Learning in partnership: presentation to SAUWS/sparqs

1. 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 - @gorheg
Dr Neil McPherson - @neilgmcpherson
School of Media, Culture & Society
University of the West of Scotland

2. We believe in the transforming power of active
learning and engagement. We treat students as
individuals, active partners in learning

3. But, what does active
partners in learning really
mean?

4. 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

5. So, its more than just
‘listening to the student voice’

6. 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’

7. ‘…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…

8. ‘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)

9. Learning in Partnership
Heggie, G. & N. McPherson, 2014

10. 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

11. 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