Building working relationships in learning communities

Building working relationships in learning communities Lee Beck, Phoebe Maina, Felicia Stanford Susan K Robbins BSc PGCE MPhil PhD FHEA Principal Lecturer in Student Experience University Teaching Fellow ASKe Fellow Email: srobbins@brookes.ac.uk School of Life Sciences

Transition to University • Relocation: making the move from home to university • Domestication: learning to live independently • Integration: mixing with different people • Building networks: making friends and meeting colleagues • Lifestyle issues: making independent choices • Academic issues: recognising differences between teaching at school and university School of Life Sciences

Integration Where students come from: • Global catchment area: the whole world • Social catchment area: all social backgrounds, though unbalanced ratios • Economic catchment area: various, wide-ranging • Disabilities: various, wide-ranging • Ages: various, wide-ranging within a cohort • So… how do we set about integrating these students into a learning community? School of Life Sciences

Support networks • Previous support networks: family, friends, peer group, teachers, work colleagues, social and sports groups • Making new friends: university social life: clubs, societies, residential groups (halls) • Building collegiate groups: discipline-based peer groups, peer support for study, student-staff working relationships, personal tutor support School of Life Sciences

Building learning communities • Developing cohort identity through activities: doing things together, experiential learning • Example from Extended Sciences, foundation year prior to starting science degree study • Induction: using experiential learning to break down barriers and establish friendships and working relationships • Using outdoor pursuits to build friendships, working groups, belonging… School of Life Sciences

Experiential Learning: integrating Foundation Students • Cohort: 30-50 students; age range 18-50; ethnicity – various; socio-economic – various, many WP; domicile – local, regional, UK, overseas • Activity Day as part of 3-day induction programme • Invitation to outdoor pursuits centre to participate in an exciting programme of activities • Two-thirds of students attend each year • All participants gave resoundingly positive feedback • Non-participants wished they’d not missed out! School of Life Sciences

School of Life Sciences

What the students said then … • Before: I was nervous and excited, also curious, scary. • After: I felt different from before the experience, it wasn't that scary. I loved the experience of getting to know each other. • Before: Thinking that it would be a little boring going doing simple tasks with people I didn't know. • After: Friday was amazing. Wasn't boring at all. I was fully involved and having fun throughout all of it. Managed to get to know everyone a lot better as well. • Before: I was in suspense as to what, where the day would intail (student’s spelling!). • After: It could well be a pivotal tool to help new students break the ice and get a fun element out of team working and getting to know one another better. School of Life Sciences

What the students say now … • Over to Phoebe, Felicia and Lee… • Phoebe FSC 2007-8, now entering final year Biomedical Science • Felicia FSC 2008-9, now entering Stage 2 Cell and Molecular Biology • Lee FSC 2009-10, now entering Stage 1 Nutrition School of Life Sciences

Acknowledgements • The Extended Sciences Activity Day was funded by Brookes Student Learning Experience Strategy (2007&8) and is now funded by the School of Life Sciences (2009) • Photography: Sheona Bellis, School Photographer • Support from colleagues helping me run the activities • Staff at Longridge, Marlow http://www.longridge-uk.org/home/ School of Life Sciences

Building working relationships in learning communities