‘The Lecturer Should Know What They Are Talking About’: Student Union Officers Perceptions of Teaching-Related CPD and Implications for their Practice

Source: Innovations in Education and Teaching International, Vol. 54, No. 2, 143–151, 2017
(Reviewed by the Portal Team)

This article investigates the potential for promoting student engagement in academic staff development, considering specifically the agency of Student Unions (SU) or guilds.

Methods
The authors conducted Semi-structured interviews with eight elected Student Unions officers.
The authors asked the participants to consider: their own views of what constituted good teaching, and on what basis this was developed; the support they and their institution provided on matters related to teaching and learning; the mechanisms through which students could provide feedback on teaching and learning; their views, on teaching-related continuing professional development (CPD) generally and the students’ role within it.

Conclusions
The authors found that the SU officers showed a commitment to enhancing the quality of the student experience. The authors argue that with respect to ensuring full representation of student voice SU officers should be able to promote meaningful dialogue around teaching and learning. The SU officers should be able to recognise the diversity of practices that underpin students learning, challenging outdated conceptions, for example in the role of the lecture.