we want to be more involved: student ... - mcmaster university

InternationalJournalforStudentsasPartners Vol.1,Issue2.October2017

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ARTICLEWeWanttobeMoreInvolved:StudentPerceptionsofStudentsasPartnersAcrosstheDegreeProgramCurriculum

KellyE.Matthewsa*,LaurenJ.Groenendijkb,PrasadChunduric

aInstituteforTeaching&LearningInnovation,TheUniversityofQueenslandbSchoolofBiomedicalSciences,andInstituteforTeaching&LearningInnovation,TheUniversityofQueenslandcSchoolofBiomedicalSciences,TheUniversityofQueensland

Contact:[email protected]

Engagingstudents-as-partnersisgainingmomentuminthehighereducationsector.Thisstudyexploresundergraduatestudents’perceptionsofhowinvolvedtheywereinpartnershipactivitiesacrosstheirdegreeprograms,andwhetherthismatchedtheirdesiredlevelofinvolvementinsuchpractices.Analysisofaquantitativestudyof268studentsshowedstatisticallysignificantdifferencesbetweenperceivedlevelsofimportanceandinvolvementforallthepartnershippractices(n=18)investigatedinoursurvey.Theseresultshighlightthatthestudentsinthisstudywanttobemoresubstantiallyinvolvedinpartnershippracticesacrosstheirdegreeprogram.Weargueagainsttheconsumeristrhetoricabouttheroleofstudentsaspassivelearnersandadvocateforgreaterinclusionofpartnershipactivitiesthatfosteractivestudentparticipationinshapingtheuniversitycurricula.WediscussimplicationsforStudentsasPartnersinrelationtotheprogressivedevelopmentofuniversitycurriculaandassessmentpracticesalongwithfutureresearchdirections.

KEYWORDS

studentsaspartners,studentperspectives,highereducationStudentsasPartners(SaP)isa“hottopic”inthefieldofhighereducation(Healey,

Flint,&Harrington,2016).EmergingresearchfocusedonthoseengagedinSaPinitiativesisidentifyingarangeofbeneficialoutcomesexperiencedbythoseinvolved(Cook-Sather,Bovill,&Felten,2014;Healey,Flint,&Harrington,2014).AsthepopularityofSaPincreasesanduniversitiesseektoextendthereachofpartnershiptomorestudentsandstaff,itisimportanttounderstandtheviewsofthosenotengagedinSaPinitiativesandinvestigateSaPactivitiesacrosscurricula.Inthisstudy,weexplore268students’perspectivesoftheimportanceofbeinginvolvedinSaPactivitiesandtheiropportunitiestoengageinsuchactivitiesacrosstheirdegreeprograms.Thestudyoffersanevidentialbaselineofstudent


Matthews,K.E.,Groenendijk.L.J.,&Chunduri,P.(2017)Wewanttobemoreinvolved:StudentperceptionsofStudentsasPartnersacrossthedegreeprogramcurriculumInternationalJournalforStudentsasPartners1(2)

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involvementinSaP,alongwithameasureofthegapbetweenstudents’desirestobeengagedinSaPpracticesandtheextenttowhichthecurriculumcreatessuchopportunitiesforthem.Understandingthesedataconcerningstudents’desiretobeengagedinSaPcontributestothedevelopmentofthefieldbyilluminatingviewsofstudentswhoarenottypicallyrepresentedinpublishedSaPresearchandbyofferingnewinsightsintohowstudentsnottypicallyinvolvedinSaPpracticeswishtobeengagedinthem.

LITERATUREREVIEW

SaPextendstheconceptofstudentengagementfromafocusonstudentstowardanotionofsharedengagementpredicatedonstudentsandstaffcollaboratingtogetheronsharededucationalgoals(Matthews,2016).ThissharedengagementisevidentintheHealeyetal.(2014)definitionofpartnership:“arelationshipinwhichallinvolved—students,academics,professionalservicesstaff,seniormanagers,students’unions,andsoon—areactivelyengagedinandstandtogainfromtheprocessoflearningandworkingtogether”(p.12).Goingbeyondlisteningtostudents’feedbackonteachingactivities,Cook-Satheretal.(2014)definedpartnershipas“acollaborative,reciprocalprocessthroughwhichallparticipantshavetheopportunitytocontributeequally,althoughnotnecessarilyinthesameways,tocurricularorpedagogicalconceptualization,decision-making,implementation,investigation,oranalysis”(pp.6-7).Thisdefinitionemphasisesstudentandstaffcollaborationinactivitiesthattraditionallyhaveinvolvedonlystaffbysignalingthatstudentscanplayimportantrolesindesigninglearningactivities,curriculumreformefforts,teaching,andresearchingtheeffectivenessofeducationalinterventions.SaPinteractionsarebasedonthepartnershipprinciplesofrespect,reciprocity,andsharedresponsibilityinteachingandlearning(Cook-Satheretal,2014).

