectations, as well as help them develop a relationship with the institution and feel part of the learning community. Thus, we wanted to design a pre-arrival intervention to support students to feel more prepared for entering university.

Implementation

We prepared induction booklets for our UG programmes: BSc and MSci Psychology, and MSci Speech and Language Therapy (SLT), which included essential information:

  • key members of staff,
  • term dates,
  • an overview of teaching and assessments of Part 1 modules,
  • information about Blackboard and University Library,
  • information about various ways of supporting students and the course rep system,
  • how students can get involved with the School,
  • useful links,
  • a schedule of the Welcome Week events.

At the end of August 2023, booklets were emailed to all students who had accepted a place on one of the programmes.

Students were asked to fill in a short questionnaire in week seven in the Autumn term to indicate if they had read the booklet, and if they did, how useful they found it, and to what extent it helped them feel more prepared for university study (both on a scale 1-5). We also asked if they had attended the relevant ‘Programme Briefings’ and ‘Transition to Higher Education’ sessions in Welcome Week to examine if reading the booklet had negatively affected attendance.

Impact

Sixty-two UG Psychology students and twenty-six MSci SLT students completed the questionnaire. Overall, students reported that the induction booklet was useful and that it helped them prepare for university.

Students who read the induction booklet considered it useful: the average rating was 3.72 for UG Psychology, and 4.17 for MSci SLT (75% rated it 4 or 5). They also felt more prepared for university, with the average ratings of 3.39 for UG Psychology and 3.82 for MSci SLT (50% rated it 4 or 5).

Programme Briefings were attended by 81% of UG Psychology and 92% of SLT respondents. Of those who had read the induction booklet, 75% and 92% (respectively) attended this session. ‘Transition to HE’ sessions were attended by 42% of UG Psychology and 77% of SLT respondents; 53% and 75% (respectively) of those who had read the induction booklet attended. Attendance was similar for those who had not read the booklet. Therefore, our concerns about a possible drop in attendance/engagement were not warranted.

Reflections

In light of the findings, we will continue to implement the induction booklet for future cohorts as part of our approach to supporting students in their transition to higher education.

While this investigation has given us important insights into the benefits of using the induction booklet, on reflection, we would have ideally administered the questionnaire shortly after Welcome Week while the booklet was still fresh in students’ minds. Students may not have accurately remembered the extent to which they had found the booklet useful or whether reading the booklet had impacted their attendance at the Welcome Week sessions. We will repeat the evaluation of the induction booklet again next year but will administer the questionnaire during the first two weeks of the semester to gain more contemporaneous feedback. Not all students read the booklet so we will also examine reasons why this might have been.

Follow up

There are some important questions that warrant further investigation. For example:

  • Whether the booklet may be more helpful for some students than for others (e.g., students with higher levels of pre-arrival anxiety and/or first-generation students)?
  • Which parts students found the most helpful and whether any further information would have been useful?
  • Why some students did not read the booklet?

References

  • Cage, E., Jones, E., Ryan, G., Hughes, G., & Spanner, L. (2021). Student mental health and transitions into, through and out of university: student and staff perspectives. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 45, 1076-1089. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2021.1875203
  • McInnis, C., James, R., & Hartley, R. (2000). Trends in the first year experience. AGPS.
Enhancing students’ linguistic and intellectual competence through Virtual Exchanges in Chinese and Japanese

Enhancing students’ linguistic and intellectual competence through Virtual Exchanges in Chinese and Japanese

 

By: Cong Xia Li, School of Literature and Languages, congxia.li@reading.ac.uk
Screenshot from a remote language class
Screenshot from a Virtual Exchange (VE) online workshop. © Cong Xia Li

Overview

This report details a Teaching and Learning-funded initiative aimed at advancing the linguistic and intercultural competence of intermediate-level Chinese and Japanese language learners (IWLP Stage 3) through Virtual Exchange (VE) projects. Virtual Exchange involves online collaborative educational approaches connecting learners from diverse cultural backgrounds. Our objectives include enhancing linguistic competence, fostering intercultural understanding, and evaluating/refining the VE initiatives. These objectives are explained in more detail below:

Objectives

  • Enhance linguistic competence. Improve students’ language proficiency through collaborative language learning activities with native speakers.
  • Foster intercultural understanding. Develop intercultural competence by connecting students with peers from diverse cultural backgrounds.
  • Evaluate and refine VE initiatives. Conduct empirical research to assess the effectiveness of Chinese and Japanese VE projects, refining tasks, settings and assessments.

Context

The VE initiative was initially introduced in the academic year 2021-22, with Institution-Wide Language Program (IWLP) students of Chinese engaging in collaborative projects with peers from Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology (NUIST), which was well-received by both Reading and NUIST students. The students were from different modules (Chinese stage 3- LA1PC3 and Japanese Stage 3- LA1PJ3) . The Virtual Exchange sessions were run in separate classes by the Chinese and Japanese course convenors. While the current project focuses on the stage 3 students (post-beginners). Additionally, a new VE project for Japanese has been initiated with Miyazaki International College, Japan, for the Stage 3 Japanese class. The VE project, an optional activity in which approximately half of the IWLP Chinese 3 students and the Japanese 3 class took part in, served as a valuable complement to standard teaching. It not only assisted students in enhancing their speaking and writing skills but also facilitated the generation of additional information for the Stage 3 summative assessment, specifically the Stage 3 Cultural Comparison project.

