Enabling transformative learning and developing graduate attributes in students: enhancement of engagement via partnership approaches in and beyond the curriculum

Colin Bryson and Ruth Furlonger: Newcastle Universitycolin.bryson@ncl.ac.uk ruth.furlonger@ncl.ac.uk

Conceptions of engagement – the dominant paradigm

Roots in the USA (Becker, 1961: Pace, 1979: Astin, 1977: Pascarella and Terenzini, 1991, 2005)

A focus on active classroom behaviours - (National Student Survey on Engagement) – George Kuh

Student engagement is defined as students’ involvement in activities and conditions that are linked with high-quality learning. A key assumption is that learning outcomes are influenced by how an individual participates in educationally purposeful activities.

Survey used very widely - Over 200 publications http://nsse.iub.edu/index.cfm

Transfer to other settings….Coates developed NSSE into the AUSSE (and now we have SASSE and NSSE-China)

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Our own evidence from students

Early work with Len Hand then with Christine Hardy

Major longitudinal study over 4 years and subsequent

And other studies on graduateness, staff perspectives, and action research

Informed by a much wider perspective on the literatureUnderstanding and Developing Student

Engagement, Routledge, 2014AIT/GMIT seminars

A wider exploration of the literature Strong evidence base and critical perspective

from schools SE research(Fredricks et al; Gibbs & Posskitt; Harris) Relational engagement (Solomonides, Reid and

Petocz, 2012) Ways of being a student - (Dubet, in Jary and

Lebeau, 2009) -Personal project; Integration into university; Intellectual engagement with subject

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To meet regularly to discuss SE.   To involve and work with students in partnership An early goal was to develop a concept map and set of principles

that underpin the promotion of SE To establish an annual conference drawing together leading edge

work on SE - and to feed into publication through journals and books. (Next conference– Sept 2015, Nottingham)

To gain funding to support these events and activities. To create a bank of useful resources for us to share. To facilitate communication between us (web, email network etc)

http://raise-network.ning.com/

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The nature of student engagementHolistic and socially constructed Every student is an individual and different (Haggis, 2004) Engagement is a concept which encompasses the perceptions,

expectations and experience of being a student and the construction of being a student in HE (Bryson and Hand, 2007).

Engagement underpins learning and is the glue that binds it together – both located in being and becoming. (Fromm, 1977)

Salience of transformative learning

More than about doing and behaving! (and thus unmeasurable in a meaningful way)

SE is dynamic and fluid SE is multidimensional, includes student’s whole lives

and it is the interaction and pattern that mattersAIT/GMIT seminars

The flipside of SE Alienation, inertia/anomie and

disengagement Performativity and disciplinary power – alienating impact of

assessment (Mann, 2001) Battle between cultures and values (Krause, 2005) Inclusiveness and recognising what students bring (Hockings

2010; 2011)

Critiques Compliance (Zyngier, 2008) Serves a neo-liberal agenda (Zepke, 2014)

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Transforming to? Becoming what?Seeing the world differently Knowledge -Intellectually developed (ways of knowing –

self authorship) A critical being – learning, reflection and evaluation A social being and (global) citizen – morality and ethics

The danger of being prescriptive!

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The value of engagement after HE Integrated development of the whole person

(and ‘disposition’) Graduateness and graduate attributes (Barrie, 2007) Graduate identity (Holmes, 2001) and USEM (Yorke and Knight,

2006) The whole HE experience – thus the

extracurricular is vital – authentic experiences The engaged students tends to take up more

opportunities AND are better able to join them up in their thinking

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Key influences on engagement1. Student expectations and perceptions – match to the ‘personal

project’ and interest in subject 2. Sufficient challenge and appropriate workload3. Degrees of choice, autonomy, risk, and opportunities for growth

and enjoyment4. Trust relationships 5. Communication and discourse6. A sense of belonging and community7. Supportive social networks8. Opportunities for, and participation in activities and roles – to

enable ownership, self-assurance and self-efficacy

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A revised definition of SEStudent engagement is about what a student brings to Higher Education in terms of goals, aspirations, value and beliefs and how these are shaped and mediated by their experience whilst a student. SE is constructed and reconstructed through the lenses of the perceptions and identities held by students and the meaning and sense a student makes of their experiences and interactions. As players and shapers of the educational context, educators need to foster educational, purposeful SE to support and enable students to learn in constructive and powerful ways and realise their potential in education and society.

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Principles of engaging students1. Foster student’s willingness and readiness to engage by enhancing

their self-belief2. Embrace the point that students have diverse backgrounds,

expectations, orientations and aspirations – thus different ‘ways of being a student’, and to welcome, respect and accommodate all of these in an inclusive way

3. Enable and facilitate trust relationships (between staff:students and students:students) in order to develop a discourse with each and all students and to show solidarity with them

4. Create opportunities for learning (in its broadest sense) communities so that students can develop a sense of competence and belonging within these communities

5. Teach in ways to make learning participatory, dialogic, collaborative, authentic, active and critical

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6. Foster autonomy and creativity, and offer choice and opportunities for growth and enriching experiences in a low risk and safe setting.

7. Recognise the impact on learning of non-institutional influences and accommodate these

8. Design and implement assessment for learning with the aim to enable students to develop their ability to evaluate critically the quality and impact of their own work.

9. Work in partnership at all opportunities by seeking to negotiate and reach a mutual consensus with students on managing workload, challenge, curriculum and assessment for their educational enrichment – through a partnership model – without diluting high expectations and educational attainment; by developing mechanisms for all students to democratically participate in all aspects of the university that impact directly or indirectly on them.

