Zoe Hollingsworth

1
Engaging Students as Partnersa snapshot of
activity in 08/09

• Zoe Hollingsworth
• Sabbatical Intern Faculty of Medical and Human
  Sciences
• Elizabeth Boreham
• Sabbatical Intern Faculty of Engineering and
  Physical Sciences
• Emily Wiles
• Sabbatical Intern Faculty of Life Sciences
• Stephanie Landymore
• Sabbatical Intern Faculty of Humanities (PASS)
• Matthew Valentine
• Sabbatical Intern Faculty of Humanities
  (Mentoring)

2
Session Outline

• An Introduction to Students as Partners
• An Introduction to the role of the Sabbatical
• Snapshots of Sabbatical Activity during the 08/09
  Academic Year

3
Students as Partnersan introduction

• A programme of work within the Teaching
  Learning Support Office
• Supports and facilitates student-led activity
• Encourages students to take a holistic approach
  to their learning development
• Concentrates on the total student experience
  recognises co-curricular learning opportunities
  as well as those available through the curriculum

4
The role of the Sabbaticalan introduction

• Integral activity, enhancing the student
  experience.
• Annual portfolios of work agreed with Faculties.
• Supporting maintenance and development of Peer
  Support Schemes
• - Recruitment, Training, Delivery, Evaluation
• Involvement in specific student
  engagement/consultation projects
• Facilitating networks to share good practice
  across Faculty

5
Students as PartnersStructure
Teaching and Learning Manager marcia.ody_at_mancheste
r.ac.uk
Teaching and Learning Adviser william.carey_at_manche
ster.ac.uk
Student Sabbatical Interns (Faculty Level)
Student Coordinators
Staff Coordinator
PASS Leaders/Mentors
Students
6
How do we engage students?

• Peer Mentoring
• PASS Peer Assisted Study Sessions
• Higher Year Peer Support
• Hearing the Student Voice - Focus Groups
• Engaging students in project development - Study
  Skills Website

7
Peer Mentoring

• Peer Mentoring is a social support network for
  students. Often heavily involved during Freshers
  Week, assisting with orientation and
  socialisation, Peer Mentoring can continue
  throughout the year fostering a greater sense of
  community within a discipline and School.

8
Peer MentoringCase Study SLT Mentor Sessions
Five sessions have been timetabled to coincide
with pressure points throughout the year. Topics
include Orientation/Expectations Catch-up
Exams/Assignments Housing Placements
9
Peer Mentoring Evaluation

• 88 of first year SLT students found meeting
  their mentor in Freshers week helped them settle
  in to life on their course
• 89 of first year Medical students commented that
  the mentoring scheme was beneficial to their
  university experience in Semester One
• its just nice to know theres someone whos
  been through it all before and can give you a bit
  of support when you need it - First year Medical
  student
• the scheme made me feel like part of the
  Medical School community - First Year Medical
  student

10
PASS - Peer Assisted Study Sessions

• In PASS, trained higher year students facilitate
  discussion between groups of lower year students
  to help develop study and learning strategies.
• Sessions are voluntary and regularly timetabled,
  usually 1 hour/week
• Informal review of material from historically
  difficult courses in a non-threatening, group
  situation.

11
PASSCase Study PASS in Chemical Engineering

• 28 PASS leaders, 14 groups
• 3rd year of the scheme in Chem. Eng.
• Freshers week team building activity
• Debriefs useful feedback mechanism
• Staff support (academic and administrative)
• My role observing sessions, attending debriefs,
  advising Staff and Student Coordinators

12
PASSEvaluation

• Attendance 50 average in 1st Semester
• Evaluation using PRS
• Positives identified by 1st year students who
• went to PASS
• Chance to socialise with other student on my
  course
• Advice from other students on academic issues
• Attendance data vs. exam marks
• c.f. FLS published data

13
Higher Year Peer Support

• "Pilot initiatives should be run to trial PASS
  in higher years of study and to enhance other
  effective means of peer support in higher years
  of study where PASS is not appropriate."
• Geography Dissertation Scheme
• Econometrics PASS
• Final Year Discussion Groups (FLS)

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Higher Year Peer SupportCase Study Final Year
Discussion Groups

