Co-chairing and co-creating in SSLCs

Welcome!

Thank you for attending this course.

This course looks at how to promote the development of strong partnerships between co-chairs (staff and students) and opportunities for co-creation in SSLCs.

The course follows an evidence-based approach across sectors (not only education). It draws on the best available evidence in terms of the most effective strategies to develop opportunities for more meaningful and rewarding engagement of both staff and students in the co-creation of solutions and change.

As a participant, you are invited to reflect on your current chairing approach and consider strategies which can, ultimately, lead to more student engagement and effect change from SSLCs.

This course is an excellent example of co-creation: it has been designed, developed and will be facilitated and monitored by a team that includes students from the QMSU, academics, faculty officers and education and learning advisers from the Queen Mary Academy.

By the end of this course, you will be better able to:

Describe the principles of promoting student engagement through staff-student partnerships;
Apply those principles when co-chairing SSLC meetings: receiving contributions (listening) and communicating positions;
Recognise & apply good practice based on the discussion of scenarios;
Devise effective partnership approaches as a co-chair;
Co-create completed actions that foster student engagement and effect change.

MODULE STRUCTURE
This course has 4 modules:

Evidence and scholarship

This course will take around 2 hours to complete

Please note: You are required to have contributed to all the activities to complete the course.
A completion tracker is provided to give you an idea of what you have completed and what remains pending.

Motivations and expectations

WELCOME!

Welcome to our course:
Motivations and expectations
In this section, you will hear about the rationale for creating this course and explore your own motivations and expectations.
Watch this short video (6'):
Your ‘voice’ and your expectations Forum

Make forum posts: 1

Now it is time to listen to your ‘voice’.
Use this forum to share your views regarding your expectations for this course (5')
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OPTIONAL: Respond to the contributions of your peers.

Module 1: Engagement through partnerships and co-creation

WELCOME!

Welcome to Module 1:
Engagement through partnerships and co-creation
In this section, you will find more information about the rationale for introducing the roles of co-chairs (staff-student partnerships) and promoting a co-creation approach in SSLCs.
Watch these two short videos (17'):
VIDEO 1: STUDENTS AS PARTNERS IN LEARNING & TEACHING IN HIGHER EDUCATION: AN OVERVIEW MODEL : MICK HEALEY

VIDEO 2: DISRUPTING POWER HIERARCHIES TO BUILD STUDENT-STAFF PARTNERSHIPS
Part 1: ‘From student voice to student action’ Part 2: ‘Outcomes of partnerships’
Your views regarding the notions and principles of partnerships and co-creation Forum

Make forum posts: 1

Share your views regarding the notions and principles of partnerships and co-creation presented in these videos (10')
What benefits and challenges do you anticipate?

How do you perceive your role as a co-chair in this context?

What is the role of communication in the process of co-chairing and co-creation?
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OPTIONAL: Respond to the contributions of your peers.

Module 2: Co-chairing and making students' voice count

WELCOME!

Welcome to Module 2:
Co-chairing and making students’ voice count
In terms of your SLLC meetings, chairs need to consider 3 key areas: connect, understand, give a voice

Connect: for you to build a good rapport and trust, participants must feel listened to. This affirmation helps them overcome inhibitions when approaching you and aids in creating a safe environment, encouraging them to share their problems and needs.

Understand: being a good listener enables you to understand better. Effective conversations can help identify strengths and areas that need improvement and can be utilised to structure actions and interventions.

Give a voice: participants need to know that they have a voice and feel like their contributions matter and are valued. This encourages them to be active participants in the co-creation process.
Here are some exercises that may help you reflect on your strengths and what you could improve. There is always room for improvement!
2.1. Receiving contributions

When participants become better listeners, meetings become better meetings

We usually hear participants in SSLCs say that it doesn’t do any good to talk because chairs don’t listen—they just lecture. Could this be true? And if so, why?

An effective chair is not only a knowledgeable and skilled academic but also a good active listener. Good listening skills are needed to develop empathy and understanding, encourage dialogue, facilitate discussion and promote the development of the sense of partnership: being on the same side.

