Putting Students First: The Value of Cultivating Staff Peer Networks in Higher Education
When we talk about enhancing the student university experience and achieving positive student outcomes, as a sector, we largely tend to focus on three main approaches: staff-led initiatives, peer-to-peer support, and staff/student co-creation. While all of these approaches have their merits, we often overlook the value of creating and fostering staff networks within and across universities. These networks can significantly contribute to placing students at the heart of institutional strategies, even though they seem to focus on staff rather than students.
Staff Peer Networks, which span academic communities and professional service teams in HE, can achieve this in a variety of ways. In this short article, I will explore some of these ways and provide some practical tips on how to establish strong and enduring networks.
The Affordances of Creating and Developing Staff Networks in HE
There are a variety of ways in which creating either formal or informal staff peer networks in universities can significantly contribute to placing students at the centre of institutional strategies. Staff peer networks play a crucial role, for example, in facilitating effective teaching practices, promoting student engagement, and providing support services. By sharing their knowledge and experiences, staff can learn from each other and adopt successful practices that enhance student learning and well-being.
Additionally, staff networks provide a platform for collaborative problem-solving, enabling staff to address common challenges related to student needs and develop effective solutions that put students at the centre. Moreover, regular communication and collaboration within staff peer networks can help to ensure a consistent and uniform student experience across different departments and faculties. This consistency is vital to providing a holistic student-centred approach, which is in turn essential for creating a positive learning environment.
Staff peer networks also serve as a valuable channel for gathering and disseminating student feedback, which can inform institutional policies and practices. By focusing on student-centred strategies and continuously updating their knowledge and skills through workshops, seminars, and training sessions, staff members can provide students with an even more enriching educational experience. Furthermore, staff networks can foster interdisciplinary collaboration, potentially leading to the development of innovative, cross-disciplinary programs and courses. In addition, peer mentoring systems established within staff networks can help new members learn about student-centric approaches and create a culture where student needs and experiences are prioritised.
By actively engaging in peer networks and prioritising student-centred strategies, staff members can model the importance of collaboration, lifelong learning, and adaptability - qualities that are essential for students to observe and emulate. Strong staff networks can also play a significant role in the development and implementation of institutional policies that prioritise student needs, providing insights and recommendations to university senior leadership teams based on frontline staff experiences with students.
Finally, staff networks can help to identify gaps in student support services and promote working together to enhance these services, ensuring they are accessible, effective, and responsive to student needs. Overall, staff peer networks are essential in promoting student success and creating a positive learning environment that fosters growth and development.
Practical Steps for Creating and Developing Staff Networks in HE
1. Commitment from University Leaders and Professionals
To establish strong staff networks, it is essential to have the support and commitment of senior leadership within the university. This helps to emphasise the importance of these networks and their role in promoting student-centred approaches.
The network initiators should also actively seek out and involve enthusiastic staff members who share a passion for student-centred education to lead and promote emerging networks. This approach ensures that the networks are community-led, and also helps build capacity for future network leadership.
2. Clearly Defined Objectives, Roles and Responsibilities
When establishing any network and its associated terms of reference, it is important to define clear goals and objectives that prioritise student-centric outcomes. This will help to ensure that the network's purpose is well-defined and aligned with the university's mission.
You should also have a clear structure in place with defined roles and responsibilities for members. This helps ensure that everyone knows what is expected of them and that the network operates smoothly and accountably. In HE it is especially critical to be intentional about including members from diverse departments, roles, and backgrounds to promote a more inclusive and representative network.
3. Effective Communication Channels
To keep the network moving forward and on track, it is a good idea to schedule regular formal meetings and informal touchpoints for members to connect, brainstorm, and review progress.
To enhance staff engagement with the network, it is important to establish other effective communication channels such as email lists, social media groups, or online platforms that allow for ongoing dialogue and resource sharing. You may also want to consider utilising collaborative tools and technologies to facilitate the exchange of resources, ideas, and best practices among team members.
4. Training, Development and Peer Mentoring Opportunities
In educational institutions, staff members may naturally form networks or communities of practice when they have opportunities to gather together. To foster this sense of community, it is important to offer relevant and effective continuing professional development (CPD) programmes. Workshops, seminars, and training sessions that focus on student-centred strategies and teaching methods and practices can be especially valuable.
If the budget allows, inviting external experts and speakers to share their insights and perspectives can also help boost staff engagement with CPD. However, even without a budget, there is often a strong desire among educators to share knowledge and collaborate reciprocally.
To foster staff collaboration and sharing, consider implementing peer mentoring programs where experienced staff can guide newer members. For mid-career staff, it may help to encourage collaborative projects or research focusing on student-centred initiatives to stoke a passion for working together that perhaps tends to wane as we progress through our careers.
5. Feedback, Recognition and Incentives
Once any kind of staff network is up and running, consider establishing robust mechanisms for members to provide feedback on the network's activities and impact. You can also conduct regular assessments to evaluate the network's effectiveness in achieving its objectives.
Recognition and incentives play a vital role in fostering a collaborative environment among staff networks. It is essential to encourage network leaders to recognise and reward active participation and contributions to the network. Aligning network participation with professional development opportunities, such as promotion pathways and professional accreditation routes, such as the UK Professional Standards Framework under the auspices of Advance HE for example, can also be beneficial to staff.
6. Flexibility and Resourcing
Ensuring the sustainability of any staff network requires tangible resources and intangible flexibility. Ensuring adequate funding and resources are allocated for the network's activities can help with staff buy-in, particularly if it is resourced centrally. Additionally, network sponsors need to remain flexible and adaptable to the changing needs and priorities of the staff and students to ensure the network's continued success.
7. Fostering Community and Increasing Visibility
Building a sense of community, belonging and camaraderie within a staff network is crucial for its success. In addition to capacity building, organising social events and informal gatherings can be a great way to achieve this goal. Encouraging interdepartmental meetings and collaborations can also broaden perspectives and foster a university-wide approach.
However, it is important to ensure that staff networks do not remain hidden or buried within the university infrastructure. To achieve this, it is necessary to raise the visibility of the network and articulate its impact. Network successes, especially those that have a positive impact on student experiences, can be showcased to senior teams to help integrate successful practices into the broader institutional strategy and culture.
Staff Networks for Student Needs
If university decision-makers follow these actionable steps, they can proactively initiate, establish, integrate, and uphold productive staff peer networks and as a result, these networks can greatly aid in prioritising students and keeping them at the core of their institutional strategies.