SaPencompassesabroadrangeofactivities.Healeyetal.(2014)proposedaframeworkcomprisingfouroverlappingcategorieswherestudentsandstaffengagetogetheraspartnersin:

1) Learning,teaching,andassessment2) Subject-basedresearchandinquiry3) Curriculumdesignandpedagogicconsultancy4) Scholarshipofteachingandlearning

TheframeworkhighlightstherangeofpossibilitiesforengagingstudentsandstaffaspartnersandsignalstheplethoraofpracticesthatcanbeclassifiedasSaP,asHealey,Bovill,andJenkins(2015)summarise:

Studentsmaytakeontheroleofteachersthroughpeer-learningandassessmentorthroughtakingonresponsibilityforco-teachingwithstaffandotherstudents;theymayactasscholarsthroughbeinginvolvedinsubject-basedresearchandinquiry;andtheymayengageaschangeagentsthroughundertakingScholarshipofTeachingandLearning(SoTL)projects,co-designingthecurriculumandactingaspedagogicmentorsandconsultantstostaff.(p.142)SaPisarecenttermthatencompassesexistingpracticeswhilemakingspacefor

possibilitiesnotyetimagined.EarlySaPresearchhashighlightedarangeofbeneficialoutcomesforbothstudentsandstaff.Forstudents,outcomesincludeincreasedengagementandmotivationforlearning,developmentofskillsandbroaderoutcomeslinkedtoemployability,deeperunderstandingoftheirownlearning(meta-cognitive



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learning)linkedtolife-longlearning,andagreatersenseofbelongingtotheuniversity(Cook-Satheretal,2014;Healeyetal.,2014).Forstaff,theoutcomesincludemoreenjoymentandincreasedmotivationforteaching,deeperunderstandingofstudents’experiences,anddevelopmentofenhancedteachingmaterials(Cook-Satheretal,2014;Healeyetal.,2014;Woolmeretal.,2016).Whileengagingstudentsandstaffinpartnershiphasrealchallengesandhurdles,researchisindicatingthesepracticescanbetransformativeandbeneficialforbothstudentsandstaff.

Asanewfieldofinquiry,itisunsurprisingthatSaPresearchtendstobesmallscale,witharelianceonqualitativecasestudymethodsthatinquireintotheexperiencesofstudentsandstaffexplicitlyinvolvedinpartnershipactivities(forexamplesee,Butcher&Maunder,2013;Woolmeretal.,2016,andcasestudiesusedinCook-Satheretal,2014;Healeyetal,2014).Inarecentliteraturereviewof65publishedworksexplicitlyinvestigatingSaPthroughempiricalresearch,Mercer-Mapstoneetal.(2017)foundthestudieswerepredominantlysmall-scalecasestudiesdrawingonthequalitativeexperiencesofthoseinvolvedinSaPpractices.Suchstudiesarehighlycontextualisedtothesocio-culturalcontextoftheirinstitutionsandtendtoexploreamicro-levelfocusonspecificlearningactivities,classroom-levelpractices,orsmall-scaleextra-curricularprojects.Theyofferrichdescriptionsandinsightsintothelivedexperienceofengagingasapartnerinteachingandlearning.AsMercer-Mapstoneetal.(2017)argue,thisfocus,whileimportant,islimitedtotheexperiences,insights,andunderstandingsofthoseinvolvedtotheexclusionofthosenotinvolved.Ifwebelievethatopportunitiestoshapeone’seducationshouldbemadeavailabletoallstudents,assuggestedbyHealeyetal.’s(2014)modelof“partneredlearningcommunities”andMatthews,Cook-Sather,andHealey’s(inpress)notionof“egalitarianlearningcommunities,”thenunderstandingtheviewsofstudentsnotinvolvedinpartnershipseemsanimportantpieceoftheoverallSaPresearchlandscape.Atpresent,however,littleisknownaboutSaPpracticesatthemacro-levelofdegreeprogramsandtheviewsofstudentsnotexplicitlyinvolvedinsuchpractices.

ResearchcapturingtheSaPexperiencesandbeliefsoflargercohortsofstudentsandstaffwouldadvancethefieldofSaP,providingbaselineevidenceoftheextenttowhichSaPactivitiesareincludedinthecurriculumandguidingfurthercurriculumdevelopmenttoscaffoldsuchactivitiesacrossdegreeprograms.Thisstudyexploresthemacro-levelofdegreeprogramsbyfocusingonthebroaderstudentcohortusingalarge-scalequantitativeresearchdesign.

PURPOSEANDCONTRIBUTION

OuraimistocontributetothegrowingSaPbodyofresearchbyaskingstudentsquestionsabouttheirperceptionsofSaPacrosstheirdegreeprogram.TherationaleforexploringthestudentperspectiveonSaPdrawsonideasofstudentvoicethatgivevalueandprivilegetowhatstudentsthinkabouttheireducationbyvirtueofbeingessentialpartnersinlearningandteaching(Cook-Sather,2002;2006).Weacknowledgethatstudentshaveexpertiseinthestudentexperienceandcanoffervaluableperspectivesthatshouldshapeandreframecurricularpractices,particularlyhowSaPpracticesarescaffoldedacrossdegreeprograms.Thestudyisguidedbythefollowingresearchquestions:

1. HowimportantisittoundergraduatestudentstobeinvolvedinSaP

practices?



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2. TowhatextentareopportunitiesforstudentinvolvementinSaPpracticesincludedintheirdegreeprogramcurriculum?

