building working relationships in learning communities

School of Life Sciences

Building working relationships in learning communities

Lee Beck, Phoebe Maina, Felicia StanfordSusan K Robbins

BSc PGCE MPhil PhD FHEAPrincipal Lecturer in Student Experience

University Teaching FellowASKe Fellow

Email: srobbins@brookes.ac.uk

School of Life Sciences

Transition to University Relocation: making the move from home to

university Domestication: learning to live independently Integration: mixing with different people Building networks: making friends and

meeting colleagues Lifestyle issues: making independent choices Academic issues: recognising differences

between teaching at school and university

School of Life Sciences

Integration

Where students come from: Global catchment area: the whole world Social catchment area: all social backgrounds,

though unbalanced ratios Economic catchment area: various, wide-

ranging Disabilities: various, wide-ranging Ages: various, wide-ranging within a cohort• So… how do we set about integrating these

students into a learning community?

School of Life Sciences

Support networks Previous support networks: family, friends, peer

group, teachers, work colleagues, social and sports groups

Making new friends: university social life: clubs, societies, residential groups (halls)

Building collegiate groups: discipline-based peer groups, peer support for study, student-staff working relationships, personal tutor support

School of Life Sciences

Building learning communities

Developing cohort identity through activities: doing things together, experiential learning

Example from Extended Sciences, foundation year prior to starting science degree study

Induction: using experiential learning to break down barriers and establish friendships and working relationships

Using outdoor pursuits to build friendships, working groups, belonging…

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Experiential Learning: integrating Foundation Students

Cohort: 30-50 students; age range 18-50; ethnicity – various; socio-economic – various, many WP; domicile – local, regional, UK, overseas

Activity Day as part of 3-day induction programme Invitation to outdoor pursuits centre to participate in

an exciting programme of activities Two-thirds of students attend each year All participants gave resoundingly positive feedback Non-participants wished they’d not missed out!

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What the students said then … Before: I was nervous and excited, also curious, scary. After: I felt different from before the experience, it wasn't

that scary. I loved the experience of getting to know each other.

Before: Thinking that it would be a little boring going doing simple tasks with people I didn't know.

After: Friday was amazing. Wasn't boring at all. I was fully involved and having fun throughout all of it. Managed to get to know everyone a lot better as well.

Before: I was in suspense as to what, where the day would intail (student’s spelling!).

After: It could well be a pivotal tool to help new students break the ice and get a fun element out of team working and getting to know one another better.

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What the students say now … Over to Phoebe, Felicia and Lee…

Phoebe FSC 2007-8, now entering final year Biomedical Science

Felicia FSC 2008-9, now entering Stage 2 Cell and Molecular Biology

Lee FSC 2009-10, now entering Stage 1 Nutrition

School of Life Sciences

Acknowledgements

The Extended Sciences Activity Day was funded by Brookes Student Learning Experience Strategy (2007&8) and is now funded by the School of Life Sciences (2009)

Photography: Sheona Bellis, School Photographer Support from colleagues helping me run the activities Staff at Longridge, Marlow http://www.longridge-uk.org/home/