FAQ
Participation Matrix – How much do you and your partners involve?
Under the Four Stages of Student Engagement, partners’ level of involvement is categorized based on how much their level of contribution and power they are given within the project. However, it is important to acknowledge that not every partner can or should be at the highly-engaged level for every task. To better construct and evaluate the contribution of each partnering unit, a Participation Matrix may come in handy.
A Participant Matrix is a tool that describes the engagement of different actors under different stages. It helps determine which students and staff should be partnering, when and in what ways. By organizing information and responsibilities, the matrix enables transparent communication with clarity.
Reference
Bovill, C. (2017). A Framework to Explore Roles Within Student-Staff Partnerships in Higher Education: Which Students Are Partners, When, and in What Ways?. International Journal for Students As Partners, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.15173/ijsap.v1i1.3062
Bovill, C. (2017). A Framework to Explore Roles Within Student-Staff Partnerships in Higher Education: Which Students Are Partners, When, and in What Ways?. International Journal for Students As Partners, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.15173/ijsap.v1i1.3062
Students as Partners: A Quick-Start to Collaboration Success
Are you ready to take your student engagement to new heights through partnership approaches? While fostering shared responsibility holds promise, launching truly collaborative models requires strategic planning. To instructors who are in the early stages of considering student partnership, we cover tips suggested by Bovill, Felten and Cook-Sather (2014) in their paper “Engaging Students as Partners in Learning and Teaching (2): Practical guidance for academic staff and academic developers”. Drawing from their experience and review of literature, here we have five keys for thoughtfully introducing partnership.
- Voluntary participation: Students who willingly participate are more likely to be motivated and actively involved. Ensuring their participation is voluntary can lead to a more genuine contribution from students, setting a strong foundation for future collaboration.
- Start Small: Remember to start small to make things feel more manageable at the beginning. Small steps allow you and your partnering students to build up confidence as you proceed and to increase the likelihood of achieving your goals in a sustainable manner.
- Keep yourself engaged: In the early stage, handing over some decision-making tasks to students may seem daunting to them. Instead of giving them full control, there is still a role for faculty and academic staff’s expertise. Keep in mind that both parties’ involvement counts.
- Shared Aims: It is important to be clear about the purposes and nature of a partnership. When your team acknowledges the same goal, you then find a deeper connection and purpose in what you do, which will benefit you individually and as a group.
- Cultivate support: You can meet with other like-minded colleagues who are undertaking or interested in partnership work for practice sharing and suggestions. Cross-collaboration can prevent you from reinventing the reels by pooling experiences.
If you are interested in getting started with students as partners but still need support, resources are available. Be sure to check out other blog posts for theoretical frameworks and concepts. We also hold workshops and seminars sharing practices and ideas from successful educators and students. You can always reach out if you would like any assistance getting your partnership initiative off to a successful start!
Reference
Bovill, C., Felten, P., & Cook-Sather, A. (2014). Engaging Students as Partners in Learning and Teaching (2): Practical guidance for academic staff and academic developers. In International Consortium on Educational Development Conference, Stockholm, Sweden, 16-18 June (pp. 1-6) http://iced2014.se/proceedings/1146_BovillFeltenCook-Sather%20.pdf
Bovill, C., Felten, P., & Cook-Sather, A. (2014). Engaging Students as Partners in Learning and Teaching (2): Practical guidance for academic staff and academic developers. In International Consortium on Educational Development Conference, Stockholm, Sweden, 16-18 June (pp. 1-6) http://iced2014.se/proceedings/1146_BovillFeltenCook-Sather%20.pdf
Five essential elements for effective partnerships
- Reciprocal respect:
Taking each other seriously, valuing each other, and exchanging thoughts in an equal manner - Influence:
Feeling that you can actually contribute to educational improvement - Autonomy:
Determining by yourself how you will do your job - Commitment:
Being willing to put extra effort into improving education and being worried about its quality - Ownership/Responsibility:
Feeling that it is your job to improve the educational system, investing in tasks which you have deep connection in its achievement
Reference
Martens, S. E., Spruijt, A. Wolfhagen, I. H. A. P., Whittingham, J. R. D., & Dolmans, D. H. J. M. (2019) 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
Martens, S. E., Spruijt, A. Wolfhagen, I. H. A. P., Whittingham, J. R. D., & Dolmans, D. H. J. M. (2019) 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
Useful Links
There are numerous websites available that focus on Student as Partners. They can provide you with valuable resources and information from a wide range of organizations and institutions. Explore the following list of useful links to assist your information search.