Implementation

The VE project entails a six-week collaboration where students engage in both spoken and written activities. The topics, spanning music and art, youth issues, literature, and environmental concerns, were chosen collaboratively by the class teacher and their international counterparts. The activities primarily involved discussions—both verbal and written—between language learners and native speakers. These discussions focused on topics chosen by convenors to gather information for the Stage 3 project. This project comprises a written report and a group presentation, aiming to research and compare cultural differences between China/Japan and Britain. Participation in the VE project was voluntary, and those not taking part had to find the required information online.

For the pilot project, 12 Chinese and 8 Japanese students were involved, paired based on linguistic ability and shared interests. Initial meetings were facilitated through Zoom/Teams, after which IWLP Chinese learners organised individual paired sessions through WeChat. Participants completed pre- and post-project questionnaires, and a focus group of Chinese and Japanese students recruited from LA1PC3 and LA1PJ3 modules provided additional opinions and feedback.

Impact

The project’s objectives (enhance linguistic competence, foster intercultural competence, and evaluate and refine VE initiatives) were met:

Linguistic competence. Students were able to produce complicated sentence structures and more advanced vocabulary beyond the level accurately . For example, they were able to produce sentence that the first clause has an interrogative pronoun in their group presentation, like 无论有多大的胆子,中国学生通常都不会质疑老师的观点(Regardless of how bold they may be, Chinese students usually do not question the teacher’s viewpoints).

Intercultural competence. Intercultural competence was evident as students demonstrated the ability to discern between formal and informal behaviour and language use in various situations. One student from the focus group noted, ‘The language and manners employed during discussions with our Japanese partners were markedly distinct from what we learn in the classroom.’

Refine VE initiatives. Most of the students preferred to talk to the native speakers than have a formal language lesson. They reported that their partners were too eager to correct their grammar mistakes in formal lessons; rather, they would have preferred more open discussions of the topics. The VE initiative in Chinese is continuing this year. We have made several adjustments to the activities of the VE program. For example, the aim of the VE project is emphasised at the initial meeting, following feedback from the focus group.

Student testimonials underscored other positive receptions of the initiative, highlighting perceived improvements in various areas:

Enhanced language proficiency. Participants demonstrated heightened language skills, observable through assessments and student testimonials. Engagement in learning activities increased, with a notable enthusiasm in communication with native speakers. This was reflected not only in enhanced fluency and accuracy but also in the use of advanced vocabulary and sentence structures.

Cultural exchange. VE projects facilitated meaningful interactions that broadened students’ understanding of Chinese and Japanese culture beyond traditional classroom teachings. Through discussions with peers, students learned informal ways to interact in Chinese and Japanese, gained different perspectives on contemporary youth challenges in China and Japan, and developed a more in-depth understanding and analysis of cultural aspects in Chinese novels and literature.

Increased global awareness. Students developed a broader perspective on cultural diversity, with two focus group participants noting that the experience heightened their sensitivity to cultural differences, boosting their confidence to work or socialise in multicultural environments in the future.

Reflections

Overall, the designed and delivered VE projects in Chinese and Japanese met our objectives. Collaborations with native speakers provided invaluable opportunities for cultural exchange, benefiting both UK and international students. However, certain observations and reflections were made.

While both Chinese and Japanese learners expressed positive views on VE projects, compared with their Japanese counterparts, the Chinese learners found them less useful for developing linguistic and intercultural competence. In follow-up interviews, these students preferred physical collaboration on campus over virtual interaction.

For future studies, recommendations include employing different communication approaches for synchronous and asynchronous interactions, providing clear instructions for the VE program’s aims and expectations at the initial meeting, and finding ways to leverage the large international student body on campus to facilitate physical meetings with native speaker.

Follow up

The project was presented at an international conference in Poznan, Poland, in May 2023. VE projects with NUIST continue, and efforts are underway to establish collaborations with native speakers on campus. The positive outcomes and lessons learned form a foundation which approach can be expanded to other languages, benefiting a wider student population. The report encourages colleagues in other languages and disciplines to consider VE projects for international collaboration program. I am delighted to learn that a colleague at the Economics Department is exploring the VE approach with the students at NUIST who are enrolled in the 3+1 programme (a joint programme offered by NUIST Reading Academy and UoR that runs for 4 years).

Empowering tomorrow’s marketers: A journey through real-world skills and engaging learning in consumer behaviour group projects

 

By: Dr Bahram Mahmoodi Kahriz, Henley Business School, bahram.mahmoodikahriz@henley.ac.uk
woman and man sitting in front of a computer
Photo by Desola Lanre-Ologun on Unsplash

Overview

At Henley Business School, our Consumer Behaviour compulsory module for Part 3 undergraduate students involves a group assignment on creating a consumer insight report. Students are urged to investigate emerging aspects of consumer behaviour, apply relevant theories, conduct research, and offer insights to marketers. This fosters teamwork and enhances research skills, enabling students to apply theory to real-world marketing challenges.

Objectives

The primary aims of the consumer behaviour group project were:

  • Enhance collaborative skills and research competency: This module strengthens teamwork and critical group project abilities, facilitating research competence through the guidance of students in collecting, evaluating, and integrating information sources.
  • Apply theoretical knowledge: Students employ theoretical expertise in Consumer Behaviour and marketing to enhance critical analysis.
  • Develop of report writing skills: The module sharpens writing and presentation proficiencies essential for professional communication in a business context.
  • Encourage peer evaluation: The module encourages peer review, promoting individual contribution assessment within a team framework and fostering a sense of teamwork responsibility.

