Student Knowledge in Learning and Leadership

Student Knowledge in Learning and Leadership (SKILL) How an active and collaborative approach can help students articulate the

skills they gain throughout Higher Education.

Sam Geary and Jamie Morris

Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT)

Student Engagement at BCU

Engagement Activities

● Student Academic Partners

● Student Academic Mentors

● Welcome Week

● OpportUNIty: Student Jobs on Campus

● Graduate+

and….

What is SKILL?A course designed for BCU students involved in Student

Engagement initiatives

Aims to enable students to articulate on how their experience in HE has helped with their own personal development

Encouraged students to develop learning communities with shared values

(Include more about aims and link to SEDA values)

Approach to SKILL

Strong emphasis on student identity and who they are as a student

How has their role and HE helped them develop?

Encouraged reflection and critical thinking through an active approach.

Some key themes of SKILL

The Science of Youpotential.ly

Smart, intuitive Talent Science to enhance personal development and employability

Used in order to encourage critical thinking and self reflection

Just because this says you are something - does it mean you are?

Peer and Tutor Feedback (Reflective Diary)

Discussion (Cross Faculty)

Helped create a learning community with shared values e.g. improving the student experience

1) Are there any elements of this model which you currently use in your own practice? (e.g. cross faculty work, peer feedback)

Outcomes - Student Fellow (DS)

Seen as a foundation to Descriptor 1 (Associate Fellow)

Accredited by SEDA and the UniversityStudent fellow allows the institution to recognise and

reward studentsIntroduces students to the wider context of HE

Did students understand student fellow?

Challenges

Some of the challenges students faced...

Linking theory to practice

Confidence prior to arrival

Reflection

What about us

● Timing

● Initial participation

● Did we expect too much?

What did students think?

“Was expecting loads of people but I liked the small group”

“The feedback that was given, it really helped me acknowledge points about myself. Learning methods as well

Main motivations for participation were getting a “National Certificate”

“Learning about me and behaviour patterns was a fulfilling enjoyable experience. Accomplishing some of the self-assessments were rewarding as well”

“Being around highly educated students, I sometimes felt inadequate.. But the selection of the group made this easy to overcome.”

Discussion

1) How could we improve the impact SKILL has within our institute?

2) How can we attempt to engage the wider student community with programmes

such as SKILL?

Future plans and challenges

Increase the number of students

Wider Participation

Needs time to gain momentum

Associate Fellow rather than student fellow…

Link to institutional strategies e.g. Graduate+

Any questions?