Developing online teaching and learning : The potential benefits of ‘listening’ to student voices for staff professional development and authentic student engagement

This paper explores the potential role of authentic student voice in developing online teaching and learning in an undergraduate Initial Teacher Education programme in a UK higher education context. It considers the benefits of harnessing students’ insider perspectives as ‘expert witnesses’ through providing an exemplar of practice in relation to establishing systems for gathering both ‘feed-forward’ and ‘feed-back’ information to inform the iterative development of educational provision. Alongside similar studies internationally, the authors propose that authentic engagement with student voice has positive implications for staff professional development, as well as improving student engagement and lived experiences of learning. The paper details staff and students’ perceptions and experiences of adaptations to online educational provision and pedagogic practice resultant from the iterative development process. Inductive thematic analysis identifies three principal adaptations to practice: organisation and communication to support access and understanding of learning; encouraging discussion and positive peer relationships; and utilising online platforms to promote student collaboration. Findings suggest that these adaptations enriched staff understanding of student engagement and facilitated rapid adaptations to educational provision in order to support access and understanding, as well as the development of positive working relationships. Further evidence suggested that the establishment of systems to ‘listen’ to student voice also led to increased engagement, ownership, and an increasing sense that their perspectives were recognised and valued.