Context

The consumer behaviour group project aims to help students understand consumer behaviour’s various facets and impact. Given the dynamic changes in consumer behaviour due to global events like COVID-19 and supply chain disruptions, grasping these shifts becomes crucial for marketers. The group project within this module equips students with teamwork, critical thinking, and real-world application skills. It prepares Part 3 BSc Business and Management (Marketing) undergraduates for future career challenges by setting realistic expectations and improving necessary skills.

Implementation

Step-by-Step Guide: Implementing the Group Project

Step 1: Team Formation

  • In the first step, we form diverse groups of 4-5 members to simulate real work situations.
  • This diversity fosters familiarity among students with future workplace dynamics and encourages effective brainstorming.

Step 2: Brainstorming and Topic Selection

  • In this step, we emphasise brainstorming and topic selection.
  • We provide topic examples related to recent changes in consumer behaviour.
  • Active participation in topic selection within random groups encourages critical analysis.

Step 3: Refining Topic Choices

  • After selecting topics, students share them with their assignment groups.
  • Collaboratively, they refine their final topic choices.

Step 4: Research

  • In this step, students initiate the research phase, focusing on their selected topics.
  • We instruct them to review various sources, including contemporary examples, industry reports, academic studies, and relevant theoretical frameworks.

Step 5: Report Structuring

  • Here, we guide students in structuring their reports, which should include:
    • Executive summaries
    • Introductions
    • Discussions of chosen issues
    • Theoretical frameworks
    • Marketing advice
    • Reference lists
  • Stressing the importance of formatting and style consistency.
  • Encouraging the integration of theories from consumer behaviour lectures and other relevant sources.
  • Promoting the use of relevant statistics to support their chosen topics.

Step 6: Peer Collaboration and Review

  • In this step, ongoing peer collaboration and review are emphasised.
  • Students are encouraged to share ideas, review each other’s work, and seek advice from other groups.
  • The project concludes with peer reviews assessing individual contributions, promoting teamwork.

Step 7: Revision and Submission

  • In the final step, teams make revisions based on peer feedback.
  • We ensure that teams complete their reports.
  • Students are instructed to submit their reports via the university’s Blackboard platform by the specified deadline.

This comprehensive process equips students with valuable skills for real-world scenarios, nurturing critical thinking, teamwork, and research capabilities.

Impact

Aim: Enhancing collaborative skills and research competency:

The assignment encourages effective team collaboration, enhancing teamwork, communication, and task delegation based on individual strengths. Students gain a deeper grasp of consumer behaviour, market trends, and the practical application of marketing theories in real-world scenarios. They improve research skills, sourcing relevant materials and statistics, as well as identifying supportive theories from lecture materials to share within their groups.

Aim: Application of theoretical knowledge:

Brainstorming, research, and theory application develop critical thinking, empowering students to analyse emerging consumer trends. They translate theoretical knowledge into actionable insights and advice for potential clients, applying marketing expertise to real-world situations.

Aim: Development of report writing skills:

Students master group report writing, understanding report structures and effectively conveying the topic’s significance. They contextualise arguments with relevant statistics related to changing consumer behaviour and culture, supported by theories and research findings that inform marketing recommendations.

Aim: Encouraging peer evaluation:

Peer reviews promote self-reflection and continuous improvement, allowing students to assess their contributions and those of their peers.

In the year 2022-2023, in their feedback, students appreciated the relevance of topics to real-life examples, which enhanced their understanding of techniques and theories. They also welcomed the integration of current events and social media into the lessons. They found the Group Assignment allowed them to delve into interesting topics of their choice. Seminars were particularly beneficial for fostering in-depth discussions, which contributed to their improved comprehension of the subjects.

Reflections

The group project achieved its objectives with remarkable success. The assignment’s deliberate focus on contemporary consumer behaviour and evolving market trends delivered it both engaging and profoundly relevant to our students. Consequently, their motivation to actively participate can be increased. Relatedly, previous research has also indicated that students engage in group projects, resulting in higher levels of understanding of the material. In addition, they learn how to study more independently, improve their critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, and ultimately, exhibit high levels of motivation (Hidi & Renninger, 2012; Johnson & Johnson, 1989; Prince, 2004).

Moreover, the project excelled in encouraging diverse team compositions, which, in turn, facilitated remarkably rich brainstorming sessions. This diversity led to a broader range of insights, precisely aligning with the assignment’s goals. Research suggests that diverse teams tend to be more creative, come up with innovative solutions, perform better, and make improved decisions (Kristinsson et al., 2016; Lattimer, 1998, Wang et al., 2019).

From a practical standpoint, the project provided a unique opportunity for students to produce a report similar to industry-standard thought leadership pieces. This experience afforded them a taste of the demanding, real-world work involved in marketing consultancy, an invaluable experience for their future careers.

In addition to the practical aspect, the project allowed for a peer review process, a crucial element. This process introduced a sense of accountability among students, prompting them to engage in self-assessment and provide constructive feedback. Consequently, this enriched the overall learning experience, nurturing valuable skills.

