Phase 1
Introductory meeting
Please meet with your students as early as possible to introduce the project in more detail, giving them a summary overview of what they will be working on. This could soothe any feelings of unease in students, and help them feel included in the project.
Outline their role and systems
Use this meeting to update them on:
- Their role within the overall project- why the student role was created to support the project
- Explain further on the roles and responsibilities outlined in the job description
- This is a good time to highlight any key responsibilities tied to important dates (see dates section to the right)
- Lay out the systems you'll be using (Teams, Planner, Trello etc)
- Share any additional reading documentation they may like to read or useful links they'll find helpful as part of their journey
Conduct as Team Members
Although we are working to make students' introduction to the university as staff members as positive as possible, you may want to take some time to highlight things such as how to conduct themselves on email and in meetings.
This may be their first professional role, and as such, they may not know or understand where the boundaries are.
It is important to lay out expectations clearly, and also encourage them to reach out to you if they are unsure about how to conduct themselves.
Layout any expectations
Ensure that students are aware of:
- How to submit timesheets- understanding how and when they will get paid for their work
- Working hour expectations- we need to ensure that the academic responsibilities of students are their priority. Ensure you have an honest and open conversations with your students around their commitments and how you can accommodate them in the role.
- How you will communicate with them- this could be via:
- WhatsApp- for informal/urgent messages (if students are comfortable sharing their numbers)
- Teams- either through individual messaging or through posts on the Teams site
- Email- this could be for more formal communications, team-wide communications or general needs
- Meetings- it can be helpful to scaffold appropriate ways of working, you can use this by setting clear agendas and minutes, having an area for actions for each team member
- Setting clear rules of engagement between each other
Key terminology and dates
Terminology
Provide the students with the opportunity to learn acronyms and terminology relevant to your project, which they may come across in their role. Remember that acronyms you may be used to are new to them, and may need some explanation.
A good place to start may be the Warwick Acronyms Guide
Dates
This is a good time to mention any big meetings/expected events that you're already aware of (for example, if there is a submission deadline they need to be aware of, or a team meeting they'll need to attend).
- Their academic requirements are a priority- discuss here how to plan around these and still accommodate project work
Project context
Current status
- Outline the overall project:
- Why it was set up
- What has or hasn't happened so far
- The current stage of the project
- Share any project documentation that is key for them to read. Highlight any priorities that need reading. Examples include:
- Project plans
- Website links
- Existing research
- Links to good practice (both internally within the University of within other Institutions)
Project team & policies
Explain who is who within the project:
- This is a good time to give out an organisational chart
- Make sure to highlight key project team members
- This is a good time to address any power imbalances, hierarchies and roles
- There is an activity suggested in our collaborating with FAQ that may help here
- If there is anyone/any work happening both within the project team/department/wider University that they will need to be conscious of
- Especially if similar projects have been run in the past, or related projects that are currently going on
- This is also a good time to address any policies or practices that students may not be aware of
Wider university
If any specific strategies have resulted in the project being created, this is a good time to introduce them. Including:
- The University's overall strategy- where does this project fit within the wider University priorities
- Any department strategies built as a part of this
- Any linked strategies that may play a part in their work
Some of these sections are ways to address some of the challenges in working with students, you can see some detailed explanations in one of our FAQs from collaborating with:
Independent reading time
Students should be given time to understand their project, any documentation, as well as starting to get an idea of what working within the University is like. These are best shared initially in theProject Context meeting. Allow them time and share with them:
- Organisation Chart- who is who, who they'll be working with, as well as how their team fits within the wider University Context
- Website- share with them the departmental website, and any pages within that may be particularly relevant
- Project Documents- whilst it is useful to share these in the introductory meeting, remember to allow some time for students to properly familiarise themselves with it.
Setting the first task
While it is important that students get the opportunity to learn about the team and the project at a comfortable pace, setting the first task is extremely important as many students will be keen to get started on something in the role.
Depending on the task, this can be introduced as part of the check-ins, but please allow sufficient independent work time in their first few weeks to allow them to become comfortable producing on a specific ask. Things that may help in this first task:
- Giving them somewhere (an excel/shared area) to document their first thoughts on what they may be reading
- Including a deadline, making it reasonable and specific
- Attaching a short meeting to the end of the task, where they can share their first thoughts and get familiar with reporting to someone
- This has a secondary benefit of getting them used to submitting tasks within a specific and concentrated timeframe