Students as Partners

'Students as Partners' - an interesting article co-written by RUSU Education Officer, Emma Jackson and Professor Matthew Almond, Senior Lecturer in Inorganic Chemistry and University of Reading Teaching Fellow.

Introduction

At the end of Spring Term, RUSU organised a “Partnership in Teaching and Learning” conference. Supported by the Higher Education Academy and the National Union of Students, this was an enjoyable and well-attended event highlighting the work of the RUSU Excellence Awards winners.

The conference itself was the first of its kind to be run by a Students’ Union, in the sense that it not only celebrated fantastic teaching practice, but also demonstrated the ways students can work to change teaching and learning by highlighting and disseminating what they consider to be good teaching practice. The conference did this by creating an opportunity for the winners of the student-led teaching awards to share how they teach, and what their students respond best to. The event showcased some outstanding examples of good practice, ranging from technological innovations (Karsten Lundqvist and Emma Mayhew), research-inspired teaching (Emily West) and the role of personal tutors (Becky Thomas). From the programme, it is clear innovation in teaching was a pervasive concept. However, the overriding theme that emerged was that of “Students as Partners.” This concept has been growing in strength across the whole of the university sector in recent years, not least as a major aspect of the Student Charter.  At an institutional level the “Students as Partners” philosophy is underpinned by the high level of student representation on Boards of Study, Periodic Review Panels, Appointment Boards, Senate and suchlike. However, the conference highlighted the idea of a ‘partnership’ at ground level, with speakers from some of the University’s PLanT Project teams. The PLanT Project, as run by Joy Collier and Maura O’Regan, is an initiative which gives students the opportunity to work with staff to enhance and develop aspects of their course, ranging from delivery and design of a module to considering the resources used to teach. The conference was a platform for teams within the Institute of Education and SPEIR on exploring the “multiple identity” associated with being a student and a teacher whilst studying within the Institute of Education, and on running breakfast clubs to enhance student engagement and collect honest and frank feedback.

In this short article we would like to explore a slightly different aspect of “Students as Partners;” how changes to the mode of delivery of academic material can encourage students to take more responsibility for their learning and to engage more with their curriculum. One of us is a lecturer in Chemistry and, as such, many of the examples chosen will come from the Chemistry Department. In no way does this indicate any sort of monopoly on good practice, it just happens to be what I know most about. One of the great things about Teaching and Learning enhancement at Reading is the way that good practice is freely shared between Schools and Departments

Transferable Skills Training  - Teamworking

Transferable skills training is now embedded into many programmes at Reading driven by the realisation that this can underpin other academic skills, and will enhance employability. Typically this sort of work will include group exercises and group work allows students to work together and to interact more closely with staff. In Chemistry we have run a first year module, developed by Elizabeth Page, “Chemical Concepts in Context” and this leads onto more group-led research projects at Parts 3 and 4. Some of these projects have led to published work. In all cases students see the value of working as a team to achieve their aims: some student comments include:

“Good for getting to know a group of people early in the year”
“I found the module useful and related to my course”
“Picked up a lot of useful skills and examples for interviews as well as chemical knowledge”
“It was very useful for future jobs as this was the module where I learnt most of my skills”
“ I Really Enjoyed Doing Them”
“We enjoyed opportunity to do more lab work. Felt that the project enormously helped teamworking skills”

A Colloquium-led Module

Probably all Departments within the University run series of colloquia or seminars where outside lecturers come to talk about their research. David Nutt in Chemistry has seen the potential to use such events as a source of material for teaching. Undergraduate students attend such collqouia as a credit-bearing module and submit a report on one selected colloquium for assessment having been given formative feedback on an earlier report. Students need clear guidance through such a module but one great advantage is that student feel a part of the research community of their department. They no longer see the research activity as something completely separate from their studies; at the same time the module greatly broadens their horizons.

The Student-Led Conference

Several Departments have run departmental conferences where students give a presentation (oral or poster) on a topic from their subject specialism. They may in some cases have a free choice of topic, in others the topic may be set by a member of staff.  Once again such activity gives the students a feeling of being research partners. It may be daunting for many beforehand, but afterwards all recognise the value of what they have done. Some positive comment include:-

• During my second year, my department organised a student conference challenging students to present on their chosen subject. Having been encouraged to take part in this, I have grown in confidence and have since presented multiple times during my industrial placement.
• Opportunities like the student conference and chemical concepts course gives us the chance to develop the transferable skills (like presentation) that employers will look for when we leave university.