However, there is room for improvement in the form of enhancing theoretical integration. While the assignment successfully included theory, emphasising theory application more explicitly throughout the report could strengthen its theoretical foundation.

Follow up

Since the consumer behaviour assignment, our approach to teaching and learning about consumer insights has significantly improved. We have embraced a more interactive approach, fostering greater student engagement in exploring emerging consumer trends. Moreover, we have integrated ongoing peer review practices into various modules, aiming to promote collaborative learning and effective teamwork skills across disciplines.

For future activities and slides, we plan to maintain the same structured format. However, we intend to create more opportunities on Blackboard, where students can actively participate in a group community. This platform will serve as a space for students to engage in discussions, ask questions, and share ideas with one another and with me. This shift to a broader online setting on Blackboard aims to enhance student collaboration, transitioning from in-person seminars to a more inclusive digital environment.

References

Hidi, S., & Renninger, K. A. (2006). The four-phase model of interest development. Educational Psychologist, 41, 111-127.

Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. (1989). Cooperation and Competition: Theory and Research. Edina, MN: Interaction Book Company.

Kristinsson, K., Candi, M., & Sæmundsson, R. J. (2016). The relationship between founder team diversity and innovation performance: The moderating role of causation logic. Long Range Planning, 49, 464-476.

Lattimer, R. L. (1998). The case for diversity in global business, and the impact of diversity on team performance. Competitiveness Review: An International Business Journal, 8(2), 3-17.

Prince, M. (2004). Does Active Learning Work A Review of the Research. Journal of Engineering Education, 93, 223-231.

Wang, J., Cheng, G. H. L., Chen, T., & Leung, K. (2019). Team creativity/innovation in culturally diverse teams: A meta‐analysis. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 40, 693-708.


 

“Making it OUR Year Abroad”: A student-staff collaboration to support the Year Abroad experience for Languages students

“Making it OUR Year Abroad”: A student-staff collaboration to support the Year Abroad experience for Languages students

 

By: Dr Chiara Ciarlo, School of Literature and Languages, c.ciarlo@reading.ac.uk
Screenshot of UoR Italian Year Aboard Facebook group
Screenshot of the private Facebook group created by students for their Year Abroad

Overview

In this blogpost, Lecturer in Italian Language Chiara Ciarlo illustrates how four Department of Languages and Cultures (DLC) students with experience of the Year Abroad (YA), collaborated with staff on a PLanT-funded project to help fellow Part 2 students deal with the difficulties and anxiety of preparing to study abroad in the post-Brexit era, by creating a successful network of support including a student-led Facebook group and a useful video-guide with tips on life abroad. This project demonstrates the power of student partnership for building belonging and engagement in ways that are meaningful and authentic to learners.

Objectives

The primary aims of this activity were:

– to enhance communication among students across year-groups in DLC;
– to encourage current and returning students to share their YA experience in an inclusive way, and Part 2 students to proactively seek help while preparing to go abroad;
– to identify key aspects which required more support for Part 2 students;
– to create online YA resources on these aspects that could easily be accessed by current and future students.

Context

Due to recent economic and political changes, students preparing to study/work abroad as part of their Languages degree, have had to deal with complex bureaucratic processes (e.g., visa application) and unforeseen problems (e.g., increasing difficulties in finding accommodation), which have caused them undue stress and anxiety. During her time abroad, Jess Mant, one of the student partners in the project, had the original idea of setting up a network for fellow students to offer support on the issues she had experienced when preparing to leave and while in the foreign country. This subsequently became a PLanT-supported project.

Implementation

The project was based on the students’ YA experience in Italy. After an initial planning meeting with staff, two of the student partners, Jess and Francesca Greatorex (Finalists), set up a student-led private Facebook group as a space for the Italian students to find out more about the YA. It was agreed that this group should have only students as members (i.e., no staff were allowed on it) to allow freedom of discussion. Past and present students of Italian were invited to join the group, and this was a great opportunity for alumni to contribute to the discussion and offer advice on different destinations. All student partners initially introduced themselves via videos, shared their experience and pictures, and used polls to encourage members to vote on topics to discuss. This worked particularly well and stimulated participation when Part 2 students had to choose their destinations, as questions on specific cities could be addressed.

Once the Facebook group was up and running, the other two student partners, Anna McTiernan and Rosa Lockwood-Davies (Year Abroad students), created videos on topics that had become popular in the Facebook discussions and in YA preparation meetings with staff and Part 2 students e.g., tips on the visa application based on own experience, finding accommodation, and how to make friends in a foreign country. These videos were later uploaded on the Facebook group and were liked by members. Despite having individual roles, student partners collaborated in both areas of the project, sharing ideas and reviewing each other’s work.

Screenshot from student created video
Screenshot from student created video

Impact

Aim: To enhance communication among students across year groups in DLC.
The Facebook group created by the student partners is a permanent space that Italian students of all year-groups can join. This year, the group will welcome the new Part 2 cohort and the administration will be taken over by the remaining student partners of the project.

Aim: To encourage students returning from the YA to share their experience in an inclusive way, and Part 2 students to proactively seek help in preparing to go abroad.
This aim was achieved through posts and videos (and the use of captions in the videos, which helped students focus on the content). Videos on some more sensitive topics (e.g., making friends) were carefully planned to include all types of personalities. Polls were particularly effective in stimulating members to ask questions and contribute.

