Antibiotics & You: My Experience Volunteering on a Student Partnership Project
As my second year at University was fast approaching, I was keen to find some experience to fuel my interest in science communication. This led me to volunteer to be part of the University of Manchester’s course-a-thon on antimicrobial resistance: a student partnership project aiming to produce the World’s first online open access course educating the general public about antibiotic resistance. I was completely unfamiliar to the concept of students as partners, and the idea of working collaboratively with a team of staff and students made me feel somewhat nervous. However, I arrived at the first meeting with an open mind and ready to take on something completely new.
With no idea of what to expect, I soon felt at ease as the outline of the project was laid out to us. We were to adopt an agile approach and the course would be designed in a series of weekly 3-hour meetings which we termed ‘sprints’. From day one, it was made clear that all team members would be treated on an equal playing field regardless of whether we were a member of staff or a student volunteer. We were reassured that all opinions would be valued equally, which calmed my nerves for sharing my own ideas with the rest of the group. Initially, there was a general feeling of apprehension across the group when it came to engaging in discussion. However, this challenge soon dissolved over time as team ethos accumulated.
The structure of each sprint consisted of the following stages: plan, do, review, reflect and improve. This iterative method allowed for all members of the group to have equal input and I believe the constant review allowed for maximum improvement of all content which we designed. This agile approach seemed to work more effectively as the weeks progressed; I believe this can be attributed to the increase in familiarity with both the project and other members of the group. The set-up of the room and the casual conversations which were interspersed between those related to the project all contributed to feeling like there was no hierarchy amongst the group and building a team unit.
The use of platforms such as Slack and Trello allowed the whole group to have a clear vision of the progress of the course and any outstanding tasks, as well as maintaining a constant stream of communication. These apps also helped us to overcome one of the challenges that we were faced with: not all group members were able to attend every sprint but having access to these apps kept everyone on the same page.
Overall, this project was unlike anything I have ever done before and I feel proud to have been part of it. The skills I gained from taking part in this went far beyond just seeking some experience in science communication. To anyone who has the opportunity to work on a student partnership project, my advice would be to have an open mind and run with it! It is a unique opportunity; a great way to meet new people and build transferable skills. This project has changed my mindset surrounding approaches to curriculum development, and I hope the coming years see an increase in student partnership projects across multiple Universities.
