The document discusses the importance of building and strengthening partnerships in education, highlighting approaches, challenges, and opportunities for collaboration. It presents case studies on various initiatives, including a Swedish double degree program and a student work-placement program, demonstrating stages of gap analysis, information gathering, and reflection on progress. Key lessons learned emphasize mutual benefits, managing expectations, and effective information sharing.

1. 1
Building Bridges Through Partnership
Dr. Jo Smedley
j.k.smedley@aston.ac.uk
(jo.smedley@newport.ac.uk)
Combined Honours, Aston University, Birmingham, UK
(Newport Business School, University of Wales, Newport, Wales)
Conference participation supported by a UK Operational Research Society award

2. 2
Overview
• Building and strengthening partnerships
• Consider:-
– Approaches
– Challenges
– Opportunities
– Reflections
• Outcomes
– Emerging “trust”
– Enhanced information sharing
– Deeper cross-organisation perspectives
– Informing future initiatives
Keywords:
Modelling Systems&Languages, International Collaboration, Knowledge Engineering&Management

3. 3
Case Studies
• Swedish Double Degree Programme
– Halmstad University, Sweden
– Worcester University, UK
• Student work-placement programme
– Halmstad University, Sweden
– Aston University, UK
– Hogeschool Gent, Belgium
• Academy/JISC Collaboration Initiative
– Higher Education Academy, UK
– JISC, UK

4. 4
Kolb’s experiential learning model
Gap analysis
Reflect on outcomes and
collaborative practices
Monitor
collaborative
systems
Gather
Information
Develop
mechanisms and
build capacity

5. 5
Partnership balancing
• Strengths (S)
– Reflection of individual strengths
– Contributions from each partner
• Weaknesses (W)
– Individual weaknesses do not distract overall
progress
• Opportunities (O)
– Mutual benefits from involvement
• Threats (T)
– Reflection/action on existing and emerging
threats
• Outcome
– Short-term  +ve , break-even, -ve values
– Long-term sustainability  +ve value
veTOWS 

6. 6
Stage 1 Information
• Expectations
– Approaches
– Culture
– Pace
• Information flows
– Communication
– Applications
• “Champions”
• External influences

7. 7
Case Study 1:
Swedish Double Degree Programme
• Stage 1: Gathering information
– Comparable institutions
• Stage 2: Gap analysis
– Worcester: Student numbers
– Halmstad: European links
• Stage 3: Developing practices
– Curriculum: Business, IT, Psychology
– Associated administrative practices
• Stage 4: Reflect on progress
– Student support

8. 8
Case Study 2:
Student work-placement programme
• Stage 1: Gathering information
– Existing networks
– Similar sized institution bases
• Stage 2: Gap analysis
– Aston: Additional staff
– Ghent: Student placements (IT)
– Halmstad: Student placements (Business)
• Stage 3: Developing practices
– Links
– Associated administrative practices
• Stage 4: Reflect on progress
– Quantity of students
– Support available

9. 9
Case Study 3:
Academy/JISC Collaboration
• Stage 1: Gathering information
– Existing “communities of practice”
– Managing expectations
• Stage 2: Gap analysis
– Information sharing
– Relationship balancing
• Stage 3: Developing practices
– Collaborative events/developments
• Stage 4: Reflections on progress
– Pace
– Organisational experience

10. 10
Lessons learned
• Mutual benefits
• Managing expectations
• Information sharing
– Appropriate “language”
• Balancing