The McMaster International ‘Students as Partners’ Institute will take place from 09.00am on Monday 11 June 2018, until 1.30pm on Thursday 14 June. Faculty, staff, and students are invited to apply for the Workshop Program or the Change Institute. A program of activities and social events will take place during the three and a-half-days to allow for networking between delegates within and between the different groups.
Participants are also invited to bring a poster showcasing a relevant student-faculty/staff partnership project to display for the duration of the Summer Institute. A poster reception is planned. For more information about posters, see the ‘Posters & Case Studies‘ page on this site.
Workshop Program, June 11-12 and 13-14
Students as Partners (SaP) is fundamentally about meaningful relationships between students and staff members to transform the university learning experience. Based on respect, reciprocity, and shared responsibility for university education, SaP is being translated to practice in creative ways in universities across the globe. For example, students and staff are partnering as co-teachers in classes, co-designers of assessment, co-creators of curricula, co-inquirers into teaching and learning practices, collaborators on university projects, co-researchers in disciplinary research projects, and colleagues in quality teaching enhancement exercises. As the evidence of effectiveness of SaP grows, more and more institutions are embracing partnership approaches as a powerful way to engage students and staff in effective learning and teaching practices.
The 2018 International Students as Partners Institute is offering two complementary but stand alone workshops facilitated by experienced SaP practitioners and scholars who will create space for participants to:
- Develop a deeper understanding of the principles and practices of SaP
- Explore existing SaP practices and imagine new approaches
- Grapple with the challenges of SaP and identify strategies to address them
- Plan SaP activities/projects and discuss evaluation to evidence effectiveness
- Connect with an international community of like-minded peers
The intended audience for the workshops includes:
- University students (undergraduate & post-graduate)
- University staff (professional, faculty/academic, senior administration)
- Alumni (e.g. recent graduates)
- Educational consultants advising higher education institutions
Both workshops are designed for either individuals or institutional teams. No prior knowledge of SaP is required, although participants experienced in SaP will find the workshops offers new insights and ideas to enhance current practices. Faculty/staff and students are encouraged to register to participate in either one or both of these consecutive workshops.
Workshop Principles
1. Be Partnership: Embody and enact the values of partnership
a. Co-learners: Space for learning together, with and from each other, through
dialogue
b. Co-experts: Recognise, value, and make space for differing, yet equally
valuable expertise, to be shared
c. Co-creators: Through dialogue, generate new understanding and insights
2. Be Inclusive: Differing perspectives, experiences, stories from unique individuals
enrich our learning. Difference unites us (Cook-Sather via Solomon).
3. Be Brave: Occupy this space on partnership thru partnership. Brave instead of safe
(Cook-Sather via Aroa & Clemens).
Monday-Tuesday, June 11-12, 2018
Doing students as partners well: Exploring powerful in-class and extra-curricular practices
Students and staff can engage as partners in many ways. This workshop will draw on the ‘Engaging students as partners (SaP) in teaching and learning’ model to explore real case studies of SaP practices that have been implemented internationally across a diverse range of institutions and disciplines. Participants will learn about the principles underpinning effective SaP practices, outcomes of engaging in SaP, and ways to evidence SaP practices. Participants will have time to plan for their own SaP approaches with guidance from experienced SaP practitioners.
Workshop 1 Aims:
● Develop a deeper understanding of SaP
● Explore existing SaP practices and imagine new approaches
● Identify outcomes and grapple with the challenges of SaP
● Plan SaP activities/projects and discuss evaluation to evidence effectiveness
● Connect with an international community of like-minded peers
Facilitators: Eimear Enright, Alex Dwyer, Stuart Russell, Kelly Matthews
Monday 11 June
| 9am | The ‘what’ and the ‘why’: Co-creation in action |
| 10.45am | Break |
| 11am | Exploring practices: Examples & models
Caroline Bowsher Discussion |
| 12pm | Lunch + Liquid Café |
| 2pm | Exploring practices: Examples & models
Spotlight: UCL |
| 3.00pm | Break |
| 3.15pm | Exploring practices: Outcomes & barriers
Yvonne Van Nijnatten Discussion |
| 3.45pm | End |
Tuesday 12 June
| 9am | Exploring practices: Outcomes & barriers |
| 10.15am | Break |
| 10.30am | Faith Kirk Discussion
Abbie King Discussion Vincent Tong Discussion Questioning practices: Genuine approaches |
| 12pm | Lunch |
| 1pm | Questioning practices: Genuine approaches |
| 2.15pm | Break |
| 2.35pm | Evaluating practices: Evidence-informed |
| 4.30pm | End |
Wednesday – Thursday, June 13-14, 2018
Being a good partner: Understanding the dynamics of power-sharing partnership practices
The relationship between students and staff is central to effective students as partners (SaP) practices. This workshop will draw on scholarly principles for good SaP practice and real case studies to explore how students and staff can begin, maintain and nurture genuine and impactful partnerships. Participants will also grapple with challenges and obstacles that hinder effective partnership practices while identifying ways to overcome them.
