Partnerships in practice: Student-Staff Synergy in the School of Chemistry at the University of Glasgow
Keywords:
Student-staff partnership, Community, Self-efficacy, interpersonal skills, Curriculum DesignAbstract
This case study reports on three student-staff partnerships which aimed to improve lab skills and interest in chemistry, develop self-efficacy and interpersonal skills, and build community in an undergraduate chemistry programme. Each partnership is described from conception, through implementation to evaluation, and the value of input from student partners, who had previously taken the courses, is discussed. In addition, student and staff partners reflect on their experiences. Despite the three projects spanning very different teaching activities, common themes on the benefits and challenges of such partnerships emerged. In particular, novel, unexpected and successful routes to engage with the voice of the student partners and main student cohort, combined with increased student satisfaction and engagement, validated the success of the partnerships and led to permanent changes in the curriculum.
Downloads
References
Bovill, C. (2019). Student–staff partnerships in learning and teaching: an overview of current practice and discourse. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 43(4), 385–398. https://doi.org/10.1080/03098265.2019.1660628
Braun, V. & Clarke, V. (2022). Thematic Analysis A Practical Guide. Sage.
Cook-Sather, A., Bovill, C., & Felten, P. (2014). Engaging students as partners in learning and teaching: a guide for faculty. San Francisco: Jossey Bass
Docherty, F.T. (2021). Chemistry Students’ Perceptions of Employability Skills and Methods of Learning These [MEd thesis]. University of Glasgow.
Grant, S., Freer, A. A., Winfield, J. M., Gray, C., & Lennon, D. (2005). Introducing undergraduates to green chemistry: an interactive teaching exercise. Green Chemistry, 7(3), 121–128. https://doi.org/10.1039/B412664E
Hunt, L., Koenders, A., & Gynnild, V. (2011). Assessing practical laboratory skills in undergraduate molecular biology courses. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 37(7), 861–874. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2011.576313
Hurst, G.A. (2024). Student partnerships for sustainable change. Nature Reviews Chemistry 8, 717-718. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41570-024-00653-8
Jardine,H, E. Frame, G. & Griffith, E. C. (2023). Partnering with students to redesign an introductory chemistry laboratory course : An exploration of the process and implications. International Journal for Students as Partners, https://doi.org/10.15173/ijsap.v7i1.5260
Jagersma, J., & Parsons, J. (2011). Empowering Students as Active Participants in Curriculum Design and Implementation. New Zealand Journal of Teachers’ Work, 8(2), 114-121. https://doi.org/10.24135/teacherswork.v8i2.554
Martens, S. E., Spruijt, A., Wolfhagen, I. H. A. P., Whittingham, J. R. D., & Dolmans, D. H. J. M. (2018). A students’ take on student–staff partnerships: experiences and preferences. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 44(6), 910–919. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2018.1546374
Mercer-Mapstone, L., Dvorakova, S. L., Matthews, K. E., Abbot, S., Cheng, B., Felten, P., Knorr K., Marquis E., Shammas R., Swaim, K. (2017). A Systematic Literature Review of Students as Partners in Higher Education. International Journal for Students as Partners, 1(1), 15–37. https://doi.org/10.15173/ijsap.v1i1.3119
Mercer-Mapstone, L., & Bovill, C. (2019). Equity and diversity in institutional approaches to student–staff partnership schemes in higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 45(12), 2541–2557. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1620721
Nichol, D., Mulholland, K., Anderson, A., Taylor, S., & Davies, J. (2023). ‘How was it for you?’ The impacts of student-staff partnerships in developing online teaching and learning. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 47(9), 1276–1287. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2023.2241393
Seery, M. K., Agustian, H. Y., Doidge E. D., Kucharski, M. M., O’Connor, H. M. & Price, A. (2017). Developing laboratory skills by incorporating peer-review and digital badges. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 18, 403–419. https://doi.org/10.1039/c7rp00003k
Trujillo, G., Aguinaldo, P.G., Anderson, C., Bustamante, J., Gelsinger, D.R., Pastor, M.J., Wright, J., Márquez-Magaña, L., & Riggs, B. (2015). Near-peer STEM Mentoring Offers Unexpected Benefits for Mentors from Traditionally Underrepresented Backgrounds. Perspectives on undergraduate research and mentoring: PURM, 4.1. https://eloncdn.blob.core.windows.net/eu3/sites/923/2019/06/Riggs.GT-et-al-PURM-4.1.pdf
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:a. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
b. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
c. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
