Academic and professional services working in partnership to enhance the ‘student experience’ is the theme of the next CSHE (Centre for the Study of Higher Education) Research Seminar.

The seminar, to be presented by Sarah Parkes from Newman University, will take place on Thursday 2 February, from 16.30-17.30, in the UELT Seminar Room, Canterbury Campus.

The Student Retention and Success model (Thomas, 2012) highlights the importance of partnership work within the third space (Routledge, 1996; Bhabba in Solomon et al 2006; Whitchurch, 2013) in generating a sense of belonging that promotes student retention, progression and success.

Many different models are used to deliver such support but students appear to be less inclined to accept support if it is delivered by professional staff (no matter how highly they are qualified) than by their own, disciplinary academic staff. This highlights the need for closer and more collaborative working between academic and professional staff on issues where the latter may be the more experienced but the former can provide the disciplinary discourse and context (Eales-Reynolds in Parkes et al, 2014).

Partnership work between staff and students is also seen more recently as a response to the marketisation of HE demonstrated in the NUS (2016) ‘Manifesto for Partnership’ thus generating questions about readiness for partnership-working, how to begin and what to work together on.

This seminar will discuss emergent themes arising from a pilot study published in 2014 through exploration of the rationale for collaboration across staff and student groups; recognition of the benefits & challenges of collaborative work alongside providing opportunity for reflection on institutional contexts and directions.

All colleagues are welcome to attend.

Please book a place by emailing cpdbookings@kent.ac.uk as limited seating is available.