Exploringthesequestionsoffersinsightintothegapbetweenstudents’perceptionsoftheimportanceofSaPpracticesandtheirinclusioninthedegreeprogramcurriculum.ThisisanexploratorystudythatestablishesanevidentialbaselineaboutSaPpracticesinadegreeprogram.METHODS Thisstudyemployedaquantitativedesigntocapturedatafromalargegroupofstudents.ThestudyreceivedapprovalfromourInstitutionalHumanResearchEthicsCommittee(approval#2016000441).

ContextThisstudywasconductedataresearch-intensiveAustralianhighereducation

institutionrankedwithinthetop100universitiesworldwide(see,forexample,TimesHigherEducationandQSrankings).Theinstitutionhasatraditionalmodelforteachingwithstrongdisciplinaryfacultiesfocusedonresearchexcellence.Recenteffortstoraisetheprofileofteachingandthestudentexperienceincludeanewfive-year“studentstrategy”withSaPasacentralpillarforinstitutionaltransformationofteachingandlearning.ThestudywasconductedintheFacultyofScience,whichoffersathree-yearBachelorofScience(BSc)degreewithanoptionalfourthHonours-researchyearandafour-yearBachelorofBiomedicalScience(B.Biomed.Sc)degree.Bothprogramsofferundergraduateresearchopportunitiesastheyarerecognizedtoasintegraltolearningsciencewithinatraditional,discipline-orientedcurriculum.

DatacollectioninstrumentTheScienceStudentsSkillsInventory(SSSI)instrumentdevelopedbyMatthewsand

Hodgson(2012)wasadaptedforthisstudy.TheSSSIisanestablishedsurveytoolthatcollectsstudentperceptiondataaboutdegree-programlearningoutcomesatthewhole-programlevelusingseveralindicatorsandhasbeenusedinmanystudies(seeDvorakova&Matthews,2016;Matthews&Mercer-Mapstone,2016;Varsavsky,Matthews,&Hodgson,2014).TheSSSIwasadaptedtofocusonpartnershipactivitiesacrosstwoindicators:importanceandinclusion. Thesurveyfocusedontangiblepartnershippractices.TheHealeyetal.(2014)four-categorymodelwasusedtoidentifyrelevantpartnershipactivities,alongwithourinsiderknowledgeoftheundergraduatecurriculum:GroenendijkisaBScstudent,Chunduriisalecturer,andMatthewsisasciencecurriculumconsultant.Groenendijkdraftedalistofpotentialactivitiesandwerevisedthemtogether.Inthisprocess,weacknowledgedthatcertainpractices(e.g.,end-of-semesterclassevaluationsurveys;beingaclassrepresentativeforaunit)werenotpartnershippractices,butthesewerefamiliarwaysforstudentstoofferfeedback.Thus,Groenendijkinparticularfeltitimportanttoincludesuchitems,asstudentswouldexpecttoseethem.Weagreedtheycouldofferinsightfulcomparisonsacrossaspectrumofgatheringstudentfeedback,ononeend,topartnershippractices,ontheotherend.Wethencreatedthesurveyinstrumentandpiloteditwithfourundergraduatestudentstogaugehowtheyinterpretedthequestionsandactivities.Werevisedaccordinglywiththefinalsurveyexploring18partnershippractices.



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Thesurveyconsistedofquestionsona4-pointalpha-numericscaleasperTable1.Participantswereaskedtoratetheperceivedimportanceofeachactivityfrom“notatall”(1)to“alot”(4).A“notsurewhatthismeans”optionwasincludedtopreventparticipantsfrombeingforcedtoguessonpracticestheydidnotunderstand.Participantswerethenaskedtorateonthesame4-pointscalehowinvolvedtheyhavebeenthroughouttheirdegreeprograminthese18activities.Wealsodidnotimaginethatallstudentswouldindicatehighlevelsofagreementforimportanceorinclusion;ouraimwastoexplorethegapbetweenthemforthe18practices.Demographicinformationwascollected,whichincludedyearlevel,gender,andpost-graduationplans.

Table1:Exampleofsurveyquestionandalpha-numericscaleusedtocollectstudentresponses

ParticipantsThesurveyinstrumentwasadministeredonlinetoallstudentsenrolledeitherina

four-yearB.Biomed.ScprogramwithHonoursorathree-yearBScdegreewithanoptionalHonoursyear.Intotal,1,208studentswereemailedaninvitationtocompletethesurvey,whichwasopenfor1week.Atotalof289studentsopenedthesurveyandansweredatleastonequestiongivingatotalresponserateof24%.Takingintoaccountthepopulationsize,theresponserateisadequateforreducingsamplingerrorandmaximisingconfidencelevel(Nulty,2008).Forthepurposesofanalysis,surveyswith25%orfewerquestionscompletedwereremoved,leaving268surveysforinclusioninthedataanalysis.Oftherespondentsincludedinthisstudy,48%(n=129)wereenrolledinthirdorfourthyearand52%(n=139)wereenrolledinfirstorsecondyear.Thegraduationplansidentifiedbyparticipatingstudentsfavouredattendingmedicalschool(n=58%),otherpostgraduatedegree(24%),anotherundergraduatedegree(2%),work(9%),nosetplans(6%)andother(1%).Femaleswere67%ofrespondents,whilethecohortistypicallymadeupof50%femalestudents.

