FAQs
FAQs
Working with students can be incredibly rewarding, bringing in a fresh and new way of thinking. This section answers common questions that have come up when looking to work with students.
If you need any further information which is not covered on this page, please reach out to us via our feedback form.
Involving students can be extremely valuable to any project, as they provide different perspectives, experiences and contexts. It can allow you to build on the depth and the reach of your work, and take the project in new directions you might not have considered before. The student insight is invaluable.
What's more, bringing in students as collaborators and leads on a project allows you to introduce new ways of thinking, be constructively challenged and contribute to the understanding that student voice and opinion matters.
No. If you are advertising a student role via Unitemps, it is the students’ right to apply, and therefore they would not need approval from their department. However, if you are paying students, you will need a valid cost code from your department/team.
It is also important to keep in mind the power dynamics and challenges in place if you are including students and staff from the same department in certain meetings or activities. Ensure that students feel comfortable sharing their views in these contexts.
You can see more information on Unitemps here:
We usually recommend hiring at least 2 students, so they can support each other and share responsibilities.
Also consider:
- Periods of time where students have increased academic pressures, e.g. around exam time, so it may be useful for them to be able to support each other and share workload.
- Ensuring there is enough cover if a student has to leave the project unexpectedly.
- Your time and ability to support students.
This will vary depending on the number of students you want to recruit and the workload, as well as their personal academic workload and what they can realistically manage.
Please note that flexibility with time and hours might be required from both you and the student, so it is important to facilitate open discussions with them around time management and realistic levels of commitment.
You can get some more information in the Student-led agenda time commitment section:
This will vary depending on the needs of the project. There are 2 sets of student involvement that we talk through recommended duration:
Some students may be happy to continue their work outside of the University term dates, but this might not be possible for others. Ensure you are communicating regularly with your students, so expectations are aligned.
Don't forget to also communicate with Unitemps about the length of the assignment, and let them know if any student contracts need extending beyond what you initially anticipated.
If a student is struggling with...
Workload
Consider whether the student's list of tasks can be reduced, or organised by priority to help them manage their workload. Can any tasks be shared out amongst the team? Could another student be hired to help share their workload?
Remember that a student's academic studies must always take priority, so if they are struggling with workload, it might be helpful to have an honest conversation with them about whether they can still manage to work on the project. Facilitating an open dialogue with your students in this way is crucial.
Time Management
Remember that this may be a student's first experience of working - let along working alongside managing their studies. Time management might be something they initially struggle with as a result.
You may wish to support the student with their time management and task prioritisation through some personal development tasks, or coaching sessions.
Wellbeing also has some self-help resources they might find useful.
Wellbeing
Oftentimes, personal events or issues which may impact a student's work cannot be foreseen. It is crucial, as the the project lead/student's mentor, to check-in with your student regularly, especially if you are concerned.
If necessary, you can signpost a student to Warwick's Wellbeing Services, where they can access self-help resources, or speak with a wellbeing practitioner.
In such cases, the student may need to take a step back from their project work. Prioritising their wellbeing, and mediating any impact on their academic studies, is vital, so you might need to think about redistributing project work or hiring additional students to support.
If a student is struggling, the most important thing is to not place undue pressure on them to complete their work, and to instead remain compassionate and supportive, whilst directing them to the appropriate services.
- Workload:
- Presentations/public speaking:
- Time management:
- Wellbeing/other personal reasons impacting their work:
If a student hasn't turned up to their shift, the first thing to do is try to get in touch with them (just in case they are unwell etc). If you don't hear back from the student, it may be that you have to get in touch with Unitemps to notify them of the student's longer-term absence.
- Unitemps Link opens in a new window- for practical issues/guidance surrounding the students' timesheets/hours/contracts etc.
- Wellbeing Services - for concerns regarding the students' welfare/attendance, or to signpost the student for extra support.
| Common frustrations | How to account for | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Students need more support than a staff member in a similar role, as they need to learn the context of the university as well as learning to operate in a staff context. | More time committed towards supervision and support You will likely also need to work around their availability (as their academics will take priority) |
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| Students responses are slower, as they are less active on things like email or teams than a staff member (who relies on these methods of communication) might be. |
It is best to lay out the expectations early, we've created some guidance on this below: |
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| Students are constantly context-switchingLink opens in a new window. This is not students primary role- they are a student first, their academics must always take priority, and whilst they may enjoy or prioritise your work outside of their academics, there may still be misunderstandings or forgotten context that you need to account for. | Be patient, and be conscious that you may have to repeat yourself a lot. | ||
| Time means something different to a student- for most students working to a deadline is second nature, but being accountable for deliverables, that have knock on impacts to other teams and work if not completed, especially in an organisation and industry as complicated as Higher Education, is not something they will be used to. | Consider students time blind- they will need reminders and emphasis on when things are flexible and when things are not. Be patient, and build in gaps (where possible) to allow for things taking 'longer than usual' |
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| We depend on structure to meet our obligations as an institution, but this can frustrate a democratic, roundtable approach to project ideation and delivery. Students may not always understand our context, the reasons behind the red-tape or why things (that seem illogical to them) are the way they are, and are not easily fixable. | You may need to dedicate time to 'moving things out of their way' For things that are immovable within the timescales of the project- acknowledge them, explain what the blocker is, why it may exist, and try to help prompt them to think of ways around the issue |
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| Power dynamics and hierarchies can be intangible and hard to navigate. Whilst addressing power dynamics for those in the room or involved in the project at the start might help, there may be those interfacing with your students who work outside of your team to consider. | You will either need to work with fellow staff and stakeholders on the project to remove/re-distribute some of the power dynamics in order to support students (we always recommend this approach) Or you will need to guide and educate students in how to navigate the systems, to best get what they may need out of it (this may mean compromise on their part) |
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| We are approaching things from entirely different contexts, you may need to recognise that students may not be familiar with institutional norms or constraints. Common frustrations, such as delays caused by admin/governance, often require explanation and context. |
Think about the following and consider how you can share this with your students:
You might find the Collaborating with Dos and Don'ts section or the potential challenges of working with students as partners to be additional helpful insight. |
You might find the following sections, on working with students as partners, useful: