Knowledge Acquisition and Client Organisations: Case Study of a Student as Producer

Authors: Barry Ardley, Abi Hunt, Nick Taylor

Abstract:

As a theoretical and practical framework this study uses the student as producer approach to learning in higher education, as adopted by the Lincoln International Business School, University of Lincoln, UK. Student as producer positions learners as skilled and capable agents, able to participate as partners with tutors in live research projects. To illuminate the nature of this approach to learning and to highlight its critical issues, the authors report on two guided student consultancy projects. These were set up with the assistance of two local organisations in the city of Lincoln UK. Using the student as producer model to deliver the projects enabled learners to acquire and develop a range of key skills and knowledge, not easily accessible in more traditional educational settings. This paper presents a systematic case study analysis of the eight organising principles of the student as producer model, as adopted by university tutors. The experience of tutors implementing student as producer suggests that the model can be widely applied to benefit not only the learning and teaching experiences of higher education students, and staff, but additionally, a university’s research programme and its community partners.

Keywords: Experiential learning, consultancy clients, student as producer.

References:

[1] K. Zervas and J. Glazzard, Sport Management Student as Producer: Embedding Critical Management Studies in Sport through Contemporary Pedagogy, Sport, Education and Society, vol. 23 no 9, pp. 928-937, 2018.
[2] Molesworth, M. Scullion, R. and Nixon E. The Marketisation of Higher Education and the Student as Consumer, Abingdon, UK. Routledge, 2011.
[3] M. Neary, G. Saunders, A. Hagyard, and D. Derricott, Student as Producer: Research-engaged teaching, an institutional strategy. York, UK, Higher Education Academy. 2014.
[4] M. Neary, Student as Producer: A Pedagogy for the avant-garde; or, how do Revolutionary Teachers Teach? Learning Exchange, vol. 1 no 1, pp. 1-12, 2010.
[5] M. Healey, and A. Jenkins, Developing undergraduate research and inquiry. Higher Education Academy, York, UK. 2009.
[6] Boyer Commission, Reinventing Undergraduate Education: a blueprint for America’s research universities, Carnegie Foundation for University Teaching, Stony Brook, New York, USA. 1998.
[7] M. Neary, Student as producer: The struggle for the idea of the University, Other Education vol 5, no 1, pp. 89-94, 2016.
[8] W. Benjamin, The Life of Students, in M. Bullock and M. W. Jennings (eds), Walter Benjamin – Selected Writings, Volume 1, 1936 – 1926, Belknap Press of Harvard University pp 37 – 47, 1996.
[9] A. Brown, Embedding research and enterprise into the curriculum: Adopting Student as Producer as a theoretical framework. Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, vol. 8, no1, pp. 29-40, 2018.
[10] M. Neary, Student as producer: Research-engaged teaching frames university-wide curriculum development. Council on Undergraduate Research Quarterly vol. 35, no 2, pp 28-35, 2014.
[11] D. C. Phillips, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: The many faces of constructivism. Educational Researcher, 24, pp 5-12, (1995), (Online) Available at: https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X024007005 (accessed July 24th 2022).
[12] R. E. Mayer, Should there be a Three Strike Rule against pure Discovery Learning? American Psychologist, vol 59, no 1, pp. 14-19, 2004.
[13] R. Brennan, Reflecting on Experiential Learning in Marketing Education, The Marketing Review, vol. 14, no 1, pp. 97–108, 2014.
[14] P.L Berger and T. Luckmann, The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge, London Penguin, 1966.
[15] J. O'Mahoney, Management Consultancy, Oxford, UK, Oxford University Press, 2010.
[16] A. Richelieu, A sport-oriented place branding strategy for cities, regions and countries. Sport, Business and Management: An International Journal. vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 354-3742018. 2018.
[17] D. Carpenter, Magna Carta. London, UK, Penguin. 2015.
[18] M. Hynes, Students-as-Producers: Developing valuable Student-Centred Research and Learning Opportunities, International Journal of Research Studies in Education, vol. 7, no 4, pp. 1-13, , (2018).
[19] Programme leaders guide: University of Lincoln (2021) University of Lincoln, Lincoln UK, (unpublished).
[20] B. Ardley, P. Moss and Taylor, N. Strategies, Snarks and Stories: SME Owner Manager Perceptions of Business Advisers, Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship, vol. 18, no 2, pp. 211-231, 2016.
[21] M. Healey, Linking Research and Teaching, Exploring Disciplinary Spaces and the role of Inquiry-Based Learning. In: R. Barnett, (ed), Reshaping the University: New Relationships between Research, Scholarship and Teaching, London UK, McGraw Hill/Open University Press. pp 30–42, 2005.
[22] A. Hunt, N. and N. Taylor, Collaborating with Students to Provide Consultancy to Lincoln City Football Club and the Visitor Economy, In: M. Duignan (ed) Managing Events, Festivals and the Visitor Economy: Concepts, Collaborations and Cases, Wallingford, UK Cabi, pp160-166, 2022.
[23] B. Ardley, N. Taylor, R. Voase and M. Hedison, Using a Student as Producers Approach to study Visitor Experiences in Relation to the Magna Carta Exhibition in Lincoln UK. In: M. Duignan (ed), Managing Events, Festivals and the Visitor Economy: Concepts, Collaborations and Cases, Wallingford, Cabi, pp. 167-185, 2022.
[24] E.G. Ochieng and A.D. Price, Framework for managing multicultural project teams. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management. vol. 16 no 6, pp. 527-543, 2009.
[25] S. Monteiro, L. Almeida and A. García-Aracil, “It's a very different world”: Work Transition and Employability of Higher Education Graduates, Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, vol 11, no 1, pp. 164-181, 2021.
[26] S. Everett, N. Cade, A. Hunt, D. Lock, K. Lupton, and S. McDonald, The Tourism, Hospitality and Events Student′s Guide to Study and Employability. London, UK, Sage, 2020.