Aim: To identify key aspects which required more support for Part 2 students.
The use of polls and discussions in the Facebook group, and the participation of student partners at YA preparation meetings, helped create a pool of topics to cover in the video-guide.

Aim: To create online YA resources on these aspects that could easily be accessed by current and future students.
The Facebook group became “the space” were all material could be found in one place by members: this included the videos and several useful links which were recommended by student partners during preparation meeting and immediately posted in the group. This will remain a great source of information for future cohorts.

In a survey carried out during the summer, Part 2 students commented particularly on the usefulness of this material and its ease of accessibility.

Screenshot from student created video
Screenshot from student created video

Reflections

The success of the activity lies in the determination and creativity of the student partners. From the very beginning, they all took on their role with great enthusiasm and were driven by the will to pass on their knowledge to make the YA an enjoyable experience for current and future cohorts of Languages Students. Additionally, other students who were on the YA found the initiative very stimulating and began to give their contribution, both in group discussions and by posting extra material that they had created to document their experience abroad e.g., a written guide on the student experience in Padua.

Student partners encountered some difficulties while creating and running resources, namely in making students interact in online exchanges and in producing videos whose format would appeal to peers. To overcome these issues, they came up with creative ideas, like the use of polls and the creation of shorter videos, to encourage viewings. For staff, having the input of the student partners was invaluable, as every activity was designed with the students and their needs in mind.

Follow up

Two of the student partners, Finalists in 2023/24, will continue with the administration of the Facebook group (possibly creating also an Instagram account to complement it), and will encourage this year’s Part 2 students to join. With the contribution of other members, who have also returned from the YA, information will be regularly updated, discussions will be stimulated, and new material for the video-guide will be produced, making this a permanent and dynamic space for Languages students to meet and share their YA experience.

A special grazie/thank you goes (in no particular order) to Jess, Francesca, Anna and Rosa for the time, dedication and enthusiasm they all put in creating these resources, and for demonstrating that the Year Abroad is an invaluable experience that needs to be preserved and shared with others.

Links

Link to the “UoR Italian Year Abroad” private Facebook group.


 

Adapting a carousel technique from face to face to remote teaching on Blackboard Collaborate

Adapting a carousel technique from face to face to remote teaching on Blackboard Collaborate

 

By: Anjali Mehta Chandar, Charlie Waller Institute, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences (SPCLS), a.m.chandar@reading.ac.uk
Decorative image
Photo by Jhon Paul Dela Cruz on Unsplash

Overview

Our vocational postgraduate courses in Low Intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy  for Children and Young People include a mix of face to face, and remote teaching on Blackboard, at an almost 50/50 split since the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important that trainees engage well with digital methods of learning, and a carousel technique was adapted for Blackboard Collaborate, with hugely positive feedback from the trainees.

Objectives

My objectives for this project were as follows:

  • adapt the carousel activity from face to face teaching to remote teaching,
  • gain feedback from trainees about the effectiveness of this strategy and,
  • make changes as necessary for future implement with other cohorts.

Context

The Educational Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP) programme is a one-year vocational postgraduate course. The trainees are employed by an NHS trust, local authority or charity, and study in the Charlie Waller Institute (within SPCLS) to become qualified mental health practitioners working in primary and secondary schools.

Since the pandemic, trainees have half of their teaching face to face on campus, and half of it via Blackboard Collaborate. Teaching days are 9:30-4:30pm. It has been important, and a learning curve, to ensure online teaching remains as engaging as face to face teaching. It is suggested that a lack of engagement with digitally enhanced learning leads to students being academically disadvantaged (Francis & Shannon, 2013). It is also important that group work is still utilised despite a larger amount of remote teaching than before, as it is an effective method for fostering wider knowledge, clarification on a topic and evaluation of peers’ ideas (Hassanien, 2006).

Carousel activities are an engaging teaching method, and are commonly used in face to face teaching. With this technique, trainees work in small groups to complete an assigned task. Half of the trainees then stay with their projects to explain them, whilst the other half circulate around the room to hear about the other projects. The trainees then switch around, enabling everyone to have a chance to present to their peers, and hear about all the other projects and outcomes too. It was therefore important to try to emulate this for online teaching, as it was a well-received method in face to face teaching.

Implementation

I designed the teaching activity to be 30 minutes of small group work in breakout rooms, and then wanted some trainees to be able to move themselves to three  different breakout groups (one every 5 minutes), before moving back to their own original group. Meanwhile the other half would stay in their own group for the first 15 minutes, explaining to their peers about their project ideas, before then moving around 3 groups for the last 15 minutes.

I was able to research how to adapt settings on Blackboard Collaborate to allow this to happen. By clicking ‘allow attendees to switch groups’ when setting up breakout rooms, trainees can move themselves.

Trainees were given strict instructions about the task, including what their project was about based on what group number they were, how to make notes of their project for presenting to their peers after, and how/when to switch groups to hear about other’s ideas. See slides below, which are also available for download as a PowerPoint file:

Groups of 4-5 You will be allocated one of the following: - peer relations - bullying - exam stress - social media There may be multiple groups presenting for each topic You will be given an activity related to your topic Discuss, design, create your topic (30 mins) make notes on a shared screen. Perhaps one of you share your screen on a Word doc, or use the whiteboard feature. Present to others using carousel technique (30 mins)

2 people ('explainers') stay in your breakout room to explain your concept to other people coming in 2-3 people ('learners') move into other breakout rooms to learn about other group's ideas. Every 5 minutes, 'learners move around to the next group (e.g., if you're group 5, move to group 6), so you should look at 3 other groups. After 15 minutes, 'learners' and 'explainers' swap around, so you all get a chance to explore a bit more. All posters to be saved and sent to me so I can add to BB afterwards please!

