Summary


The Study Buddy programme provides a dedicated space for students to work. In this space (physical and digital) students know that they can access dedicated academic support from a member of staff and a community of students who wish to work alone together. The programme allows students to dedicate a portion of their time to their studies and receive community support throughout. The physical space also guarantees students a quiet environment, guaranteed desk space, access to technology and free tea and coffee throughout the day.


Theory


This programme was designed to address a number of issues and problems which were inherent across the Faculty.

  • Learning Community: Not all departments have community spaces, not all students feel like a part of their departmental community and many joint honours students do not know which department they ‘belong’ to (as this is usually an administrative rather than academic distinction). One aim of the Study Buddies programme, therefore, was to create a space on campus that students from any Arts discipline could access and know that they were welcome.
  • Widening Participation: Many students choose not to ‘risk’ working on campus, despite its advantages, as they cannot justify the journey to campus without being guaranteed a peaceful space to work when they arrive, or do not have portable technology. The programme solves these problems by ensuring that on the days when the programme is running, arts students who sign up in advance are guaranteed both desk space and technology in a peaceful environment.
  • Academic Feedback and progression: The programme aims to create an environment in which students can access thorough and immediate feedback on their work and support from academics who are not associated with their modules. As such, they can ask the ‘stupid questions’ without fear, and can access repeat feedback throughout the course of the day so that they are able to check that they have understood feedback and are progressing successfully.
  • Motivation: Students who are struggling with issues such as procrastination are able to join in on the day and benefit from all over the aforementioned elements of the programme in an environment designed to promote work ethic and progression. This can help students who struggle with issues of focus to begin or complete academic tasks.

Measurable Benefits


  1. Student confidence: students are regularly able to see that their academic struggles were ‘external’ to them (poor work environment, lack of community, misunderstanding feedback) rather than internal (‘not smart’, ‘not good enough’).
  2. Equity: not all students have access to the same resources, whether these be positive workspaces/ study groups, access to technology or the confidence to seek out academic support/ knowledge to know where to look or who to speak to. Study Buddies provides a one stop shop where students can access a range of support and discuss their needs with neutral partners over coffee.
  3. Community: Study Buddies enables students to see that many other students are struggling with the same academic issues as them, thus students are both able to access help and support through SB, but also to reduce the power that these issues hold/ the negative thoughts they create and to see themselves as a part of a community in which academic struggle is normal and can be overcome.

How it Works


  1. A digital version is simple to establish. It requires only a Teams space, a staff member or group of staff members willing to devote their time to it and a calendar. Our programme runs intermittently for entire days, but could just as easily be run more regularly for just a morning or afternoon. A physical version requires booking a large room (and possibly a tea and coffee order), and an online booking system to manage numbers.
  2. Choose a date, or series of dates, and organise staff cover for these times. Staff members should be reasonably familiar with academic feedback. Disciplinary knowledge is not necessary but an ability to interpret feedback and provide it anew is vital. Knowledge of University services, especially those related to WP and wellbeing, are also useful.
  3. Advertise the programme to students and explain the concepts.
  4. Ask students to provide an idea of what they would like to work on that day to the programme leader (100 words). This focuses students’ minds and also helps them to think ahead about what resources they need to bring with them (academic feedback/ course books etc.).
  5. Physical: On the day, staff should be present and available to chat to students ad hoc, but a sign-up sheet is useful if the session is well attended. Students may arrive throughout the day, and may not stay for the entire session.
  6. Digital: This is slightly more complicated as staff cannot see students, nor can students see each other. It also cannot change a student’s physical environment, but only their interaction with and perception of their own environment. Ask students to comment on the Teams space when they ‘arrive’ so that you know they are there, and other students can do the same. Respond to the messages so that students know you are there. Check in with the students every couple of hours to provide motivation and a sense of online community. Students can ask for short teams meetings to get feedback, or can discuss issues on the private chat function on Teams. At the end of the day, thank students for attending and remind them of the next session.