Academic support as a ‘third space’: a team’s reflection on post-pandemic practice

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi33.1192

Keywords:

third space, student success, academic mentors, relationships, compassion , awarding gap, academic support, knowledge, legitimacies

Abstract

This paper describes and reflects upon the re-organisation of academic support across a department of architecture, art and design within a British post-92 university drawing on the concept of ‘third space’ in relation to student success. Both the department and the institution are committed to social justice, widening participation and academic success. With the introduction of online support during the pandemic and a new team of colleagues, an opportunity arose to revise how academic support was delivered to undergraduate students. For this team, which includes academic mentors and an academic manager, the COVID-19 pandemic brought challenges that impacted our historical delivery of academic support, requiring us to redefine our service to students and colleagues in the light of student success and inspired by the concept of the ‘third space’. This paper reflects upon the changes we made, as a case study, with reference to quantitative data, students’ feedback and Whitchurch’s (2009) framework of knowledges, legitimacies and relationships for blended professionals.

Author Biographies

Jon Baldwin, London Metropolitan University

Jon Baldwin is an academic mentor and senior lecturer in the School of Art, Architecture and Design, London Metropolitan University. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He has researched and published on pedagogic matters and is particularly interested in compassionate pedagogy, social justice and the student experience.

Bonita Charles, London Metropolitan University

Bonita Charles is an academic mentor and lecturer in the School of Art, Architecture and Design at London Metropolitan University, interested in fostering academic achievement and supporting the work of Equality for Social Justice in closing the degree awarding gap. As an arts practitioner, she is passionate about exploring the intersection of art and social justice.

Emma Davenport, London Metropolitan University

Emma Davenport is head of Student Experience and Academic Outcomes for the School of Art, Architecture and Design at London Metropolitan University. She is a Senior Fellow of AdvanceHE, a university teaching fellow and a founding member of Writing for Research and Academic Purposes (WRAP). Her research interests include learning development, academic writing support, material culture and social psychology.

John Keefe, London Metropolitan University

John Keefe is a senior lecturer and academic mentor at London Metropolitan University, School of Art, Architecture and Design. He is a Fellow of the HEA, and gained his PhD in 2013, entitled ‘A Spectatorial Dramaturgy’. From this, he is interested in how certain areas from his research and publications - for example, the embodied mind, the ethics of empathy - can inform the role and practice of pedagogy and student mentoring when offering academic and study skills support.

Debora Minà, London Metropolitan University

Debora Minà is a socially engaged theatre artist and academic. She is an academic mentor and lecturer at the School of Art, Architecture and Design, London Metropolitan University, an associate lecturer at Goldsmiths, University of London, a PhD candidate, and an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Her practice/research focuses on co-creation and belonging and is informed by Liberation Pedagogy and Education for Social Justice.

References

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Published

30-01-2025

How to Cite

Baldwin, J. (2025) “Academic support as a ‘third space’: a team’s reflection on post-pandemic practice ”, Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, (33). doi: 10.47408/jldhe.vi33.1192.

Issue

No. 33 (2025): Special Edition, Third Space In HE

Section

Identity and positioning

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