STUDENTS’ ROLE IN ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT: RESEARCH-BASED INITIATIVES ON TEACHING INNOVATION

Several studies (Bovill, Cook-Sather, & Felten, 2011; Fielding, 2012) highlight how students can actively contribute to the academic community by collaborating with lecturers in the design of courses and curricula. One way to do this is through the use of participatory and collaborative methods (Seale, 2009). Student contribution provides an opportunity to strengthen students' feeling of belonging to the academic community. Walkington (2010) proposes that students take on the role of researchers within academic development programmes. Students are responsible for designing and carrying out research aimed at investigating specific problems in their institutional context. The creative and sustainable solutions that emerge from these projects are then integrated into teachers' professional development activities. The study describes research conducted by the Teaching Innovation Group at the Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science at the University of Trento. In particular, some students of the course “Qualitative Research Methods” of the Bachelor's Degree in Psychology (2024) voluntarily participated in a qualitative investigation on teaching and learning strategies adopted in other courses of the Department. Within the course, students are asked to carry out a group research project using qualitative methods on a topic of their choice. 8 groups of 5 students (40 out of 140 students) decided to investigate the impact of innovative teaching methodologies - such as cooperative learning, student-prepared presentations and case analysis - versus traditional methods and their link with classroom wellbeing. To conduct this investigation, the students used qualitative research techniques, including 200 classroom observations, 80 interviews and 8 focus groups with students. Finally, a short final research report was written by each group. Groups reports were analyzed by researchers using thematic content analysis with the aim of investigating impact of innovative teaching methodologies on students’ wellbeing. Preliminary results highlight several significant aspects relating to student experience, teaching and the relationship with teachers, that are now considered by professors to improve their teaching approach. In particular, regarding student wellbeing, positive effects are found from the adoption of innovative methods, such as group work and the use of active teaching. However, work overload and stress related to group management and examinations are issues that need to be addressed. Innovative techniques, such as group work and practical lessons are appreciated. However, face-to-face lectures and time management for group work were criticised, with requests for more clarity and support. Teachers are generally perceived positively, especially for their competence and helpfulness. Nevertheless, some criticism emerges with regard to the monotony of the lectures. As far as relations between students are concerned, a climate of cooperation and a preference for group work emerges, although problems of disorganisation and interpersonal conflicts within groups were noted. Furthermore, participation and interaction in the classroom varies depending on the students and the teaching methods. The audience will be engaged in active discussion with main results emerged, identifying perspectives and added values of this student-teacher partnership for teaching innovation and quality improvement.