• Large number of optional modules in final year
  of Life Sciences Degree Programmes
• Many students are split up from regular working
  groups
• Helping students to organise discussion groups
  for a given unit providing them with
  opportunities to work collaboratively on lecture
  content and background reading with their peers.
• 4 final year units, 51 students attending in
  total, average of 14 per unit
• Meet weekly, 2 hour sessions
• Progressively work through lecture content
• Question-based approach

15
Higher Year Peer SupportOutcomes

• Increased performance in exams
• Increased confidence
• It makes me feel more confident because I know
  that Im not the only one struggling
• Our Mentors could provide us with practical
  information and guidance about the dissertation
  and it was comforting to know they had gone
  through the same experience.
• Improved communication skills
• I feel like its easier to communicate to
  people there are no awkward silences. I am able
  to speak more clearly as well.
• Increased motivation to revise
• Solved problems together

16
Engaging students as consultants

• Why do we want to use students as consultants?
• How might we do this?
• Sabbaticals are a similar age to the students and
  therefore perhaps get more honest answers

17
Focus GroupCase Study Combined Studies Geography

• Organised collaboratively by the Sabbatical
  Intern for Humanities (PASS) and the Director of
  Combined Studies
• Purpose to discuss with current students taking
  Geography units the advantages and disadvantages
  of their degree to discover whether any
  improvements could be made
• Some of the areas discussed
• Student satisfaction with their degrees why
  they were satisfied or dissatisfied.
• Available staff support
• Ease of getting to know other students in
  Combined Studies or single honours Geography
• Gaining study skills pertinent to Geography

18
Engaging students as consultantsOutcomes

• Students are engaged in decision making at a
  range of levels from Institutional down to single
  unit level
• I was pleased to have the opportunity to
  contribute to major changes within the University
  and it was nice to have the opportunity to voice
  my opinions in a fun and inspiring way as
  students we were able to suggest a number of
  recommendations and to discuss these with
  staffyou feel like you are a part of the
  University decision making process 3rd Year
  Physics Student 2008
• Being proactive and working with staff and
  students enhances the student learning experience
  in a variety of ways, both for us at the time of
  studying but also for future students. Being
  involved has helped me to become organised in my
  own learning but it has also built a really
  social side to my studiesI have developed and
  benefited so much Final Year Combined Studies
  Student
• Changes that affect the students are appropriate
  to them, since theyve been included in the
  planning process

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Engaging students in project development

• Project development
• Student engagement
• The sabbatical

20
Engaging students in project developmentCase
Study Humanities Study Skills Website

• The current website
• My role
• What happened?

21
Engaging students in project developmentOutcomes

• Student input
• Accessibility
• Staff/student partnership

22
so how can staff benefit?

• Positive student experience and a community of
  learners
• Student satisfaction
• Feedback
• Enhanced graduate skills
• Increased project quality
• Maintaining a network of engaged students

23
Contact Details
Elizabeth Boreham sabbatical.eps_at_manchester.ac.uk
Zoe Hollingsworth sabbatical.mhs_at_manchester.ac.uk
Stephanie Landymore sabbatical.humanitiespass_at_ma
nchester.ac.uk Matthew Valentine sabbatical.human
itiesmentoring_at_manchester.ac.uk Emily
Wiles sabbatical.fls_at_manchester.ac.uk
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Additional Information

• Students as Partners Contacts
• Teaching and Learning Manager
• Marcia Ody
• Marcia.J.Ody_at_manchester.ac.uk
• Teaching and Learning Adviser
• William Carey
• William.Carey_at_manchester.ac.uk
• Sabbatical Interns
• Liz Boreham (EPS)
• sabbatical.eps_at_manchester.ac.uk
• Zoe Hollingsworth (MHS)
• sabbatical.mhs_at_manchester.ac.uk
• Stephanie Landymore (HUM - PASS)
• sabbatical.humanitiespass_at_manchester.ac.uk

Links Students as Partners website www.manchester
.ac.uk/studentsaspartners Peer
Support www.manchester.ac.uk/studentsaspartners/pe
ersupport Peer Assisted Study Sessions
(PASS) www.manchester.ac.uk/studentsaspartners/pee
rsupport/pass Peer Mentoring www.manchester.ac.uk
/studentsaspartners/peersupport/peermentoring