Group 1 and 5: The local primary school have asked you to prepare a short presentation on 'bullying' for a year 6 school assembly Group 2 and 6: You have been asked by the local academy school to develop a newsletter on how 'how to cope with exam stress' for them to upload on the new school portal system for parents (particularly of GCSE students) to see. Group 3 and 7: The school council from a secondary school has requested a series of workshops on social media and online safety to a group of year 7 and 8 students Group 4 and 8: The local primary school SENCO has noticed a rise in referrals to the ELSA regarding peer relationship difficulties. they have requested some EMHPs to come and do some workshops with years 3-6 on 'positive peer relations'.

Feedback to wider class Any really interesting findings? Any difficulties arise?

I was then able to use the chat function to let everyone know to move to the next group (every 5 minutes).

I then closed all breakout rooms after all switches had been made, and we discussed the projects as a whole class.

Impact

Shortly after the carousel task was completed, trainees completed their usual feedback for the teaching day using Menti.

Below is the quantitative feedback about how satisfying, informative and engaging, the day was: (Note: this included other teaching techniques for three quarters of the day, and not just the carousel task in the final quarter.)

I am satisfied with the teaching - 9.3/10 The teaching was informative - 9.3/10 The teaching was engaging - 9.3/10

I was also able to see qualitative comments about the carousel task in particular, and noted how so many of the comments were specifically about this task. See below:

26 comments on the learning activity from students including 'liked the carousel activity' 'I liked the mixture of teaching style'.

It seems that trainees appreciated the real-life aspect of the group task, which is in line with research by O’Neill and Short (2023) who found that ”real-world relevant” group tasks in higher education tend to engage students more.

There were only three pieces of feedback about the carousel activity when trainees were asked what could be improved in the day:

  • “Carousel was a bit chaotic but enjoyed it more than I expected”
  • “The carousel was not so much fun”
  • “Felt rushed creating poster and then needing to share”

Whilst the first two are hard to make adjustments for as it is unclear what was not fun and what was chaotic, the third point can be solved by allowing more time for the task itself. However, I am also mindful that the majority of trainees completing the feedback did not state that this felt rushed. To balance this, I can check with trainees on the day if 30 minutes feels like enough time, and go with a majority vote for timing.

Overall, this activity was therefore able to meet its first two objectives:

  • adapt the carousel activity from face to face teaching to remote teaching, and
  • gain feedback from trainees about the effectiveness of this strategy.

The third objective was “to make changes as necessary for future implementation with other cohorts.” This has yet to be carried out due to the fact this teaching day resumed to face to face teaching the following year, but a similar technique can be utilised for other teaching days and content.

Reflections

Overall, I feel that the carousel technique was well implemented and only minor changes need to be taken forward. Specifically, this is about ensuring all trainees feel they have enough time for the initial project creation element.

From the feedback, I think trainees enjoyed the task. Clear instructions made this task work well, and  trainees enjoyed being able to move themselves around breakout groups. This was perhaps more novel than usual, which may have sparked interest. Similarly, Meng et al. (2019) found that novel techniques in the pharmacy field led to improved learning and communication abilities, and improved academic performance.

Furthermore, the creativity was acknowledged in another section of the Menti feedback –“this was night and day compared to some of the other less creatively organised sessions” – which is in line with research about the importance of creativity in successful and effective teaching in higher education (Bidabadi et al., 2016).

Follow up

Since this teaching, I have noticed how it has not been implemented with other teaching days. For my upcoming allocated teaching, I have mapped out remote teaching days where I can implement this strategy again.

I plan to use the same format for structuring the activities and slides, with the added element of elicited feedback from trainees before the task about whether they feel they have enough time to complete it. I could also enter the different breakout groups and check that they feel they have finished.

I also hope that by disseminating this technique more widely and in more detail than previously – I shared it in the Charlie Waller Institute Teaching and Learning Significant Interest Group – more lecturers will feel able to implement this strategy and gain feedback on future changes to make.

References

Bidabadi, N. S., Isfahani, A. N., Rouhollahi, A., & Khalili, R. (2016). Effective teaching methods in higher education: requirements and barriers. Journal of Advances in Medical Education & Professionalism4(4), 170-178.

Francis, R., & Shannon, S. J. (2013). Engaging with blended learning to improve students’ learning outcomes. European Journal of Engineering Education38(4), 359-369.

Hassanien, A. (2006). Student experience of group work and group assessment in higher education. Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism6(1), 17-39.

Meng, X., Yang, L., Sun, H., Du, X., Yang, B., & Guo, H. (2019). Using a novel student-centered teaching method to improve pharmacy student learning. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education83(2), 171-179.

O’Neill, G., & Short, A. (2023). Relevant, practical and connected to the real world: what higher education students say engages them in the curriculum. Irish Educational Studies, 1-18.


