Dr. Sharon McClements Mr Gervase Cunningham Mr Mark McKane Lecturers in Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management SCOBE

Trust in Staff Student Partnerships A staff student partnership is a learning experience that places the student ‘at the heart of the system’, (Higher Education White Paper, 2011). By placing students at the centre of their educational needs, students can become ‘actively engaged in the enhancement of their learning’, (Curran, 2013). Active engagement in the partnership ‘benefits both students and the schools concerned’, (Barnes et al., 2011),

Trust in Staff Student Partnerships Successful Staff Student Partnership:- Requires a joint commitment to ‘shared responsibilities and cooperative or collaborative action’, (Levy et al., 2011). Yet there is a trend that the partnership has focused on consultation rather than collaboration. Collaboration in the partnership requires staff and students to build a partnership with shared commitment to learning

Trust in Staff Student Partnerships Building and maintaining shared commitment requires trust:- Trust is a multidisciplinary issue and has been applied to different academic fields (Ebert 2009), Trust in the partnership ‘enables more open communication and knowledge sharing’, (Savolainen, 2010) trust ‘is a connective device’ that can build and maintain a partnership, (Ikonen and Savolainen, 2011); therefore without trust the partnership would not flourish.

Electronic student survey: 140 students on the BSc Hons Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management Programme Years 1-4

Trust in Staff Student Partnerships Categories of Questions: Section A –Awareness and understanding of Staff Student Partnerships Closed and Open ended questions Section B – Rank importance of Trust in Staff Student Partnerships Closed and Open ended questions.

Trust in Staff Student Partnerships Response Rate – 42% response rate (62/140)

Trust in Staff Student Partnerships Section A – Awareness of Staff Student Partnerships:

Trust in Staff Student Partnerships Section A: Importance of Students as Partners in their Learning:-

Trust in Staff Student Partnerships Benefits of Staff Student Partnership ‘The student perspective’:- Both the student and staff member can learn from each other A staff student partnership will give the student the confidence to speak up relating to any issues he/she may have Knowing that someone is there to listen and direct the student is vital and builds trust between the two parties Able to communicate better, ask questions without feeling like they are burdening them

Trust in Staff Student Partnerships Benefits of Staff Student Partnership ‘The student perspective’:- Increased understanding of the topic increase sense of community Allows students to enjoy class more. Being more involved with the lecturer makes the student more aware good working relationship Students may receive a more engaging experience, and take greater responsibility for their own education

Trust in Staff Student Partnerships Barriers to Staff Student Partnership ‘The student perspective’:- Perceptions - "I am the teacher, you are the student“ Student maturity A lack of motivation, Fear of feedback being seen as criticism. Lack of opportunities to give honest and meaningful feedback. Time is a major barrier to more effective staff student partnerships.

Trust in Staff Student Partnerships Section B – Importance of Trust in Staff Student Partnerships:-

Trust in Staff Student Partnerships Section B – Importance of Trust as the basis of Staff Student Partnerships:-

Trust in Staff Student Partnerships Section B – Importance of Shared Responsibility:-

Trust in Staff Student Partnerships Section B – Trust as a connective device in staff student partnerships:-

Trust in Staff Student Partnerships Section B – Importance of Trust as a Basis for Open Communication:-

Trust in Staff Student Partnerships Section B – Importance of Trust as a Basis for Knowledge Sharing:-

In One Word identify the most important attribute of Trust in a Staff Student Partnership: Familiarity communication Confidence Information Sharing Caring Diligence Respect Commitment cooperation Trustworthy To believe what one person is telling you

Trust in Staff Student Partnerships Conclusion and future area’s of research The key findings of this research present an insight into students' perceptions on the dynamics of the staff student partnerships The salient attributes of trust in staff student partnerships The benefits of working in a partnership based on trust Advancing knowledge and understanding on what constitutes a successful staff student partnership in higher education. Comparison with staff perceptions of trust in the Partnership Trust in a Staff Student Research Partnership