Top Tips on Involving Patients/Service Users in Education

Following local experiences and discussion, here are some basic guidelines that should be considered and followed when inviting service users to teach in the School. They aim to ensure a satisfactory learning experience for our students.

Make contact with the user-lecturer and discuss the following:

1. Topic/subject to be taught, aims and objectives of the session

2. Some basic information about the students, stage of education, context of this session in module/course

3. Arrangements on the day (site, room, number of students, directions, length of session)

4. Support to be provided

5. Discuss whether the user-lecturer needs/wants access to computer, photocopying, etc.

7. Explore whether the module leader/other lecturer is to be present (or not) during the session to a) Facilitate; b) Sit-in & listen (and learn); c) Contribute; d) Lead discussion.

The ‘default’ position is that a lecturer will arrange to be there unless agreed otherwise. This is to safeguard the student experience and to provide feedback to the user-lecturer. This may be re-negotiated as individual user-lecturers gain increased experience.

The module leader should follow this up by sending written:

1. Information about the requested subject to be taught and the context in which it is being taught

2. Details of venue, time, directions, etc.

3. Brief information about the students (number, stage of education, expectations)

The module leader should ALWAYS:

1. Meet the user-lecturer immediately prior to the session

2. Introduce him/her to the students

3.  Follow prior arrangements about attendance during session

4. Meet with user after session for de-briefing, discussion and feedback

5. Discuss session with students at earliest convenience

6. Constructively feedback student experience of session to user-lecturer

7. Offer further input as required, e.g. discussion of how to change, improve and develop teaching skills.

The aim is for this to be a meaningful partnership between the School and the user-lecturer, not simply a way of finding someone to cover a session.

Payment

1. All user-lecturers should be paid as visiting lecturers unless otherwise negotiated

2. The module leader should explain that payment includes time for preparation and travel costs

3. The module leader should provide the necessary forms and explain how this will be processed (and the time it takes)

4. The module leader should check whether the user-lecturer faces any complications concerning payment (e.g. with benefits) and help explore possible solutions.