AnalysisTheGraphPadPrism7statisticalsoftwarepackagewasusedforallstatistical

calculations,includingdescriptivestatisticsandpairedt-tests.Forthepurposeofanalysis,“Idon’tunderstandwhatthismeans”answerswereremoved.Eachpartnershipcategorywastreatedseparatelysothatevenifaparticipantdidnotunderstandsomecategories,therestoftheiranswerswerekeptfordataanalysis.Duetothealpha-numericitemnatureofthesurvey,thedatawastreatedascontinuousaspercommonpractice(Weng,2004).

Descriptivestatistics,includingmeanandstandarddeviation,werecalculatedforeachpartnershipactivityforbothperceivedimportanceandinvolvement.Datagraphswerecreatedusingthemean.Percentageagreementwasalsocalculatedfordatatables,with“3”and“4”classifiedas“agree”asisstandardandacceptedsurveypracticeforabalancedscale.

HowIMPORTANTdoyouthinkitistohavethefollowingincludedinyourdegree?SaPPracticelisted

Notatall(1)

Alittle(2) Amoderateamount(3)

Alot(4)

Notsurewhatthismeans



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Pairedt-testswereperformedtoaconfidencelevelof95%(p>0.05)toassessdifferencesbetweenperceivedimportanceandinvolvementineachpartnershipactivity.Gapanalysistableswerecreatedtoassesswhichcategorieshadthegreatestdifferences.Analysisofvariance(ANOVA)wasperformedtoanalysethedifferencebetweengroupmeanstotestthehypothesisthatdemographics(i.e.,gender,yearlevelindegreeprogram,post-graduationplans)mayinfluencehowstudentsconsideredpartnershipactivitiestobeincludedintheirdegree.

LIMITATIONS

Thisstudyhasseverallimitationsworthacknowledgingsoreaderscantakecarewheninterpretingandgeneralisingitsfindings.First,thestudyissituatedinoneinstitutionandonedisciplinarycontext.AsanexploratorystudyusingamethoduniquetothefieldofSaPresearch,readersshouldtakecaretogeneralisetootherdisciplinesorinstitutionalcontexts.Second,thestudywasfocusedonSaPpractices,nottheprinciplesandvaluesthatunderpinSaP.Thus,thestudyoffersnoinsightintohowSaPpracticeswereexperiencedinrelationtoanyvalues.Third,the18SaPpracticesinvestigatedwerenotexhaustive,and,assuch,thedatacollectioninstrumentdoesnotrepresentSaPbroadly.Fourth,asampleofstudentselectedtoparticipateinourvolunteerstudy.Whilemanydidnotelecttoparticipate,wecannotspeculateastotheirreasonswhy.Thisstudyisreflectiveofthestudentswhodidengageandcareshouldbetakentogeneralisetothebroaderstudentpopulation.Finally,asaquantitativestudyexploringperceptionsofimportanceandinclusionusingfixedprompts,thestudyoffersnosenseofqualityoftheexperiencesoroutcomesofbeinginvolvedinthe18SaPpractices.

RESULTS

Theresultspresentstudents’perceptionsoftheimportanceofbeinginvolvedin18SaPpractices,withimportancebeinganindicatorofwhatmatterstostudents,whichisdistinctfromapriorityorprioritisingwhatstudentsmightliketoseeimplementedinpractice.Theresultsalsopresentstudents’perceptionsoftheextenttowhichopportunitiesforstudentinvolvementwereincludedintheirdegreeprogram;includedindicatedwhatstudentsidentifiedasbeingavailabletothemacrosstheircurricula.TheresultsaredisplayedbasedontheHealeyetal.(2014)categories,whichpresentsclustersofdataaroundsimilartypesofpartnershipactivities.Thecategoriesof“subject-basedresearchandinquiry”and“SoTL”havebeencombinedbecausethesetwopracticesthatinvolveco-inquiryandco-researchersexploredinthesurveycouldfitintoeithercategory.

TheresultsfromtheanalysisofvarianceorANOVAexploringdifferencesbetweendemographicvariables(i.e.,gender,yearlevelindegreeprogram,post-graduationplans)foundverylimitedinfluenceonperceptionsofSaPbeingincludedinthecurriculum.

Resultsfor“learning,teaching,andassessment”practicesTheresultsforthesevenpartnershipactivitiesinthiscategoryarepresentedin

Table2andFigure1,andshowedstatisticallysignificantdifferencesbetweenstudents’perceptionsofimportanceandinvolvement,withimportancebeinghigheracrossallactivities.



