Theme 1 – Definitions:  

When I began to look at extant literature on the topic of Sponsored Student Projects (SSPs) I initially had an issue with finding work that had the focus that I needed to support and develop my thinking. So I had to take a step back to look at what we meant by the term ‘Sponsored Student Project’ at UAL and terms that might be used by other higher education institutions in order to widen my searches. From my research I found that most authors use the terms ‘live brief’ and/ or ‘experiential learning’ so I build my reading lists based on these key terms.  

Rochon outlines that there is limited material published on the use of live briefs in higher education and a lack of linking these projects to experiential learning theories which is how she developed the research gap for her doctoral thesis (2022).  

Theme 2 – Student and staff perceptions on live briefs:  

Dewey was the first to develop experiential learning theory (1938) which was later popularised by Kolb and Fry (1974). Both authors recognised that the impact from experience-based learning was far greater than merely ‘a cognitive event’ (Kolb, 1984). From research with both staff and students involved in SSPs found that ‘as well as showing changes to values and attitudes, students and staff reported that they appreciated the authenticity of experiential learning to develop students’ soft skills, including teamwork.’ (Rochon, 2022). 

Much of the academic literature published related to Sponsored Student Projects (or similarly named projects that revolve around a live brief and involved external partners) looks at staff and student perceptions which is what informed my decision to ensure that both voices were represented in my action research. Many of the findings from these reports supported that ‘experiential learning using live briefs, carefully implemented, affords rich opportunities for learning that students and staff see as valuable.’ (Rochon, 2022).  

Theme 3 – Skill development:  

A range of studies support that live breifs and experiential learning supports the development of a range of soft skills such as team work and communication (Sherman and Botkydis, 2020; Kim 2019). An interesting findings that came up in several studies was the concept of resilience and students increased levels of ‘enjoyment, satisfaction and self-confidence’ in overcoming challenges (Sherman and Botkydis, 2020, p.84).  

Gundala, Singh and Cochran (2018) focus on the benefits of live briefs for staff and organisations as well as just the students which appear to be the focus of most other papers. They outline that ‘participating as part of experiential learning activities is a means of keeping academia abreast of competencies and skills for employers’ and enhance curriculum development. Sebby and Brown (2010) further this by discussing that these projects can strengthen the academic community and benefit universities from increased industry connections.  

Initial ideas around a research gap:

Within the extant literature there is clear evidence of the value of SSPs for both students and staff but I felt that there was a clear research gap in evidencing the value created for students and what role a financial element plays in this. There seems to be much discussion about values such as teamwork, confidence and learning from industry experience. However, there is little to know link between SSPs or live briefs and the financial element which seems to play such a crucial part of how SSPs are organised and managed at UAL. From the event that I attended at the LCF Fashion Business School away day in September I learned of the continued push towards securing industry partners with budget to pay for students IP and pay for use of the school logo. I felt that the clear research gap from existing literature and what I had learned from my experiences as an Associate Lecturer I was in a strong position to begin to pitch a project on improving the understanding of value (whether that financial or otherwise) within an SSP.

Reference list:

  • Dewey, J. (1938) Experience and education. Touchstone. New York: Simon and Schuster. 
  • Gundala, R. R., Singh, M. and Cochran, T. K. (2018) ‘Perceptions of Integrated Experiential Learning of Graduate Marketing Students’, Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 18(2), pp. 74–89. 
  • Kim, O. D. T. (2019) ‘Organizing experiential learning activities for development of core competences of technical students in Vietnam’, Universal Journal of Educational Research, 7(1), pp. 230–238. doi: 10.13189/ujer.2019.070129. 
  • Kolb, D. A. (1984) Experiential learning : experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hill. 
  • Kolb, D. A. and Fry, R. E. (1974) Toward an applied theory of experiential learning, Theories of Group Process. Boston: M.I.T. Alfred Sloan School of Management.  
  • Rochon, R. (2022) Live brief projects in higher education: a contexualised examination and staff perceptions of experiential learning. Doctoral thesis, Buckinghamshire New University. Available at: https://bucks.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/id/eprint/18506/ (Accessed on 3rd January 2022). 
  • Sebby, A. G. and Brown, C. (2020) ‘Experiential learning in hospitality management curriculum: Case study in rural southeast U.S.’, Research in Higher Education Journal, 38, pp. 1–10.  
  • Sherman, P. and Botkydis, O. (2020) ‘Framing undergraduate perpectives on experiential learning within soka education theory’, IAFOR Journal of Education, 8(1), pp. 41–59.