This is an invited talk given at the virtual #CollegeExpo20 ‘The Future is Now: Learning from Lockdown’ cdn.ac.uk/college-expo20

1. A SMASHtastic opportunity to further
develop a Students as Partners project
and make an impact
Sue Beckingham NTF @suebecks
Sheffield Hallam University
#CollegeExpo20

2. A SMASHtastic opportunity to further develop a
Students as Partners project and make an impact
This session will reflect on the work undertaken by
students at Sheffield Hallam University and their
valuable contributions soon after the COVID 19
lockdown, which included advice and guidance
written as student for students. SMASH is a special
interest group that has been researching Social
Media for Academic Studies at Hallam for the past
four years

3. So what is SMASH?!
SMASH = 'Social Media for Academic Studies at Hallam'
SMASH is a ‘students as partners’ project which
considers the potential of social media for learning.

4. Students as Partners
The focus of this student-led special interest group is
looking at the affordances digital and social media
tools can provide in and out of the classroom; as a
means to organise learning; to support learning and
to showcase learning.

5. Background to SMASH
Founding Members
Jess, Corran, Ola and
Sher
Co-developed the
three pillars
framework and
first guest blog
post
Team expanded
Corran, Jess +
Abby, Matty and Callum
Co-developed
SMASH branding
and resources,
and led
workshops.
Presented at
#SocMedHE17
and #CAN18
New members
Jess, Matty, Callum +
Joe, Amy and Ola
Developed new
card resources,
guest blog post
and led workshops
Current team
Matty +
Kai, Curtis and Gag
Extended the
framework and
resources, two
guest blog posts,
presented at
SocMedHE19 and
#BETT20
2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20

6. Framework – The Four Pillars
Helping staff to identify
and use social media
tools for
communication and
collaboration within &
beyond the classroom.
Learning
Activities
Showcasing
Learning
Helping students to
prepare digital portfolios
to openly share
outcomes & projects to
develop a professional
online presence.
Organising
Learning
Helping students & staff
to identify & use
relevant social media
tools to curate &
organise information
relating to learning.
Student
Support
Helping students to find
resources online to
support their wellbeing
& academic studies
whilst at University.

7. Resources
Guest blog post for Sheffield
Hallam University and Social
Media for learning blog
All have been given a Creative Commons License
7 Things you can use…
*[add social media tool]
in learning and teaching
Reverse Social Media
What do we want to achieve and
how can social media help
CARD
ACTIVITY
BLOG
POSTS
CARD
ACTIVITY

8. Workshops
The SMASH team have led workshops with staff and
students. Using the cards, participants have engaged
in conversations about how social media can be used
to enhance learning and teaching; aid collaborative
group work and showcase the work students are
doing.

9. Guest blog post 1
in response to COVID19
Guest post: A student toolkit to help you tackle
remote learning written by students for students
https://socialmediaforlearning.com/2020/03/22/guest-post-a-student-toolkit-to-help-you-tackle-remote-learning-written-by-students-for-students/

10. A Student Toolkit
Planning tasks
Collaborative
workspaces
Scheduling meetings Online meetings
Chat Time tracking
The key themes the student’s blogpost covered:

11. Planning tasks
Project planning tools such as Trello
and Slack are useful for planning
tasks and organising work. These
can help your group capture all the
tasks that need doing and track
what has been done.

12. Collaborative workspaces
OneDrive & Google Drive are the
perfect tools to work on
individual and group projects
online. You can access your files
everywhere, no matter where
you are, as long as you are able
to access the internet.

13. Scheduling meetings
Tools like Doodle and Calendly
can provide a quick way to find
the best time slot for groups to
meet online, without the need
for back and forth emails or
messages.

14. Online meetings
Zoom, Skype and Google
Hangouts are effective for
learning when you have group
work/ assignments and for
contacting peers/ tutors for any
support.

15. Chat
Studying alone can help you
focus but it can also be isolating.
Make use of chat to check in on
peers and see how they are. Use
group chat to keep everyone in
your group informed and to take
stock of your progress towards
forthcoming assignments.

16. Time tracking
Carve out some space for study
time. This will be harder if you
are doing this at home or in halls
where there may be multiple
distractions. Toggle and
Pomotodo are useful apps.

17. Impact

18. Impact

19. Guest blog post 2
in response to COVID19
A remote learning guide written by students for
students: How to ensure your remote learning
experience is effective, supportive and fun
https://socialmediaforlearning.com/2020/03/31/guest-post-2-a-remote-learning-guide-written-by-students-for-students-how-to-ensure-your-remote-
learning-experience-is-effective-supportive-and-fun-shusmash/

20. Motivation Tips
Routine
Get up in the
morning at your
routine time,
dress, have
breakfast and
start by
reflecting on
what you did the
previous day (or
week) then
progress onto
the tasks for the
day.
Workspace
Designate a
specific
workspace you
will use to
complete your
work. It is a very
important first
step in ensuring
you have a
distraction-free
space that will
allow you to
concentrate.
Breaks
Don’t forget to
take regular
breaks and allow
time to relax by
managing your
time accordingly
(go for a short
exercise outside,
listen to your
favourite
podcast, play
games or do any
other activity
you enjoy).
Schedule
Maintain your
regular
routine/schedule
and set realistic
expectations for
the week ahead
by prioritising
the tasks you
think will take
you the longest
to complete.

21. Keeping touch with peers
Using online tools and social
media can help to make you feel
less isolated whilst looking out
for your friends. For those who
are stuck in their
accommodation and away from
their family, using chat and
video tools are highly beneficial.
These tools can help to deal with
isolation and the physical barriers of
seeing people. It’s important during
this difficult time that people are
staying well connected online to aid
people’s mental health and isolation fears.

22. Outcomes from the student’s
perspective
They developed a virtual community of
practice (VCoP) and co-learning
network.
Presented at external conferences:
University of Winchester, Edge Hill
University, BETT conference
Published an article: ‘A SMASHing
approach for developing staff and
student digital capabilities within a
Community of Practice’. Journal of
Educational Innovation, Partnership and
Change

23. Student gains from this VCoP
• Peer learning - the significance of helping others
learn;
• Confident communication - learning to utilise
different media to suit the situation and task at
hand;
• Companionship and teamwork - taking ownership
and supporting each other to work collaboratively;
• Transferable skills - recognition that these skills can
be applied in the workplace.
(Beckingham et al 2019)

24. Student gains from this VCoP
“Enhancing learning through partnerships
with other students ”
Abby
“Developing a rapport with team members
from different backgrounds through digital
platforms”
Callum
“Using FaceTime allowed me to participate in
SMASH meetings whilst I was on the other
side of the country!”
Jess
“Using apps such as Skype allow us to meet
virtually in any location, allowing us to keep
flexible with our studies”
Corran
“Greater digital knowledge gained through
discussion and companionship”
Matty

26. References
Beckingham, S., Wood, C., Paddon, J., Butler, A., Trueman, M. and
Rooney, C. (2019) A SMASHing approach for developing staff and
student digital capabilities within a Community of Practice. Journal
of Educational Innovation, Partnership and Change, 5(1)
'Championing Student-Staff Partnerships in an Age of Change'.
Available from:
https://journals.studentengagement.org.uk/index.php/studentchan
geagents/article/view/923/pdf
Social Media for Learning Blog
https://socialmediaforlearning.com/