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Table2:Levelsofperceivedimportanceandinvolvement(means,percentageagree)ofstudentsacrosssevenpracticesinthe“teaching,learning,andassessment”category

SaPPractice #ofResponses

Importance%agreeM(SD)

Involvement%agreeM(SD)

StatisticalSignificanceLevel(Means)

Gap%agreeM

Beingatutororlabdemonstratorforcourses

260 72%2.92(±0.93)

13%1.35(±0.81)

p<0.0001 59%1.57

Negotiatingassessmentcriteriaandgradeweightingswithinstructors

261 64%2.79(±0.96)

8%1.35(±0.66)

p<0.0001 56%1.44

Beingapeerassistedstudysession(PASS)leader

257 65%2.81(±0.95)

16%1.43(±0.92)

p<0.0001 49%1.38

Negotiatingassessmentdeadlineswithinstructors

264 55%2.60(±1.04)

11%1.39(±0.76)

p<0.0001 44%1.21

Selectingfromachoiceofassessmenttopicsinclass

254 80%3.19(±0.85)

42%2.29(±0.99)

p<0.0001 38%0.90

Self-assessyourownworkaspartofanassignment

263 58%2.73(±1.00)

36%2.23(±1.02)

p<0.0001 22%0.50

Peerreviewofassessmentforotherstudents

264 62%2.76(±0.94)

43%2.35(±0.88)

p<0.0001 19%0.41

Figure1:Graphicalcomparisonofperceivedimportanceandinvolvement(means)ofstudentsacrosssevenpracticesinthe“teaching,learning,andassessment”category.

Resultsfor“curriculumdesignandpedagogicconsultancy”practicesTheresultsfortheninepartnershipactivitiesinthiscategoryarepresentedinTable

3andFigure2.Similartothepreviouscategory,datashowedstatisticallysignificantdifferencesbetweenstudents’perceptionsofimportanceandinvolvement,withimportance

2.35

2.23

2.29

1.39

1.43

1.35

1.35

2.76

2.73

3.19

2.6

2.81

2.79

2.92

1 2 3 4

Peer review of assessment for other students

Self-assess your own work as part of an assignment

Selecting from a choice of assessment topics in class

Negotiating assessment deadlines with instructors

Being a peer assisted study session (PASS) leader

Negotiating assessment criteria and grade weightings with instructors

Being a tutor or lab demonstrator for courses

ImportanceInvolvement



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beinghigheracrossallactivities.However,“endofsemesterclassevaluationsurveys”wasfoundtobelessstatisticallysignificantincomparisontoallotherpartnershipactivities.

Table3:Levelsofperceivedimportanceandinvolvement(means,percentageagree)ofstudentsacrossninepracticesinthe“curriculumdesignandpedagogicconsultancy”category

SaPPractice #ofresponses




Gap%agreeM

Conversationswithinstructorstoimproveteachingpractices

254 87%3.39(±0.76)

20%1.77(±0.88)

p<0.0001 67%1.62

Co-designedcoursematerialswithinstructors

253 65%2.83(±0.96)

12%1.35(±0.76)

p<0.0001 53%1.48

Co-designedassessmenttaskswithinstructors

252 64%2.80(±0.88)

12%1.38(±0.75)

p<0.0001 53%1.42

Developingassessmentmarkingcriteriawithinstructorsaspartof aclass

260 57%2.70(±0.99)

9%1.35(±0.76)

p<0.0001 48%1.35

Draftingassessmentquestionsforinstructorsaspartofaclass

259 61%2.76(±0.99)

17%1.53(±0.81)

p<0.0001 44%1.23

Studentforumstodiscussdegreeprogramcurricula,teaching,orlearning

262 75%3.10(±0.85)

31%2.00(±1.03)

p<0.0001 44%1.10

Beingastudentrepresentativeonauniversitycommittee

264 41%2.31(±0.95)

12%1.41(±0.81)

p<0.0001 29%0.90

Beingaclassrepresentativeforaunit

246 33%2.18(±0.92)

10%1.34(±0.70)

p<0.0001 23%0.84

Endofsemester classevaluationsurvey

247 86%3.40(±0.77)

82%3.26(±0.94)

p<0.05 4%0.14



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Figure2:Graphicalcomparisonofperceivedimportanceandinvolvement(means)ofstudentsacrossninepracticesinthe“curriculumdesignandpedagogicconsultancy”category.

Resultsfor“subject-basedresearchandinquiry”andSoTLpracticeTheresultsforthetwopartnershipactivitiesinthesetwocategoriesarepresented

inTable4andFigure3andshowedstatisticallysignificantdifferencesbetweenstudents’perceptionsofimportanceandinvolvement,withimportancebeinghigheracrossallactivities.

Table4:Levelsofperceivedimportanceandinvolvement(means,percentageagree)ofstudentsacrosstwopracticesinthe“subject-basedresearchandinquiry”and“SoTL’”categories

SaPPractice #ofresponses




Gap%agreeM

Undergraduateresearchprojectscollaboratingwithinstructorsintheirresearch

257 82%3.29(±0.92)

29%1.85(±1.09)

p<0.0001 53%1.44

Co-authoringamanuscriptwithaninstructor

257 67%2.83(±0.99)

14%1.41(±0.81)

p<0.0001 53%1.42

3.26

1.34

1.41

2

1.53

1.35

1.38

1.35

1.77

3.4

2.18

2.31

3.1

2.76

2.7

2.8

2.83

3.39

1 2 3 4

End of semester class evaluation survey

Being a class representative for a unit

Being a student representative on a university committee

Student forums to discuss degree program curricula, teaching or learning

Drafting assessment questions for instructors as part of a class

Developing assessment marking criteria with instructors as part of a class

Co-designed assessment tasks with instructors

Co-designed course materials with instructors

Conversations with instructors to improve teaching practices

ImportanceInvolvement



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Figure3:Graphicalcomparisonofperceivedimportanceandinvolvement(means)ofstudentsacrosstwopracticesinthe“subject-basedresearchandinquiry”and“SoTL”categories.