 

Working in partnership with students to signpost support structures to first years

Working in partnership with students to signpost support structures to first years

 

By: Vicki Matthews, School of Politics, Economics and International Relations (SPEIR), v.matthews@reading.ac.uk
Title screen from a video titled 'Embedding yourself in the academic community'. The text is in white and the background is deep green.
Title screen from “Embedding yourself in the academic community”, which you can watch below. © University of Reading

Overview

Transition to university is supported in varying ways not only across our university network, but also across the wider higher education sector. In the School of Politics, Economics and International Relations (SPEIR), explicit messaging relating to undergraduate transition has been a feature for several years, but a desire to incorporate student voice within that messaging at Part 1 led to a successful application for Teaching and Learning Enhancement Project (TLEP) funding.

The project, entitled “Using Student Voice to enhance communication of support structures to new Part 1 students“, involved a partnership between Vicki Matthews, Executive Support Officer, and students from the School, culminating in videos being produced with the themes of embedding yourself within the academic community, working with the academic community, and shaping the academic community. You can watch the videos, hosted on YouTube, below:

Implementation

The students collaborated to identify key points under each theme and then developed videos offering specific advice and top tips for a positive transition experience from a student perspective.  Students in SPEIR benefit from core competencies sessions which outline guidance on how to be a successful student, and the videos were shared during these classes.

Impact

The videos were well received, especially in terms of peer to peer messaging, but following first viewing we felt some advice would be better received during Welcome rather than once term had commenced. As a result, the “Embedding yourself within the academic community” video will now be shared during our Head of School Welcome Talk during Welcome Week.

In sharing the videos with the Student Engagement Community of Practice earlier this academic year, suggestion was made to update the video annotation slightly to make them suitable for use across the wider university network. Additional funding from the Teaching and Learning Initiatives Fund was received to edit them and they are now hosted on the Student Life YouTube channel for wider dissemination to students by all schools should they so wish.

Reflections

Feedback following the classes when the videos were first aired, without exception, evidenced that students’ confidence in seeking support should the need arise had arisen as a result of the session. Each class also captured at least one student who had not yet registered a learning difference, emphasising the importance of this explicit key messaging in ensuring students are aware of the support structures in place to enhance their overall university experience. Colleagues across the university are welcome to utilise these resources during their transition activities with new students. For further details on the project, or to discuss how these key messages support our transition strategy, please contact Vicki Matthews, SPEIR Executive Support Officer (v.matthews@reading.ac.uk).

As a School we will shortly be expanding the suite of videos thanks to PLanT funding. This will draw on the conclusions from recent focus groups and feature tops tips on how to overcome loneliness at university.

Designing an authentic assessment tailored specifically for Part 4 students

Designing an authentic assessment tailored specifically for Part 4 students

 

By: Dr Julia Abery, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, j.abery@reading.ac.uk

Four people watching a Macbook

Photo by Mimi Thian on Unsplash

Overview

I designed a tailored applied statistics assignment for a UoR Part 4 Department of Mathematics and Statistics module (module code ST4MVA) which successfully met two distinct objectives. Firstly, the assignment tested advanced, specific masters-level skills, as outlined in the QAA framework. Secondly, the assignment incorporated the critical elements of authentic assessment as recommended by Ashford-Rowe et al. (2014).

Objectives

In designing the assessment, the objectives were as follows:

  • To test masters-level skills described in the QAA L7 descriptor and to conform to departmental guidelines for L7 assessment.
  • To align with the ALOs (assessable learning outcomes) of the Part 4 applied statistics module ST4MVA.
  • To incorporate the critical elements of an authentic assessment, aiming to improve student engagement and develop employability skills.

Context

I produced a Part 4 assessment in multivariate methods which tests specific, advanced level 7 skills including systematic subject knowledge, evaluation, analysis, creation and independent research, to align with our department’s aims for assessment at this level.

Following discussion with colleagues and students, I became persuaded that an authentic assessment could increase value and meaning to the student. This meant basing the assessment on engaging ‘real-world’ scenarios, and aiming to incorporate employability skills and to promote deeper learning approaches.

Implementation

I consulted ST4MVA ALOs and departmental guidelines for Part 4 assessment, and decided on a data analysis assignment requiring selection and implementation of a range of multivariate methods in the statistical computing package R, some of which are researched independently. I took direction from the QAA level 7 descriptor; ‘to deal with complex issues both systematically and creatively … communicate their conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences; demonstrate self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems, and act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks at a professional or equivalent level.’ I designed an open ended task, so students could be creative and direct their own work. I requested two written reports, for specialist and non-specialist audiences.

Having reviewed various articles, I elected to use a simplified version of Ashford-Rowe et al.’s (2014) list of critical elements of authentic assessment. The table below shows how the assignment addresses these elements.

Table with three columns - see file download for accessible version

Select here to download an accessible version of this table.

Impact

Feedback from internal and external examiners and other colleagues suggests the assignment successfully captures features of an authentic assessment and allows students to demonstrate higher level abilities and employability skills.  Some colleagues thought a similar approach might be used elsewhere in our programmes. Writing an assignment with close alignment to the principles of authentic assessment was instructive and will undoubtedly influence the way I approach assessment in other modules and at other levels.

Students reported that the tasks were genuinely useful ones to practise and master, and tested higher level skills such as evaluation, creativity and analysis. The assignment was felt to be challenging and at least moderately engaging and interesting. One student commented ‘being able to apply the techniques we had learnt in lectures onto “real world data” made it very applicable to a real-world scenario[s].’