The Flipped Classroom

Across many parts of the university the “flipped classroom” is gaining a strong following as a way to deliver lecture material. For any not familiar with this approach, the technique is to present the formal lecture in an alternative format e.g. as a video on which the students work independently and then the formal contact time is used for discussions, question-and answer sessions or problem based learning. This allows a much better partnership to develop between students and lecturer than is possible in a formal lecture. However, there are some caveats. Some students and lecturers feel that this approach works better in some subject areas than others – in chemistry the consensus is that it works better in the more problem-based areas than the more descriptive ones. Of course, there is also the feeling from some that if too much material were delivered in this way then the workload would be very difficult for both staff and students.

UROP

UROP is an excellent way to encourage students as Research Partners.  Recently we have trialled a scheme whereby UROP students also gain supervisory experience by working alongside other placement students such as Nuffield Bursary placement students from schools and colleges. In this way the students see that they are being treated fully as partners, not only engaging in research but learning how to supervise and direct research.

Conclusions

The comments above just provide a few possible ideas. Of course the whole area of Technology-Enhanced Learning opens up a whole range of possibilities for students and staff to work more closely alongside each other.  Our experience is that Teaching and Learning and the Student Experience are really enhanced when staff and students work alongside each other.  If any of these ideas have inspired you and you would like to know more then please do not hesitate to contact us.

Emma Jackson
Professor Matthew Almond 

So you're not sure if you should stand as a Student Trustee?

So you’re thinking of running in the elections for Student Trustee? Go for it!!

The position of Student Trustee is a very important role as you are on the Board of a charity that represents thousands of students...you bring suggestions from a current student’s perspective which, when you think about it, is crucial as this is a student-led organisation!

Over the past few months, I have gained some invaluable experience that I would otherwise not have had the opportunity to gain. Twice a term the Student Officer Trustees, Student Trustees and External Trustees meet at Board to discuss important matters concerning students’ experience here at Reading. This is something which you have the potential to have a big influence on which is actually really exciting!

Alongside these important meetings, you will have the opportunity to chair Student Officer Scrutiny (S.O.S) meetings and become really involved with what RUSU is doing to enhance the student experience. Although this may seem daunting...it is such a good skill to add to that CV! Not only this but you have the chance to sit on a variety of sub committees, help with elections, policy, finance.....the list goes on!

You may think that you have to be a certain type of person or have had a certain amount of experience in this area, but believe me, as long as you’re interested in RUSU and want to have an influence on big changes and decisions then ANYONE can nominate themselves to be a Student Trustee!

Just think......you and a couple of others will be the only people from your year of students to have such unique experience in working with a hugely successful organisation. Tell that to your employer!

Emily Kerr
RUSU Student Trustee 2013/14

Got Elections Phobia?

"There’s no way I can run, I haven’t done enough stuff! Everyone else will be more qualified"

This is a common worry people have when they are deciding about whether or not to put themselves forward. But there are no tick boxes for what you have to have done to run for any of these positions. You don’t have to have been a Course Rep to be Education Officer, you don’t have to be a volunteer to be Community & Development Officer and you don’t have to have been on a JCR to be RUSU President. Of course, experience in the area you want to be involved in is useful but it’s certainly not essential, what’s more important is a passion for the issues and a determination to make change. In fact, the only essential quality you must have is that you need to be a current student at Reading. You might be a final year about to graduate or maybe you’re a first or second year thinking of taking a year out? Undergrad or Postgrad, over 21 or under, home student or overseas, whatever your background or status you are eligible to run! So… since being a student is the only essential it looks like you’re super qualified so why not give it a shot?

"Sure, the job looks fun but I’m too scared to run in an election"

Too many people never run in an election because it seems big and scary and just not something that they would ever want to put themselves through. Maybe you've never known anyone who has become an Officer; maybe you haven’t been that involved with the Union, maybe you didn't even know Student Officers existed! Maybe you hate public speaking, you don’t think you know enough people, you have too much University work or you just don’t think you have the time to campaign. None of these things are reasons for you to not put yourself forward. Campaigning can be flexible and there are lots of ways to do it that don’t involve public speaking or standing around on campus all day. There are also many ways to win an election and it’s really not always about who knows the most people, or who is President of what society. All kinds of people win elections and this year it could be you! Whatever barriers might be in your way, come and talk to us about them and we will do our best to break them down.

"Well it’s easy for you to say…"

Contrary to popular belief, elections scare me. Before I ran in my first election (St. George’s JCR 2009) I was terrified. The prospect of standing up and talking to just 40 people made me feel sick and I thought no one would ever vote for me.  Yet somehow I have run in a further 5 elections since that day. They might be scary, but going through them has given me 2 years on a JCR and 2 years in the best job in the world at RUSU. I’m a delegate for NUS National Conference and a member of NUS Welfare Zone committee. And do you know what? I was just as scared before all of those elections as before that first one in St. Georges’ common room. Whether it’s talking to 40 people or 400 people I still get nervous, I rewrite speeches about a thousand times and I threaten to drop out right up until the last minute. So why do I keep doing them? Because it’s just so worth it. The scariest bit is actually nominating so just do that and worry about the rest later!