DISCUSSION Thepurposeofthisstudywastoexplorehowinvolvedundergraduatesciencestudentsareinpartnershipactivities,andwhetherthismatcheddesiredinvolvementatthedegreeprogramlevel.Theanalysisofresultsfromthe268studentsincludedinthestudyanalysisshowedstatisticallysignificantdifferencesbetweentheirperceivedlevelsofimportanceandinvolvementforall18SaPactivitiesinvestigatedinthesurvey.TheseresultsshowthatstudentsperceivetheseSaPpracticesaremoreimportantcomparedtotheiropportunitiestobeengagedinsuchSaPpractices. TheHealeyetal.(2014)frameworkhighlightsthewaysthatstudentsandstaffcanbecomeco-teachersorco-inquirersinsubject-basedorinstitutionalSoTLresearchprojectsandco-designersorco-creatorsincurriculumandassessmentendeavours.Ourfindingsindicatelargegapsinstudents’perceptions,suggestingco-teaching,co-creating,andco-inquirerformsofpartnershipareimportantrelativetoexistingopportunitiesforengagementinsuchpractices.WhiletherewerehighlevelsofagreementontheimportanceofSaPpractices,othershaveshownsomestudentresistancetoengaginginSaPpractices(Seale,Gibson,Haynes,&Potter,2015).HavingbaselineperceptiondatafromstudentsallowsinstructorstohaveabettersenseofwhereresistancemightoccurtospecificpracticessotheymaymoreexplicitlystatethepurposeofadoptingSaPapproaches.

Thesmallestgapinthesurveywasstudentsgivingfeedbackonclass(subject)teachingevaluationsurveys,whicharerequiredtobeadministeredonlineforallclassesattheuniversitybeingstudied.Althoughthisactivityisbetterrecognisedas“listeningtostudents”thanengagingthemaspartners,studentsinthisstudyvaluedit.Practicesemphasisingdialoguebetweenstudentsandinstructorsvia“conversationswithinstructorstoimproveteachingpractices”and“studentforumstodiscusscurricula,teaching,orlearning”hadhighlevelsofperceivedimportance,withsubstantialgapsindicatinglimitedengagementinsuchconversationsinthecurricula.ModelssuchasCook-Sather’s(2014;2016)“StudentsasLearnersandTeachers”encouragesuchongoingdialoguebetweeninstructorsandstudentsthroughstructuredinteractionsfocusedonenhancingeducationalpractices.Inthebiomedicalsciencescurriculumoftheuniversityinthisstudy,nosuchmodelsexist.Thesedataindicatethatsuchprogramsandmoreactiveformsofengagementthansimplyrespondingtoaclassteachingevaluationsurveywouldbewelcomedfromstudentswhoareseekingdialogueabouttheireducationalexperiences.However,officialstudentrepresentativerolesoncommitteesandinclasseswereperceivedaslessimportantbystudentsinthisstudy.Whiletherehasbeenalotoffocuson“studentvoiceingovernance”(Lizzio&Wilson,2009),studentsinthisstudywerelessinterestedinsuchopportunities.Thesefindingsmakesenseinlightofsomestudentunionsalsoemphasisingthatstudentsandstaffworkinginpartnershipextendsfarbeyondinvolvingrepresentativestudentsindecision-makingoninstitutionalcommittees(HEAandNUS,2011).

1.41

1.85

2.83

3.29

1 2 3 4

Co-authoring a manuscript with an instructor

Undergraduate research projects collaborating with instructors in their research Importance

Involvement



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Thedearthofresearchinvestigatingstudents’involvementinorperceptionsofSaPactivitiesacrosstheirdegreeprogramcurriculummakescomparisontoexistingliteraturedifficult.ThisstudyprovidesanevidentialbaselineforthewidescopepossibleforSaPandinvitesfurtherquantitativeresearchatthedegreeprogramlevelinotherdisciplinesandotherinstitutionalcontexts.ThereareseveralimplicationsforSaParisingfromourresults,whichwewilldiscussbelowunderthefollowingbroadheadings:(a)studentsasconsumersorpartnersinlearningandteaching,(b)progressivedevelopmentofSaPinassessmentpractices,(c)SaPincurriculumdevelopment,and(d)furtherSaPresearch.

StudentsasconsumersorpartnersinlearningandteachingInmanyways,theemergenceofSaPwasaresponsetothechangingnatureofthe

discourseofstudentsinhighereducation,particularlytherhetoricof“studentsascustomers.”Arecentuniversitygraduateopinionpiece,“Wearenotcustomers”(Afolabi&Stockwell,2012),challengedtheclientviewofstudentsbutacknowledgedthatcurriculaoftenencouragesstudentstoself-identifyasapassivecustomerratherthanfacilitatingtheprocessofbecominganeffectivelifelonglearner.WhilenotexplicitlyframedinSaP,Bunce,Baird,andJones(2016)exploredtheconsequencesofstudentsbeingconsideredcustomersintheUK,whichdrasticallyincreaseduniversityfeesin2012.Theyadministeredasurveyto605undergraduatestudentsfrom35institutionsinEnglandandfoundthatstudentswitha“consumerorientation”tendedtoholdpassiveattitudestowardslearning,whichthenhadanegativeimpactonacademicperformance(Bunceetal.,2016).Byworkingtogetherascollaborativepartnersintheteachingandlearningenterprise,SaPisadirectchallengetotheideathatstudentsorstaffcanbepassiveintheeducationalprocess.

