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Through UCL Arena's Peer Dialogue Option C, staff can request students to review their teaching.

Staff who teach or support teaching can get a student perspective on their practice through UCL Arena's Peer Dialogue scheme.Ìý

Two students team up with the staff member to buildÌýa reflective dialogueÌýabout their teaching practice and the learning experience of students on the module or programme.

Dr Geraldine Brodie, UCL Centre for Translation Studies, explains how she worked with students to review her teaching.Ìý

What did you personally gain from taking part?

I gained a different (and current) view of teaching from the perspective ofÌýstudents.Ìý

I got to know two students who I would not otherwise have met, andÌýhad the benefit of hearing about their learning experiences in different disciplines.

It gave me confidence in my teaching practice.

How did the students help you develop your teaching?Ìý

The students helped me with the development of a new module. As a result of the project, I made someÌýchanges, and I am also adjusting the module assessment andÌýteaching plans for next year.

What benefits did you gain from discussing your teachingÌýwith a student rather than a peer?

I participated in this initiative because I was hoping to gain a neutral studentÌýperspective on a new module that I had developed.

What I had not expected wasÌýto discover the extent to which students reflect on their own learning: not only what they learn but also how.

I really enjoyed theÌýopportunity to speak frankly about my teaching aims and objectives, especiallyÌýthose areas where I was unsure how my plans would be received. The studentsÌýcame up with some helpful ideas that I will use in future teaching in this andÌýother modules.

How did the group work together to build up a dialogue aroundÌýteaching?

We initially met to discuss documents that I circulated in advance (lesson plans, the GPC, reading lists, etc) and to agree our schedule for the project :

• when theÌýstudentsÌýwould attend sessions
• when they would hold a focus group, and;
• when they would conduct questionnaires with the students attending the module.

We then held regular meetings to discuss the progress of the module and we would all contribute questions in advance forÌýdiscussion.

We also corresponded regularly by email.

Were there any challenges and how did you overcome them?

Finding time when all three of us could meet.Ìý

The studentsÌýworked veryÌýwell as a team, and if one could not attend a meeting, the other would representÌýboth of them. They were both very good at keeping each other informed.Ìý

Another challenge was persuading the module students to engage in the focusÌýgroup. I introduced the studentsÌýduring the first teaching session, and alsoÌýallowed some time for the studentsÌýto speak to the students on the module whenÌýI was not present.

The students were still disappointed by the small number of focusÌýgroup attendees. I had predicted that this might be an issue, and recommendedÌýthat they organised a paper evaluation questionnaire during a teaching session,Ìýduring which time I stayed away from the room, so this enabled them to obtain aÌýmore complete set of data.

If I did this again, I would need to find a way ofÌýpersuading the students on the module that they were also stakeholders in the process.

What further support would have been useful?

I thought this initiative was well supported by UCL Arena Centre.

Would you recommend this to other staff?

I would highly recommend this initiative to otherÌýstaff looking for ways to reassess their teaching and also to students wanting toÌýhave an inside view of the teaching process.

It is a very positive and enjoyableÌýlearning experience.

Any other comments?

I really enjoyed working with students on this initiative. It made me reflect on myÌýown practice because I wanted to explain why I had made certain teaching andÌýassessment decisions, but I think the most valuable aspect for me was to beÌýdiscussing teaching and learning on a collaborative basis with students as myÌýpeers.

I felt that we all were able to make significant contributions to ourÌýdiscussions and to the teaching and learning process, demonstrating that we areÌýall stakeholders in that process.

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