"I haven’t really thought about it to be honest, people like me don’t really do this sort of thing" 

A common misconception is that elections aren't for ‘people like you.’ All I’ll say is this:

"If the same kind of people always run then the same kind of people will always win and the same kind of things will always happen."

If you want to see change then why not be the one to trigger it? If you think no one would vote for someone ‘like you’ or that no one ‘like you’ has ever won before, well that is all the more reason to run!

Students’ Unions should be living, breathing, ever-changing, diverse and accessible organisations and maybe it’s someone EXACTLY ‘like you’ that is just what RUSU needs.

If you’re interested in finding out more about Full-time or Part-time Officer positions take a look at our website or send me an email. 

Sophie Davies
Welfare Officer 2013/14
E: welfareofficer@rusu.co.uk
Follow @RUSU_Welfare 

Love your Library.... what you think matters

So, you may have seen one of these cheeky fellows floating around the library...

You may even have been one of those who posted a postcard into this post-box...

If you were, then I would like to say thank-you for taking the time to fill out the survey! Over the summer, the University made some fantastic changes to the second and fifth floors... but we don’t want it to stop there!

RUSU ran the library survey to find out what you want out of the library. Naturally, views and opinions differ across year and faculty, but here is what we found the overall student body wants:

• Continued refurbishments to the third and fourth floors
• An increase in the library temperature (believe it or not, one of the biggest student gripes was that you were too cold)
• Improved toilet facilities
• Improved catering facilities, with more space to eat in particular more group study spaces
• Improved IT services, including more computers
• More extensive and up-to-date collections
• Of course, many other issues have been raised as a result of the survey, which we will also continue to work on – such as more safety bus provisions

By filling in our postcard, you have directed your Union.

You have given us a wealth of data we can now use as evidence to lobby the University on all the above matters.................we'll keep you posted on our progress.J

Emma Jackson
Education Officer 2013/14

E: educationofficer@rusu.co.uk

Follow @RUSU_Education  

So you want to be the RUSU Community and Development Officer?

It is strange to think that this time last year I was in my third year of English Language, wondering what to do when I graduated. Whether I would move home, go travelling, stay in Reading or continue my studies on a postgraduate course. Being a Student Officer never really figured as a possible option. I thought it was for super confident students, who were engaged with politics and understood democracy, all attributes that I thought I didn't really have. However, I really could not have been more wrong.

Being a Student Officer is about being passionate about students’ rights. It is about wanting the best for students, whether it be good feedback from assignments, more information regarding careers, or more opportunities to volunteer. It is about leading a multi-million pound organisation with 4 other Officers, being a Trustee of a charity and being part of something that can really make a difference to over 15,000 students.

If it wasn't for one of last year’s Student Officer’s giving me a gentle nudge, I would never have had the confidence to run and would have never had the great experiences and skills that I have acquired. So now it is my turn to encourage you to stand for elections and to have one of the best experiences you will ever have.

So why run to be the Community and Development Officer? There is no simple response to this question because the reality is there are a multitude of reasons why you should run for this position.

Firstly, the role is still very new, there is so much scope to tailor the role into what you think a Community and Development Officer should be. This is even more true now that the role has slightly changed. You would be the Officer responsible to take the lead on the issues and campaigns that relate to student housing and halls of residence. Something that every single student experiences and a chance for you to make a real difference to these students time at Reading.

Secondly, you are responsible for the direction and expansion of volunteering, a huge but very exciting task.
RUSU recognises the importance volunteering has for both personal and career development. Volunteering has grown so much in the last two years, but there are still so many opportunities for students to get involved with and it will be up to you how to regulate those opportunities and to decide how you best feel students will engage with volunteering.

Thirdly, and this is the best reason by far, every single day is different. One day you might be going to Lakeside Care Home to help out with a tea party, you might be helping another Officer with a campaign they are running, you might be speaking on Junction11 one day, the next you might be in a University board meeting representing students followed by meeting community members to tell them about the great things students’ do, and even end up having tea and cake with the Mayor. There are certainly tough days, but they are way outweighed by the great days, when something positive is achieved for students. Every day brings a new experience and a new skills set. It is great to put on the CV and it is possibly the best introduction to working life.

Being a Student Officer gives you a great experience that you will always look back on and could lead you into having an incredible job. Even if you are undecided about running, come and speak to one of the Officers now, our doors are always open, and we can support you in any way we can.

Katy Ashford
Community and Developemnt Officer 2013/14
E: communityanddevelopment@rusu.co.uk
Follow @RUSU_Community

So you want to be the RUSU Engagement Officer?

