Funded by the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education Small Development Project grant 2017-2018.
‘The Use and Abuse of the Student Voice’ investigates the challenges for academic leaders created by the need to develop education in the context of evaluation of teaching by students. Emerging findings from the project were shared at a national workshop on 20th October 2017 at Sheffield Hallam University. The workshop aimed to help colleagues to make best use of the student voice to recognise and support teaching excellence. The workshop participants’ feedback will also be used to further define and develop the project’s leadership materials.
Publication
Jones-Devitt , S. & LeBihan, J. (2018) Use and Abuse of the Student Voice: Leaders’ Responsibilities for Making Positive Use of Student Evaluations of Teaching in Higher Education, York: AdvanceHE.
The project set out to achieve: gaining evidence-based insights into the use of co-design and peer-learning as conduits of confidence-building and belonging of BME students; developing a scalable approach to building confidence and fostering belonging of all students; raising awareness of the need to think differently about explanations of BME underachievement. The team found that the biggest barrier concerned staff engagement as – no matter how much evidence was presented – other facets of institutional provision were identified as having priority, resulting in inertia. Considerable emotional labour was expended in trying to elicit change within a resistant culture. Despite this, there have been some very positive developments and enlightening lessons.
As part of the HEFCE Catalyst funded REACT project.
Publications
Austen, L, Heaton, C, Jones-Devitt, S. Pickering, N. ( 2017) Why is the BME attainment gap such a wicked problem? The Journal of Educational Innovation, Partnership and Change 3 (2)
Jones-Devitt, S., Austen, L., Chitwood, L., Donnelly, A., Fearn, C., Heaton, C., Latham, G., LeBihan, J., Middleton, A., Morgan, M., Parkin, H. J. and Pickering, N. (2017) Creation and Confidence: BME students as academic partners….but where were the staff? The Journal of Educational Innovation, Partnership and Change 3 (2)
External Presentations
Liz Austen #LTHEChat Wednesday 7th March 8-9PM (GMT) “Can we talk about Whiteness?”
Austen, L. and Jones-Devitt, S. (2017) Challenging wicked problems and folk pedagogies to address the BME attainment gap in Higher Education, Equality Challenge Unit, 8th December 2017
Austen, L. and Pickering, N. (2017) Creation and Confidence: BME students as academic partners at Sheffield Hallam University, React Conference Reacting to the ‘Hard to Reach’ Through Student Engagement Initiatives, 2nd May 2017
Austen, L and Heaton, C. (2016) The wicked problem of BME student attainment, Closing the gap: Research and Practice on Black and Minority Ethnic Student Attainment in Higher Education, , University of Kent, Monday 27th June 2016
Dunne, L. Lowe, T. Simns, S. Jones-Devitt, S. Chitwood, L, Morgan, M. Le, T (2016) The REACT Project: Perspectives on enhancing inclusive approaches to Student Engagement, JISC Change Agents Network, 2nd June 2016
Internal Events
Equalities Objectives Launch Event – Stall (February 2018)
D&S Black Minority & Ethnic Student Attainment Keynote & Workshops -Creation and Confidence: BME students as academic partners but no institutional readiness (July 2017)
SHU flipped workshop – The excellent practitioner who once failed to be excellent (and other short stories – including lessons from REACT), LTA Conference (June 2017)
SHU Workshop – How can we close the BME attainment gap? (Dec 2016)
SHU Conference – Minding the Gaps REACTing to improve BME attainment (Nov 2016)
Funded by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education.
Publications
Jones-Devitt, S. Austen, L. Irwin, B. McDonald, K. Parkin, H. J. (2017) Are all students ‘hard to reach’ in a digital higher education (H.E.) context? The Journal of Educational Innovation, Partnership and Change 3 (2)
Jones-Devitt, S., Austen, L., Parkin, H. J. (2017) Integrative Reviewing: a flexible research process for exploring complex phenomena, Social Research Update, Surrey: University of Surrey
Austen, L. Parkin, H. J., Jones-Devitt, S., McDonald, K. and Irwin, B. (2016) Digital capability and teaching excellence: an integrative review exploring what infrastructure and strategies are necessary to support effective use of technology enabled learning (TEL). QAA Subscriber Research Series. Gloucester: QAA
External Presentations
Austen, L. Parkin, H.J., and Jones-Devitt, S. (2017) How can digital capability promote teaching excellence? Exploring guidelines for digitally-capable teaching excellence, Higher Education Academy Annual Conference, 5th July 2017.
Parkin, H.J. and Austen, L. (2016) Digital capability and teaching excellence: an integrative review exploring what infrastructure and strategies are necessary to support effective use of technology enabled learning (TEL), Heads of E Learning Forum, 8th November 2016
Parkin, H.J. and Austen, L. (2016) Digital capability and teaching excellence: an integrative review exploring what infrastructure and strategies are necessary to support effective use of technology enabled learning (TEL), JISC Student Experience Group Meeting, 12th October 2016
Internal Events
SHU QAA Report launch and workshop – How can digital capability promote teaching excellence? (Nov 2016)