Tuesday 25-09-2012 - 17:32

Students Invited to Change their Student Experience through Research

Kingston University Students’ Union and the university’s Academic Development Centre, have joined in an exciting new initiative: the Student Academic Development Research Associate Scheme (SADRAS).  The aim is to engage students as partners in research to enhance the quality of teaching and learning at Kingston University. The scheme will see students and staff partnered together to consider a particular issue which they feel, with more knowledge, could make life better for Kingston Students.  Partners would share their skills and experience to explore innovative approaches to learning at the university. Students would be paid to undertake their work, and projects will be shared with the university community at the end of the academic year.  Funding has been allocated from the university’s Access Agreement and the project has already been selected by the Higher Education Academy’s Students as Partners change initiative: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/change/SAP_CP.

What Ideas can students and staff bring to SADRAS?

Both students and staff can bring forward any ideas they would like to research to the other partner.  As a team they should develop their idea so it aims to enhance the student experience by actively involving students in the research and should impact positively on student achievement, progression and retention. Issues and Ideas raised by course reps, from student feedback, and from students’ experiences are all ideal options for SADRAS Projects.  Projects could also be found from the university’s learning strategy called Led by Learning, or on issues which emerge from the Review of the Academic Framework.

Examples of Projects:

• Identifying links between sports and society involvement and academic achievement
• Using flexible and diverse teaching resources at course or module level.(such as e-resources, etc)
• Supporting student feedback into postgraduate courses
• Involving industry at module and course level to broaden career paths.
• Developing and accrediting individual (generic) skills to support academic achievement
• Exploring different methods of peer-to-peer mentoring
• Comparing drop-in and built-in academic skills instruction.
• Ways of engaging students in the personal tutorial scheme
• Making links between the curriculum and the academic skills centres
• Improving student input into University decision making
• Students as partners in developing course material
• Using new technology at the university level.

Successful proposals will clearly show how the student(s) will be an active partner in the project and preference will be given to those proposals that have been developed equally by both the staff and student partner.

Up to £1000 of student paid work will be available for each project with a maximum of 25 projects being funded in the first year.

What can students expect from their SADRAS Project?

The deadline for the receipt of proposals is 24^th October with successful projects being notified by October 31^st, 2012. All project staff and students will be invited to an induction event in November to help guide the first stages of the project and the partnership. All projects will be monitored during the year with visits from Steering Group members.

Students will be able to take advantage of support sessions to help develop their research and project management skills from the ADC and KUSU during the year. Projects should be completed by May 2012 will all student wages paid by July 2013. 

Projects will be presented at an annual Student Academic Development Associate Research Event at the end of the academic year and shared throughout the university to improve the student experience.

The partnership will offer students and staff the opportunity to work together outside the normal course or module based association. The benefits of this include insight into research and the career of a university staff member, the opportunity to explore how decisions are made within the university, and a greater understanding of the student experience at Kingston University.

SADRAS is part of a collection of partnership projects designed to enable students to take an active and equal role in enhancing approaches to learning at Kingston University.  Other initiatives include Student Ambassadors working within the highly successful pre-entry Summer School which this year attracted over 300 students, new student mentors who are working with other 1000 first year students in specific modules, and students who work in academic skills centres to help advice their peers. The Guardian recently highlighted of this work in universities across the country in an article: “Universities putting their students at the centre of learning and teaching” http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/change/SAP_CP.  KUSU and the Academic Development Centre are extremely proud of this scheme and the potential it offers to staff and students alike. The scheme has also gained significant interest from the National Union of Students (NUS).

By partnering with a staff member, and embarking on a SADRAS Project you will help develop a greater sense of pride and ownership in your fellow students, over their education and student experience.

How to apply

The deadline for proposals is 24^th October 2012.

Applicants will be notified if they are successful/ unsuccessful by 31^st October 2012

For an application form or further information please contact Joy Elliott-Bowman at KUSU  at j.elliott-bowman@kingston.ac.uk or Holly Sorce in the Academic Development Centre on 66327 or h.sorce@kingston.ac.uk.  Alternatively please see the KUSU SADRAS website for more details.