The REACT Collaborative Development Programme: Bringing universities together to enhance student-engagement activities for the ‘hard to reach’
Abstract
As outlined in the funding application to the Higher Education Funding Council for Engagement (HEFCE), the REACT programme was designed to “support the expansion of context-appropriate interventions to at least ten further universities through consultancy, workshops, mentoring of Student Unions and academic staff in other institutions, and working with students and student engagement practitioners to spread the interventions” (REACT, 2015). This aligned with other aims of the bid, including that REACT would: disseminate best practice in relation to the challenge of engaging those outside the usual ambit of Student Engagement (SE) activities; build communities of practice based on strong evidence; and provide consultancy support and proven approaches amongst at least ten UK universities. This paper highlights how the ‘REACT Collaborative Development Programme’ was designed to facilitate these aims, to build momentum and spread practice beyond the core of Winchester, Exeter and London Metropolitan universities. All aspects of the programme are outlined, from the initial ‘Expression of Interest’ to the collaborative process of putting together this issue of JEIPC as a final output of REACT.
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