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Redefining team assignments through a whole-class students-as-partners approach
Full text linkThroughout my undergraduate degree, education has evolved dramatically, moving towards more student-centred and experiential learning approaches. This reflective essay delves into my journey through an undergraduate organisational communication course, using an example of a team assignment to highlight the transformative impact of the whole-of-class Students as Partners approach. This innovative model integrates theoretical knowledge with practical application through the creation of digital professional resources and the facilitation of student-led, creative projects. By positioning students as active co-creators, this approach fosters collaboration, critical thinking, and personal growth, creating a dynamic and engaging learning environment that equips students with transferable skills for the modern workforce. To strengthen my arguments, I also bring together reflections from my co-authors, who represent a variety of perspectives and experiences with how the Students as Partners approach transformed a typical team presentation format
Social and political barriers of renewable energy sources (RES) development in Poland
No full textPoland, as one of the post-Soviet countries, has been heavily relying on natural gas import from Russia. In addition, this country generates a large amount of electricity through hard coal/lignite coal combustion that engenders a great measure of greenhouse gas emission. The EU recommends Poland to decrease the greenhouse gas emission, and in a gradual pace to meet the EU’s goals and objectives of building a sustainable environment bolstered by a successful energy transition. To Poland, energy transition is urgent and alarming. Poland has initiated its energy plan till the year of 2040 and has aimed at a comprehensive transition to sustainable energy system. A well-balanced energy transformation cannot distance from technology innovation and development co-functioning with smooth and successful policy-making and implementation. Poland, as a receiving country of foreign direct capital and high technology in the EU, is facing multiple obfuscations to reform its energy systems and to radicalize the nation’s renewable energies development. What are Poland’s social and political barriers of renewable energy sources (RES) development? This article intends to offer answers to this question
Evaluating the transformative potential of using energy as a community currency: Perspectives and propositions for a rationale evaluative framework
No full textThis article examines the utilization of energy as a community currency, elucidating a structured framework designed to address energy accessibility, energy efficiency, the need for a cleaner energy mix, the inherent dichotomy between economy and ecology, socio-economic inequality, poverty alleviation, alternative mechanisms for climate financing, and the establishment of inclusive pathways for wealth generation. This article advances an evaluative framework for assessing the merits of employing energy as a community currency compared to conventional climate financing options and community electrification initiatives. It positions energy as a community currency from the perspectives of the prevailing fractional banking systems, alternative currencies, climate finance options, and conventional community electrification programs
Heidi Craig. Theatre Closure and the Paradoxical Rise of English Renaissance Drama in the Civil Wars. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2023.
No full textThis review considers Heidi Craig\u27s Theatre Closure and the Paradoxical Rise of English Renaissance Drama in the Civil Wars
Modernizing public health STI and HIV testing services in Ontario: The GetaKit Project
No full textIn light of increasing rates of sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBIs) in Canada, as a group comprised primarily of frontline healthcare workers, we undertook a healthcare practice reform in Ontario to establish the first nurse-led asynchronous online STBBI testing platform, known as GetaKit.ca. The website offered clinically indicated testing for STBBIs based on public health guidelines and resources for preventative health services. Services operated in collaboration with public health units, who acted as local ordering providers for STBBI testing and facilitated linkage to care services for persons with positive test results or who required additional health follow-up. Results from the first 12 months of operating GetaKit.ca showed high uptake of this service, with 3,497 orders for STBBI testing from eligible persons, of whom 59% belonged to an equity denied group. A total of 83 new diagnoses (positivity rate of 2.4%) were identified in persons who completed testing via GetaKit.ca, all of whom were linked to treatment and care through their respective health units. We interpret these findings to suggest that our reform was able to expand access to persons with undiagnosed STBBIs.
