{"id":1866,"date":"2021-06-30T11:38:24","date_gmt":"2021-06-30T10:38:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/itl\/?p=1866"},"modified":"2026-04-01T16:25:53","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T15:25:53","slug":"5-things-to-read-on-student-partnership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/itl\/2021\/06\/30\/5-things-to-read-on-student-partnership\/","title":{"rendered":"5 things to read on… student partnership"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"Freddie<\/strong>Freddie Gent is an HE Admin Intern in Academic Development, with a particular interest in inclusion and the student voice.\u00a0 He works across a broad range of ITL projects and areas including the current Inclusive Learning Workshop series, supporting the development of an inclusive teaching framework.\u00a0 Here Freddie brings us the latest ‘5 things to read on\u2026’, which this month focuses on student partnership.<\/p>\n

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The\u00a0Student Partners Programme<\/a>\u00a0at the University of Manchester\u00a0has gone from strength to strength as an increasing number of staff and students pursue an interest in partnership work. By combining expertise, insight,\u00a0and skills, partnership projects work to improve Teaching and Learning and other elements of the Student Experience across the University.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

As\u00a0other posts on\u00a0TEA<\/a>\u00a0attest, student partners are involved in a wide variety of projects. Each\u00a0student partner\u00a0brings a unique perspective\u00a0to the programme\u00a0and helps to drive their project in a direction that might\u00a0never have been\u00a0explored\u00a0if\u00a0led solely by staff.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Co-creation of the curriculum as an effective student partnership approach\u00a0<\/h5>\n

Tanya\u00a0Lubicz-Nawrocka\u2019s post\u00a0on The University of Edinburgh\u2019s Teaching Matters blog\u00a0is\u00a0an excellent\u00a0introduction\u00a0to student and staff co-creation of the curriculum<\/a>, providing a\u00a0scholarly\u00a0definition\u00a0of \u2018co-creation\u2019\u00a0and highlighting good practice within the\u00a0Higher Education\u00a0sector.\u00a0The inclusion of Bovill and Bulley\u2019s\u00a0Ladder of participation in curriculum design<\/i>\u00a0is useful for those taking their first steps into co-creation, providing a clear visual of the different extents to which control can be given over to students.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It is important to note that this blog post was written at the start of 2019; I would argue that\u00a0staff-student co-creation is no longer\u00a0as rare as it once\u00a0was but there\u00a0is\u00a0still\u00a0plenty of opportunity for\u00a0its\u00a0further implementation.\u00a0Of all the benefits that student partnership and co-creation of the curriculum\u00a0can\u00a0bring, it is\u00a0uplifting\u00a0to\u00a0see\u00a0Lubicz-Nawrocka foregrounding the professional and\u00a0emotional development of those involved\u00a0and\u00a0emphasising reciprocal feelings of respect and enjoyment.\u00a0Just as important, however,\u00a0are\u00a0the improvements\u00a0made to teaching and learning\u00a0as a result of\u00a0harnessing students\u2019 expertise, experience,\u00a0and insight.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Students as Partners Guide: Student Engagement through Partnership\u00a0<\/h5>\n

This\u00a0guide for AdvanceHE<\/a>\u00a0begins by drawing a distinction between engagement and partnership:\u00a0\u201cpartnership is a form of student engagement, but whilst all partnership is engagement, not all student engagement is partnership\u00a0(Healey, Flint\u00a0& Harrington 2014)\u201d. Yet within any\u00a0partnership, there may be times when students\u00a0find themselves working within the engagement bracket;\u00a0if\u00a0for example, they need to acquire knowledge from their staff partner. The authors admit that partnership\u00a0can be\u00a0messy\u00a0and no single approach will be effective in all cases, but that\u00a0this\u00a0underlines the need for flexibility within the\u00a0process\u00a0and honesty between those involved.\u00a0However, the first step\u00a0in all successful partnerships is\u00a0for staff and students\u00a0alike\u00a0to stop thinking of each\u00a0other in terms of\u00a0seniority\u00a0and instead consider\u00a0the benefits that\u00a0different\u00a0ideas and experiences\u00a0will bring to\u00a0the\u00a0project\u00a0at hand.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A practical guide to scaling up student-staff partnerships in Higher Education\u00a0<\/h5>\n

Due to the highly contextual nature of student partnership programmes, there can be no \u201cone-size-fits-all\u201d approach. This practical guide\u00a0by Lucy Mercer-Mapstone and Jenny Marie<\/a>\u00a0offers a comprehensive overview of the areas and items to consider when scaling up a project-based student partnership initiative. Tips range from gaining\u00a0the support\u00a0required\u00a0to initiate a partnership\u00a0right through to the final evaluation of the project, including recruitment, reward,\u00a0and everything else that falls between.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Power of Partnership\u00a0<\/h5>\n

Power, Partnership and\u00a0Representation<\/a>\u00a0(Chapter 4\u00a0of\u00a0The Power of Partnership:\u00a0Students, Staff, and Faculty Revolutionizing Higher Education<\/i>,\u00a0by Lucy Mercer-Mapstone and Sophia Abbot) takes a closer look at\u00a0student rep systems as a\u00a0form\u00a0of partnership. Presented as a dialogue between two co-authors, the chapter discusses power dynamics within relationships between staff and student reps, highlighting the uncertainty of whether the elected student can truly represent the views of their entire cohort.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0Although positioned as a form of student partnership, an interesting question arises as to whether student rep systems would look different if they\u00a0had been\u00a0designed by staff and students\u00a0in\u00a0collaboration.\u00a0Successful partnership, the authors agree,\u00a0requires\u00a0the reframing of power:\u00a0neither party should see this as a loss, rather\u00a0it should be seen as\u00a0developing\u00a0qualities of openness, trust,\u00a0and accountability.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Using partnership time effectively: Micro-sprints\u00a0<\/h5>\n

The Micro-sprint<\/a>, developed by\u00a0John Owen\u00a0(Lecturer in Technology Enhanced Learning\u00a0here at\u00a0The University of Manchester) and Cath Wasiuk\u00a0(E-materials\u00a0and Student Support Officer, Health Sciences), is a refined version of\u00a0the\u00a0Sprint<\/a>. Whilst adhering to the\u00a0four key stages\u00a0(Plan, Do, Review, Reflect), the Micro-sprint fits this process into a productive and manageable\u00a0three-hour slot. The Micro-sprint has been\u00a0continually\u00a0reviewed and adapted to the requirements of online working<\/a>, all the while maintaining its effectiveness and accessibility.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Further Reading:<\/strong><\/p>\n