The power of external stakeholders to enhance social and emotional learning in Higher Education

Abstract

Stakeholders external to students’ immediate academic environment such as employers and extra-departmental academics can offer a valuable source of live briefs which can enhance social and emotional learning (SEL) within a higher education context. By partnering with students to ideate and co-create solutions for real problems, module tutors can emotionally engage students on issues of social importance, provide more freedom for them to leverage their strengths, and promote wellbeing. The author shares his experience in delivering a final-year undergraduate module using a student-staff-stakeholder partnership model over several years in both face-to-face and online learning contexts. Benefits to learner engagement and wellbeing are explored, along with the positive impact to stakeholders who bring a live brief to an innovative classroom environment.