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Co-ownership and Collaboration:
delivering excellence in learning and teaching
Kate Norris
University of Bath

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University of Bath
•Research intensive
•Portfolio: science and engineering, strong management school, some social sciences
•Strong profile of teaching excellence
•Consistently in the top 10 nationally
•15,000 students (1/3 international, 16% distance)
•60% students undertake placements
•Exceptional graduate destination (over 90% students go into graduate jobs)
•Growing our international research portfolio

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Student consumerism
•‘For £9,000 I expect an excellent qualification’
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•‘It’s your job to perform in the classroom’
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•Learning for the job, not for the discipline
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•The role of the Students’ Union is to ensure institutions provide high quality student experiences
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•The key is satisfaction, not learning

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Student engagement ethos - Collegial vs Consumerism
•Collegial
•staff and students each have concepts of ‘success’ which have some substantial amount of overlap:
student and staff members interact with the shared aim of enabling learning, and achievement of
academic understanding and insight by the student.
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•Consumerist
•staff and students have little in common in their definition of success in the educational
experience. Students expect to ‘receive’ a high grade, whilst expecting value for money from the
teaching effort. Teaching effectiveness = student result
Van der Velden 2012

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Guiding principles for the student experience
1.The University of Bath acknowledges that students play a variety of roles in the University and
that all should receive support. These roles include:
•Learner
•University Citizen
•Local Resident
•Colleague
•Consumer
•Scholar
•Ambassador
2.
2.Students will be encouraged to fulfil their potential personally, academically and socially. This
will be achieved through a mixture of both challenge and support.
3.
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Guiding principles for the student experience
 3. Students will be encouraged to take both individual and collective responsibility for their own
affairs and to participate fully in the life of the University.

4. The University aims to develop an inclusive institutional culture that recognises and
capitalises on the intellectual and social benefits of having a diverse staff and student
community.

5. The University will encourage students to express their views on all matters relating to their
university experience.

6. The University will provide accurate, consistent and timely information to students about the
life and work of the institution.

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Principles of quality for learning and teaching
1.Reliance on sound academic principles in the design and delivery of learning and teaching
2.Importance of peer review
3.Importance of the informed student voice
4.Multi-stranded approach to enhancement
5.Commitment to processes that are efficient as well as effective

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What we do in a central service department
•Work with and support:
•Staff
•Students
•Students’ Union
•Look at the external environment
•National organisations, Peer institutions, External Examiners
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•Monitor, review and enhance

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The informed student voice – collegial engagement
•Partnership with Students’ Union
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•Building up trust, sharing information: all of it
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•Well informed students
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•Not satisfaction, but good learning
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•Negotiating realistic student expectations together

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How we achieve collegial engagement
•Student representation on over 40 University committees •Regular meetings between senior staff and
sabbatical student officers
•Degree Scheme Reviews / Annual Quality Reports
•Joint ‘Student Voice’ Presentation at induction
•You said we did publication - ‘Better @ Bath’
•Student/Staff Liaison Committees: Code of Practice
•Survey results - transparency, accountability and action
•Student led teaching awards
•SU Top 10 – leading the T&L agenda for the year

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Results of a change in ethos
•Quality of enhancement improves; student input adds value beyond expectations
•Speed of enhancement increases
•Better negotiation on achievable aims (Students’ Union & University) •University loses the
initiative - students and academics gain
•Bath ranked 1st (2013) in UK for student satisfaction
•External recognition ‘University of the Year 2011’, ‘University Campus 2013’
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Recognising, supporting and developing staff
•Bath Course/ Bath Scheme
•Prizes, awards, sabbaticals
•Teaching and Learning Professors
•Disciplinary thinking
•Directors of Studies Forum
•Teaching Development Fund
•Sharing good practice
•Internal teaching and learning conference
•Project work – LEAP, PRiDE, Flipping!
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What next? the immediate future
•Growing and more diverse student population
•Inclusive teaching, learning and assessment
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•Trans-national collaboration
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•MOOCs
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•Survey of student engagement (NSSE style)
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•Which indicators of quality should we be looking at?

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Summary
•Context is key – would this works for your institution?
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•How do you start to understand your students and staff?
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Kate Norris k.norris@bath.ac.uk
Head of Student Learning Experience and Quality

•This is one recipe of how to develop excellence in teaching and learning however there are other
models
•Context is key – knowing your institution and knowing your students

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Coates, H. 2007. A Model for Online and General Campus-Based Student Engagement. Assessment and
Evaluation in Higher Education, 32, 121-141.
Coates, H. 2010. Development of the Australasian survey of student engagement (AUSSE). Higher
Education, 60, 1-17.Davis, T.
M. & Murrell, P. H. 1993. Turning Teaching Into Learning: The Role of Student Responsibility in the
Collegial Experience, Washington DC, ERIC: Clearing House on Higher Education.
Delucchi, M. & Korgen, K. 2002. "We're the Customer- We Pay the Tuition": Student Consumerism among
Undergraduate Sociology Majors. Teaching Sociology, 30, 100-07.
Delucchi, M. & Smith, W. L. 1997a. A Postmodern Explanation of Student Consumerism in Higher
Education. Teaching Sociology, 25, 322-27.
Delucchi, M. & Smith, W. L. 1997b. Satisfied Customers versus Pedagogic Responsibility: Further
Thoughts on Student Consumerism. Teaching Sociology, 25, 336-37.
Eisenberg, A. F. 1997. Education and the Marketplace: Conflicting Arenas? Response to "A Postmodern
Explanation of Student Consumerism in Higher Education.". Teaching Sociology, 25, 328-32.
Harper, S. R. & Quaye, S. J. 2009. Beyond Sameness, with Engagement and Outcomes for All. In:
HARPER, S. R. & QUAYE, S. J. (eds.) Student Engagement in Higher Education. New York and London:
Routledge.
Naidoo, R. & Jamieson, I. 2005. Empowering participants or corroding learning? Towards a research
agenda on the impact of student consumerism in higher education. Journal of Education Policy, 20,
267-281.
Peltier, G. L., Laden, R. & Matranga, M. 1999. Student Persistence in College: A review of
Research. Journal of College Student Retention, 1, 357-375.
Pike, G. R. & Kuh, G. D. 2005. A Typology of Student Engagement for American Colleges and
Universities. Research in Higher Education, 46, 185-209.
Richardson, J. T. E., Slater, J. B. & Wilson, J. 2007. The National Student Survey: Development,
Findings and Implications.
Studies in Higher Education, 32, 557-580.
Sellers, J. G. & Van der Velden, G. M. 2003. Supporting Student Retention. In: SMITH, B. (ed.)
Continuing Professional Development Series. York: Higher Education Academy.
Shepperd, J. W. 1997. Relevance and Responsibility: A Postmodern Response. Response to "A
Postmodern Explanation of Student Consumerism in Higher Education.". Teaching Sociology, 25,
333-35.
Trowler, V. 2010. Student Engagement literature review. York.
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/ourwork/studentengagement/StudentEngagementEvidenc
eSummary.pdf
References