Beyond feedback forms and action plans: Student Societies as mechanisms for co-production and student – led ,deep learning’

1. Beyond feedback forms
and action plans:
Student Societies as
mechanisms for co-
production and student –
led ,deep learning’
Steph Tarry, Alex Lund, Pat
Cartney
Middlesex University 2015

2. Current context…in part…
 Global context around marketisation of
HE - students rebranded as consumers
not scholars(Molesworth et al, 2010)
 Emphasis on restrictive surface level
satisfaction with formal curriculum
(Stadden and Standish, 2012)
 Students as outside critics - risks ignoring
nature of ‘the product’ and nature of
relationships

3. Co-production perspectives
 Alternative to consumerist model
 More collaborative – students not simply
evaluating or participating but co-owning
process and nature of the experience
 Potential to challenge consumerist
agenda - seek to reconfigure learning
enterprise and relationships, roles and
responsibilities

4. Social Work and Mental
Health Academic Society
 Today presenting an example of a
student – led initiative aimed at providing
additional and flexible opportunities for
engagement to students
 Spirit of initiative founded on ideas of co-
production and active student ownership
and engagement with programme and
own learning

5. Board of Studies
Discussion with other students about gaps in the University program
How can we fill these?
4 students BA YR 1,2 & 3 & MA Yr 2 and 2 department lecturers
Workshops, discussion groups, social event

6. Outcomes
40+ students attended
Positive verbal feedback about sessions
Ad hoc sessions

7. Discussion
Sustainable?
Whose agenda?
Peer learning and social work

8. Rationale for academic
society…. ‘hopes and fears’
 Create ‘fun’ element with informal extra
curricular nature
 Social, networking and campaigning
elements
 Beyond the curriculum engagement
 Promote student to student learning
 Enhance student and staff links
 Popularity/interest
 Committee sign up
 Continuity

9. How?
 Using student and staff expertise (social
media, industry links, employability),
 Training, support & guidance, funding
from Student Union
 Gaining publicity, acknowledgment and
recognition
 Forming strategic/long term development
 Events calendar
 Suitability of events (ensuring success)

10. What’s happened?
 Logo!
 Committee and ‘associate’ committee
members
 Campaigns, networking and social
branches formed….
 Allocated funding with bidding system
and bank account

11. Events held
 Launch (with all year groups)!
 1st meeting (committee formed) - 16
 ‘From the Horse’s Mouth’ seminar 1 ‘Criminal Justice
System’ - 34
 ‘From the Horse’s mouth’ seminar 2 ‘Community Mediation’
- 23
 Student Voice seminar – 22
 Food bank Collection – 270 items!
 Christmas social - 43
 ‘From the Horse’s Mouth’ seminar 3 ‘Pamela Trevithick
lecture’ – 47
 2nd Meeting - 5
 2 more planned events – ‘Living with HIV’ and ‘Service user
group presentation’

13. Support and ‘maintenance’
 Training from the Student Union
 Keeping active
 Being prepared for disengagement
 Elected committee means degree of
accountability
 Shared workload
 Good team structure

14. What next?
 More links with other departmental
academic societies and beyond…
 More links and conversations with
departmental/academic staff
 Communication plan development i.e.
social media use
 Continue to enhance student links
(University belonging, not just
departmental)

16. Your turn…..
 What is happening in your department?
 What could (realistically) be happening
in your department?
 What have you got to gain – and to loose
– in support Student Societies?

17. References
 Molesworth, M., Scullion, R. & Nixon, E.
(2010) The marketisation of higher
education and the student as consumer.
London, Taylor Francis
 Staddon, E. &Standish, P. 2012 “Improving
the student experience’, Journal of
Philosophy of Education, 46(4) 631-648