A student perspective
Working in student-staff partnerships at The University of Manchester
In this instalment of the Partnerships in the Spotlight series, I spoke to Simone Malekar (third-year BSc (Hons) Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology student) and Cheney Chen (a second-year Psychology student) who have worked on multiple partnership projects at The University of Manchester.
Since her second year, Simone has been actively involved in student-staff partnership projects in The University of Manchester Library as a Student Team Member and the i3HS Hub as an Intern.
Cheney took part in the “Online Digital Content Developer Internship” learning to work remotely by using different types of digital tools, such as Slack, Zapier, Trello and Airtable during his first year at university.
In this post, Simone and Cheney share their experiences and discuss this topic from a first-hand student perspective.
Which student-staff partnership projects have you been part of?
Simone: I joined The University of Manchester Library at the beginning of my second year as a Student Team Member. Later in my second year, I joined the i3HS Hub as an intern to develop an online course about digital skills.
Cheney: Online Digital Content Developer Internship to develop an online course about digital skills.
Did it change your perception of staff or the type of relationship you have with them?
Simone: It did. After the partnership, I realised the amount of work they do to support students and it made me understand their work more. As a side effect, I started talking to my lecturers more because it felt like a hidden barrier had been broken down and I felt more comfortable conversing with them.
Cheney: Yes. Before I took part in the project, I thought my relationship with staff would be ‘authoritarian’. I would be told what I should do. It would be good enough if I follow the instructions given by staff.
When I was working on the project, I found it very different from my expectation. My groupmates and I were told the aims of the course and the suggested way of working. Then, we needed to define, design, and develop the whole online course by ourselves (with some assistance from staff). There’s no existing correct way of developing the course which I expected the staff would tell us. In contrast, we needed to explore every aspect of the course development process.
Simone: I learned a lot about being professional and working with people from different backgrounds through my partnership projects. I also learned a lot about the behind-the-scenes of higher education, which made me appreciate the work of university staff more.
I also liked the responsibility placed on students to guide and shape the projects. It fostered a real sense of trust between the staff and students, taking away the fear of conversing with university staff. It allowed me to grow and learn outside the classroom, and I am sure I will use the maturity and responsibility I have developed in future roles.
Cheney: I’m grateful that I could be a member of the team. I learned so many skills in this project.
What drew you towards becoming involved in partnership roles?
Simone: I wanted to be in a role where I was getting paid, but I didn’t want an erratic schedule or late hours. I am also an international student so keeping work hours within the 20-hour limit was important to me. The partnership roles I got involved in were the perfect fit for what I wanted.
Cheney: It’s about the “Digital” and “Content developer”. I want to work in the field of psychology and AI in the future. So, I thought it would be beneficial for me to work on a project that is digital-related. Besides, I want to apply a combination of psychology and AI in the education field. Thus, I wanted to gain some experience in developing an online course.
What benefits do you think the work has brought both short and longer-term?
Simone: In the short term, I’ve met loads of like-minded students and staff, which has allowed me to expand my network and work with different people. This has allowed me to gain teamwork and communication, both excellent skills to have for the modern workplace.
In the longer term, it has grown my appreciation for higher education and the work that usually goes unnoticed by most of the student population. I know that my employability and career prospects have changed dramatically since I began these projects, and I am very thankful for these opportunities for that reason.
Cheney: Short-term: I improved my confidence in applying for a job and working on a project. After successfully completing the project, I feel more confident that I can get my dream job and work using English (my second language). The most rewarding part of working on this project was learning how to use various online tools (Zoom, Slack, Zapier, Google Drive, Trello, Airtable).
Longer-term: The skills I learned in the project can be applied in my study and future work. For example, in this academic year, I am the academic student coordinator for the psychology peer mentor scheme. The teamwork skills and tools that helped me work remotely and efficiently with my teammates are the ones I learned in the internship.
And, what advice would you give to any students (or staff) interested in getting involved in these projects?
Simone: I would say it is an excellent opportunity for both students and staff to get involved. For students, it allows them to learn more about themselves and the inner workings of a large organization, which is incredibly helpful for employability and professional development. For staff, it allows them to gain a student perspective, which is ideal as most of the content created in higher education is geared towards students.
Cheney: It’s very beneficial to get involved in this type of project. You could definitely learn so many skills and knowledge in them. You need to be responsible for the tasks that are assigned to you. Also, try your best and seek help if you encounter problems.
A big thank you to Simone and Cheney for contributing to Partnerships in the Spotlight series. Partnership brings students into closer, more varied contact with university staff than a general one-way lecturer-to-student dynamic, and it’s interesting to see in this post how this affects the way students feel about their educational experience.
