I-BEE Webinar: Building sustainable student–staff partnerships for engagement and employability
📅 Wednesday 11 Nov 2026| ⏰ 12:00–13:00 (GMT) | 💻 Marylebone Campus
Overview
How can we move beyond traditional student engagement approaches and empower students to become active partners in shaping their learning experiences?
Students as Partners (SaP) fosters meaningful collaboration among students, academics and professional services staff in curriculum development, educational innovation and knowledge co-creation. These partnerships create mutual benefits: students develop confidence and transferable skills; academic and professional services staff enhance their professional practice and contribute to collaborative research and scholarship; and universities strengthen their cultures of student engagement and continuous improvement.
Drawing on an autoethnographic study of five student–staff co-creation projects undertaken at Westminster Business School since 2022, this webinar will explore the opportunities, challenges and practical strategies involved in developing sustainable student–staff partnerships. Participants will be introduced to a five-stage framework covering managing expectations, team formation, transparent decision-making, training, continuous feedback, and dissemination of outputs.
Practical examples and student reflections will illustrate how co-creation can foster inclusive participation, support the professional development of students and staff, and create opportunities to produce and disseminate scholarly outputs through conference proceedings, articles, blogs, webinars and podcasts.
Target Group
- Lecturers
- Researchers
- Module/course Leaders
- Educational Developers
- Digital technologists
- Departmental Teaching Quality Leads (DTQLs)
- Other Professional Services Staff interested in student–staff partnerships
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
- Explain the principles and benefits of Students as Partners (SaP), particularly their contribution to student engagement, transferable skills and employability.
- Identify key opportunities and challenges associated with student–staff co-creation, including power dynamics, student agency, workload and inclusive participation.
- Explore a practical five-stage framework for designing, implementing and sustaining student–staff co-creation projects.
- Reflect on strategies for recognising and disseminating students’ contributions to learning, research and scholarship, supporting their professional development and employability.
PSF 2023 Alignment
This webinar aligns with the Professional Standards Framework (PSF) 2023 and provides opportunities for participants to reflect on their practice and gather evidence relevant to applications for Fellow (FHEA) or Senior Fellow (SFHEA).
- Areas of Activity (A2, A4, A5): Supporting student learning, guiding learners and enhancing practice through continuing professional development.
- Core Knowledge (K1, K3, K4): Understanding how students learn, critically evaluating educational practice and exploring the use of technologies and resources to support learning.
- Professional Values (V1–V5): Exploring inclusive, evidence-informed and collaborative practices that support student engagement and educational enhancement.
Presenter: Gustavo Espinoza Ramos, Senior Lecturer