Reflections

At least three features helped to ensure success: Firstly, obtaining data from an industry partner, and working on the project with them, helped to maintain a real-world focus and ensured employability skills were assessed. Secondly, detailed scrutiny of the assignment by experienced internal and external examiners resulted in making some changes and improvements which led to a better and more challenging assignment. This highlights the benefits of collaborating with colleagues and other academics when developing authentic assessment, and being open to constructive criticism. Thirdly, consulting the literature and identifying a checklist ensured that I had clear objectives and maintained a wide perspective on different aspects of authentic assessment.

On reflection, a fuller understanding of authentic assessment may be achieved by consulting local employers, identifying skills they look for when they recruit and checking whether assessments align well with these. More feedback from students would be beneficial, clarifying the extent to which claims in the literature of enhanced learning, increased engagement and motivation play out in students’ experience.

The assessment has now been released, completed and marked but only for a small number of students to date, meaning that a full evaluation is yet to happen. A possible extension of the practice would be to implement authentic assessment at programme level – so each student can benefit.


 

References


 

Reframing success in a partnership project

Reframing success in a partnership project

Associate Professor Amanda Millmore, School of Law

 

Objectives

  • Curriculum development – reviewing & designing materials and the Blackboard framework for a new elective first year module.
  • Peer mentoring – student partners in Part 2 offering support to students on the module, embedded within the module by linking student partners directly with each seminar group and including them in online drop-ins and in-person teaching.

Context

During the Covid-19 pandemic, our students had struggled with their sense of belonging, not feeling part of the School of Law community due to lockdowns, online teaching and restrictions on gathering socially. We were creating a new elective, Part 1 law module called “Law and Society”, and we wanted to work with students to develop the module. We were also conscious that we needed to improve support for our new first-year students to ease their transition into university and their studies by enhancing their sense of belonging. We came up with the idea of supporting the new students by building bridges with the cohort in the year above.

Implementation

Curriculum Design – the student partners worked together with staff to review the materials we had prepared and giving their thoughts on what would be helpful and work for the new Part 1 students.

Peer Mentoring – we embedded student partners as mentors with individual seminar groups. We introduced them online  with a dedicated “Mentor” section on Blackboard, hosted a “Q&A” Padlet board for students to interact anonymously if they wished. The module was designed with the mentors embedded into it. Student partners were each paired with one of the teaching academics on the module to provide support. Mentors were timetabled to join online optional drop-in sessions  (and the session was headed “Meet the Mentors”) and compulsory seminars to offer support with groupwork and formative activities. Academic staff highlighted the benefits of peer support and promoted the mentors and how they could help, while mentors encouraged formal and informal contact with the students in their designated classes.

When student mentees did not attend the optional drop-in (we had more student partners attending than we did students enrolled on the module) we pivoted to the student partners sharing their advice for new students, which we recorded in a document that we shared on Blackboard.

Impact

Curriculum Design – this aspect of the project was very successful, with student partners feeding into the design of the Blackboard module, reviewing the module materials to ensure that they were engaging and pitched at the appropriate level and on student recommendation we ensured the provision of clickable Talis reading lists.

Peer Mentoring – this aspect fell flat, as the Part 1 students did not want to be mentored. They did not attend sessions where the mentors were offering support, declined offers of help (even when they volunteered to join a WhatsApp group) and the student partners felt that we were flogging a dead horse trying to mentor first-year students who did not want to be mentored. Student partners then pivoted to carry out some research to find out what the barriers to engagement with the project were; beset with difficulties in seeking feedback from the Part 1 students who did not respond to questionnaires, offers of coffee and cake or focus groups, the few who did participate explained that they just did not feel the need for that kind of peer support.

Reflection

Whilst the mentoring aspect of the project did not land successfully with the Part 1 students, it was not due to problems with the partnership or even the design of the project, it was just that the Part 1 cohort did not want the support that we were offering. This may be peculiar to this particular cohort, who had been significantly affected by Covid at school, but it was not for want of trying.

Whilst not one of our explicit aims, the notable success of our partnership is the value to the student partners who worked as module designers, mentors and researchers, these students have had the opportunity to disseminate their experiences at conferences and in writing and can see real benefits to their partnership experiences, and they have developed tangible employability attributes, not least a high degree of resilience.

a group of women in business attire standing in front of a white and wood panelled wall

Amanda Millmore and student partners before presenting at the Change Agents’ Network conference 2022

Follow-up

Student partners co-presented this project at the CAN (Change Agents’ Network) conference at UCL in summer 2022 and we have now co-authored a journal article sharing our experiences.

We have continued with the good curriculum developments in the module, which continues to grow from strength to strength. The mentoring aspect of the project has not continued, but instead we ensure to signpost our students to their STaR mentors and PAL leaders for peer support.

Partnership working in the School of Law continues to be business as usual, and the hiccups on this project have not deterred us from trying new things with our student partners, ensuring that we see the benefits of partnership as part of the process and the positives for the partners.

Links

We contributed to a blog after the CAN conference: CAN Case Study: A Pivoting Partnership – Student Mentors Trying to Engage: a Tale of Trial & Error | CAN 2022 (ucl.ac.uk)

Forthcoming article (co-authored by staff & student partners) in the Journal of Educational Innovation, Partnership & Change in 2023 – currently in copy editing phase – will share a link once it’s available.

If you’d like to know more about staff-student partnership in the School of Law, you can reach me at a.millmore@reading.ac.uk