StudentsinourstudyheldgenerallyhighlevelsofperceptionsoftheimportanceofSaPactivities,indicatingadesiretobemoreactivelyengagedinpartnershipactivitieswithstaff.AfolabiandStockwell(2012)suggestedthatuniversitycurriculartendedtoencouragepassivelearning.Resultsofourstudyalsosuggestcurricularexperiencesarenotprovidingtheopportunitiesmanystudentsseektobemoreactivelyinvolvedinteachingandlearningandintheenhancementofteachingandlearning.ThereisariskthatuniversitiesseekingtoembraceSaPasacentralpillarofteachingandlearningpredicatedonactiveinvolvementofstudentswithstaffareactuallyreinforcingpassivemodesoflearningbasedontraditionalstudent-teacherhierarchiesintheformalcurriculum.SaPpracticesintheformalcurriculumneedtobecarefullyconsidered,particularlyininstitutionsembracingtheSaPphilosophy.

ImplicationsforSaPinassessmentpracticesAssessmentiscentraltoteachingandlearning.Thedevelopmentofassessment

discourse(e.g.,assessmentdrivinglearning,assessmentforlearning,andassessmentaslearning)signalstheinextricablelinkbetweenlearningandassessment.Currentconcernsaroundeffectivefeedbackarisingfrombothformativeandsummativeassessmentpracticeshighlightthedifferentunderstandingsofwhatconstitutesfeedbackbetweenlearnersandteachers(Carless,2006).AnationalAustralianassessmentreformprojectinhighereducationfeaturedseveralprinciplesofeffectiveassessmentpractices,includingthatstudentsandinstructorsshouldbecomepartnersinassessmentpredicatedontheessentialroleofdialogueinassessmentandfeedback(Boud,2010).Inourstudy,studentsassignedhighimportancetoselectingfromachoiceofassessmenttopics.Givingstudentschoicesintheirassessmenttopicsprovidesadegreeofresponsibilityandownershipovertheirlearning,whichcanencouragehigherengagementwithassessmentpieces(Healeyetal.,



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2014;Waterfield&West,2006).Otherwaystoengagestudentsaspartnersintheassessmentprocessincludeasharedrevisionofstudentgeneratedstatementsandquestions(Fluckiger,Vigil,Pasco,&Danielson,2010).Benefits,suchasincreasedstudentautonomy,areagoodargumentforincreasingtheprevalenceofpartnershippracticesinassessment(Healeyetal.,2014).Studentresponsesinourstudyindicatesubstantialscopeforrethinkingassessmentpracticesinwaysthatgivestudentsmoreownership,thatoffermoredialogic-basedassessmentandfeedbacktasks,andthatcreateroomtodevelopeffectiveself-evaluativestrategies.

ImplicationsforprogressivedevelopmentofSaPinthecurriculum

Ourstudydidnotfindstatisticallysignificantdifferencesbetweentheperceptionsofstudentsbyyearlevel.Thisindicatesthatfirst-yearstudentsreportedthesameperceptionlevelsaboutthe18SaPactivitiesasfinal-yearstudents.Usingasurveytoexplorealargesampleofstudents,Mercer-MapstoneandMatthews(2015)investigatedstudentperceptionsofgraduatelearningoutcomesandskillsacrossadegreeprogramthatincludedstudentsfromvaryingyearlevels.Theircurricularmodel,drawingonKnight’s(2001)progressivedevelopmentofcurriculum,supposedthatstudentsreportedtheirperceptionsbasedonexperienceofthecurriculumtodate.Ideally,accordingtoMercer-MapstoneandMatthews,studentswouldreporthighlevelsofperceptionsofdevelopingsuchoutcomesandskillsateachyearlevel,suggestingthattheskillsoroutcomeswereembeddedinallyearlevelssufficiently.Inourstudy,students’perceptionsoftheinclusionofmostoftheSaPactivitieswerelow,includingthatSaPactivitieswerenotbeingprogressivelydevelopedacrosstheyearlevelsofthecurriculum.

AsMatthews,Cook-Sather,andHealey(inpress)recentlyargued,SaPchallengesthetraditionalrolesofbeingastudentandbeingateacherinwaysthatrequirethoseengagedtorethinktheirbeliefs.Theyacknowledgethatthisre-imaginingofrolesischallengingasitshiftsuniversitiestowardmoreegalitarianlearningcommunities,whichrepresentsasignificantculturalchange.Forsuchaculturalchangetooccur,activitiesbasedonSaPwillneedtosuffusethecurriculuminwaysthatintroducenewstudentstothepracticesandrationaleforsuchapproacheswhilebuildingthedepthofpartnershipactivitiesasstudentsprogressthroughtheirdegreeprograms.Thus,moresystematicplanninganddevelopmentofcurriculabasedonSaPideasandpracticesarenecessary.Thisalsopotentiallymediatesagainststudentresistancetoone-offSaPactivitiesintroducedintothedegreeprogrambyenthusiasticinstructorsoperatinginfundamentallydifferentwaysfromtheircolleagues.

