Partnership in practice; students and staff in research

The workshop will focus on describing and evaluating the recruitment, preparation/training, supervision and support of students as research partners alongside academic staff. Over the last twelve months, a research team of academics and students in the School of Health and Social Care at the University of Lincoln has been evaluating how the social work degree programme equips students for practice

The workshop will be fully interactive and will use a range of methods to engage with workshop participants;
• Digital story telling, which combines the spoken word with visual presentation. ( Lambert, 2008)
• A consideration of the threats and opportunities inherent in involving students as researchers (Fuller and Petch, 1999).
• An activity about the qualities of a student researcher – this is a small group activity using craft materials where participants will draw their ideal student researcher to facilitate thinking about what skills and attributes student researchers need.
• Active group facilitation and presentation by student researchers with an opportunity to ask questions

Participants will
1. Recognise key issues in terms of the recruitment of student researchers
2. Identify the qualities required of student researchers and discuss transferable skills
3. Discuss core components of training for student researchers
4. Evaluate benefits and challenges of involving students in research
5. Reflect on the processes involved in establishing a collaborative relationship between students and staff
6. Receive information from students about their experiences as student researchers

The content is not specific to social work and will be of value to anyone interested in engaging students in research or evaluation.