Change Agents Network conference presentation April 2018. Dr Ana Baptista, Queen Mary University of London

1. Navigating the emotions in
partnerships: Reflections on
challenges for staff and students
Dr Ana Baptista – a.baptista@qmul.ac.uk
Learning Development within Academic Development
Queen Mary University of London

2. Coda
Emotions are fundamentally implicated in all human behaviour.
(Cotterall, 2013, p.175)
Emotion (…) is an essential part of the thinking process, not simply
a catalyst for reason nor inherently an obstacle to or a distraction
from rational thought. (Felten, Gilchrist & Darby, 2006, p.41)
By ignoring emotions that exist and shape learning, we threaten to
shrink our responsibility as educators and to limit the potential for
real academic learning. (Felten, Gilchrist & Darby, 2006, p.43)

3. Objectives
 To share perceptions and
experiences
 To revise ‘theoretical
frameworks’
 To reflect on perceptions,
experiences, past and future
practices
 To question our thinking and
assumptions

4. Activity
What are the guiding principles for staff-student
partnerships?
What are the main challenges in staff-student
partnerships?
What are the ‘main’ positive and negative emotions
that staff can experience throughout the partnership?
What are the ‘main’ positive and negative emotions
that students can experience throughout the
partnership?

5. Guiding principles (i)
ReciprocityReciprocity
Shared
responsibility
Shared
responsibility
RespectRespect
Trust and
respect
Trust and
respect
Shared
power
Shared
power
Shared
risks
Shared
risks
Shared
learning
Shared
learning
(Cook-Sather, Bovill & Felten, 2014)
(Bird & Koirala, 2002)
(…) collaborative, reciprocal process thrugh which all participants have the opportunity to contribute
equally, although not necessarily in the same ways, to curricular or pedagogical conceptualization,
decision making, implementation, investigation, or analysis.
(Cook-Sather, Bovill & Felten, 2014, p.6-7)

6. Guiding principles (ii)
Good practice should aspire to:
1. Foster inclusive partnerships
2. Nurture power-sharing relationships through dialogue and reflection
3. Accept partnership as a process with uncertain outcomes
4. Engage in ethical partnerships
5. Enact partnership for transformation
(Matthews, 2017, p.2)
Inclusivity; Shared power; Dialogue; Reflection; Emphasis on
process; Ethics; Transformation

7. Trust
Courage
Plurality
Responsibility
Authenticity
Honesty
Inclusivity
Reciprocity
Empowerment
Guiding principles (iii) and framework
(HEA, 2015)

8. Guiding principles (iv) and framework
Clarity
Coherence
Diversity
Inclusivity
Joint
responsibility
Leadership
Trust
Honesty
Transparency
(Culture)
Authenticity
(Varnham, 2017)

9. QUESTIONING 1
Aren’t these guiding principles of any staff-student
relationship and interaction?
Shouldn’t these by applied to a broader educational
experience?

10. (Some) Forms of partnerships (i)
Evaluate course content and learning and teaching processes
(Re)Design the content of courses
Research learning and teaching
Undertake disciplinary research
Design assessments such as essay questions or choose between different
assessment methods
Different scales: individual, classroom and course initiatives up to the
institutional level addressing pedagogical, operational and strategic goals
(Bovill et al., 2016)

11. (Some) Forms of partnerships (ii)
(Healey, Flint, Harrington, 2014)
(Examples – Healey, 2018)
Student-led,
individually-created
courses at University of
Edinburgh, UK
Students undertake
educational
development projects
as academic partners
with staff at
Birmingham City
University, UK
Students as
pedagogical
consultants at Bryn
Mawr and Haverford
Colleges, Pennsylvania,
US
UR activities

12. QUESTIONING 2
How inclusive are these ways of working in
partnership so these experiences are open to ALL
students?
How to mainstream partnership schemes so they
become part of the curriculum?

13. (Some) Challenges
Resistance to change and innovation
Institutional structures and cultures
Inclusive approach and practices
Change in power dynamics
Sustainability
Finding ‘the right’ forms of partnerships (and being creative)
(Bovill et al., 2016; Cook-Sather, Bovill & Felten, 2014)

14. QUESTIONING 3
How do those challenges ‘impact’ on the
development of staff and student identities,
interactions and/or roles?

15. Emotions
(…) socially constructed, personally enacted ways of being that
emerge from conscious and/or unconscious judgments
regarding perceived successes at attaining goals or
maintaining standards or beliefs during transactions as part
of social-historical contexts (Schutz et al., 2006, p.344)
Functions: provide motivation, psychological energy,
focus attention, trigger action-related wishes and
intentions (Pekrun et al., 2002)

16. QUESTIONING 4 – towards the future
How do staff and students emotionally deal with
the change in the educational dynamics?
How do staff and students emotionally experience
the partnership?
Do they experience similar emotions? At different
stages of the partnership? And how does this
influence their identity development?

17. Why is this important?
Awareness
Transparency
Understanding and valuing both staff’ and students’ emotional
experiences
Acting and/or boosting experiences
Enhanced confidence, motivation and enthusiasm (Cook-Sather, Bovill
& Felten, 2014, p.104) to deal with a rollercoaster of confidence and
emotions (Christie et al., 2008)
Expanding principles from some forms of partnerships to the
entire student experience – or at least experience within the
classroom*

18. * The classroom
Nowhere is involvement more important than in the classrooms of
the university, the one place, perhaps only place, students meet
each other and the faculty, and engage in learning. For that
reason the centerpiece of any university policy to enhance
retention must begin with the classrooms and serve to reshape
classroom practice in ways that more fully involve students in
learning, especially with other students.
(Tinto, 2003, p.4)

19. Navigating the emotions in
partnerships: Reflections on
challenges for staff and students
Dr Ana Baptista – a.baptista@qmul.ac.uk
Learning Development within Academic Development
Queen Mary University of London