ImplicationsforSaPresearch

Ourexploratorystudyconductedatasingleuniversitywithinonedisciplinarycontext(biomedicalsciences)soughttoaskdifferentquestionsaboutSaPcomparedtomuchofthecurrentSaPresearch,whichledtoaresearchdesigndrawingonquantitativemethodsthatvaluesstudents’perceptions.TheresultswererevealingwithsomeclearimplicationsforSaPactivitiesacrossthecurriculum.ThiscreatesspaceforfurtherSaPresearchthatcaptureslargenumbersofstudents’perceptionsaboutSaPthatcanguidefurtherSaPpracticesfocusedatthewholeofdegreeprogramlevel.Similarstudieshavebeenconductedwithafocusonwholeofdegreeprogramcurriculumdevelopmentofgraduatelearningoutcomesbydrawingonstudents’perceptions(Matthews,Adams,&Goos,2015;Varsavskyetal.,2014).Thestudyalsoestablishedanevidentialbaselineataparticularinstitution,whichsuggeststhatfollow-upstudieslinkedtoeffortstofurther



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scaffoldSaPactivitiesacrossthedegreeprogramwouldbebeneficial.Suchstudiescoulddrawonthisquantitativestudywhileexpandingintoamixedmethodsdesignthatcapturedcasestudies,reflections,andnarrativesofstudentsandlivedexperiencesofstaffengagingaspartners. Futureresearchthatallowsforcomparativestudiesindifferentdisciplinesanddifferentinstitutionalcontextswouldadvancethefield.TheanalysisbyBunceetal.(2016)revealeddisciplinarydifferencesinstudents’self-identificationaspassiveoractivelearners,withScience,Technology,Engineering,andMathematics(STEM)studentsbeingmorelikelytoviewthemselvesaspassivelearners.ThissuggeststhatdisciplinarydifferencesareafactortoconsiderinSaPpracticesandresearch,whichmakessensegiventhedepthofresearchintodisciplinarydifferencesthatinfluenceteachingandlearningbeliefsinhighereducation(Becher&Trowler,1989;Mårtensson,Roxå,&Stensaker,2014).AsthefieldofSaPgrowsinbothresearchandpractice,thenuancesofdisciplinarydifferenceswillhavetobeexplored. Otheravenuesforfurtherresearcharecomparativestudiesofstudentsandstaff,similartotheMatthewsandMercer-Mapstone(2016)studyexploringtheperceptionsofstudentsandstaffaboutcurriculumdevelopmentacrossadegreeprogram,includingbothundergraduateandpost-graduatedegreeprograms.Ideally,asSaPbecomesmorecommon,perceptionsofSaPacrossthecurriculumwillalignaroundasharedresponsibilityforteachingandlearning.Finally,exploringtheperceptionsofstaffnotinvolvedinpartnershippracticeswouldofferinsightintopotentialbarriersforimplementingSaPpracticesmorewidely.CONCLUSION ThisstudycontributestothegrowingbodyofresearchonSaPbyaskingquestionsofstudentsabouttheirperceptionsofSaPacrosstheirwholedegreeprogram.ThefindingsshowthatthestudentsinourstudywantmoreinvolvementinSaPactivitieswithimplicationsforhowSaPapproachesareprogressivelyembeddedacrossuniversitycurriculaandbetterlinkedwithassessmentpractices.Morelarge-scaleresearchintoSaPfocusedoncurriculumdevelopmentofwholedegreeprogramswouldadvanceSaPpracticeandtheSaPfieldofinquiry.MovingfromsmallnumbersofenthusiastsengagedinSaPtomorecollectivecurriculumeffortsinvolvinglargernumbersofstudentsandstaffwillnotbeeasy.IfwewantthebenefitsofSaPtobecomemorefarreachinginouruniversitiesaspartofbroaderculturalchangesthatupendnotionsofstudentsaspassiveeducationalcustomers,thenoureffortsandresearchhavetoextendintocurriculumdevelopmentwithSaPembeddedacrossourdegreeprograms.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSWearegratefultothestudentswhoparticipatedinourstudy,includingLoreleiHineforprovidingcriticalfeedbackonourmanuscript.PartsoftheresultssectionofthisarticleweredrawnfromLaurenGroenendijk’sHonoursthesis.



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NOTEONCONTRIBUTORSKellyEMatthewsisaSeniorLecturerofHigherEducationatTheUniversityofQueenslandinBrisbane,Australia,anAustralianLearning&TeachingFellow,andaninauguralco-editorfortheInternationalJournalforStudentsasPartners.LaurenGroenendijkcompletedherhonoursyearattheUniversityofQueenslandin2016andisnowinMedicalSchool.PrasadChunduriisaLecturerintheSchoolofBiomedicalSciencesattheUniversityofQueensland.REFERENCESAfolabi,F.,&Stockwell,L.(2012,November7).Graduateview:“Wearenotcustomers.”The

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