Awards for student-staff partnership projects

Two student-staff collaborative projects that aimed to enhance the sense of community at Reading have won national awards.

Five Reading students were awarded the 2024 SEDA Student Partnership Impact Awards for their work with academic and professional colleagues to enhance teaching, learning and the student experience.

SEDA is the professional association for staff and educational developers in the UK. The annual Student Partnership Impact Award was created in 2023 and recognises efforts to find impactful solutions that deliver on the priorities of their departments and institution.

The two awards for Reading projects were among only 31 team prizes nationally.

Promoting inclusivity and community in Philosophy

Undergraduate students Anthara Rajiv and James Tidbury (both Philosophy) worked with lecturer Michela Bariselli on a project to enhance the sense of community in the department and bridge the gap between students and staff.

They established a Philosophy Society to ensure students could build new connections and feel a sense of belonging by attending a range of tailored activities, including movie screenings, alumni talks, discussions and sporting events.

Boosting staff-student collaboration

Undergraduates Thomas Hudson (Henley Business School), Emma Pullen (Institute of Education), and Rahasia Ferrer (Psychology and Clinical Language Studies) worked together as Student Partners within the Academic Development and Enhancement team in CQSD.

Working with Victoria Grace-Bland and other colleagues in CQSD, the students worked on supporting and enhancing the Student Partnership Schemes at Reading.

The scheme employs students to work collaboratively with colleagues in academic departments to enhance the student experience. It focuses on teaching and learning projects that support School action plans.

The students’ winning project focused on supporting the wider team of Student Partners to deliver T&L projects in each department; creating training, bespoke workshops and resources to support partnership working; and increasing engagement and belonging amongst student partners through community-building exercises.