Workshop 2 Aims:
● Develop a deeper understanding of being in partnership
● Explore the translation of principles and practices into actual practice
● Outline partnership life cycle: beginning partnerships, nurturing and maintaining
them, and ending partnerships
● Grapple with challenges of being in genuine partnerships
● Discuss evaluation and evidence to inform being in partnership
Facilitators: Kelly Matthews, Stuart Russell, Alex Dwyer, Eimear Enright
Wednesday 13 June
| 9am | Values in Action |
| 10.30am | Break |
| 10.50am | Partnership life cycle |
| 12pm | Lunch + HAN Workshop |
| 1.40pm | Pragmatics of being a partner |
| 3.00pm | Break |
| 3.20pm | Spotlight Session: Wendy Green
Questions for Partners |
| 4.30pm | End |
Thursday 14 June
| 9am | Student panel |
| 9.50am | Staff panel |
| 10.30am | Break |
| 10.50am | Evaluating partnerships |
| 12pm | Lunch |
| 1pm | End |
| Back to spreading partnership at our own universities! | |
Registration for the workshops will open on November 1, 2017.
Change Institute, June 11-14
Teams of 4-6 faculty/staff and students (at least two of each) from an institution (or a group of institutions working together on a project) may apply to join a three and a half day ‘Change Institute’, where they will be supported to plan the implementation of a ‘students as partners’ initiative. Approximately half the time during the Institute will be spent with team members developing your initiative with the support of a mentor and the remainder will be spent in plenary with the other teams developing ideas and sharing experiences supported by a facilitator. Teams should come with a strategic initiative which has already been approved in principle within their institution(s), but should be at the early stages of developing and implementing the initiative.
Facilitators: Anita Acai, Mick Healey, Ruth Healey, Kris Knorr, Anita Ntem, Cherie Woolmer
Change Institute Program – 2018
Monday 11 June 2018
| Time | Session |
| 09.00 | Introductions |
| 09.20 | Working together as partners |
| 10.10 | Introduction to Rich Picture |
| 10.25 | Development of rich picture (teams take a refreshment break to suit them) |
| 11.15 | Sharing your Rich Picture. Receive feedback from other participants as well as identifying common themes |
| 12.00 | Lunch (including meeting with students) |
| 12.45 | Liquid Café |
| 14.10 | Team time (teams take a refreshment break to suit them) |
| 15.50 | IJSaP reception; Poster presentations & networking event |
| 16.50 | Close |
Tuesday 12 June 2018
| Time | Session |
| 09:15 | Thinking Creatively about Change |
| 10:15 | Refreshment break |
| 10.30 | Using a developmental evaluation framework |
| 11:10 | Team working + Identify your panel Q |
| 12:00 | Lunch |
| 13:00 | Team working continued. Integrate taking refreshments |
| 15.30 | Panel Discussion |
| 16.30 | Close |
| 18.00 | Optional Reception |
Wednesday 13 June 2018
| Time | Session |
| 09.00 | Some helpful tools |
| 09.15 | Team working. Integrate with taking refreshments |
| 12.00 | Lunch |
| 12.45 –
13.30 |
Lunch time workshop – HAN team |
| 13.40 | Team working. Integrate with taking refreshments |
| 15.30 | Engaging others at your institution and making the project & partnerships sustainable |
| 16.30 | Close |
Thursday 14 June 2018
| Time | Session |
| 09:00 | Next steps and action planning |
| 09:20 | Team working, next steps. Integrate with taking refreshments |
| 11:30 | Conclusion and evaluation |
| 12.00 | Lunch |
| 13.00 | Finish |
To apply for the Change Institute, please fill out this APPLICATION FORM. Applications are due by 16 February 2018.