It is time to reflect on the way you approach this as a chair. The quiz below does not intend to evaluate your performance but work as a tool you can use to help you identify the dimensions involved in receiving the contribution of others and point out the ones you may need to develop in order to promote this co-creation approach.
Receiving contributions: exploring your approach Quiz

Receive a grade

Complete this 14-question quiz about receiving contributions (10')
2.2. Communicating Your Position
Acting as a chair involves not only good listening but also good communication skills. One of the keys to effectively influence behaviour and action through communication is to remember it is not just “what you say”, it is “how say it” (and when). Here are some useful tips:

Tone matters: It not just what you say but how you say it. Keep your tone of voice and body language open and warm. You don’t want your message to get lost because people are reacting to your delivery.

Be curious about the other person’s point of view and consider the reasons for their behaviour or opinion.

Speak up and express yourself: use “I” language (to avoid sounding critical). Keep any explanations short and simple. If you have a hard time turning down requests, learn to say no, not yet, or not now. Saying ‘no’ shows you are able to prioritise and can set healthy limits.

Respond, don’t react: if you find yourself feeling strong and unhelpful emotions in an interaction, take a deep breath, pause and think and do not allow those feelings to drive your behaviour.

Think win-win: don’t assume the other person is aiming to undermine or belittle you. Build on their ideas rather than dismissing them. Offer potential solutions and ask the other person to help you shape an answer that works for both of you. Work together on the challenge or issue, exploring it from all sides, finding common ground and a way forward that deals with both of your concerns.
Scenario: receiving contributions and communicating your positions Forum

Make forum posts: 1

This scenario will help you reflect on your role as co-chair in terms of receiving contributions and communicating your positions.

Watch the video (7'):
Scenario: Assessment Committee recommends training on assessment literacy

Forum Activity (15')

1. Reflect on the scenario and consider:
How would you react? What would you say and how would you say it?
Post your thoughts to the forum.
2. Now that you have had the opportunity to reflect on the way you receive the contributions of others, consider:
What are your strengths? What dimensions need improvement?
Post your thoughts to the same forum.
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OPTIONAL: Record & upload a 3' video with your response (attach a file to your post).
Here is an example:
Scenario: Guidance: students must have their cameras on during presentations

Module 3: Are you partnership ready? Preparing work with your co-chair

WELCOME!

Welcome to Module 3:

I. Are you partnership ready?

You cannot change the behaviour of someone else. You can only change your own behaviour. However, in changing your own behaviour, you give other people the opportunity to learn to behave differently.

Consider the five degrees of partnership (Wilcox 2000):

Co-existence “You stay on your turf and I’ll stay on mine.”	May be a rational solution - where clarity is brought to who does what and with whom.
Co-operation “I’ll lend you a hand when my work is done.”	Often a pre-requisite of further degrees of partnership, where there is early recognition of mutual benefits and opportunities to work together.
Co-ordination “We need to adjust what we do to avoid overlap and confusion.”	Partners accept the need to make some changes to improve services/ activities from a user/ customer/ community perspective and make better use of their own resources.
Collaboration “Let’s work on this together.”	Partners agree to work together on strategies or projects, where each contributes to achieve a shared goal.
Co-ownership & Co-creation “We feel totally responsible.”	Partners commit themselves wholly to achieving a common vision, making significant changes in what they do and how they do it.

Wilcox, D. (2000) A short guide to partnerships. Available online: http://www.partnerships.org.uk

Student Co-chair Training

Your student co-chair student has also attended training to act as co-chair provided by the Students' Union. You can check the content of this training here.

Co-chairing and co-creating: identifying challenging areas Quiz

Receive a grade

Complete this short quiz before continuing to the forum activities (5')
Establish a partnership approach: preparing your work with your co-chair Forum

Make forum posts: 1

Write an email to your co-chair introducing yourself, your motivations and explaining the approach you would like to adopt when co-chairing the meetings (please consider the whole process - before, during and after the meetings). Please post your email to this forum (15')

Please check some examples created by your colleagues from previous editions of this course

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OPTIONAL: Respond to the contributions of your peers.
II. Preparing your work with your co-chair

