Through the eyes of the beholder: University student leaders’ understanding of citizenship

Janet Miller; Randy Connolly; Famira Racy

doi:10.1386/ctl.10.2.203_1

Participation value of undergraduate students leading STEM outreach: Evaluation of academic, personal and professional effects

AJP Advances in Physiology Education ◽

10.1152/advan.00032.2021 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Elizabeth Saville ◽

Jennifer M. Jakobi ◽

Anne Sophie Beaudoin ◽

Sabre Cherkowski

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Online Survey ◽

Science Studies ◽

Student Leaders ◽

University Student ◽

Health Science ◽

Strong Impact ◽

Stem Fields ◽

The University ◽

Personal Career

This study explores the academic, professional and personal career benefits of leading Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) outreach, from the perspective of undergraduate student leaders. We consider traditional and non-traditional STEM university students, gender and type of position (paid or volunteer) in this evaluation. Data were collected through an online survey completed by 30 former student STEM outreach leaders from the University of British Columbia. Survey data indicated that STEM outreach had a moderately strong impact on academic, professional and personal career development. Outcomes did not differ between genders and paid work was found to contribute to greater personal and professional impact. The positive influence of outreach on academic and professional decision making was higher in traditional STEM fields than STEM based health-science studies. Future studies are needed to fully understand how demographics and year of study might differentially inform career decision making within as well as between STEM fields to maximize university student leader involvement and create advances in the university-leaders academic and professional development. The outcomes of this research will further inform the relevant impacts of STEM outreach on university student leaders.

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Pathways of Electoral Clientelism in University Student Elections in Ghana: An Exploratory Study

Journal of Student Affairs in Africa ◽

10.24085/jsaa.v9i2.2204 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 153-171

Author(s):

Kwaku Abrefa Busia ◽

Alice Amegah ◽

Francis Arthur-Holmes

Keyword(s):

Student Leadership ◽

Student Leaders ◽

University Student ◽

Vote Buying ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Kwame Nkrumah ◽

Electoral Support ◽

Food And Beverage ◽

Group Interviews ◽

The University

Recent studies on student politics and governance have shown that electoral clientelism (EC) in university student elections is often facilitated by clientelist relations between student leaders and political parties. However, there is a dearth of empirical research investigating the various forms of electoral clientelism, as manifested through vote-buying practices in campus electoral politics in African universities. This article, therefore, investigates the multifaceted and changing dynamics of vote-buying in student electoral processes in Ghanaian universities. The study adopted a qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews with 15 student leaders, 4 university staff working with student leadership, and 4 focus group interviews involving students at the University of Ghana and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. From our finding, we argue that electoral clientelism takes place in five crucial ways in university student elections in Ghana. These include the provision of direct cash payments, exchanging electoral support for student government positions and appointments, provision of food and beverage consumables, award of student-related business contracts, and provision of educational materials and souvenirs.

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2013 3M Student Fellows Feature Article - Exploring the role of the university student as an experiential learner: Thoughts and reflections from the 2013 cohort of 3M National Student Fellows

Collected Essays on Learning and Teaching ◽

10.22329/celt.v7i2.3978 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 83

Author(s):

Anita Acai ◽

Victoria Cowan ◽

Stephanie Doherty ◽

Gaurav Sharma ◽

Naythrah Thevathasan

Keyword(s):

Service Learning ◽

Experiential Learning ◽

Learning Opportunities ◽

Student Leaders ◽

University Student ◽

Post Secondary Education ◽

Feature Article ◽

Post Secondary ◽

The University

In recent years, there has been a dynamic shift in the role of the university student through the creation and promotion of experiential learning opportunities on campuses across the country. Many post-secondary programs now include co-op placements, practicums, or internships where students can apply theoretical knowledge to real-world settings. However, in this article, we have chosen to focus on more “altruistic” forms of experiential learning – volunteerism, development work, and service-learning – which have gained increased focus in recent years but are often used, we feel, without appropriately reflecting on their meaning. In this article, we draw upon our experiences as student leaders to define each of these roles, outline what we see as the benefits of experiential learning for students, and provide recommendations for how these learning opportunities can continue to be improved. Moreover, we identify privilege, ethics, and responsibility as complexities related to experiential learning and discuss each of these topics in more detail. We end our discussion by addressing the role of experiential learning in helping to define the value of a post-secondary education.

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