Abstract

This paper will present findings from a recent project evaluating student and staff perceptions of student engagement opportunities within the School of Social and Political Sciences. The aims of the project were to embed a greater culture of student engagement, enabling students to build a greater ethos and to understand the complex dichotomy of student engagement emerging in recent years. Through evolving student as producer to ‘student as researcher’ student led focus groups and interviews with students, and staff, were conducted to ascertain perceptions of opportunities available outside of the curriculum (PASS, Student reps, Mentoring, alumni events, volunteer projects). The research focused upon researching students/staff in two groups- ‘engaged’ and ‘non engaged’, to address levels of understanding of the terminology of student engagement, skills that could be gained from participation in student engagement opportunities, understand the determining affects upon employability and transferable skills, and learn about specifics of encouragement and interest towards engaging in such opportunities and initiatives. Such findings will result in best practice case studies of initiatives focusing on enhancing student engagement, student learning and academic outcomes.As a School, and University, we have noted exemplars of best practice within teaching and learning, as evidenced by illustrations of enhancing student engagement, externally noted good practice on embedding employability and skills and a recognised history of student engagement ‘student as producer’ projects. At Lincoln, Criminology has been externally recognised for our achievements and ‘excellence’ in teaching and learning approaches, shown through receiving the BSC National Excellence in Teaching Award in 2013.

As the founder of student as producer, our School and University, are committed to progressing and enhancing the ‘student as producer’ agenda. We remain passionate about engaging students, at all stages, through the curriculum design, development of projects, student led initiatives within module design and peer assessment and feedback to embrace student engagement. This paper will critically evaluate the emerging dichotomy in levels of interest with recent schemes of student engagement opportunities. The dissemination of results will provide case studies of best practice, demonstrate our strategies to enhance levels of student engagement and methods of progressing student as producer toward ‘student as researcher’. This team of presenters from Lincoln University’s School of Social & Political Sciences will include academic staff and undergraduate students.