Learning in Partnership:

doing things differently

in a 21st century university

Invited presentation to meeting of

UWS Student Association & Student Participation in Quality Scotland

our programme, our university, our community

Dr Gordon Heggie - @gorhegDr Neil McPherson - @neilgmcpherson

School of Media, Culture & SocietyUniversity of the West of Scotland

We believe in the transforming power of activelearning and engagement. We treat students asindividuals, active partners in learning

But, what does active partners in learning really

mean?

Working in partnership with students is a sophisticated

and effective way of developing student engagement

and enhancing learning and teaching

Partnership is a relationship where everyone involved

is actively engaged in – and stands to benefit from –

the process of learning and working together

According to the Higher Education Academy

So, its more than just

‘listening to the student voice’

And it is more than…

THE SUM TOTAL OF AN INSTITUTION’S STUDENT ENGAGEMENT MECHANISMS

DOES NOT EQUAL PARTNERSHIP

NUS, A Manifesto for Partnership, 2012

‘…new or existing student engagement processes or specific one-off schemes and projects’

‘…beyond documents, projects and initiatives, it needs to become part of the culture and ethos of the institution’

(Healey, Flint and Harrington, 2014: 8)

PARTNERSHIP IS AN ETHOS

RATHER THAN AN ACTIVITY

For partnerships to be sustained…

‘Students as partners is not just a nice-to-have…

…it has the potential to help bring about social and educational transformation as long as we know what we are trying to do and we maintain a critical attitude about

the ways the concept is adopted and used’

(Rachel Wenstone VP HE NUS, 2012)

Learning in Partnership

Heggie, G. & N. McPherson, 2014

What have we done?

• Participated in the HEA ‘students as partners’ Change Programme

• Disrupted ‘normal’ learning & teaching practice(reconnected teaching & research)

• Integrated negotiated learning & engaged leadership (learners as teachers)

• Engaged students as producers of knowledge (within & outwith the curriculum)

• Empowered students as pedagogic consultants engaged in curriculum design & development

Does it work?

I only found it scary because I was introduced to this way of learning so late in to my degree - do it earlier!!!

It facilitates learning. That's all I need… and the current system fails at that

Should be implemented more as it allows the experience of university education to be more stimulating, interactive and therefore more enriching

Personally I think students taking ownership of their learning and becoming co-creators of their own learning experience has to be the future of Higher Education in Scotland