Your involvement with a Students' Union can be somewhat strange. Once immersed in the world of Students' Unions, NUS and University meetings, it is easy to fall into buzz-words and a rather assumed attitude that all students must experience your Students' Union the way you do.
The best thing about Students' Unions – and especially here at RUSU – is that everyone experiences it in their own way. We are all introduced to it through various avenues; usually initially through a prospectus listing societies and sport teams or at the Sports and Societies Fayres in Freshers' Week.

The best thing about being a part of the Students' Union is leaving an impact – you can do this by participating in any aspect of it. When I look back at my  University experience, it is RUSU that had a big impact on what made it fantastic. I didn't necessarily know it at the time. All the things that happen behind the scenes for events like the Summer Ball and Societies organising trips abroad, complete your university experience and I guarantee are the things you will remember the most.

Being able to lead and influence this organisation is therefore hugely fulfilling. It is tough, but so are many jobs and there are very few jobs for graduates that allow an undergrad to walk in and help lead and shape an organisation. The sense of accomplishment is huge and you have all the support and resources to help you achieve what you set out to achieve. The role in itself is hugely rewarding, but it is also a year (or potentially two) where you are experiencing university in a very different way. It won’t be like being a student again – however it has lots of benefits, and it is good working in an environment you are fairly used to and comfortable with.

Whether you have been involved in JCR’s, sports teams or just attended the Union on a Wednesday night, you will have fresh experiences and new ideas to bring to the role and help improve other students' time here at the University of Reading.

My own role encourages a lot of creativity. It can be demanding at times with a lot of different aspects to juggle, but that is what makes it exciting. The role will include the commercial side of the union, sports teams, campaigning, societies and student media – it therefore welcomes students from all walks of life.

If you’re even considering running for Student Engagement Officer, or indeed any of the roles coming up in the elections, I recommend it. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask and drop by my office. Any of the Student Officers will happily help you. If you are considering running in the elections, then do. You won’t regret it. Elections week is a great learning experience and hugely fulfilling.

Josh Cave
Student Engagement Officer 2013/14
E: studentengagement@rusu.co.uk
Follow @RUSU_Engagement

So you want to be the RUSU Education Officer?

February is fast approaching, which can only mean one thing in RUSU language: Election time and guess what... I think you should consider running for one of the best placement roles/graduate jobs that you could ever have.

There are so many layers to being a sabbatical officer, but my gosh if I had a penny for every time I was accused of running because I wanted to ‘live as a student for an extra year’ I wouldn't need my salary! However, this is most definitely not the case. The truth is, this job is not what I expected. It’s so much more...  From day one you are at the helm of a multi-million pound turnover charity which, along with the other sabbatical officers, you direct.

But why become an Education Officer in particular? Easy – because it’s the one commonality that all students at the University of Reading share. It’s why every single person has embarked on their journey in Reading, and makes working for students feel all the more worthwhile.

From the minute you step into office, you have to open your mind up from your course and take into account the needs of all students which vary wildly. Some students spend their days locked away in a lab, whilst others have next-to-no contact hours. The needs of every student are different and it’s the job of an Education Officer to look at what the student body needs as a whole, as well as those in individual faculties.
As an Education Officer, you will need to balance the demands of University Committee meetings, with the student facing role. Admittedly, sometimes this is a challenge – but your time commitments even out; one week you could be in and out of meetings, influencing some of the biggest educational decisions made by key players in the University, and the next week you could be helping a fellow Student Officer run a full-scale campaign. This is something I love about the role as Education Officer – my activities differ day-by-day, and no two days are ever the same.

Looking back on the time I have spent as a Student Officer, I am in awe at the support and training I have

received not only from RUSU, but from the NUS as well. It felt quite daunting coming into office on my first day. Yet, I was comforted by the fact NUS place you into a network of other Student Officers from all over the country which you can easily communicate with if you want to compare stats, figures, or even just how to deal with particular issues. The best thing is that you’re never on your own; there is always someone there to help.

This job has allowed me to represent thousands of students, and make a real change when it comes to their educational experience. But on a more personal level, this job has given me so much more. It has taught me valuable skills that would be impossible to get elsewhere in just one year. The opportunities that have been afforded to me as a result of this job are also incomprehensible – I've been able to apply for national funding schemes for RUSU, as well as apply for jobs at the end of it that I couldn't have even comprehended applying for before. Not only that, it has allowed me to make valuable connections across not only Reading, but the country. Such skills and connections I will most definitely be using in the future.

It is an absolute pleasure being an activist for student’s rights. I urge every single one of you to consider running in the elections!

Emma Jackson
Education Officer 2013/14

E: educationofficer@rusu.co.uk
Follow @RUSU_Education