Organiser: Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, The University of Hong Kong
Abstract
Many teachers are engaging students as partners in their classroom, and is becoming an important trend in higher education. But how are they engaging them, for example, via assessment design and course development? And how deep are they engaging the students? Are students really receiving a justified partnership?
In this Students as Partners series, we invite practitioners and researchers to explain to us the benefits, concepts and pitfalls of students as partners, and share with us some of the best approaches.
For information, please contact:
Mr. Thomas Lau , CETL
Phone: 3917 4807; Email: kanclau@hku.hk
Date & Time : 11 November 2020 (Wed), 12:30 – 1:30pm
Venue : Conducted via Zoom
Student Presenters :
Didi, Di Heng Tse, (PDGE)
Mari Lam (BEcon and Finance, Year 4)
Alya Prasad (BEd and BSci Year 3)
Presenter : Ms. Tanya Kempston, Lecturer, Faculty of Education, HKU
Facilitator : Dr. Cecilia K Y Chan, CETL, HKU
What will our students learn, do and remember from COVID-19? Learning should not and does not have to stop. In this sharing session, the presenters will share their experience of Hear This! A Festival of Radio Drama on Zoom run entirely online in May 2020. How a students-as-partners project which puts a ‘train the trainer’ model into action, is conceptualised, organised and implemented will be discussed. The ‘take away’ for students from this project in terms of them strengthening their portfolio of achievement and having a living artefact showing their contribution to education during COVID-19 will also be shared.
Date & Time : 19 November 2020 (Thu), 12:30 – 1:30pm
Venue : Conducted via Zoom
Presenter : Dr. Tracy Zou, CETL, HKU
Facilitator : Dr. Cecilia K Y Chan, CETL, HKU
Abstract
Students as partners (SaP) creates a space for teachers and students to work together to design and enhance teaching practices. This is much more than students making suggestions or giving feedback on teaching; rather, SaP involves them actively taking the role to discover, investigate, analyse, or even design good teaching practices. In this workshop, I will discuss some principles and strategies of working with students as partners to discover engaging teaching practices in multiple areas such as undergraduate research, assessment and rubric designs, and groupwork based on my on-going research and Teaching Development Projects. I will also provide suggestions on overcoming challenges caused by power asymmetries and uncertainties. Please join me to unpack the ‘surprises’ and insights obtained through working with students as partners.
About the Presenter
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Dr. Tracy Zou is an Assistant Professor in the Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning at the University of Hong Kong. She identifies, collects, and promotes exemplary teaching and learning practices in HKU and beyond through a community of practice approach. She has generated rich resources through editing CETL’s e-newsletter (https://prog.talic.hku.hk/teaching-learning-cop/), compiling briefings, and publishing in reputable journals such as Higher Education and Studies in Higher Education. She is leading a number of research and Teaching Development Projects that involve working with students as partners in various ways. For example, she is currently working with students as co-inquirers in their undergraduate research experiences in her on-going GRF project and supporting students to be co-creators of assessment in a TDG project. |
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Date & Time : 26 November 2020 (Thu), 12:30 – 1:30pm
Venue : Conducted via Zoom
Presenter : Dr. Peter Lau, CETL, HKU
Facilitator : Dr. Cecilia K Y Chan, CETL, HKU
Abstract
This presentation reflects upon the lessons learned from an inter-institutional student project scheme, Redesigning Student Learning Experience in Higher Education, organised by the Hong Kong Branch of the HERDSA (Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia). The student project scheme aiming to engage student as partners in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) in Hong Kong higher education. From the students’ reports and presentations, it was found that students’ approaches of redesigning learning experience could be categorised in four approaches: a) redefining meanings/proposes of learning; b) extending classroom learning experience (enhancing self-regulated learning); c) matching learning resources and opportunities, and d) creating learning opportunities outside campus. Based on the analysis of the awarded projects, I will conclude suggestions for university staff to foster inclusive, ethical, and power-sharing partnership with students.
About the Presenter
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Dr. Peter LAU is a Lecturer in the Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning at HKU. He provides training on teaching skills for Graduate Teaching Assistants in the Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education course. To facilitate continuous professional development for young/new colleagues, Peter supports colleagues working towards Associate Fellow and Fellow of Advance Higher Education by mentoring and reviewing applications. Before joining HKU in 2017, Peter worked closely with undergraduate and postgraduate students when he coordinated co-curricular programmes (including student ambassador schemes, service-learning tours, creative drama festival, residential education events, Arts and Cultural Education activities, etc.) in the Centre for Holistic Teaching and Learning at HKBU. |
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Date & Time : 2 December 2020 (Wed), 4:00 – 5:00pm (HKT)
Venue : Conducted via Zoom
Presenter : Dr. Jenny Marie, Head of Quality Enhancement, University of Greenwich
Facilitator : Dr. Cecilia K Y Chan, CETL, HKU
Abstract
In this seminar I will reflect on my experiences of working in partnership with students in a range of different contexts to draw out some lessons about what supports this way of working. I will argue that working in partnership requires forethought about what role students can/should play and what unique contribution they can make. I discuss the difference between training and briefing students for the partnership and the changing roles staff and students make take in a partnership. I discuss some of the challenges for staff: vulnerability, time and professional judgement and advocate attentive listening.
About the Presenter
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Dr Jenny Marie is the Head of Quality Enhancement at the University of Greenwich, where she leads the university’s quality enhancement and assurance teams. She has practical experience of student partnership, having led University College London’s student partnership scheme between 2015-2018. In that time, she developed it from a small pilot into one of the UK’s largest student-staff partnership schemes, which offered the opportunity for students and staff to work in partnership on enhancement projects and/or quality assurance processes including student reviews of teaching. In 2019 she facilitated at the International Students as Partners Institute at the University of Adelaide. She has published a number of articles in the field, including a co-authored practical guide to scaling up student-staff partnerships with Lucy Mercer-Mapstone (available at: bit.ly/2EfUR16 ). Her contribution to the sector was recognised in 2018 by a UK National Teaching Fellowship. |
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