Student reviewers of teaching practice: Reflections on the design & experience of participants

Authors

  • Jenny Marie University College London
  • Jesper Hansen University College London
  • Melissa Hazen Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada
  • Manuela Irarrazabel Elliott University College London
  • Giacomo Piccoli University College London
  • Joe Thorogood Coventry University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15173/ijsap.v2i2.3370

Keywords:

peer observation, partnership, dialogue, student consultants, virtual learning environments

Abstract

This case study focuses on the benefits and challenges of students and staff working in partnership to review virtual learning environments as part of a wider review of an academic course. The paper considers how it enables a more rounded view of the course to be gained and how students identified possible enhancements to online sites in their own departments from the experience. Most issues raised by students related to the organization of the sites, with differences between students and staff in both the approach they thought should be taken to this and the importance placed upon it. These different perspectives make dialogue and respect very important in this area of student-staff partnership.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Jenny Marie, University College London

Jenny Marie directs UCL ChangeMakers, which supports students and staff to work in partnership to enhance the student learning experience at UCL. The student reviewers scheme forms one of the initiative’s three strands. Jenny also oversees the pedagogic support that the Arena Centre delivers directly to departments and faculties.

Jesper Hansen, University College London

Jesper Hansen leads UCL Arena One, a developmental pathway for postgraduate students who teach, and teaches introductory linguistics in UCL Scandinavian Studies. He has worked with students on a number of projects since joining UCL in 2010. His research interests are on educational development, particularly relating to early-career academics.

Melissa Hazen, Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada

Melissa Hazen is an Audiologist at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada. She participated in the student reviewers scheme while a postgraduate student at UCL’s Ear Institute. Melissa also served as the student representative for her department and the Faculty of Brain Sciences during her studies.

Manuela Irarrazabel Elliott, University College London

Manuela Irarrázabal Elliott is a final-year PhD student in the Greek and Latin department. She has experience teaching as a lecturer in her home country and as a teaching assistant at UCL. She has also been a student fellow at the UCL Arena Centre for Research-based Education.

Giacomo Piccoli, University College London

Giacomo Piccoli is a postgraduate student in economics. He took part in the scheme while an undergraduate. He is interested in collaborating with members of staff to enhance the learning experience of his peers in the department, which welcomes more than 300 new undergraduates each year.

Joe Thorogood, Coventry University

Joe is an Assistant Lecturer in Human Geography. He took part in the student reviewers scheme twice while a PhD student in UCL’s geography department. His pedagogic interests include the role of post-graduate teaching assistants, staff-student partnership and research-based education.

References

Bennett, S., & Maton, K. (2010). Beyond the ‘digital natives’ debate: Towards a more nuanced understanding of students’ technology experiences. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 26, 321-331. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2729.2010.00360.x

Byrne, J., Brown, H., & Challen, D. (2010). Peer development as an alternative to peer observation: A tool to enhance professional development. International Journal for Academic Development, 15(3), 215-228. 3370-Marie et al- Layout.docxhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1360144X.2010.497685

Cook-Sather, A. (2014). Student-faculty partnership in explorations of pedagogical practice: A threshold concept in academic development. International Journal for Academic Development, 19(3), 186-198. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1360144X.2013.805694

Cook-Sather, A., & Alter, Z. (2011). What is and what can be: How a liminal position can change learning and teaching in higher education. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 42(1), 37-53. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1548-1492.2010.01109.x

Cook-Sather, A., & Luz, A. (2015). Great engagement in and responsibility for learning: What happens when students cross the threshold of student-faculty partnership. Higher Education Research & Development, 34(6), 1097-1109. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2014.911263

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

Crawford, K. (2012). Rethinking the student-teacher nexus: Students as consultants on teaching in higher education. In Neary, M., Stevenson, H., & Bell, L. (Eds.) Towards Teaching in Public: Reshaping the Modern University. London: Bloomsbury.

Gosling, D. (2002). Models of Peer Observation of Teaching. York: Learning and Teaching Support Network, Higher Education Academy. Retrieved from 3370-Marie et al- Layout.docxhttps://www.researchgate.net/profile/David_Gosling/publication/2676874 99_Models_of_Peer_Observation_of_Teaching/links/545b64810cf249070a7955d3.pdf

Hendry, G., & Dean, S. (2002). Accountability, evaluation of teaching and expertise in higher education. International Journal for Academic Development, 7(1), 75-82. https://doi.org/10.1080/13601440210156493

Huxham, M., Scoles, J., Green, U., Purves, S., Welsh, Z., & Gray, A. (2017). ‘Observation has set in’: Comparing students and peers as reviewers of teaching. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 42(6), 887-899. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2016.1204594

New Media Consortium. (2017). The NMC Horizon Report: 2017 Higher Education Edition. Retrieved from3370-Marie et al-Layout.docx http://cdn.nmc.org/media/2017-nmc- horizon-report-he-EN.pdf

Peat, J. (2011). New to the field: Integrating the student voice into the PG Cert. Educational Developments, 12(4), 18-19.

Peel, D. (2005). Peer observation as a transformatory tool? Teaching in Higher Education, 10(4), 489-504. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562510500239125

Wanner, T., & Palmer, E. (2015). Personalising learning: Exploring student and teacher perceptions about flexible learning and assessment in a flipped university course. Computers & Education, 88, 354-369.

Downloads

Additional Files

Published

2018-12-04

How to Cite

Marie, J., Hansen, J., Hazen, M., Irarrazabel Elliott, M., Piccoli, G., & Thorogood, J. (2018). Student reviewers of teaching practice: Reflections on the design & experience of participants. International Journal for Students As Partners, 2(2), 125–134. https://doi.org/10.15173/ijsap.v2i2.3370

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 2 (2018)

Section

Case Studies

License

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

Authors are permitted to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process - this applies to the submitted, accepted, and published versions of the manuscript. This can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (see The Effect of Open Access).