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2023/24 External Collaboration Projects

Staff and Student Perspectives on Effective Engagement

Leads: Simon Peplow (History), Sarah Jones (University of Bristol) and Sarah Holland (University of Nottingham)

This project will investigate student and staff perceptions around ideas of ‘engagement’ to co-create evidence-based resources that can be shared throughout UKHE. Staff and students will collaborate across several Higher Education Institutions, co-designing methods of collecting diverse perspectives and consider what is meant by engagement in relation to a variety of activities – within and beyond established curricula. The project utilised both the pedagogical expertise of staff leads and student experiences to explore the complex factors influencing engagement. Through this cross-institutional partnership, co-producing evidence-based resources, case studies and recommendations with student collaborators, we can begin to meaningfully enhance engagement across disciplines and an increasingly diverse student body.

Identifying barriers for staff engagement with pedagogic resources that promote the embedding of wellbeing in the curriculum

Leads: Gemma Gray (Psychology) and Rebecca Upsher (King's College London)

The curriculum is crucial to students’ mental health and wellbeing. A plethora of resources has recently been developed to support universities and staff in embedding wellbeing and student mental health in the curriculum, providing ideas for curriculum design and planning. Nevertheless, it is difficult to evaluate the impact of these resources as well as their effective uptake from staff. This project aimed to identify barriers for staff engagement with pedagogic resources that promote the embedding of wellbeing in the curriculum, suggesting possible ways forward and solutions.