Receiving contributions
A common frustration for staff and student reps arises when a student rep brings a problem to an SSLC with no or sub-optimal evidence.
This could include situations where a student rep:
·       Hasn’t collected any evidence at all.
·       Has collected feedback from a very small number of students.
·       Has collected feedback using biased or unfair questions.
·       Hasn’t undertaken any analysis of the collected data.
·       Presents the evidence in a biased or untransparent way.
In situations like these, staff report that they find it frustrating that the lack of evidence makes it difficult to understand the scope and nature of the problem, and they often find themselves having to dismiss the problem due to the lack of evidence. The Students’ Union regularly gets contacted by frustrated student reps that have experienced this – they feel they have not been listened to, and sometimes, the lack of action means that other students accuse the rep of being ineffective.
So what can you do in your role as Co-Chair to engage with feedback when the evidence is minimal? Are there any alternatives to dismissing the feedback due to the lack of evidence?
Using co-creation can be a way to overcome the challenge of sub-optimal evidence, and the following case study demonstrates how this works in practice.
At an SSLC meeting, a student rep has added an agenda point to discuss whether a mock exam can be held a few weeks before the main exam period to allow students to familiarise themselves with the exam format and receive formative feedback before they have to sit their exams. The student rep is arguing that this would be aligned with QMUL’s commitment to our international community, because international students may not be familiar with the exam format and would benefit from this opportunity.
Given that this would require a significant amount of time and resources – such as staff time to set the mock exam, coordinating the logistics and giving feedback – you want to ensure that there is strong evidence to suggest that this would be a good use of resources.
You, therefore, ask the student rep to present the feedback they have received about this topic. The student rep explains that they have spoken to three students (out of a cohort of 32 students), none of whom are international students.
Given the small number of students that have raised the issue and the complete lack of evidence from the intended target group (international students), you know that you will not be able to commit to this idea.

Case study – scenario
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At an SSLC meeting, a student rep has added an agenda point to discuss whether a
mock exam can be held a few weeks before the main exam period to allow students
to familiarise themselves with the exam format and receive formative feedback
before they have to sit their exams. The student rep is arguing that this would
be aligned with QMUL’s commitment to our international community, because
international students may not be familiar with the exam format and would
benefit from this opportunity.
Given that this would require a significant amount of time and resources – such as
staff time to set the mock exam, coordinating the logistics and giving feedback
– you want to ensure that there is strong evidence to suggest that this would be
a good use of resources.
You, therefore, ask the student rep to present the feedback they have received about
this topic. The student rep explains that they have spoken to three students
(out of a cohort of 32 students), none of whom are international students.
Given the small number of students that have raised the issue and the complete lack
of evidence from the intended target group (international students), you know
that you will not be able to commit to this idea.
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Case study – reflection questions:

·       How can you explain to the student rep that informal feedback from three students isn’t sufficient to initiate such a big project?

·       How can you facilitate that the student rep can take the idea forward instead of completely dismissing the idea?

Case study – applying the principles of partnership and co-creation

A key feature of co-creation is open and transparent dialogue. In this case study, you can apply this by:

·       Being transparent about your intentions – if you are about to ask some difficult questions, it’s helpful to make it explicit that you are asking these questions to help and drive the idea forward, so the student doesn’t feel that they are being interrogated.

·       Openly explaining what your concerns are – for example, the additional time commitment required.

Another key feature of co-creation is listening. In this case study, you can apply this by:

·       Asking questions to understand what the student wants to achieve with their idea. By understanding the intentions behind their idea, you may be able to use your experience and expertise to identify alternative solutions that could achieve the same thing in a less resource-heavy way.

·       Giving the student time to explain how they have gathered feedback from students, and what barriers they faced in doing so.

·       Involving other student reps in the discussions, allowing them to bring additional perspectives and feedback.

Collaboration is also a crucial part of co-creation. In this case study, you can apply this by:

·       Helping to identify what it would require to take the idea forward (what additional evidence/analysis would be required before the idea could be considered again).

·       Identifying how you or relevant colleagues can support the student (for example, helping to design data collection questions, helping to promote the data collection to students or helping to analyse the data).

Finally, successful co-creation requires mutual respect and support. In this case study, you can apply this by:

·       Checking whether the student rep needs your help to manage the expectations of the students that had given the feedback.

