student volunteers and the volunteer- involving community organisations vinspiredstudents research

Student Volunteering: Background, Policy and Context Purpose of the study – Review literature and policy developments in relation to volunteering and student volunteering – Explore current student volunteering and learning linked activity: how it is constructed and managed, the perceived benefits and barriers – Review international models of student volunteering (US and Australia) – List useful toolkits and training resources to support student volunteering activity – Consider knowledge gaps and themes for further exploration

Student Volunteering: Background, Policy and Context Methods used – Literature review – Semi-structured interviews with HEIs (20 focused on learning-linked; 46 focused on wider student volunteering) – Interviews with stakeholders and experts to give an overview of volunteering, practices, policies and developments

Student Volunteering: Background, Policy and Context Findings – Rich diversity in how student volunteering is constructed managed and defined – Lack of evidence-based research informing the assumptions over the impact that student volunteering can have for students, employers the community and the university – Perceived increase in the range of opportunities available to student volunteers

Student Volunteering: Background, Policy and Context Recommendations – Supporting projects that tackle the identified gaps in our understanding – Building more proactive links to wider policy developments around volunteering, and defining the unique contribution universities can make to this through the strategic management of volunteering in the sector – Developing a robust evidence base, in particular around the lifelong volunteer, the numbers of students volunteering, and the impact of volunteering on individuals, the community and the host institutions

Defining the unique contributions of universities and students’ unions in the volunteering landscape Locating university within the volunteering timeline Produce a fuller picture of the extent of volunteering taking place Exploring the experiences of volunteer involving community organisations Evaluating the impact of different types of voluntary experiences Following-up on the recommendations

Developing a robust evidence base Evaluate impact in relation to student welfare, recruitment, employability and academic engagement... Explore differences across student backgrounds, disciplines and career choices... Develop the research and evaluative capacity within HEIs Exploring the impact on community organisations Following-up on the recommendations

Methods

– Examples of groups that may be considered non-volunteering students: Students who may be volunteering under the radar of the university (hence are not recorded); students who do not consider themselves to be volunteers; students who volunteered prior to university but have taken a break; students who are not volunteering. – Examples of groups that may be considered volunteering students: Volunteering community focused placements that are organised by the university/Students’ Union; students volunteering in roles within university community. – Examples of groups that may be community based learning: Academic component that have a community “volunteer” element as part of the module studied credit may or may not count towards a degree.

Methods We anticipate the use of surveys, interviews, focus groups and case studies in order to collect range of data necessary to support the desired research outcomes. Looking to explore differences across: – Mode and programme of study – Year of study – Gender – Age – Ethnicity – Religious beliefs – Disability – Frequency and volume of engagement – Previous experience of volunteering – Nature of volunteer experience (i.e. type of placement) – Preferred future and career aspirations

Methods Looking for diversity in terms of the community organisations involved – across turnover, purpose etc. Looking to capture impacts: – Affects on service delivery and infrastructure – Knowledge and cultural exchange – Potential benefits of working with students as opposed to other groups – Potential benefits to having a transactional relationship with a university Further explore community capacity, for example: – If they were to experience a step change in volunteering what would it need to look like? – What support could universities provide to improve relationships between students and community organisations?

Research Approach Aims: – To acknowledge the experience of HEIs in evaluating student volunteering activity and use this experience to inform research design – To work with HEIs and the community, communicating findings in a manner that both enhances the dissemination of the research and aids the strategic direction of the Student Volunteering Initiative – To contribute to the development of research capacity and evaluative experience in HEIs, supporting them in initiating a change process within the institution whereby the impact of student volunteering is fully captured

Research Approach This research should therefore to build on the capacity of HEIs to carryout evaluative work on the impact of student volunteering, enabling long term cross university comparisons. There are number of possible approaches the research project could take, and these are not limited to those detailed below: – Involve relevant stakeholders within HEIs in the design and dissemination of the research – Leaving behind a legacy which enables HEIs to utilise and develop the tools created as part of this research project – Giving ownership of some areas of the research to HEIs and supporting them in effective delivery

Research Approach Outcomes – A research design that is sensitive to and adds value to existing evaluative work and approaches, taking into account the needs of HEIs. – Increased possibility of wider understanding of research findings and greater dissemination amongst HEIs – Increased knowledge and understanding of both the evaluative capacity within HEIs and the factors needed to develop this capacity – A research approach and outcomes that contributes to a culture change within HEIs and enhances capacity.

* Funding information collected from WiSCV network survey of 52 HEIs (2008) Mapping and constructing volunteering

Benefits and Barriers