When students develop agency, they feel a greater sense of belonging. We have seen evidence of this through a project in which students worked with staff to investigate perceptions of belonging and inclusion. Student-staff partnerships break down barriers and position students as co-creators, allowing us all to work together towards a shared goal.
We were fortunate to receive funding for a project investigating students’ perceptions of belonging and inclusion in our school last September. This allowed us to employ students as intern co-researchers.
Working with our group of interns has been a rewarding experience for both us and them. Through active, collaborative engagement with staff, students have brought expert-by-experience perspectives to all aspects of the project: research design, recruitment, conducting interviews and focus groups, analysis and dissemination. They used the project as a platform to share their views and feel heard.
While we regularly employ students in our school, this project was different as it employed five interns (rather than one) across both semesters rather than just the summer. This resource outlines what we learned and offers advice on how to do the same in other institutions.
Be realistic about time and resources
Voluntary and paid collaborations can look very different. If you do not have funding to pay your interns, be aware that expectations and responsibilities may shift. Either way, remember that things often take longer than expected – especially when working with students. As such, it is important to be realistic about what is achievable with the time and resources at your disposal. Students are balancing many things and have “pinch points” in their calendars that must be factored in when planning tasks and responsibilities. This will help ensure tasks are completed and prevent students from becoming disheartened about the outcomes of their involvement.
- Spotlight guide: How to build belonging at your institution
- Common barriers to belonging and how to overcome them
- What matters to students’ sense of belonging?
Lay the groundwork by building relationships and agency
Start by breaking down barriers between staff and students so students can take the lead. We spent our first meeting getting to know each other by openly discussing our academic journeys to build rapport.
Enabling the interns to build a working relationship with a fellow but more experienced student also helps to bridge the gap between staff and undergraduate students. We have a PhD student working with us as an intern coordinator who meets with them weekly to discuss upcoming tasks and progress.
Next, you can ask students to create their own “ground rules” for working together to set the expectations for collaborative work. Our students also decided that each would take responsibility for particular elements of the project, which allowed each of them to lead at different stages.
Be clear about what you expect from students
We can’t assume our students already have professional skills – they need teaching. Be clear, for example, about how you want students to communicate their progress. It can be difficult for students to move beyond the mindset that they will “be in trouble” for not doing something, so aim to be supportive and understanding while also setting clear expectations.
Let students work on all aspects of the project
Our students have relished the opportunities, many of which they wouldn’t have been exposed to otherwise. Despite it being totally out of their comfort zone, the interns joined us in presenting the project to colleagues and created a video about their experience for use in a conference presentation.
Ensure students get as much value as possible
Our interns told us that some took this opportunity because their academic journeys had not been smooth, with some struggling with finding a sense of belonging. They felt that being part of this research has allowed them to connect with and empathise more deeply with fellow students and they consider it a privilege to be able to help other students share their perspectives.
They reflected that gaining insight into the diversity of student experience had been somewhat surprising, and told us they gained research, time management and teamwork skills, and that they enjoyed being able to work with staff to contribute to positive change.
Jen Coleman and Vicki McDermott-Thompson are lecturers in psychology at the University of East Anglia (UEA).
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