Developing a community of student engagement practitioners: Evidence of value from a postgraduate professional development course at a UK university

Donnelly, A., Austen, L., Lowe, T. and Moxey, M. 2025. Developing a community of student engagement practitioners: Evidence of value from a postgraduate professional development course at a UK university. Open Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. 4 (1), pp. 60-78. https://doi.org/10.56230/osotl.119

TitleDeveloping a community of student engagement practitioners: Evidence of value from a postgraduate professional development course at a UK university
TypeJournal article
AuthorsDonnelly, A., Austen, L., Lowe, T. and Moxey, M.
Abstract

Student engagement practitioners, who work within and beyond higher education (HE) providers, have vital roles in contributing to students’ learning and experiences and they collaborate with various staff and student groups across organisational boundaries to initiate change. It is essential that organisations and the HE sector support these staff to achieve their potential, for example, by addressing the lack of relevant professional development opportunities available. This paper presents evidence of an effective pathway of development that enables a community of student engagement practitioners, conceptualised as ‘integrated practitioners’ (McIntosh & Nutt, 2022), to have impact in diverse HE settings. The findings of an impact and process evaluation of the UK's first accredited professional development course for student engagement practitioners, the Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) and Master’s (MA) in Student Engagement in Higher Education at the University of Winchester, are presented. Co-constructed with an advisory group of practitioners who were studying on the course and graduates, the evaluation was planned and structured using Theory of Change. A total of 22 practitioners provided evidence of the value of the course by taking part in peer-led interviews, online reflective activities and meetings, while seven staff members from the programme team participated. The paper outlines how the evaluation generated understanding about: the purposes and design of the course; the effectiveness of its blended delivery model and processes; and how the course contributed to the formation of a community and equipped practitioners to enact changes in their practice and within their organisations.

Keywordsstudent engagement practitioner
integrated practice
higher education
course evaluation
theory of change
JournalOpen Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Journal citation4 (1), pp. 60-78
ISSN 2752-4116
Year2025
PublisherOpen Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Publisher's version
License
CC BY 4.0
File Access Level
Open (open metadata and files)
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.56230/osotl.119
Web address (URL)https://osotl.org/index.php/osotl/article/view/119/172
Publication dates
Published01 Apr 2025

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