10. Enable students to become active citizens and develop their social and cultural capital.

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So what works? Kuh (2008)i. First year seminars (e.g. SI and PAL)ii. Learning communities – cross moduleiii. Service learning – experientialiv. Common intellectual experiencesv. Writing intensive coursesvi. Collaborative projectsvii. Undergraduate researchviii. Diversity learningix. Internshipsx. Capstone courses

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Engaging students in the curriculum Active learning Assessment for learning/peer assessment Choice within the module -Integrated projects Collaborative learning and building trust

relationships Authenticity Taking risks – opportunities to reflect on

mistakesAIT/GMIT seminars

Engaging students outside the curriculum Engaging experiences which enable

student to build confidence, develop and learn

101 opportunities to be as attractive and inclusive as possible

Showing that we as staff value that….recognising

And what about joining this with the curriculum? AIT/GMIT seminars

How to create strong engagement?

PARTNERSHIP

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The Student Engagement Agenda Now embedded across the sector – in strategy and in

practice with a wide range of examples and initiatives Universal agreement that the student experience matters

and that the student voice matters At least partially addressing the alienating forces –

although some are more intractable… And sometimes the SE agenda can be appropriated (that

neoliberal and managerialist agenda)

But strong engagement is about more than that – Enabling transformative learning and becoming

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The virtues of partnershipEpitomises positive values in society Ethical Democratic Enables Higher Education to a make a

more profound contribution to society Education should be exemplary but also

dynamic, be progressive and ‘public’

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The ethos of partnershipPrinciples of respect, repricocity and responsibilityThe individual student must perceive: That their participation and contribution is valued and valuable; A sense of co-ownership, inclusion, and equalising of power

relations between students and staff; A sense of democracy, with an emphasis on participative

democracy; Membership of a community related to learning and educational

context

And this needs to be realised in practice – a virtuous circle

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Partnership PracticesHealey, Flint and Harrington (2014)A typology of SaP roles e.g. Consultant to staff Co-designing Co-researching Change-agentFocussed on SoTL, curriculum, QA, subject basedCharacterised by individual students working with closely with staff

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Benefits of partnership

(Cook-Sather, Bovill and Felten, 2014)

Enhances (for both students AND staff)

Engagement (motivation, in the learning process itself, sense of responsibility, recognition)

Metacognitive awareness and identity Actual teaching and classroom experiences

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A holistic approach to a degree programme Combined Honours at Newcastle

Diverse and complex Individuals doing unique degree Missing sense of identity/ belonging But few resources and so difficult to influence

the curriculumSo how to address?

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Involving the students

Student representation: Student-Staff Committee Empowerment- Student led, working groups Active agenda – providing solutions The engine room of change

Success stories Little things and bigger things

Inclusion for CH students Exam feedback Combined Honours Week Module co-design

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Enhancing engagement in Combined Honours Peer mentoring – social integration

PASS scheme – academic integration

Both schemes student led but strong staff support

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Enhancing engagement in Combined Honours Building community:

Facilities and spaces Social agenda – the CHS

Joining it all up – events and activities are shared and promoted by all parties

Overlap of roles The Graduate Development

modules – rewarding good practice and enabling projects

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Reflections on the CH strategy Involves at least 50 students per year –over 10% Wider opportunities for involvement – other

projects, internships etc, and as recipients Evolving and growing – had very good outcomes

but needs constant refreshment (‘keeping it radical’) and emergence/supply of student ‘champions’ to maintain continuity

Outcomes very strong – massive improvement in quality of student experience – strong evidence of that (cohort surveys etc) – 100% satisfaction in the NSS

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Challenges and barriers

Can you think of any?

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Challenges and barriersWill depend on context, who the students and staff are: Student lack expertise Everybody is too busy What’s in it for us? Counter to values of staff AND/OR of students Lack of confidence How do I start? Scaling it up

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Trickier challenges

The power differential – what about assessment? Can we create opportunities for all students (and are

attractive to all)? Keeping it exciting/new each time Raising expectations – should all education and the

experience be like this? Managing disagreement The issue of risk

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Attempt to create and embed a partnership ethos and culture FOR ALL STUDENTS

Collective, group based Through the curriculum Get partnership going earlier in student life-cycle

Within Modules – Year 1: c160 students on interdisciplinary module – in 2014-15Year 2 and 3 – Graduate development module options (c25 students per year) - in 2013-15Year 3 – independent studies module option (c40 students) - in 2013-15

Bringing in Model B

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Partnership within modules Doing as much as possible in partnership,

includes co-deciding:Shape and delivery (in part) of the moduleThe types of assessment and weightingDeadlinesCriteria (and thus learning outcomes)

Modules also feature ‘pedagogies of partnership’ to at least some extent

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Issues Students sign up for the module and not

necessarily partnership Some don’t like partnership– it actually

disengaged them – a sense of frustration as ‘too much risk’ and unwanted responsibility that did not chime with their aims

More challenging for students at earlier degree stage

Tension between democratic principles vs ethics; collective v individual

Module feedback is interesting!AIT/GMIT seminars

Early evaluation

Pre-disposition to partnership helps! The more engaged in the first place Identity, values and beliefs (ethical position) Stage of intellectual development

Partnership appears to be a threshold concept (Alison Cook-Sather)

But lots of potential….and a combination of model A and B seems to be the way…

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Some advice

Start small Be patient Form alliances Don’t coerce or rush in – induct and nurture Be conscious of your behaviour and how it is

perceived Seek advice Learn from mistakes

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