Student collaboration facilitators

Main idea

Outline

This initiative is a one-day seminar for the student collaboration facilitators.

Student collaboration facilitators are students employed by the study programmes to facilitate the start of the collaborative work among students. Typical tasks for a student collaboration facilitator are presentation of the usage of student collaborations at the specific study programme, expectations towards the students, introducing the formalities, meetings with the groups, and handling minor conflicts within the groups. Sometimes they also take part in the forming of groups.

Main purpose of the seminar

• To develop facilitating skills
• Knowledge on facilitating, cooperation in study groups and First Year Experience
• To outline the role of a study group facilitator

At the seminar the student collaboration facilitator gets:

• Knowledge on the facilitator’s role
• To try tools from the facilitator’s toolbox
• Knowledge on some of the advantages and challenges with working in student collaborations
• Inspiration on how the new students can be supported through groups

Content
Facilitating

• What is facilitating and what is the facilitator’s role
• The facilitator’s toolbox: 3-fase planning, techniques on involvement, and communication.

Student collaboration

• Why study groups as a learning activity
• Professional cooperation + criteria on quality
• Team work phases
• Conflict management

First Year Experience

• Selected points and phases from First Year Experience
• What does the research say, and what impact does it have on the student collaboration facilitator’s role.

Structure and organization
It is a one-day seminar that lasts 5 hours. It takes place 2-3 weeks before the new semester starts, and approx. 35 participants.

It consists of presentations, exercises, discussions, feedback, and a handbook on facilitation.

The Student Guidance Service organizes the training, develops content, and facilitates the seminar.

Goals

We wish to give the student collaboration facilitators the tools to support the collaborative work so that students have better odds at succeeding, e.g.:

• Know how to start planning learning activities for a group of new students.
• Spot different ways to work towards their main objectives.
• Professional awareness/identity

Self-efficacy and confidence

Students involvement

They are not. This is training of the students (employed to be student collaboration facilitators) so that they subsequently can support their fellow students.

Inspiration and evidence

Training of tutors/mentors has been practiced for years and is recognized as somewhat necessary to ensure the quality and good practice in the introduction activities. With the amount of collaborative work in groups at our study programmes and the importance of sense of belonging and self-efficacy in the transition into HE, the student facilitators play an important role, and need training and knowledge on how to fulfill the role given to them.

Success criteria

1: Teachers knowledge on the process and use of collaborative work within the study programmes.

2: Timing

3: The student collaboration facilitators find the content meaningful and necessary to fulfill their role.

4: The combination of learning activities (short presentations, planning materials, chat stations, group discussion, sharing of practice). Develops competences and self-efficacy.

5: The peer to peer aspect when we invite previous facilitators to share their experiences.

5: Hands on planning and feedback

Do you feel you can effectively provide the support that students require?

Would you recommend this to other institutions?

agree

Communication

The facilitators are informed of the training when they are employed. But we also send them an invite to the seminar with preparation attached to the invite.

Timing

At the moment the seminar is placed 2-3 weeks before the start of the autumn semester in September.
If possible, it could be ideal to hold the seminar a bit earlier and give the facilitators more time to prepare and work with their activities before the start of the semester.

Resources

A student guidance counsellor (or similar) with knowledge on facilitating, collaborative work in groups, and transitions e.g. First Year Experience.

If possible, previous facilitators to share their experiences. Peer to peer aspect.

Handouts and posters as basis for the exercises.

Communication with the student collaboration facilitators.

Course certificates. Digital or print.

Time: Preparation + 5-hour workshop

Transferability

We think it is quite easily transferable to other contexts or groups.

The themes, content and the idea of having other students as student collaboration facilitators can easily be transferred to another context. But it would have to be adjusted.