Seeing ourselves as our students see us: the personal development tutor experience through the lens of student as producer

Abstract

Abstract This practice paper outlines the experience of a student as producer in relation to a final-year dissertation. The student-producer researched the perceptions and experiences of fellow students in relation to personal development tutors in a social sciences subject group. The authors argue that: 1) student research about academic staff is beneficial because it enables student interviewees to talk more openly; 2) presenting the findings to academic staff is an essential outcome; 3) research of this kind has more credibility owing to the more equal status between [student] interviewer and [student] interviewee. The paper concludes that students as producers could enhance institutional reflexivity.