En tant que groupe composé principalement de travailleurs de santé de première ligne confronté à la persistance et à l\u27augmentation des taux d\u27infections transmises sexuellement et par le sang (ITSS) au Canada, nous avons entrepris une réforme des pratiques de soins de santé en Ontario afin d\u27établir la première plateforme asynchrone de dépistage des ITSS en ligne dirigée par des infirmières, connue sous le nom de GetaKit.ca. Le site propose des tests de dépistage des ITSS cliniquement indiqués, basés sur les directives de santé publique, ainsi que des ressources pour les services de santé préventifs. Les services fonctionnent en collaboration avec les agences de santé publique, qui agissent en tant que prestataires locaux et facilitent le lien avec les services de soins pour les personnes dont les résultats de test sont positifs ou qui ont besoin d\u27un suivi médical supplémentaire. Les résultats des 12 premiers mois de fonctionnement de GetaKit.ca ont montré un taux élevé d\u27utilisation de ce service, avec 3 497 commandes de tests de dépistage des ITSS pour des personnes éligibles, dont 59 % appartenaient à un groupe défavorisé sur le plan de l\u27équité. Au total, 83 nouveaux diagnostics (taux de positivité de 2,4 %) ont été identifiés chez les personnes ayant effectué un test via GetaKit.ca, qui se sont toutes vues prescrire un traitement et des soins par l\u27intermédiaire de leurs unités de santé respectives. Nous interprétons ces résultats comme suggérant que notre réforme a été en mesure d\u27élargir l\u27accès aux personnes souffrant d\u27ITSS non diagnostiquées
Exploring possibilities for student-staff partnerships and beyond in discipline-based education research
Full text linkDiscipline-based education research (DBER) uses researchers’ disciplinary background to inform investigations into university teaching and learning. The terms of student involvement in DBER are often dictated by the researchers, with student choice limited to whether or not they will contribute data. This is counter to the ethos of active student participation in which students can directly influence their university studies. While examples of DBER projects with students as collaborators rather than as informants or subjects exist, such opportunities are usually available to a few students. This paper explores where, why, and how students could contribute to DBER projects by exploring different roles students can take and examining the possibilities for student input to the process of educational research when viewed as an investigative cycle. This identifies places where students can influence research work while being able to disengage as necessary. Going beyond individual students, whole-class contributions also appear practical, opening up the possibility to “co-create DBER.
Empowering student partners: Reflections on the dynamics of student-staff partnerships
Full text linkThis case study reflects on a project that utilised student-staff partnerships to explore how best to prepare staff for collaboration in such partnerships. Eight student researchers worked together across four higher education institutions in the United Kingdom, conducting interviews with 41 participants, including both staff and students. The partnerships studied at these institutions, represents a mix of research-intensive and teaching-focused universities, covering a wide range of academic disciplines. The project examined experiences and the values of partnership, offering practical insights to support the development of successful student-staff collaborations. This student-led initiative summarises key findings, such as how narrative interviews facilitated an understanding of partnership values. It presents a practical resource toolkit to support institutions engaging in partnership work. Collaborative efforts were crucial in exploring power dynamics and trust within the project. The reflections in this case study will be valuable for students, educators, researchers, and others interested in developing student-staff partnership projects
Evaluating student partnership models in Australian universities: A benchmarking study
Full text linkThis research investigates the diversity and typology of Students as Partners (SaP) models across Australian universities, providing a framework for benchmarking institutional engagement with student partnerships. By reviewing public information and employing document and critical discourse analysis (CDA) on 38 university websites, the study highlights variations in SaP initiatives, ranging from comprehensive to not evident. The study adapts Barrie’s (2007) four-quadrant framework to categorise SaP practices as: no or limited engagement, fragmented, targeted, or emancipatory. The findings reveal significant differences in how universities govern, promote, and implement SaP, with only a notable few demonstrating authentic strategic partnerships. SaP is widely recognised as a critical and transformative strategy that acknowledges student agency in engaging with how universities are governed and how curricula can be designed. Therefore, this study aims to advance current SaP practices by providing a benchmark for the various configurations of SaP at Australian higher education institutions
Working with Students as Partners to amplify the student voice and develop graduate competencies: The Student Experience Leader initiative
Full text linkOur university launched a Student Experience Leader (SEL) initiative in 2022. This initiative aims to amplify the student voice and facilitate participating students to develop graduate competencies. The initiative provides the opportunity for students to work in partnership with faculty or professional service teams to co-develop and deliver student voice-focused projects. SELs also act as representatives for their schools, enabling collaboration with the Students’ Union and other student representatives. The SEL initiative was evaluated over two academic years using mixed methods, including a student questionnaire, focus group, staff interviews, and end-of-year reports. Our evaluation found that both students and faculty recognized the value of the SEL initiative in amplifying student voice and developing graduate competencies, with participants showing strongest gains in organization and communication skills, while identifying information management and research competencies as areas of improvement. This case study also considers the enablers and inhibitors that influenced the initiative\u27s success
