Students as Partners (SaP) Series: Taking Manageable Steps to Embed SaP in Your Programme – Inspiration from Global Practitioners and Researchers

Date : 5 November 2021 (Friday)
Time : 12:30pm - 1:30pm (Hong Kong Time, UTC+8)
Venue : Zoom
Speaker : Dr Giedre Kligyte, Lecturer, Transdisciplinary School, University of Technology Sydney
Facilitator : Dr Peter Lau, Lecturer, Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, HKU


Abstract
What role does partnership ethos play in transdisciplinary education contexts where students, educators and industry, community or government partners learn together by working on real-world challenges?

Multiple opportunities for learning from different perspectives, divergent ways of seeing, thinking about and acting in the world can be created in transdisciplinary third space – space where learning takes place in between disciplines, roles and organisations. This type of learning can lead to significant, even transformational, learning outcomes for those involved, whereby everyone, not only students, stand to gain from the experience.

In this presentation, I draw on the examples from the award-winning Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation degree at University of Technology Sydney, Australia, to examine the conditions required to foster mutual learning in transdisciplinary partnerships.

About the Speaker
Dr Giedre Kligyte is a Senior Lecturer within Transdisciplinary School (TD School) at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Australia. Giedre’s research is focused on transdisciplinary collaboration practices in universities and industry or community organisations. In her work, she explores how different perspectives and relationships across organisational roles, silos and disciplinary divisions can be creatively leveraged to create ‘third spaces’ – spaces where difference, experimentation and co-creation are embraced to stimulate mutual learning, new ways of thinking and creativity. At TD School, Giedre has worked on the curriculum design of nearly all transdisciplinary degree programs. She has also jointly led and contributed to a number of research projects calling for transdisciplinary collaboration expertise.

Date : 10 November 2021 (Wednesday)
Time : 12:30pm - 1:30pm (Hong Kong Time, UTC+8)
Venue : Zoom
Speakers : Dr Kathryn Sutherland, Associate Professor, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand (co-present with Dr Emma Tennent and Mr Ozzman Symes-Hull)
Facilitator : Dr Peter Lau, Lecturer, Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, HKU


Abstract
“Ako” is a New Zealand Māori (indigenous) word that means both to teach AND to learn. The word recognises the reciprocity inherent in the acts of teaching and learning. It encourages us as university educators to think not only about what we teach, but also about how students learn. It also reminds us that we are learners, too, and that our students can be our teachers, as well as teachers of each other. At our university, we have created a student-staff partnership programme that embraces this reciprocity and encourages staff and students to work together to improve teaching and learning. In this presentation, we will share findings from Ako in Action, our student-staff partnership programme which has been running successfully since 2018.

About the Speakers

	Dr Kathryn Sutherland is an Associate Professor in the Centre for Academic Development at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. Her research and practice has three main areas of focus: the experiences of early career academics; holistic academic development; and working in partnership with students to improve teaching and learning. Kathryn is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a former co-editor of the International Journal for Academic Development, and Chair of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management. Kathryn will be joined by at least one of her student partners from the Ako in Action programme.
	Dr Emma Tennent is a Lecturer in Communication at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. She has a PhD in discursive psychology and studies communication in everyday conversations. Emma helped co-design Ako in Action as a postgraduate student, participated as an academic partner, and has published with Kathryn Sutherland and academic and student colleagues about the programme.
	Mr Ozzman Symes-Hull is currently completing a conjoint Bachelor of Arts (in History and Education) and Bachelor of Science (in Environmental Studies and Statistics) at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. He is the student coordinator on Ako in Action. Ozzman will begin postgraduate studies in secondary school teaching in 2022.

Date : 17 November 2021 (Wednesday)
Time : 11:00am - 12:00nn (Hong Kong Time, UTC+8)
Venue : Zoom
Speaker : Dr Mollie Dollinger, Equity-First, Students as Partners Lecturer, Deakin University, Australia
Facilitator : Dr Peter Lau, Lecturer, Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, HKU


Abstract
Across Australian and other global higher education contexts, ‘students as partners’ approaches are increasingly recognised and heralded. But what exactly is ‘students as partners’ and how is it different than traditional student engagement and student-centred practices? Further, how can staff harness student partnership approaches and frameworks to improve their own teaching, service design or research?

In this presentation, I will discuss the unique principles of student partnership that define this increasingly popular approach. I will also present a series of examples of how partnership approaches can be embedded within curricula and co-curricular spaces to improve learning resources, assessment, and student programs. I will invite participants during the presentation to reflect on how they can integrate SaP approaches within their daily work or perhaps consider how they may already be engaging with SaP (and just not knowing it!).

To conclude the presentation, I will also discuss the various models that universities can use to ensure there is adequate resourcing, training, and support for staff who wish to engage in students as partners. I will argue that now is the time to move student partnership practices from ‘a few good pockets’ in the university, to ‘whole of university’ business as usual practice to protect the future of higher education post COVID and beyond.

