Program

 

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.

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