Student-staff partnerships
At Birmingham Newman University, we believe that a truly vibrant academic community is one in which students and staff work in genuine partnership.
Our Student-Staff Partnership Projects (SSPPs) are a cornerstone of this ethos – providing structured opportunities for students to actively shape the university experience and contribute to its ongoing development.
These projects foster meaningful collaboration between students and both academic and professional staff, embedding co-creation at the heart of university life. Open to all students, SSPPs invite participants to engage critically and creatively with aspects of Newman’s culture, pedagogy, and civic mission.
We offer three distinct pathways for partnership:
- Academic Partnership Projects (SAP): Focused on enhancing the student learning experience through pedagogical innovation and curriculum development.
- Research Partnership Projects (SRP): Designed to integrate students into disciplinary research, cultivating their skills as emerging scholars.
- Community Partnership Projects (SCP): Engaging students in initiatives that connect the university with the wider community, reflecting our commitment to social responsibility.
Each autumn, we launch a formal round of funded projects, culminating the following June. However, we welcome ideas year-round. If you are interested in initiating a project, we encourage you to contact the SSP team or speak with staff members who share your vision.
These partnerships exemplify our commitment to Saint John Henry Newman’s ideal of a university as a community of thinkers—where inquiry, dialogue, and shared purpose shape both scholarship and society.
Student-Staff Partnership Projects
At Birmingham Newman, we use student engagement data not simply to monitor activity, but to inform ethical, student-centred pedagogic innovation. Our approach, shaped by the What Works? programme (Thomas et al., 2017), prioritises holistic support and critical reflection on the ethical use of data (Slade & Prinsloo, 2013).
Rather than relying solely on learning analytics, we embed this work within our Student-Staff Partnership framework. Through collaborative projects, students and staff co-develop interventions based on data such as attendance, VLE access, and assessment performance. These initiatives have improved retention and submission rates, while also addressing barriers like confidence, belonging, and help-seeking.
Our HEFCE Catalyst Project exemplifies this ethos—using data-informed mentoring to foster reciprocal relationships and dismantle traditional hierarchies. The result is a more inclusive, responsive academic environment where students are active partners in shaping their educational experience.