The Scholarship Project Newsletter - May 2017

News

Welcome to the May 2017 edition of The Scholarship Project newsletter which includes latest news and updates aiming to support the development and embedding of a distinct higher education scholarly ethos the further education sector.

 
May 2017
 

The Scholarship Project

Welcome to the Scholarship Project newsletter

· Aiming to support the development and embedding of a
distinct scholarly ethos in the college higher education (HE) sector ·
The project so far...
 
Update from John Lea, Scholarship Project Director
The Scholarship Project now has 35 trials and tests projects taking place throughout the 46 colleges involved.  These mini projects are collecting evidence and experimenting with ways to enhance the learning experience for college HE students through forms of scholarly activity. The results of these projects will start to be known from the end of September as we move towards the final phase of the project. The outputs from the trials and tests will be key in developing the final scholarship framework that can be utilised by all colleges with HE provision.

Early Adoption of Framework - In March we held four regional events where we gave further information about the scholarship framework and welcomed colleges who are not currently involved in the project to become 'early adoptees' of the framework. If your college may be interested in becoming an early adoptee, please contact the Scholarship Project team.
 
We are currently preparing for this year’s conference which will be held in Birmingham on Tuesday 27 June.  We expect to have 30 presentations this year from practitioners working in colleges up and down the country, all reporting on the exciting work they are currently undertaking in HE settings.  There are further details later in the newsletter on how you can register your place.
 
The focus for this newsletter is 'students as partners’, which is a core focus of the project and arguably a strength of college HE. The work we are doing in this area is supported by one of the project's stakeholders, The National Union of Students (NUS) through the Student Engagement Partnership.
 
Engaging your students as scholarly partners
Contributing positively to the further practical embedding of the notions of students as partners in learning has been a key aim of the Scholarship Project from the very start. At its roots, partnership is about investing students with the power to co-create, not just knowledge or learning, but the HE institution itself. The notion of students as partners in learning has obvious benefits for those individuals being engaged, but there is also the potential for wider benefits for our college communities. When students and staff work together to co-produce new knowledge through research practices and scholarly activity, they are providing the foundations for change-agency. Research led by students or delivered in partnership with students can provide actionable insight on their lives and communities, learning and the support for learning, how the college works, and about the wider world that students care about.
 
A snapshot of some of this work currently being undertaken within the Scholarship Project is captured in the short pieces below.
Students as Research Ambassadors

Leila Mars, Scholarship Development Manager, University Centre Peterborough (UCP),  Peterborough Regional College

The role of the Research Ambassadors at UCP, is based under Boyer’s concept of '4 Scholarships' particularly the notion that research manifests in a manner of ways.

The work the research ambassadors do at the college include  writing critical reviews for the Literary Festival, publish collaborative research for publications and presenting conferences.
 
Student Research Ambassadors have also played a key part in supporting the college's marketing at events like Open and Applicant Days whilst also helping out at external events in schools by speaking to years 9 to 13 (ages 13 -18).
 
The role has helped motivate other students to undertake scholarly activity and push their study level beyond expectation. For example three students presented at this year’s British Conference of Undergraduate Research, one of whom has been accepted to take further PHD study at Cambridge University.
Students as interns

Jenny Lawrence, Scholarship Development Manager, North Lindsey College

The scholarly-intern programme, pioneered at the University Centre Scunthorpe, North Lindsey College, offers a manageable, accessible and agile process for learners and educators to work together in knowledge production within the specific context of college HE.

The benefits of the programme include an opportunity for college HE students to grow their research and project management skills whilst enjoying the academic challenges scholarship presents. We also find that students relish the opportunity to work in the service of their community - whether that be building pedagogic development tools for colleagues, or establishing installers’ perspectives on energy efficiency and home refurbishment with local employers and workforce. Students appreciate the opportunity to grow their scholarship whilst earning crucial funds: interns are paid a living wage, and funded for up to 100 hours over an academic year. They report deeper engagement in their studies, and sense of ‘belonging’ to their learning community - both of which we can understand as being crucial to student success.
Students and peer mentoring

Jac Cattaneo, Scholarship Development Manager, Greater Brighton Metropolitan College
 
Peer mentoring initiatives are a recognised method of helping students to acquire study skills, enhancing achievement and retention in HE institutions.  However, very few peer-assisted study skills (PASS) schemes exist in college HE.  Since October 2016, staff and students at the Greater Brighton Metropolitan College (formerly Northbrook and City Colleges) have been collaborating with the University of Brighton’s Centre for Learning and Teaching and the NUS to pilot a PASS scheme across a range of different Foundation Degree courses.
 
The PASS scheme involves Level 5 student volunteers running study sessions for Level 4 students.  PASS leaders undergo a thorough training on working with groups – they are not expected to teach, but to facilitate discussion about coursework.  They benefit from the acquisition of team-working and employability skills, while Level 4s have an opportunity to discuss elements of their courses which they find problematic with their peers. The experience helps students to engage with their learning on a much deeper level.
 
The involvement of the NUS has proved critical in the plan to roll out the scheme to more courses next year.  Engaging in dialogue with our students means that we are able to tailor our PASS training to the specific context of college HE.
 
HE Research and Scholarship Conference

The 2017 HE Research and Scholarship Conference is a unique national event that provides the opportunity to showcase how colleges are actively embedding a scholarly ethos amongst staff and students to be successful in HE. During the conference you will hear and discuss the latest research and developments and emerging models of institutional research and scholarship, providing you with ideas to enhance your own college’s policies and practices and hear more about the Scholarship Project. Confirmed speakers include Dr. Alexander T. P. Zahavich, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and Dr. Leesa Wheelahan, William G. Davis Chair in Community College Leadership, University of Toronto.

For tickets and further information, please visit the conference website. We also have a conference publication featuring the presentations and posters from the 2016 HE Research and Scholarship Conference.

 
 
 
Keeping up with the Scholarship Project
 
We have various case studies, including video case studies. Help us share best practice but letting us know about the great scholarly activities taking place in your college.

The latest Scholarship Project think piece revisits Boyer’s four scholarships and asks whether we are in danger of missing one of his key points regarding integrated and holistic academic practice.

Read the previous Scholarship Project newsletters.

Thank you to Peterborough Regional College, Greater Brighton Metropolitan College, North Lindsey College and Ellie Russell, NUS for contributing to this newsletter.

Copyright © 2017 Association of Colleges, All rights reserved.

 

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Author: 

Frances Gaughan

Post date: 

Wednesday, 24 May, 2017