About the Speaker
Dr Mollie Dollinger is the inaugural Equity-First, Students as Partners Lecturer at Deakin University. In her role, she supports university-wide students as partners (SaP) initiatives including teaching and learning grants for SaP, a ‘students mentoring staff’ program, and student representation. In her research she is particularly interested in exploring the value proposition of higher education and embedding participatory design within the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL).

Date : 24 November 2021 (Wednesday)
Time : 12:30pm - 1:30pm (Hong Kong Time, UTC+8)
Venue : Zoom
Speakers : Dr CHNG Huang Hoon, Director of Chua Thian Poh Community Leadership Centre, National University of Singapore, Singapore (with Ms KUAH Ting Ting, Ms CHUA Wan Xuan, Ms Sheryl SEET and Ms Eunice TAN)
Facilitator : Dr Peter Lau, Lecturer, Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, HKU


Abstract
The Chua Thian Poh Community Leadership Centre at the National University of Singapore is committed to the vision “to develop an inclusive society” through its mission is “to inspire changemakers to co-create a better tomorrow”. To realise these goals, the Centre hosts a curriculum that is accessible to any interested undergraduate student at the University, as the Centre’s first touch point to partner with aspiring youth changemakers who are passionate about community development and leadership.

In this seminar, we will use the students-as-partners as a frame to discuss how a small community leadership programme attempts to provide the starting point for future youth changemakers to engage and work in the Singapore community, to uphold our 5 shared values of compassion, inclusivity, equity, integrity and respect. Specific examples of student-staff-community partnership projects will be used to illustrate this journey, and the key lessons learnt from and challenges faced in undertaking such partnerships will be discussed.

About the Speakers
Dr Chng Huang Hoon is an Associate Professor (Department of English Language & Literature) at the National University of Singapore (NUS). She has degrees in Linguistics (PhD, University of Texas at Austin) and Philosophy (B.A. Honours, NUS). She has held several academic leadership positions in NUS, including Deputy Director (American Studies Centre, 1998-2000); Assistant Dean (External Relations, FASS, 2004-2008); Director of the Centre for the Development of Teaching and Learning (2008-2012); and Associate Provost (Undergraduate Education, 2012-2020). She currently serves as the Director of the Chua Thian Poh Community Leadership Centre at NUS (2019-present). She is currently on the Board of Directors of the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL), serving on the Presidential team (2019-2022), and has established a related education network in Asia called SoTL-Asia. Her most recent papers include “One Singapore Institution’s Evolution from Service to Partnership: A Case Study” (2021, with KC Lee) in Student Support Services, University Development and Administration (H. Huijser et al., eds.); “Undergraduate research in the university curriculum: An institutional perspective”, (with 2021, Wu Siew Mei), in Patrick Blessinger and Nancy Hensel (eds.), International Perspectives on Undergraduate Research: Policy and Practice; and “Leading change from different shores: The challenges of contextualizing the scholarship of teaching and learning” (with Katarina Mårtensson and Brenda Leibowitz, Teaching & Learning Inquiry, 2020). She has served on numerous academic journal boards over the years, including the International Journal for Academic Development (IJAD); Asian Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (AJSoTL); and International Journal of Students as Partners (IJSaP). She is currently on the editorial board of Teaching and Learning Inquiry (TLI) and also currently serves as a SoTL consultant for Ashesi University in Ghana (2021-2022).

Date : 30 November 2021 (Tuesday)
Time : 1:00pm - 2:00pm (Hong Kong Time, UTC+8)
Venue : Zoom
Speaker : Dr Vincent Tong, Associate Professor and University Director of Learning & Teaching, Northumbria University, United Kingdom
Facilitator : Dr Peter Lau, Lecturer, Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, HKU


Abstract
In this presentation, I will share my experiences in leading three book projects on shaping higher education with students as partners. The first book project involved working with students and academics from University College London and beyond across a diverse range of disciplines, and the book is on creating connections between research and teaching (open access via https://www.uclpress.co.uk/products/95121). The second open-access book project, which is currently in progress, is on advancing intersectionality in diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in higher education, and it involved working with students from underprivileged and underrepresented backgrounds in Northumbria University. The book chapters feature lived experiences, scholarly opinions, and multimodal creative writing. The third initiative is an international effort with contributions from students and academics who have participated in international conference sessions jointly organised by the American Geophysical Union and the Japan Geoscience Union. The theme is on shaping the transdisciplinary research and education agenda in sustainability beyond the pandemic.

About the Speaker
Dr Vincent C H Tong is the University Director of Learning and Teaching, and an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University. As an academic developer, Vincent is interested in research-education-outreach linkages, values-based pedagogies, distributed leadership, and working with students as partners. He was awarded a Principal Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA) in 2015 for his sustained strategic leadership in higher education. As a physical scientist, Vincent has led international research projects on the transdisciplinary applications of seismic imaging to oceanography, geology, astrophysical and petroleum sciences. He has been serving as the founding Secretary of the Education Section of the American Geophysical Union since 2018. Before joining Northumbria in 2020, he was a Principal Teaching Fellow (Associate Professor (Teaching)) at University College London.