·       Thanking the student rep for their contribution.

As with all other agenda items, it is important that the actions are clearly assigned, deadlines agreed and accurate notes are taken.
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A note on unacceptable feedback:

In discussions with colleagues across the university, we have heard examples of feedback that is not only sub-optimal but unacceptable. This can include but is not limited to personal feedback or feedback relating to a specific person’s protected characteristics. In these situations, it may not be appropriate to engage in a co-creation process to further explore the issues raised and explore the evidence needs, and you may find it necessary to set clear boundaries. Where a situation like this has happened, the Students’ Union Team is available to discuss (in confidentiality) whether any action should be taken.
Please share your experiences of receiving sub-optimal feedback Forum

Please share your experiences of receiving sub-optimal feedback:
1 – Which forms of sub-optimal feedback have you experienced? If you have experienced several forms of sub-optimal feedback, you are welcome to focus on the most prevalent form.
2 – How do you normally engage with sub-optimal feedback? Do you have any good approaches that you would like to share with your colleagues?
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OPTIONAL: Respond to the contributions of your peers.

Module 4: Co-creating solutions and evaluating impact

WELCOME!

Closing the feedback loop
In order to co-create completed actions that foster student engagement and effect change, co-chairs should work together and share responsibilities to close the feedback loop:
Closing the feedback loop is a dialogic process then there is a potential benefit for both staff and students, as together they are able to work in partnership with a common goal of improving learning (Cook-Sather, Bovill & Felten, 2014).

Cook-Sather, A., Bovill, C., & Felten, P. (2014). Engaging students as partners in learning and teaching: A guide for faculty. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco

Engaging with students in a meaningful way helps in building a sense of community and to improve general satisfaction of the overall student experience.

In order to co-create solutions, consider adopting this type of approach:

- Engage in meaningful 2-way dialogue and use the student voice as a powerful driver for change

- Promote best practice, learn from each other and reflect and consider areas for enhancement

- Discuss how feedback will be acted on and data on the impact of any activities/enhancements will be collected

- Reflect on areas that require improvement and identify and celebrate success

Action plans

In the case of complex changes, changes which may occur over time or changes which have a number of steps to them, creating an action plan. An action plan should include the agreed steps that are being put in place

The actions within the plan should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound

This will help to assess the impact of actions taken. To monitor and evaluate the success of planned changes, it is important to consider evaluation at the design stage of the action plan before any changes are implemented.

Maximising impact and change: reflect on the process

Consider:

What is being done
The impact of doing it
What is being learned through the process

Measuring impact and change: evaluate the products

Consider:

· What questions are you trying to answer?

· What does success look like?

Some techniques to collect impact data:

- checklists (requirements, resources, actions, ...)

- ranking scales (Likert scales - agreement, satisfaction, frequency)

- concept maps - visual representation of the links or associations between concepts or pieces of information.

- reflective journals - notes and reflections on how the process is going/has gone

- SWOT analyses (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats)

- interviews and focus groups

- observations
Recommended resource: Student Guide to Using Evidence (QAA 2019) URL
Strengths and opportunities, weaknesses and threats of co-creating solutions to maximise impact Forum

Reflect on the strengths & opportunities, weaknesses & threats of co-creating solutions to maximise impact.

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OPTIONAL: Respond to the contributions of your peers.

Co-creation: evidence and scholarship

In this section, you can find additional information about co-creation:

Resource: Queen Mary Academy website - section on co-creation - educators and learners as change makers

In this first Padlet, you can find some examples of evidence from literature:

Your comments and reflections are welcome and please do feel free to share other articles or resources.

In this second Padlet, you can find a list of opportunities for scholarship in the field of co-creation and student engagement:

Please do feel free to add any suggestions you may have.

Wrapping-up and course evaluation

WRAPPING UP

Please use this Padlet to post your take-home message(s):

COURSE EVALUATION
We have prepared a very short evaluation survey about the course and would really appreciate your views and comments. Thank you very much!
Course Evaluation Questionnaire

Topic outline

Co-chairing and co-creating in SSLCs

Welcome!

Welcome!

MODULE STRUCTUREThis course has 4 modules: