EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS The Magazine of the Staff and Educational Development Association Ltd (SEDA)

Issue 10.2 June 2009 ISSN 1469-3267 SEDA and the ‘Students and £8 Cover price (UK only) Universities’ Inquiry Contents James Wisdom, SEDA Vice-Chair 1 SEDA and the ‘Students and Universities’ Inquiry James Wisdom Setting up the inquiry 5 Re-engineering assessment In October 2008, the Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee of the practices: A matrix for curriculum and institutional change House of Commons invited evidence to inform its new inquiry into ‘Students and David Nicol and Catherine Owen Universities’ (http://tinyurl.com/5m24fj). 10 Eyes on! Hands on! Museums and collections for higher order This followed the events of June 2008 when the Committee took evidence from learning Rosalind Duhs the QAA after they had published three rather critical reports into Assessment, 14 Technology Enhanced learning: External Examining and International Students. In the press, two separate issues a recent graduate’s view were conflated – that universities might not be very good at assessing students Habib Lodal accurately and consistently, and that the Honours degree classification system was 15 Technology Enhanced learning: no longer fit for purpose. These ideas, combined with the changing culture three tutors’ perspectives resulting from increasing tuition fees, created the fear that the reputation of the Dr Maurice Calvert, UK’s HE was at risk. Dr Alec J. Grierson and Paul Scorer 17 Stakeholders, Strategies and the The Select Committee established broad terms for the enquiry, looking at Status Quo...evaluating the impact admissions policies, the balance between teaching and research, the classification of the Educational Development Centre at a London University of degrees, and student support and engagement. Around 100 Memoranda of Bridget Middlemas and John Shaw Evidence were submitted by Christmas, and these, gathered into one document, 21 Assessing learning from can now be read at http://tinyurl.com/c96zf9. They came from universities and placements Pam Shakespeare university groups, associations and professional bodies, researchers and individuals, 24 ‘Dreams and Aspirations of what some dissatisfied with current conditions. The Committee has asked Bahram might be Achieved’: The Quality Bekhradnia from the Higher Education Policy Institute, Sue Law from the Staff Enhancement Themes Conference Development Forum and Ron Barnett from the Institute of Education, London, to 2009 be their advisers. Dr Lorraine Walsh, Dr Darren Comber and Dr Iddo Oberski SEDA sent out an information e-mail through its discussion list calling for comment, 28 SEDA News drafted a memo within 3000 words, circulated it through the Executive for detailed comment, and submitted it. It is Memo 35 in the combined document, and is now SEDA Ltd in the working papers section of the SEDA website. Woburn House, 20 - 24 Tavistock Square After Christmas the Select Committee started issuing invitations to give evidence in London WC1H 9HF public sessions. Six had been held by the end of April, with a seventh announced, Tel 020 7380 6767 Fax 020 7387 2655 and the Committee has visited the two universities in Oxford and the three in E-mail [email protected] Liverpool. Unapproved minutes are swiftly published on the Committee’s website (http://tinyurl.com/ckz44c) with a warning that witnesses have not yet had an More information about SEDA’s activities can be found opportunity to correct this record, and videos of some of the sessions are on our website: downloadable, so it is easy to follow the inquiry. SEDA was invited to give evidence www.seda.ac.uk at the third session. The Committee hopes to have written its report by mid- summer. Registered in England, No.3709481. Registered in England and Wales as a charity, No.1089537

SEDA Supporting and Leading Educational Change EDUCATIONAL Summary of the SEDA Memorandum DEVELOPMENTS A The introduction of professional pedagogic development programmes for new The Magazine of SEDA staff was important and has been successfully implemented across the sector. B The sector now needs to invest heavily in maintaining the professional Issue 10.2 development of those new staff, and in supporting the professional pedagogic 2009 development of established staff. This is an urgent priority. C The professional pedagogic development of middle and senior managers – those Editorial Committee who manage and lead the main teaching programmes and the innovation and Fran Beaton enhancement work – has been neglected. This has to change. University of Kent D The effects of the RAE have severely damaged the quality of student learning, by Alex Bols delaying and inhibiting the growth of a scholarly approach to researching National Union of Students teaching and learning and the development of the infrastructure required to Professor Anthony Brand successfully implement change, enhancement and reform. Anglia Ruskin University The Memorandum went on to describe the value of SEDA’s Professional Dr Vivienne Caruana Development Framework in helping the sector meet the National Standards. The Leeds Metropolitan University underlying theme of the document was that, as the work of educational developers Helen Gale was becoming more professional, it was revealing the weaknesses of many of the University of Wolverhampton existing practices of the sector. It stressed how HE needed staff who were investing Elizabeth Grant heavily in their professional development as teachers and supporters of student University College London learning in order to successfully implement the many changes it so clearly faces. Steve Outram The first two evidence sessions The Higher Education Academy The first evidence session (in two parts) invited representatives of the main VC and Ann Oxley FE bodies: Rick Trainor from Universities UK, Malcolm Grant from the Russell Sheffield Hallam University Group, Les Ebdon from Million+, Geoffrey Crossick from the 1994 Group, David Dr David Ross Baker from GuildHE, Pat Bacon from the 157 Group and John Craven from the University of the West of Scotland University Alliance (http://tinyurl.com/ca672x). The second (also in two parts) took evidence from the NUS (Wes Streeting and Alex Bols) and 14 students, mostly Rachel Segal involved in students’ unions. It was quickly clear what the questioning would be The Higher Education Academy like. Professor Lorraine Stefani FSEDA Q6 Chairman: Professor Trainor, why do not all universities publish how much time Auckland University, NZ they will have in lectures; who will be the academic staff who are teaching them; Professor James Wisdom the resources that are available to them, to give them the sorts of criteria by which Higher Education Consultant they can judge between different universities, if you like, and also to evaluate the experience they have? None of that is made clear at all…

Q21 Chairman: Professor Crossick, your evidence and indeed that of Professor 2009 (Vol.10) Grant is that if you have strong research in the university, that impacts positively on Annual Subscription Rates the teaching. Is that agreed? Professor Crossick: Yes. Individual subscriptions are £32 sterling per year (4 issues) within Q22 Chairman: Therefore, the spreading of research across all universities in order the UK. Overseas subscribers that we improve the access to research across all universities will improve teaching should add £5 sterling postage and – yes or no? packing for delivery within the EU Professor Crossick: It is essential that – or £8 sterling for the rest of the Q23 Chairman: Yes or no? world. Packs of 10 copies (each copy Q59 Dr Gibson: Do you think academics are trained sufficiently in how to mark a containing 4 issues) are available final exam paper? for £240 sterling. Professor Trainor: There is a lot more training of academics in all the skills of the teaching role than there was a generation ago. All orders should be sent to the SEDA Office, either with payment Q63 Chairman: It would have been wonderful just to hear that there was some or official order. slight flaw in the higher education system this morning. It is quite remarkable. NB SEDA members automatically receive copies of Educational One of the questions asked by the Committee was about the desirability of Developments. academics being trained to teach and having a qualification as teachers, and

2 www.seda.ac.uk SEDA and the ‘Students and Universities’ Inquiry especially whether such elements should be compulsory. to you as a vice-chancellor, whether you wish to impose that? This exchange (in http://tinyurl.com/d2fb5y) with the Am I right or wrong? President of the NUS is an example: Professor Burgess: I think you are right, but I also would say that the practice is that many colleagues now go through Q 143 Chairman: ….The point I am making here is that if courses, and courses that are – we want to raise teaching standards – and the Academy was Q294 Chairman: I am not debating that, but the reality is supposed to do that – do you not feel, as a students’ union, that this was supposed to be a requirement that everybody you ought to be campaigning to make sure that every signed up to, and it is not happening, is it? university accepts the need for its academics to be properly Professor Burgess: I think one would need systematic trained? evidence that it is not happening. Certainly, colleagues go Wes Streeting: I think if you ask the majority of students up through courses of this kind, and indeed they comment on and down the country, ‘Do you want your lecturers to be going through courses of this kind. I read external examiners’ trained to teach?’, they would say yes. reports that come from courses of this kind. Q295 Chairman: The point I am making is that it is not a The third evidence session requirement, is it? The video recording failed, but the uncorrected transcript is Professor Burgess: It is not a requirement that you hold a on the Committee’s website (http://tinyurl.com/ckz44c). qualification in teaching in higher education. I gave evidence on behalf of SEDA, together with Bob Burgess, VC at Leicester, Geoffrey Alderman at the University Other issues in the discussion were: the importance of of Buckingham, and Gina Wisker from the Heads of students knowing who will teach them, their qualifications Educational Development Group. and for how many hours per week (the ‘contract’ within the prospectus); the comparability of degree standards; the Several key points emerged from the discussion. Early on, value of the Honours classification and the use of the Higher Bob Burgess challenged the significance of the number of Education Academic Record; whether modularity had made student complaints about quality with an analogy about high marks easier to get; and whether the Quality Assurance satisfaction with any mass-market product (he chose washing Agency should be replaced by a body concerned with machines). I was able to emphasise the importance of the standards, not just process. transition between an older and a more modern HE, with new concepts and different language to describe its The subsequent evidence sessions concerns. (In the uncorrected transcript the reply to Q276 Peter Williams of the QAA has received the longest sustained has been wrongly ascribed to Gina Wisker.) Gina was able to questioning of any witness. He was confronted with strong stress the importance of parity of promotion between challenges such as ‘You have no teeth and you do not look at teaching and research. I tried to describe how false was the standards’ and ‘Are not the universities simply giving you a actual division between teaching and research in the real run-around in reality?’ In response, he commented on the lives of most academics, and the effect of the RAE itself in value of peer review (an issue which SEDA challenged in its creating this division. The compulsory teaching question Memorandum), but signalled that the QAA was considering arrived in this form: the scrutiny of primary evidence, alongside external examiners, rather than restricting itself to merely observing Q289 Graham Stringer: While we are talking about teaching the way the institution has scrutinised that evidence. and research, do any members of the panel believe that researchers should get a postgraduate qualification in At the same session Paul Ramsden from the Higher teaching in higher education institutions? Are there any Education Academy gave evidence. The challenge question benefits to that, or is it just another qualification for the sake to the HEA was to show evidence that the £24 million it of a qualification? received each year was making a difference to the quality of Professor Wisker: Yes, we talked about this this morning at teaching and its status. Many of the Committee’s questions HEDG. We had a meeting and we talked about qualifications have been hard to answer convincingly, and this was no being a necessity for anybody who was working directly in exception, although later Paul Ramsden suggested that the student learning. If your researchers never engage with evidence for the success of accredited courses could be students and their learning, then perhaps they do not need a found in students’ views and QAA reports. The transcript is postgraduate qualification; but if they are going to be also at http://tinyurl.com/ckz44c. engaged with student learning at all, students posting or emailing, then anyone who is going to be doing that work The session with the three Vice-Chancellors of the with a student we think must have some form of institutions in Liverpool was more thoughtful and measured, development so that they can do this. It is a professional particularly in the contributions from Professor Pillay at activity. I would not want to employ a plumber, just to go Liverpool Hope, who signalled how the QAA’s work might back to washing machines, who had absolutely no develop in terms of enhancement, the proper assessment of professional qualifications to do my plumbing and I would teaching quality and the recognition of the huge hope the same would be accorded to higher education. responsibilities which come with the claims for autonomy. One contentious area was the challenge, mainly to Liverpool Q293 Chairman: With respect, it is not standard practice, is University, that while it would have no difficulty closing a it, because it is not a mandatory requirement? It is entirely up department with a poor research record, a poor teaching www.seda.ac.uk 3 EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS 10.2 June 2009 record would not figure in such a decision. The subsequent gained by continuing the voluntary approach, all staff who session, in which Mantz Yorke, Bernard Longden and Lin teach, and who are middle and senior managers of Norton were witnesses, was a good examination of the education, should be expected to achieve Standard 2 of the evidence about non-completion rates and changes in the National Professional Standards Framework (or Standard 1 if proportions of good honours degrees. In responding to a they have reduced teaching responsibilities). question about the QAA’s fitness for purpose (Q95), Mantz put very clearly the reality of the interlock between The question then arises, by when? SEDA anticipates the standards and process in the QAA’s work, suggesting that the most likely date will emerge from the debate in 2010 on the current regime was effective, while respecting autonomy. All setting of tuition fees and the design of the support package. this can be found at http://tinyurl.com/cq6cmn. If the proportion of direct costs falling on the student is increased, one approach to mitigating the burden is for the The session at Oxford, with the VCs of Oxford and Oxford Government to guarantee the highest possible standards of Brookes, concentrated on admissions, fees, the relationship tuition. Assuming a lead time of two years to implement the between research and teaching, and the equivalence of change, SEDA expects 2013 to be the target year. Given the degrees between the two institutions. This last issue infrastructure of educational development which now exists, generated a remarkable question from the Chairman: this is a heavy but not insurmountable challenge.

Q207: May I just come in here? I am treating this The broader view conversation with incredulity, if I am perfectly honest. If you The Vice-Chancellors and their two companies (the QAA for are telling me that it costs roughly twice as much to educate assurance and the HEA for enhancement) have all faced a student at Oxford as it does at Oxford Brookes, in terms of some very strong challenges. The performance of some of the hours invested you invest significantly more time in your the vice-chancellors has not done Higher Education any students than they do at Oxford Brookes, you are telling us favours. Long and unfocused responses have sometimes that your admissions process is so rigorous that you are been abruptly cut short by the chair, and they have creaming the world’s best students in order to get in and yet presented in the main what appears to be a complacent you are saying the outcome at the end of the day is exactly defence of the status quo combined with a fierce defence of the same. Why do we bother? After some discussion around their autonomy. For proof of excellence they have relied very the terms of the question, Dr Hood said: I am not saying it is heavily on the levels of satisfaction shown in the NSS and on a higher standard, it is a different standard, it is a different the high demand from overseas students, despite the education (http://tinyurl.com/dlmjm8). weaknesses of the NSS instrument and the failure to discount the importance of teaching in the medium of Students’ views of teaching English. Most seemed untroubled by difficulties (either The Committee has taken evidence from students about conceptual or financial) in the relationship between their quality of the teaching in two ways – directly at research, scholarship and teaching. evidence sessions, and through an electronic forum. The Committee has had great difficulty in accepting, either Twenty-four students have given evidence so far – with one from the vice-chancellors or from Peter Williams of the appearing twice. Most of these witnesses appear to be QAA, that the process audit approach is a guarantee of associated with their student union – the group at Oxford standards. No vice-chancellor referred explicitly to the HE Brookes may have been selected differently. In general they Qualifications Framework or the Benchmark Statements, appear to be enthusiastic, articulate and enjoying their though Peter Williams did, nor to accreditation by experience of university life. They report that they have had professional bodies, though one student did. Perhaps these some very good teaching, but occasionally some poor were implicit in their descriptions of their internal, self- experiences, which are most often from lecturers for whom regulating processes, but they missed the opportunities. research is a greater priority than teaching, or from sessions Instead they have all relied heavily on the external examiner in which lecturers just read PowerPoint slides. However, they system, which members of the Committee challenged as often reported good teaching from lecturers who are being an old boys/girls’ network. SEDA’s memorandum enthusiastic about their research. referred explicitly to the need for external examiners to be qualified. From the 40 postings on the Forum, the picture of a varied experienced is the same, but the proportions are very In the difficulty of reconciling the equivalence in degrees different. There is much more dissatisfaction about with difference in ranking of institutions and of taught input inaccessible lecturers, dull teaching and poor feedback, and hours, most of the witnesses have concentrated on the a significantly greater demand for lecturers to be trained, diversity of intended outcomes of identically named degrees. even qualified, to teach. None deployed the notion that the system was doing no more than guaranteeing the basic standard of each class, and SEDA’s policy on professional development that programme specifications and learning outcomes were The SEDA Executive at its February meeting developed a making the differences transparent. response to the question about compulsory training and qualification for teaching staff. Following its memorandum, Alongside the theme of standards, the Committee are SEDA decided that, although there was still a lot to be particularly exercised by some HEPI research into differences

4 www.seda.ac.uk SEDA and the ‘Students and Universities’ Inquiry in teaching time put into identical qualifications. This has seriously – whether as customers, as colleagues, as broadened into questions about the validity of the reputation apprentices in a discipline, as junior researchers, as parties to lists, because the Committee is suspicious that in the high- a contract in the prospectus, or whatever model of ranking research-intensive universities students don’t actually relationship that may be developed – is already at the top of get taught by the people named in the prospectus. As the the list. It is clear that the Committee is highly alert to any work of the Committee is intended to inform the debate evidence of assumptions that the academics own and about fee levels, this set of ideas combines into the key produce HE in ways that suit them, and students can merely questions – what improvements to their experience are take it or leave it. The Committee seems very clear that students seeing for their money, and what more might they autonomy has been a cover for delaying or failing to address expect if the fees are increased? Thank goodness Janet Beer at fundamental issues, though the more the Committee listens Oxford Brookes had a clear response to his question – to the evidence, the less keen it seems on creating an offering a lower SSR, investment in buildings and OfQual to enforce standards. The hunt for research funding infrastructure, extending the work of the Reinvention Centre, (not research itself) has been shown to damage the student offering more students placements and attracting some star experience, and universities which have encouraged this researchers. may be criticised. A better-trained and qualified profession in exchange for an increase in tuition fees seems a likely deal, Two excellently argued Memoranda (SU 09 and SU 16) on the with the Professional Standards Framework and current state of assessment (from Chris Rust and others at the accreditation being taken seriously. The call for a Assessment CETL at Oxford Brookes, and from the Student modernised profession able to deploy pedagogic scholarship Assessment and Classification Working Group), along with an to reform its practices should surely emerge from the important account of the pattern of changes to grades from conceptual confusions of the standards debate. Mantz Yorke, do give a much firmer base for understanding what might be happening than much of the anecdotal and At the time the report is produced, John Denham will be whistle-blowing evidence which has caught the eye of the publishing his framework plan for HE for the next 15 years journalists. The evidence session with Chris Rust and Margaret (the background papers for this are on the DIUS website Price, of the Assessment CETL at Brookes, reinforced the http://tinyurl.com/chv2vh) and the debate on tuition fees notion that standards are developed through dialogue within and models of student support will move to the top of the communities and networks. The need to improve the quality agenda. The biggest danger is that the attack on standards of assessment, as with other areas the Committee is and quality processes (and the implicit assumption that the investigating, urgently reinforces the call from SEDA to have a expansion of HE is at the root of this ‘problem’) will provide properly trained and qualified profession – we may be in a justification to reduce funding and student numbers. these difficulties through too great a respect for existing, well- meaning but fundamentally amateur practice. James Wisdom is a freelance educational developer and HE consultant. Predictions? Even though the inquiry is only half-way through, is it possible This article was written in late April 2009, before the last to suggest what the report might contain? Taking the students three witness sessions had been held.

Re-engineering assessment practices: A matrix for curriculum and institutional change David Nicol and Catherine Owen, University of Strathclyde

How do you promote and sustain and institutional level. In this article, to manage institutional change. The curriculum and institutional change in we share what we have learned about REAP project had a widespread and higher education? For most curriculum and institutional change strategic impact across the University educational developers this is a long- through our leadership of a large, of Strathclyde. Importantly, the lessons standing concern. Over the last 20 multi-layered, development project, we learned go far beyond the years, the Centre for Academic called REAP (Re-engineering boundaries of their original context: Practice and Learning Enhancement Assessment Practices – our experience to date suggests that (CAPLE) at the University of www.reap.ac.uk). REAP offers a transferable model that Strathclyde has been involved in many has relevance to all higher education initiatives to redesign individual This project differed in important ways institutions as well as to national courses and to improve the overall from others we had supported and has agencies that fund projects to improve undergraduate experience at faculty helped refine our thinking about how teaching and learning. www.seda.ac.uk 5 EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS 10.2 June 2009

The e-learning transformation participated in REAP redesigned The REAP findings have attracted programme modules at Strathclyde during 2005-7. considerable attention across the HE In 2004, the Scottish Funding Council Demonstrating success with large sector. Many UK universities have (SFC) invited bids for funding under its numbers enhanced the credibility of adopted or adapted the REAP e-learning transformation programme. REAP both with academics and senior principles for course redesign and Projects were expected to managers. More generally, high embedded them in strategy demonstrate enhancements in student numbers represent a worst- documents, as have some HE teaching and learning through the case scenario for curriculum change: institutions in Europe, Australia and application of technology and strategic hence models of innovation that prove the US. changes at institutional level. Having successful in such conditions are more modelled its programme on a US likely to transfer to other teaching So what were the key features of the initiative (Twigg, 2003), the SFC was contexts and to other class sizes. Also, REAP approach, both at the local level looking for actual evidence of learning but just as important, the higher the of individual modules and at the pan- improvements, of teaching efficiencies number of students, the more robust is institutional level? and of institutional embedding of the test of technology application. change. Putting it into Practice All the planned redesigns were The REAP project depended on a REAP received £1 million of funding systematically evaluated in relation to matrix of components that were from the SFC over two years. It was a input (staff time), process (changes in brought into play during collaborative initiative involving three methods of teaching and learning) and implementation. The change process universities, Strathclyde (lead output measures (exam results, was not linear but rather iterative and institution), Glasgow Caledonian and student and staff perceptions). Of the interactive. Each component, or Glasgow. This article focuses on the ten redesigned modules, six showed configuration of components, work carried out at Strathclyde, as it measurable gains in student addressed different stakeholder needs received the largest funding allocation. attainment, including improvements in at different times. The REAP development team the overall exam pass mark of comprised the Director (DN), the between 6% and 16% and a reduction A powerful pedagogical idea is a Project Manager (CO), two learning in the number of students failing good driver for change technologists and an evaluator. The exams. None of the redesigns When driving educational change in Strathclyde virtual learning increased teacher workload, after higher education it is important to environment team also provided taking into account the cost-to- have a clear goal that can be support, as did a pedagogical expert change, and some selected redesigns expressed as one big and powerful and two part-time evaluators from the showed reduced teacher workload idea. This pedagogical idea provides University of Glasgow. (see Table 2, Mechanical Engineering the overall rationale for development and French). Student satisfaction was activities and ensures project The REAP Project high across all implementations and coherence. A large project might, for At the University of Strathclyde, the academics were also positive about example, have as its goal to enhance REAP project involved the planned the teaching benefits to the interdisciplinary learning or to improve and supported redesign of nine large department. student writing across the curriculum first-year modules and one third-year or to foster an inquiry-based approach. module with student numbers ranging As the project was progressing, REAP from 190-560. Course teams from ideas began to spread across the The powerful idea in REAP was ‘self- nine different departments across five university (this is discussed later under regulation’: the goal was to develop in faculties carried out the redesigns. By ‘Dissemination’). Also, the success of students the ability to monitor, course team, we mean a group of the project internally and its perceived evaluate and regulate their own academic and support staff responsible success externally led the Deputy learning. In REAP, this idea was also for the delivery of a module. The Principal to request that the Director linked to practice, to ‘what teachers spread of departments across all of REAP convene a Working Group to do’. It was argued that to develop faculties had a dual purpose: to develop a new university policy for learner self-regulation, course teams demonstrate that the models assessment and feedback. This policy would have to systematically redesign developed through REAP could be defines the aspirations of ‘assessment assessment and feedback practices. applied within any disciplinary area for learning’ as a set of principles of and to ensure cross-institutional good assessment and feedback In many HE institutions, the impact. practice. The principles derive directly development of learner autonomy or from the REAP project (see below) but independence is a stated goal within The large student numbers associated they were also informed and refined the teaching and learning strategy. with first-year classes added significant through extensive consultations across However, institutional strategies rarely value to the REAP project. Large the whole institution. Many whole say how autonomy is to be developed. numbers meant that REAP would have departments and faculty groups are This linking of project goal to teaching a big impact across the institution: now redesigning modules and practices was a distinctive feature of indeed, over 3000 students programmes using these principles. REAP.

6 www.seda.ac.uk Re-engineering assessment practices: A matrix for curriculum and institutional change

Curriculum change is enhanced the REAP team had to ensure that the when there is an explicit bridge EMPOWERMENT local redesigns had a strategic impact. linking pedagogy to student learning Good feedback practice should: Teachers need to be able to translate Most teachers are quite receptive to the big pedagogical idea into actual 1. Help clarify what good the idea that higher education should educational practices. While self- performance is (goals, criteria, develop student autonomy and foster regulation encapsulated our overall standards) learner responsibility, and to the thinking about the goal of the REAP 2. Facilitate the development of argument that there are bottlenecks project, a set of assessment and self-assessment and reflection in within assessment and feedback feedback principles as used to show learning practices, particularly in the first year how that goal could be translated into 3. Deliver high quality information (e.g. feedback workload with large effective teaching practices. The to students about their learning: classes). What is more problematic for principles were seen as aspirations for that helps them self-correct course teams is the pragmatics of first- practice: they specify, but do not over- 4. Encourage teacher-student and year redesign: how to redesign specify, the kinds of assessment peer dialogue around learning; assessment practices in ways that activities that students must engage in 5. Encourage positive motivational would address these bottlenecks. This if self-regulation is to be developed. beliefs and self-esteem is where the assessment and feedback 6. Provide opportunities to act on principles are especially valuable: they Table 1 shows the eleven assessment feedback provide a means to readily formulate and feedback principles that 7. Provide information to teachers solutions to issues of concern (e.g. underpinned the REAP project. These that can be used to help shape how to enrich feedback without principles are all supported by their teaching. increasing teaching workload) or, at research (Black and Wiliam, 1998; the very least, they provide a basis for Nicol and Macfarlane-Dick, 2006; ENGAGEMENT a solution (e.g. low retention in the Gibbs and Simpson, 2004; Chickering first year can be addressed by Effective assessment tasks should: and Gamson, 1987). Taken together organising assessments in ways that they provide a framework for 8. Capture sufficient study time in make it easier to identify students in redesigning first-year modules based and out of class difficulty as early as possible). on the dual ideas of engagement and 9. Distribute student effort evenly empowerment (self-regulation). across topics and weeks In REAP, the assessment and feedback 10. Engage students in productive principles had a dual purpose: to The last four assessment principles (8- learning activity simplify for academic staff what is a 11) are essentially about ‘time on task’ 11. Communicate clear and high complex body of research and to (Nicol, 2009). Research shows that the expectations to students. provide a framework for module more time students spend studying in redesign and evaluation. While the and out of class, the more they will Table 1 Principles of good assessment principles helped course teams learn (Gibbs and Simpson, 2004). In and feedback design (based on Nicol address their own needs, their uniform REAP, these principles meant and Macfarlane-Dick (2006) and Gibbs application across all the redesigns redesigning first-year modules so they and Simpson (2004)) helped the REAP team maintain a encouraged regular and structured coherent and strategic focus. engagement: for example, by In the first year, academic structures replacing one or two large assignments that foster student engagement need at the end of the academic year (e.g. a REAP: EXAMPLES OF to be balanced with learning activities FIRST-YEAR REDESIGNS large essay) with a series of small that foster empowerment (Nicol, regular assignments (e.g. 500-word 2009). Students must know what they • Psychology (560 students). essays) throughout the year. The seven are expected to do and by when, but Lectures were cut by half and feedback principles (1-7) are about they also should experience a sense of replaced by a series of six empowering students, giving them control over, and responsibility for, structured online collaborative practice in managing and evaluating their own learning. This will prepare essay-writing tasks. Student aspects of their own learning (Nicol them for life beyond the university, groups took responsibility for and Macfarlane-Dick, 2006). where they will invariably be required own working methods and Redesigns might involve enhancing to set their own goals and self-evaluate feedback was provided from students’ engagement with learning against these goals. multiple sources (through goals and assessment criteria, creating model answers, peer dialogue structured opportunities for reflection Change is more effective when local and the teacher). A significant and self-assessment, enacting peer needs are addressed while overall improvement was feedback processes, or organising maintaining a strategic focus evidenced in the quality of assignments to ensure that feedback is Course teams had to be convinced written essays, in end-of-year expressed in actions. that their redesign efforts would exam marks and in student address local needs. At the same time, satisfaction. Many students

www.seda.ac.uk 7 EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS 10.2 June 2009

the assessment principles are inter- instalments. We asked course teams to requested this format for other dependent and overlapping in their produce a plan describing how they first-year classes. effects (in fact, they tend to operate as currently taught the module, the issues • Mechanical Engineering building blocks for each other), we did they wished to address and the (250 students). Electronic not expect each course redesign to changes they proposed to make. To voting technology was used to embody them all. receive the first instalment the REAP support interactive peer team had to be convinced that the dialogue and feedback in large While the REAP principles were seen redesign – while addressing the course lectures, online testing is used to as a necessary condition, or starting team’s needs – also embodied REAP enable ‘just-in-time’ responsive point, for redesign they were not assessment principles and that it could teaching and an online sufficient on their own. Educational be successfully implemented. homework system enables development works best where there However, it was made clear to course independent learning. This is a collaborative approach and where teams that the REAP team was redesign led to a 60% reduction those with different expertise prepared to work closely with them in staff assessment workload, (educationalists, technologists, and would provide as much advice on improved retention and raised administrators) are brought together to learning design as was required to the performance of weaker support course redesign. Therefore we produce a convincing course plan. A students. worked with course teams to tailor the second instalment was released when application of the principles to the a final report was received which had • French (200 students). disciplinary and teaching context. to include an evaluation of the project Introduced regular online outcomes. In this way, funding support formative self-testing linked to Large sums of money at course team was used to ‘buy’ the deliverables summative tests, reduced level are not always necessary to required by the REAP team. Also, by tutorials by 50% and replaced promote curriculum change requiring a well-thought out plan we with online tasks. Enhanced In the first year of REAP five course reduced the likelihood of failure at the face-to-face contact with teams engaged in module redesign implementation stage. electronic voting technology. and in the second year a further five Reported a reduced exam teams participated. Each course team In operational terms, the real funding failure rate (12% to 2.8%). was given a grant, although we did not bottleneck in REAP was at the centre Students reported that the stipulate how funds should be spent, not at the course team level. Many online tasks established as we expected differences in local more redesigns could have been important study habits necessary needs. The funding was used variously implemented if the REAP team had for language learning. to pay for project support (e.g. employ been larger and able to work with a a part-time local project manager), to greater number of course teams to Table 2 First-year redesigns buy technology (e.g. an electronic support the planning of redesigns, voting system) or to develop online their implementation and evaluation. Curriculum change must be resources. Overall, these costs were embedded in disciplinary and not as high as we had anticipated: for Change is more convincing when teaching contexts example, most redesigns involved there is a robust evidence base We supported course redesign in two innovative uses of technologies REAP is one of the few UK large-scale ways: through the use of the already available within the institution. projects to produce robust data assessment and feedback principles showing that module redesign using and through the provision of multi- Importantly, what emerged during technology can improve student professional support. It is important to auditing was that the funding allocated learning without increasing costs. note that in REAP we did not promote to the first five course teams was over- Twigg (2003) has shown this in the US the principles as a fixed template or generous. Few of the course teams but under quite different and more set of rules to be followed. Rather, had spent their grant: in discussions it favourable conditions. course teams were encouraged to seemed that for many the funding was adapt the principles to their own more of a legitimiser than a necessity. In evaluating the project we disciplinary context: for example, a Funding allowed groups to legitimately commissioned an independent team self-assessment technique that works engage in redesign activities and to to work collaboratively with course well in pharmacy might not be justify the time they spent to heads of teams to devise suitable evaluation appropriate in psychology. For this department and others, rather as a plans. The evaluation team then reason we recommended a ‘tight- research grant legitimises the spending implemented this plan: they loose’ approach to implementation. of time on research. These findings led administered questionnaires, held While course teams should try to us to rethink the management and focus groups and interviews with maintain fidelity to the pedagogy funding of the round-two redesigns. students, teachers and support staff behind each principle (tight), the and analysed course documentation. techniques of implementation should In round two, funding was reduced They also wrote reports for be tailored to the teaching and and was more closely aligned to the departments that were subsequently learning context (loose). Also, since project objectives. It was paid in two discussed in teaching and learning

8 www.seda.ac.uk Re-engineering assessment practices: A matrix for curriculum and institutional change committees. This contrasts sharply policy and procedures to ensure long- Three themes framed the conference, with the action-research approach term sustainability. Our dissemination which included keynotes from favoured within many educational strategy was intended to address both international experts: great designs in development projects, where the these local and strategic levels. It assessment, assessment and the first teachers themselves carry out all the required a coordinated approach both year and institutional strategies for evaluation. internally and externally. assessment. All conference materials are still available on the REAP website. Course teams collaborated in the Internally, we created opportunities so The online conference was the first of evaluation process, which was both that the early dissemination of project its kind to be associated with a large formative and summative. They outputs would influence and spread to development project. provided qualitative information about other departments. To achieve this, we the module before and after the asked the course teams involved in the This external dissemination had a redesigns, data on exam pass rates, on REAP implementations to share their powerful effect. Not only was there a student retention, progression and findings at informal ‘brown bag’ buzz about REAP within the attendance as well as data on whether lunches, at internal dissemination institution, but also when academics the redesign took up more staff time. events and at internal teaching and or senior managers attended external Most course teams also piloted their learning conferences. This worked events they also reported hearing innovation before scaling up activities better than expected: some course positive feedback about REAP. This to include all students taking the teams were so enthused by the results strategy thus addressed the common module. Formative data was collected of their redesign that they acted as concern that ‘A prophet is without to inform this scaling up. vehicles for REAP dissemination honour in his own country’. The through their own departmental and external dissemination had as The REAP principles allowed the faculty committees and through powerful an effect as internal change evaluators to collate data that directly personal links with colleagues in other in getting senior managers on board. A related to the change process. For departments. For many academics the revised version of REAP principles is example, the module redesigns were REAP redesigns had revitalised their now embedded in our academic compared against what they replaced own experience of teaching. Some strategy and quality enhancement using the 11 assessment and feedback made presentations outside at procedures and we are now working principles. This information showed conferences both in the UK and with registry and planning personnel the ways in which each redesign had abroad. Also, whereas in round one to alter course approval and validation increased opportunities for self- the course teams were selected by the documentation in relation to these assessment, for peer dialogue, etc. REAP Director because they already principles. In addition, a faculty group Taken together across all the modules, had a track record of teaching is currently working on the redesign of this provides a useful measure of innovation, round-two course teams all first-year modules with the institutional impact. were self-selected; and this was partly educational purpose of developing a result of the high visibility of REAP learner responsibility and some whole We were also able to use the across the university. departments are now engaged in principles to compare similar redesign across all undergraduate implementations across different External dissemination involved years. disciplines and to draw out lessons systematically lodging all developing from different implementation outputs from REAP on the website as Conclusion approaches. In theory, the principles the project progressed including the The REAP project has shown that allow examination of process and redesign plans, the evaluations, pedagogical principles can help outcome relationships. The publicity materials, all publications and connect the local to the strategic. The implementation of more empowering external presentations. The REAP team assessment principles helped support educational processes may well be also made more than three external module redesign; they were used to associated with better quality learning presentations or keynotes per month formulate solutions to local problems; outcomes. Few studies have drawn over an 18-month period. Papers were they provided an extra dimension to this link, which may in part account published in journals and publicity evaluations (a process measure); they for some of the positive REAP findings. materials were produced to helped ensure that technology disseminate the project at a range of applications added value; and, Smart dissemination strategies can external events. importantly, they are now embedded multiply the effectiveness of as the underpinnings of good practice institutional change A centrepiece event of the REAP in policy documents and throughout A key goal of the REAP project was to project was an online international quality enhancement procedures. create lasting change at institutional conference which attracted over 400 level. Working with course teams participants from 32 countries. This It is common in educational across disciplines was one strand of was an extremely effective platform for development to favour a problem- this work while another was getting the dissemination and discussion of solving approach to change senior managers to support the project the REAP findings and for the management. This approach assumes and to make changes in institutional collection of new case examples. that effective change is best driven by www.seda.ac.uk 9 EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS 10.2 June 2009 user needs. Although REAP embraced Chickering, A. W. and Gamson, Z.F. regulated learning: a model and seven this idea, it also drew on rational (1987) ‘Seven principles for good principles of good feedback practice’, planning models of change. The REAP practice in undergraduate education’, Studies in Higher Education, 31(2), team had their own agenda, formulated Wingspread Journal, 9(2), special 199-216. as principles drawn from educational insert. Twigg, C. A. (2003) ‘Improving learning research, which were applied across all Gibbs, G. and Simpson, C. (2004) and reducing costs: models for online module redesigns. This was a subtle learning’, Educause Review, 38(5), departure from established practice ‘Conditions under which assessment supports students’ learning’, Learning 28-38 (http://www.educause.edu/ir/ and it raises an important issue for library/pdf/erm0352.pdf). educational developers: would our and Teaching in Higher Education, 1, 3-31. efforts to improve educational cultures David Nicol is Professor of Higher and practices institutionally be more Nicol, D. (2009) ‘Transforming Education and Deputy Director of the effective if, in future, we adopted a assessment and feedback: enhancing Centre for Academic Practice and more proactive rather than reactive integration and empowerment in the Learning Enhancement at the approach to change? first year’, Quality Assurance Agency, University of Strathclyde. Scotland (available at http:// References www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk/ Catherine Owen is a member of staff Black, P. and Wiliam, D. (1998) themes/FirstYear/outcomes.asp). at the Centre for Academic Practice ‘Assessment and classroom learning’, Nicol, D. J. and Macfarlane-Dick, D. and Learning Enhancement at the Assessment in Education, 5(1), 7-74. (2006) ‘Formative assessment and self- University of Strathclyde.

Eyes on! Hands on! Museums and collections for higher order learning Rosalind Duhs, University College London

Learning power Active object-based learning: knowledge-making and ‘Higher education has yet to be convinced of the learning higher order learning power of museums’ (Reeve, in Davis, 2001). When John The exploration of material culture (including works of art, Reeve, then head of education at the British Museum, said artefacts and different types of specimens) leads to learning this in 2001, it was undoubtedly true. There had even been beyond the object itself. Engagement with objects in misgivings about the role and value of university collections. museum collections is an example of active student But there now appears to be a burgeoning interest in the involvement in learning and linked to deep approaches. potential of both virtual and real object-based learning at Belief in the positive effect of student-centred teaching, tertiary level through Britain’s remarkable museums, as which focuses on ‘what the student does’, is widespread reflected in the links to the projects listed below. Rihanned among educational developers and supported by research. Smith, who is developing the use of collections at Reading, The teacher’s primary role is to facilitate learning rather than has suggested that ‘the integration of museum learning to transmit knowledge. The process of transmission is theory with the pedagogy of student-centred learning can regarded as problematic, as learners cannot be drip-fed create a unique educational context for undergraduate someone else’s knowledge. They have to create their own. research’ (Smith, 2007). The aim of this article is to provide staff and educational developers with suggestions for Using collections to stimulate and inspire learning approaches to the exciting range of museum-based learning harmonises with this constructivist view of personal resources. The Museums Association Yearbook estimates knowledge-making. The museum object is more than that there are 2500 museums in the UK, so there are plenty something which can transmit information. It is a ‘thinking of resources to choose from. device’, a ‘cultural tool for generating meaning’ (Rowe, 2002, p. 31). A single object can generate a succession of Theory activities and leave space for multiple interpretations, as First, the theory. It has been said that ‘There is nothing so illustrated in Figure 1. Developing a student’s ability to link practical as a good theory’ (Lewin, 1951). The theories concrete objects to sets of abstract ideas raises learning to a described here have been selected to help teachers more challenging level. Higher order learning is easier harness the power of museum artefacts to enhance student through objects because ‘objects, although concrete, actually learning. represent a vast continuum of abstract ideas and inter- related realities’ (Paris, 2002, introduction, p.x).

10 www.seda.ac.uk Eyes on! Hands on! Museums and collections for higher order learning

Intention of facilitator Theory Description

Learner’s Sociocultural Meaning-making through interaction interpretation Object Meaning with ‘tools, signs, symbols, activities, and (ideas, concepts, ways people’ in museum and exhibits’ context. of interacting, etc.) Learning process highlighted especially learner to learner interaction and interaction between learners and objects Figure 1 Objects and Meaning-making (based on Rowe, 2002, p. 31) Knowledge acquired through interaction with objects and people. Appropriate The teacher’s role and interactive learning Cognitive learning environments lead to ‘discovery, Learner-centredness has become so well established that we perception, communication, skill use, sometimes forget that every step of the way, learners’ analysis, and critique’. experience is shaped by their teachers’ actions. Ideally, when Also careful selection of resources and working with collections, the teacher’s role is to seek to supportive guidance facilitate student learning by making appropriate objects available and planning activities around them. ‘Affective, emotional, spiritual, creative and pleasurable experiences and Object-based learning activities lend themselves well to Aesthetic activities of learners’ i.e. emotions – ‘joy, interaction. Piscitelli and Weier (2002) have classified disgust, shock, delight’ ‘Interactive Teaching-Learning Behaviors’ of the type which occur when students are offered stimulating learning Need to ‘provide connections’ with ‘prior opportunities through objects. Their table (Table 1, adapted knowledge’. Learners use strategies for an HE setting) would be useful as a basis for discussion Motivational linking learning to areas of personal with academic staff preparing to work with museum relevance. Motivational factors: collections. They could consider how the study of objects in ‘opportunities for construction of their discipline might relate to the processes in the table. personal meaning, option to make Sharing those processes with students prompts insight into choices, willingness to accept challenges, the learning process and is beneficial for both students and capacity to take control of own learning, their teachers. opportunity to work in collaboration with others, and positive consequences Key skills (benefits) of action’. Table 1 foregrounds interactive learning which not only increases subject-related understanding, but also helps to Table 1 Interactive learning theories and museum artefacts develop learners’ key skills. It is well worth focusing on key (adapted from Piscitelli and Weier, 2002, Table 8.1, p. 127) skills, as they improve students’ ability to learn. Individual study with collections fosters self-reliance and self-reflective awareness of learning, and collaborative study develops smell involved, in the case of a musty old document, for communication and teamworking skills. Presentations and instance, or an old piece of fabric. Sometimes, the object is different types of writing task can improve speaking and too delicate or valuable to be handled without gloves. This writing skills. Literature searches and the critical analysis of conveys a strong sense of its importance. literature can be linked to collections, either in preparation for work with objects, or following on from it. The learning The thrill of gaining access to an original historical document object sharpens focus, clarifying the topic area, which helps or holding an ancient object is significant. Indeed, ‘when to advance skills development effectively. speaking about their own experience of objects, … people frequently talk about how they feel as opposed to what they Learning and the senses: touch think, and the role of touch and taking hold so as to viscerally Object-handling is a powerful trigger for learning; the sense experience the emotional object appears to be of prime of touch can generate a stimulating, memorable learning importance’ (Romanek and Lynch, 2008, p. 276). The experience. Biggs maintains that ‘[The] more [Teaching and experience of coming into direct contact with artefacts is Learning Activities] tie down the topic to be learned to memorable, even moving, and can enrich and deepen the multiple sensory modes, the better the learning’. It has also learning generated from it. It is often moving because it brings been observed that ‘object-handling has a long-lasting effect the learner nearer to the person who made or used the and relationship with memory, more so than text-based object. As for specimens, seeing and handling the fossil of an learning often has’ (Romanek and Lynch, 2008, p. 284). extinct creature conveys the significance of the loss of species in a more powerful way than reading or listening to a lecture. Physically, we use our arms and hands to weigh an object and to gauge its size, reinforcing the information we gain Barriers to hands-on object-based learning through sight. Our skin senses texture as we move our The problem of what can be touched by whom and in what fingers across the surface. We may also find the sense of circumstances is complex and interesting. The value of an www.seda.ac.uk 11 EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS 10.2 June 2009 object selected to belong to a museum collection adds scientific techniques. excitement. Based on the preliminary evidence of the learning power of object-handling (Chatterjee, 2008), A current project is entitled ‘Object-Based Learning: however, time spent working with museum staff to find Assessing student and staff perceptions of the role of objects suitable artefacts for concrete object-based learning is well in learning and related E-resources’. The three-year project spent. will focus on Zoology, Geology, History of Art, Anthropology, and Archaeology, all of which already use object-based As is often the case with projects involving innovation, it learning. takes time to plan object-based learning activities. Starting in a small way helps teachers to see how they can gain Zoology objects and related e-resources are designed to help fresh perspectives on student learning and even develop undergraduate biology students master vertebrate taxonomy. new ways of looking at their discipline as a spin-off. They start by working hands-on with the museum objects Teaching informs research through work with museums and using study sheets. Students have access to the UCL Grant collections (Chatterjee, 2007). Museum of Zoology (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/museums/ zoology/), founded in 1827 specifically as a teaching Learning without touching: Virtual and ‘glass case’ collection. Images from the collection are available online. object-based learning Touch is exciting and enriching, but not essential. Digital Suggestions: working with objects collections are growing and images can be explored by Collections exploiting IT to ‘zoom in’ on details. An object in a glass The range of resources made available through collections, case may seem more remote, but it may be possible for such as the Digital Egypt for Universities project, would be students to photograph it with a digital camera or even useful not only for student learning but also for introducing their mobile phone and use their image to illustrate a academic staff to active object-based learning. The presentation or make a point in an essay. Sketching, even if multifaceted activities prompted by such materials are students feel they are not skilled at drawing, leads them to stimulating and motivating, especially if there is an element look closely at the object of study. The aim should not be to of choice. Sets of artefacts can be made available and groups produce a high-quality sketch, but simply to outline one or can select what they work with. Enriching ‘jigsaw learning’ two salient features relevant to learning outcomes. can take place. Students can pool the knowledge they have built up so that each contribution can gradually create a Theory to Practice: Museum collections in complete picture related to abstract concepts. teaching, learning and assessment So much for the theory and ideas. How are they put into practice? Examples of some projects follow.

Projects CONTACT (collection networks for archaeology and classics teaching) (http://contact.group.shef.ac.uk/) The CONTACT project aimed to counteract the decline in material culture teaching. Student groups are often large, which can be problematic. As a result, institutions often limit material culture teaching and ‘restrict artefact handling to small-group seminar work’ (Doonan and Boyd, 2008, p.109). The CONTACT project has led to the development of virtual networks which back up experiences with real material in Archaeology and Classics, and successful pilot projects have been run at York and Sheffield. The project offers valuable insights which are relevant across the disciplines.

UCL Museums and Collections: a resource for all (http:// Figure 2 Contact between peoples: from ‘Digital Egypt for www.museums.ucl.ac.uk/he.html) Universities’, UCL Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology At UCL, the Museums and Collections website states (http://www.digitalegypt.ucl.ac.uk/) ‘object-based learning takes place at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, involving over 100 course units and 2500 students per annum’. Past projects have shown how Artefacts and Specimens interdisciplinary approaches can be highlighted using On the more detailed level of a specific example from the collections, as in Libby Sheldon’s work with History of Art UCL Grant Museum of Zoology, the Thylacine skull is the with Material Studies students (Sheldon, 2008). Paintings type of specimen which can motivate learners to think from UCL’s collections were examined using various along new lines and across subject areas.

12 www.seda.ac.uk Eyes on! Hands on! Museums and collections for higher order learning

Why not try ‘hands-on’ learning? Why not try developing a ‘hands on’ approach to object- based learning? Learning through objects in museums and collections at tertiary level is growing ever more popular, as powerful active and interactive learning occurs when students work with objects.

The projects described here show that the use of museums and collections in higher education is well worthwhile. There are small museums in towns and villages around the UK with stocks of hidden treasures waiting to be discovered. Figure 3 Complete skeleton of the extinct Thylacine You could start by exploring a museum near you. (Thylacinus cynocephalus) The Thylacine, also known as the Tasmanian Wolf, was a large Links marsupial carnivore that lived in Australia and New Guinea. After Access to collections: University of Reading – Projects in European settlement, however, numbers began to fall because of Agriculture, Archaeology, Geoscience, Typograpy, Zoology hunting and loss of habitat. Many were shot by landowners because (CETL in Applied Undergraduate Research Skills) (http:// the Thylacine was believed to prey on chickens and sheep. They tinyurl.com/dchalr). were seen as such a pest that from 1888 to 1912 the Tasmanian government even offered rewards to those who brought the head of Behind the scenes at the museum: University of Brighton a Thylacine. By 1936 a law was passed to protect the species, with the Victoria and Albert Museum (http://tinyurl.com/ although it was too late, and the last known captive animal died ae7bpy). that year. Intute: links to a range of digital resources, University of This specimen could be used for a range of enquiry-based Oxford Museum of Natural History (http://tinyurl.com/ learning activities. The impact of human activity on species bvvewd). could be explored by groups, using the Thylacine as an example. Theories of colonisation and imperialism are also Lemur: Learning with museum resources (digitised) – relevant. Skills such as the ability to observe, sketch, make University of Aberdeen notes, and write a detailed description of the skeleton could (http://www.abdn.ac.uk/lemur/). be developed. Examination for signs of injury or illness could be carried out if appropriate. Virtual Poster: History of Art and Material Studies. From Idea to Object: making the invisible visible (http://tinyurl.com/ Making links between observations and previous knowledge, btxw2q). reflecting, discussing, and drawing thoroughly grounded conclusions, then writing these up, are all useful skills. If a References succession of steps have to be followed for the learning Chatterjee, H. J. (2007) Staying Essential: articulating the activity to be completed, the attainment of higher order value of object based learning, UMAC ICOM, Vienna. learning can be designed into the activity. Chatterjee, H. J. (ed.) (2008) Touch in Museums: policy and Assessing student learning practice in object handling, Oxford and New York: Berg. There are obvious limitations to the types of knowledge and Davis, C. (2001) ‘Instil a little curiosity’, Times Higher skills which can be tested during an unseen written Education Supplement. examination. A promising alternative for at least part of a Doonan, R., and Boyd, M. (2008) ‘CONTACT: digital summative assessment score could involve using objects modelling of object and process in artefact teaching’, in H. J. from museum collections. For example, asking students to Chatterjee (ed.) Touch in Museums: policy and practice in work with artefacts, make notes, and engage in a dialogue object handling, pp. 107-120, Oxford and New York: Berg. with the examiner about them is a more flexible way of enabling students to show the knowledge and skills they Lewin, K. (1951) Field Theory in Social Science; selected have acquired. These assessment tasks are like Objective theoretical papers, D. Cartwright (ed.), New York: Harper Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) in medicine and and Row. veterinary education. They need to be carefully pre-planned Paris, S. G. (2002) Perspectives on Object-Centered Learning in relation to well-formulated learning outcomes. Some in Museums, Mahwah NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. flexibility must be allowed so that credit can be awarded for Piscitelli, B. and Weier, K. (2002) ‘Learning with, through, the unexpected learning outcomes which can result from and about art: the role of social interactions’, in S. G. Paris engagement with this type of stimulating learning activity. If (ed.) Perspectives on Object-Centered Learning in Museums, used, grades can be allocated soon after the assessment pp. 121-154, Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. activity. Time-consuming marking of scripts is not needed and students can receive useful, timely feedback to help with Romanek, D. and Lynch, B. (2008) ‘Touch and the value of future learning. object handling: final conclusions for a new sensory

www.seda.ac.uk 13 EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS 10.2 June 2009 museology’, in H. J. Chatterjee (ed.), Touch in Museums: Smith, R. (2007) ‘Students and museums’ (http://tinyurl.com/ policy and practice in object handling, pp. 275-286, Oxford dlem2s). and New York: Berg. Rowe, S. (2002) ‘The role of objects in active, distributed Rosalind Duhs is a Senior Teaching Fellow at the Centre for meaning-making’, in S. G. Paris (ed.) Perspectives on Object- the Advancement of Learning and Teaching (CALT), UCL. Centered Learning in Museums, pp. 19-36, Mahwah, N.J.: She is working on a project on object-based learning, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. studying student and staff perceptions of the role of real and Sheldon, L. (2008) ‘From idea to object: making the invisible virtual objects in learning and assessment. visible’ (http://tinyurl.com/btxw2q).

Technology Enhanced learning: a recent graduate’s view

Habib Lodal, Leeds Metropolitan University

The first time I used a PC was during However, children reach this level of could keep attempting the tests until my latter years of primary school, confidence in primary school we were comfortable with the where I recall a stand-alone PC in the nowadays. material. corner of the classroom. This was the only PC that the school had and the My first experience of computer-aided They also told us ‘Successful purpose was to ‘entertain’ with its assessments (CAA) was in my first year completion of each quiz will games certain students who had of BSc (Hons) Computing. As far as I contribute 10% of your overall module disabilities. I am a recent graduate, was aware, previous assessments on mark’ and each of these tests was now 23, but it seems my generation this course were paper-based. Using done during classroom sessions every has experienced the whole evolution the VLE, the tutors devised a number fortnight. This made sure that the of new technologies within its lifetime. of online assessments, which were majority of the pupils attended the thoroughly thought out and flagged up classes so as not to miss out on the Only in my second year of high school to all students in the course handbook marks. Each test we took was did we have a classroom with PCs, at the beginning of the year. For me, password protected and the relevant shared by the whole school. In our this was a new way of learning, and password was issued within the class weekly session we were taught how to although it seemed frightening at the when the test was set, with the use Microsoft Office and the internet. beginning, due to the number of tests password’s validity lasting a week, so The first time I had a PC along with a we were doing, I was excited by the the onus was on us to get the best dial-up internet at home was when I concept, as it seemed right for the possible marks. Committed students began studying at college and it was subject area I was studying, had the flexibility to retake the tests to through education that I really started Information Technology. ensure maximum marks, while the to use a PC and experience new others also had the opportunity if technologies. Subsequent generations So did CAAs work for us? The tutor needed. This made the 10% mark of students have had much more explained that every fortnight we more achievable depending on the experience of technologies and are would have an online test on the students’ commitment. more intuitive about using computers. topics we covered in class. The tests This provides universities with a were designed to help us understand Because I subsequently did a project superb opportunity to take advantage how well we were coming to terms as a placement student exploring CAA, of and promote e-learning, but it also with the material, thereby giving I got to know quite a lot about the presents a number of problems. formative assessment. We were told different question types available. In ‘The pass mark is 80% for each hindsight it was a shame that the tests Most of the e-learning I experienced test…you may attempt each quiz as mostly consisted of multiple-choice was at Leeds Metropolitan University many times as you wish with the questions (MCQs), and only on a few in 2004 using VLE based on WebCT. proviso that each attempt must be at occasions would we get questions in Not only did this system offer me all least 24 hours after the previous which we had to fill in the gaps, use my course resources online but it also attempt’. With this flexibility, it made drop-down menus or had questions provided me with a positive and the assessments a lot more where you could drag and drop flexible learning environment with manageable and less strenuous. It also solutions into place on screen. You which I became very comfortable. took the pressure off, knowing that we would think that this approach would

14 www.seda.ac.uk Technology Enhanced learning: a recent graduate’s view make it easy for students to do well, the testing became part of the learning they can offer extra support as but although the CAA consisted mostly process and in the drive to gain necessary. of MCQs, the pass mark of 80% and maximum marks we developed our the challenging questions made it a lot knowledge of the subject and we also Overall, my experience of using CAA more difficult. The art of making the kept on top of the module. The instant as a student was a really positive and task demanding was in the way tutors feedback we received after each test stimulating one. Not only was it an worded the questions. The other allowed us to understand where we effective learning tool, but also it was a advantage of using these approaches had gone wrong. very interesting way of moving away was that the tutors could assemble a from the traditional paper-based large bank of questions, so that on Looking back, this was a very assessments. The classroom tests did not each attempt we would get different innovative and positive way of have the negative connotations that are ones. The questions and the options learning. Not only did I find this linked with the traditional assessments – for each test were randomised – module stimulating and fair, but also such as the pressure and stress of an therefore looking across at your refreshing and flexible. The pressures unseen, time-constrained exam – yet neighbour’s monitor during a test was associated with traditional tests were the purpose and outcome is equivalent. pointless! absent, as CAA allowed a more flexible and varied way of learning, After my degree, having done a We could take the test as many times with the same outcomes, if not even placement within the university, I am as we wished until we received the better, than a traditional assessment. now working as a graduate trainee with 80% mark, and that would give us 8% four-monthly placements in different of the overall module mark; but in The module’s focus on formative areas, including within the Assessment, order to gain the full 10%, we had to assessments ensured that I was Learning and Teaching team. This has ensure that we received maximum receiving constant feedback and was given me a very useful perspective on marks for each test. This incentive also gaining a measure of my progress. my experience of learning and allowed us to retake the tests; The VLE has a function which allows assessment, which I am happy to share however, with a large bank of staff to track students’ activities online; through this article. questions and randomised structure, it this allows the tutor to view the meant that for each test you needed to number of tests any student has taken, Habib Lodal is a graduate of the know the topic really well. It also as well as the marks that they are School of Computing at Leeds minimised plagiarism. CAA meant that receiving for a particular test, so that Metropolitan University.

Technology Enhanced learning: three tutors’ perspectives Dr Maurice Calvert, Dr Alec J. Grierson and Paul Scorer, Leeds Metropolitan University

Introduction teaching year has changed and a new VLE, Blackboard Vista, Today’s students are immersed in technology and have been has come online. so for much of their lives, using phones, Facebook, Twitter – ever smaller bite-sized chunks of networked interaction. Now, ‘Operating Systems and Networks’ is worth 15 credit Some argue that attention span requirements are diminishing points and runs for seven weeks. The complete bank of as each generation of technology appears. Change has been computer-marked questions extends to some 1000 rapid and teaching methods have been adapted accordingly. questions, of which perhaps 300 are used in 12 quizzes In response to the accompanying paper by one of our taken by students. graduates, Habib Lodal, we summarise how things have progressed in the short time since he was a student. Students have shown themselves unwilling to engage in formative assessment for (as they see it) no reward, so the Progress since Lodal’s time quizzes, essentially formative, have been given summative The quizzes which Habib Lodal describes in his article were marks. Full marks can be obtained for correct answers to developed over a couple of years with the aim of enthusing 80% of the questions. students who by then were accustomed to using computers in their studies. They were an early development using the Students can take each quiz as many times as they wish University’s first VLE, WebCT. The quizzes have evolved over within a two week period, subject to no repeat being the years as modules have come and gone, the shape of the allowed within six hours. They receive feedback in the form www.seda.ac.uk 15 EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS 10.2 June 2009 of an indication of where to find the correct answer, but not may be used for reference in the end of module test, where the answer itself, so they quickly know which topics they students are presented with two exercises to solve within need to research further. The timescales have evolved from two hours. The fact that this log could be used in the test experience and student feedback. It is structured so that was initially an insufficient incentive to keep one, so it now students cannot repeatedly ‘guess’ the correct set of answers carries a mark of 20%. because we want them to actively engage in their learning and be confident of their answer. Students who engage with A Novel Approach to the Delivery of Computer this process most thoroughly report that their learning is Communications and Networks enhanced. The move towards flexible delivery has presented new challenges, and resulted in a novel approach to the delivery Plagiarism could be an issue but we do not mind of CCN, a core Level 2 module. It is a broad and important collaboration by students – this is all part of the learning topic that pervades the discipline: the internet is ubiquitous. process. Students are, in fact, remarkably independent in We needed to capture that breadth in both the learning and their approach to their learning. They need to be, because the assessment. there is an unseen, time-limited end-test which fully tests their knowledge on the same topics as the quizzes. Based on our view that ‘students do not like traditional lectures’, we developed a three-pronged approach. First, the Another innovation material could be assimilated from that most traditional of Introducing students to computer programming has long Learning Objects: a book. Secondly, practical work could been considered a stumbling block; it has lower pass rates permit in-depth examination of the details of computer than most other subjects, especially for students who have networking – ‘what happens under the bonnet’. Finally, not done any before. Students need to overcome several formative assessment is crucial to the integration of the hurdles when solving their first programming exercises: theoretical understanding gained from reading with the • the environment – how is the program edited? practical understanding of how things actually work. And, of • syntax – learning the ‘grammar’ of the programming course, it is also necessary to grade student performance. language • logic – what is the difference between ‘and’, ‘or’, ‘not’? The first key step was to find the core text. It is truly a • problem solving – how to get from A to B Learning Object in that it is supported by lecture slides, • context – how does the program fit into, say, a web page? laboratory exercises, programming exercises and numerous problems. As there was no lecture time, the students had to Keep it simple (stupid!) is the programmer’s mantra. This has ‘read the book’. The Library was able to issue one to each been applied in a system developed by Tim Balls which has student. so improved results that ‘Introduction to Programming’ now often has the highest percentage of passes. All module Each week students had to undertake a specified task, which materials are delivered via our VLE so students have easy they could either undertake in supervised time (in a access. This VLE also allows us to track the level of student purpose-built sandboxed laboratory), or, since the required engagement. The student interacts with a simple user software is open source, on their own machines at home. interface (Figure 1). The instructions are in the pane on the They were encouraged to use the lab as it broadened their left whilst the student edits code on the right. Initial code perception of what was going on and they could clarify can be delivered to the student, who then needs not worry difficult points from their reading. about anything other than the Javascript language they are learning. By clicking a button the syntax of their program is Students had to submit, on-line, three pieces of work each checked and, if ok, the program can be tested by pressing week: answers to questions on the laboratory work and to the ‘Run’ button. Students keep a log of their work which each of two specified questions from the book. But here’s the rub: only one item of the work submitted each week was marked – and the students were not told which one this would be! The final mark was the average of the six weeks’ marks. Continuous re-assessment was built into this scheme: if a week’s submission did not reach the required standard, a second item was marked as a re-assessment. Marks feedback was provided as soon as possible.

The student (and staff) workload was high. Perhaps too high. Certainly, the temptation to search the internet for solutions was evident. This could only be handled through the use of plagiarism detection software (Turnitin).

Student feedback from the first delivery was positive. They thought it was a high workload, but worth it. A frequent request was for lectures, not of the traditional nature, but Figure 1 Student user interface

16 www.seda.ac.uk Technology Enhanced learning: three tutors’ perspectives rather to guide their reading and to identify areas on which Where from here? to focus: the students clearly valued the idea of directed Clearly, designing modules is not a science – we are always reading, which they could then carry out in their own time. adjusting for best fit. Technology for education has been adapted in many other ways, including the use of Podcasts to Future deliveries will change, but the concept is sound record teaching material – and five-minute module-bite overall. The student workload was too high, largely because delivery to phones may be next – but how much deep of the mechanics of having to submit a lab report each learning can occur in the length of a commercial break? week: this might be replaced by on-line quizzes. But the Technology provides new tools, but is far from a panacea. total uncertainty as to whether work was formative or Judicious use remains the best approach. summative is a major force for learning. Above all, the key to making a system like this work is to integrate the many forms Dr Maurice Calvert, Dr Alec J. Grierson and Paul Scorer of computer support with traditional approaches into a teach in the School of Computing at Leeds Metropolitan coherent learning process. University.

Stakeholders, Strategies and the Status Quo... evaluating the impact of the Educational Development Centre at a London University Bridget Middlemas and John Shaw, Roehampton University

Many central learning and teaching units are uneasily aware that although they can rightly congratulate themselves on fostering many worthwhile individual and small-group initiatives, there is still a problem of achieving change over a broad front. It has become something of a mantra, repeated at many education development gatherings, that what we need is not a few excellent lecturers but many good lecturers. Students’ dissatisfaction and disorientation is said to come from being faced by inconsistent and contradictory approaches to learning and teaching. This awareness leads us to explore ways of using a ‘joined up’ approach to the task of fostering institutional change. This paper offers one way forward, but more importantly, will, we hope, offer encouragement to other units seeking ways of stepping Working with a senior member of staff from Student Services, to discuss ways of up to this ambitious, but surely working more closely with our stakeholders worthwhile, project. need to continually evaluate the any new initiatives, and the need to Introduction impact of our work, and to consider ensure that all our stakeholders are As a small educational development what our role is in enhancing learning, actually ‘on board’. centre (known as the Learning and teaching and assessment at Teaching Enhancement Unit) based in Roehampton University. We fully We wanted to attempt to accurately a relatively new university, we have acknowledge the underlying tension define who we are and what we do, so become increasingly aware of the between the designing and planning of that we could prioritise our team’s www.seda.ac.uk 17 EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS 10.2 June 2009 efforts as we work with colleagues works (e.g. Campbell and Rumpus, for groups of staff to work with, which from across our campus. Who exactly 2008). Gaule and Box’s work on the clearly teased out some areas of are our stakeholders? What are our development of effective staff concern. We already knew that we strategic priorities? And, as a small networks is also particularly pertinent worked very closely with our four unit, what is the status quo at the here, and they emphasise the Assistant Deans (for Learning and moment, and what might it look like in importance of ‘staff voice’ when an Teaching), and that our relationship one or two years from now? educational development centre is with our Deputy Vice-Chancellor was working with colleagues around the very healthy – but what about all the The higher education landscape has campus: ‘staff input transformed the other academic and support staff undergone a major transformation development of our policies from around the campus? What about the during the last five to ten years, as we words written on paper to a process students? have made the move towards a more where they felt ownership and customer-focused and inclusive became stakeholders in what we were Firstly, the main departments, units system. The world of educational trying to achieve’ (Gaule and Box, and key staff from the university were development has had to move fast in 2008). listed, and colleagues were then asked order to keep at the forefront of to place themselves or their own systemic and legislative initiatives. As We feel that student input is essential department in the centre of the mind- Gina Wisker notes: when launching any new initiatives or map. We then asked them to think policy discussions, and we are keenly about how close they were to other ‘Our roles in educational aware of the importance of listening to colleagues, and to indicate how good development centres have changed the ‘student voice’, especially when their communication pathways were enormously over the last few years, taking note of what van der Velden with these colleagues – using a and if they are volatile they are also describes as ‘NSS league-table coloured marker pen to indicate their much more strategically embedded pressures’ (van der Velden, 2008). thoughts. A ‘traffic light’ colour-coding in the variety of core work of the system was devised: university, the curriculum Many authors have discussed their development, CETLs, research grant professional roles in relation to Green = Good communication, bids, and the initial and continuing ‘journeys’ or ‘pathways’ (e.g. Brown, regular meetings with these professional development of those 2007; Gosling et al., 2007) but we stakeholders who teach and facilitate learning.’ were also interested in the many Amber = Alright, but communication (Wisker, 2006) junctions, dead ends or dual pathways could be better carriageways that might intersect our So, we wanted to find out the most own pathways, as well as the need to Red = Rubbish! We need to work effective way to measure the impact of improve the traffic flow along such much harder with these what we do in our own setting, routes! Is your own mode of stakeholders. because as a small team of just four professional transport fit for purpose? full-time-equivalent staff, we wanted If not, what will you do about it? (We To gain a clear picture of our impact as to be able to target any weak areas of had great fun when we tried to answer a small unit, we carried out this practice, and build up our strengths the question, if our unit was a car, exercise with diverse groups of through more effective networking. what sort of car might we be?) colleagues from around the campus, including: Our campus is spread across two sites, We are currently in the process of • LTEU (Learning, Teaching and which are about half a mile apart, and launching our new 2009-2012 Enhancement Unit) staff the university consists of four separate Learning, Teaching and Assessment • Assistant Deans, Learning and colleges (all of which were originally Strategy, and want to be sure that this Teaching teacher training institutions). The strategy will have the maximum • Academic staff attending our university also has a number of possible impact across all the various PGCert Learning and Teaching in programmes which are delivered off- departments of the university. We Higher Education site, both locally in the London area, therefore decided to carry out some • Academic colleagues on and further afield in places such as simple baseline research to identify awaydays India, Grenada and the Seychelles. We who our stakeholders are; how we • Students from a range of therefore set out to capture the views can ‘roll out’ our current strategies; programmes of all our stakeholders, so that we and what our ‘status quo’ really looks • Library and IT services staff could have a clearer idea of particular like. • Colleagues from support areas that we needed to develop. departments such as Student Who are our stakeholders? Services The importance of listening to the We needed to find out who our • Laboratory and technical support ‘student voice’ has been well stakeholders are, although we were staff attending our SEDA highlighted over the last 4-5 years, to quite sure that we already knew the Supporting Learning programme. ensure that we have a better idea of answer to this question. A simple what we are doing, and whether it mind-mapping exercise was devised We did not include any off-site or

18 www.seda.ac.uk Stakeholders, Strategies and the Status Quo...evaluating the impact of the Educational Development Centre at a London University overseas staff or students, but hope to use in management theory for some Assessment proforma for future include them during the next few time, referring to the differentiation work months as we make plans for 2010. between critical (urgent) and non- • Regular meetings with our four critical organisational functions assistant deans for learning and Participatory Impact Pathways followed by the construction of teaching Analysis ‘impact scenarios’. The term PIPA, • A designated ‘LTEU link person’ Having used the mind-mapping however, was first used in a workshop for each of our four Schools activity with a range of stakeholders, in January 2006 in Ghana, which dealt • Regular involvement in all we were then able to think more with a series of development projects. validation/programme reviews carefully about the state of our It arose from innovation histories and • Two seconded staff members to relationships, and were also able to work carried out by the Institutional support cross-campus links target weak areas that needed Learning and Change Initiative • Improved CPD provision for attention. Our mind-mapping (Douthwaite, et al., 2007). What is academic-related staff approach closely resembles attractive to us as a team of • Regular meetings with colleagues ‘Participatory Impact Pathways educational developers, is that it helps to discuss SENDA and e-learning Analysis’ (PIPA) , as described by our workshop participants to issues Alvarez et al., 2008. This is an foreground, discuss and record their • Improved relationships with approach in which the participants in assumptions and theories about how admin and support staff a project co-construct a current audit our current learning and teaching • In general, started to build and and future strategy. Note, by strategies can contribute to desired maintain learning communities ‘participants’ we mean not just project goals, such as enhancing student • Set up formal links with the staff from our own unit, but also key experiences, or creating effective Students’ Union, and are stakeholders and ultimate beneficiaries learning environments. working towards the (such as the general body of staff and appointment of a Sabbatical students). The basic premise of PIPA is We found that by using a PIPA Officer for Learning and Teaching that people act on the basis of their approach, we were able to: • Started to review the way that ‘theories of action’ (Argyris and Schon, • Clarify where we needed to some of our central systems 1974, cited in Alvarez et al. 2008) or improve collaboration and operate understanding of how their world communication across the • Started to recognise the works. Like scenario construction, it campus importance of working more describes likely impact pathways by • Have a much clearer idea of our collaboratively with our off-site which our project outputs are used by impact (or, lack of impact!) and overseas colleagues, as well others in a chain of outcomes, which, • Identify possible areas for future as those who are based at in turn, have an eventual impact on collaboration Roehampton. the broad environment of the • Set our unit’s targets for the institution. It has been described as a forthcoming year in a much Interviewing our stakeholders logic model, as it describes the logic of clearer way We also carried out some short what the project will do, is doing, or • Provide a useable framework for interviews with a range of what it did. future auditing, monitoring and stakeholders, to back up ideas that evaluation. had arisen from our mind-mapping It is important to note that the exercises. following description of PIPA is a The PIPA process describes project theoretical model taken from the impact pathways in two ways: One of our Assistant Deans was very literature. Our own educational (i) causal chains of activities, positive about the process, and said development unit, like most similar outputs and outcomes by which that: units, had time, resource and political the project is expected to ‘We now see a wealth of possibilities constraints which meant that some achieve its goals in the way that we work with the stages were merged and revisions (ii) networks of evolving LTEU….however, the frustrations were frequent and ad hoc. We simply relationships between remain as despite the potential to offer it as a model of best practice that implementing organisations, really improve learning and teaching, may be of interest to others working in stakeholders and ultimate we fail to make real progress the same professional area. The most beneficiaries necessary to the because of weaknesses in central important insight to us was to contrast achievement of the goals. services at the university.’ a systematic and all-encompassing approach with our more usual How have we changed our Another encouraged us to: approach, which could be unkindly practice? characterised as spasmodic ‘Be more lively, more flamboyant..... As a result of our PIPA/mind-mapping firefighting! to get a higher profile, do things a project, we have now: bit differently!’ The term ‘impact analysis’ has been in • Devised a Strategies Impact A member of the laboratory staff was www.seda.ac.uk 19 EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS 10.2 June 2009 also interviewed, and was pleased that colleagues – across the whole campus, Gaule, S. and Box, M. (2008) ‘Making the University is beginning to as well as in the UK and beyond. We the case for staff networks’, recognise the contribution of support love Gosling’s description of Educational Developments, issue 9:2. staff to the learning and teaching educational developers who have a Gosling, D., McDonald, J. and process: ‘common passion for improving Stockley, D. (2007) ‘We did it our way! teaching’, alongside a recognition that Narratives of pathways to the ‘The LTEU has really enabled me to educational development has such a profession of educational see that I might have a career in pivotal and central role at the heart of development’, Educational learning and teaching, rather than an institution’s core purpose. Developments, issue 8:4. staying in my current role as a technician. I’m so much more References van der Velden, G. (2008) ‘Re-aligning confident now when doing assurance and enhancement: quality Alvarez , B. et al. (2008) Participatory presentations and seminars…’ management at the University of Impact Pathways Analysis: a practical Bath’, Educational Developments, issue method for project planning and 9:2. What did we learn? evaluation, ILAC Brief No. 17, ILAC Wisker, G. (2006) ‘Educational Initiative, Bioversity. • STAKEHOLDERS development – how do we know it’s It’s important to clearly identify Brown, S. (2007) ‘From educational working? How do we know how well all your stakeholders and identify development to strategic we’re doing?’, Educational any areas of weakness or poor management’, Educational Developments, issue 7:3. communication Developments, issue 8:4. • STRATEGIES Campbell, F. and Rumpus, A. (2008) Bridget Middlemas is the Senior It’s a good idea to audit your ‘Whose curriculum is it, anyway? Lecturer in Learning and Teaching in communication channels for Involving students in curriculum design HE, and John Shaw is the Senior weak/non-existent links – how and development’, SEDA Discussion Lecturer in Educational Development, will you support the educational paper at http://www.seda.ac.uk/confs/ at Roehampton University. development of all your lon08/abstracts/ colleagues? 2_RumpusCampbell.pdf Congratulations • STATUS QUO Douthwaite, B. et al. (2007) to Annette Edwards, And finally, do remember to ‘Participatory impact pathways at the Centre for the continually research your own analysis: a practical application of Development of Staff and practice, not just support others program theory in research-for- Academic Practice, Aberystwyth in researching theirs – what’s development’, Canadian Journal of University, who has passed the really going on in your Program Evaluation, Vol. 22, No. 2, pp. Supporting Educational Change institution? 127-159. qualification course.

Through this process, we have been able to prioritise which stakeholders we most needed to work with, so that we could have a much better idea of where to focus our energies over the Copyright next few months and years. Sally Brown’s insightful comments continue Copyright for all published material is held by SEDA unless stated otherwise. to inspire us: Contributors may use their material elsewhere after publication without ‘Educational developers cannot permission, but the following note should be added: ‘First published in command; they work by persuasion, Educational Developments, issue number and date’. Permission is required conviction and scholarly argument. for use by a third party. They are change agents who need to be able to analyse the needs of The publishers have endeavoured to find the copyright holders of all material people who don’t recognise that in this magazine. If we have infringed copyright, we shall be pleased, on they have any, and help people to being satisfied as to the owner’s title, to pay an appropriate fee as if prior come to practical solutions to permission had been obtained. problems the problem owners have barely formulated.’ (Brown, 2007) Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy in all published material. However, the Editorial Committee and the publishers cannot accept any We will endeavour to revisit areas of liability for any inaccuracy accepted in good faith from reputable sources. weakness until we are fully confident that our work is having a real impact Any opinions expressed are those of the authors. with academic and academic-related

20 www.seda.ac.uk Assessing learning from placements Assessing learning from placements Pam Shakespeare, Open University

The employment world and the academic world meet in stakeholder world-views. For example, how do students’ practice placements. Students spend time undertaking understandings of practice which emerge from ‘being out practice, using theory they have been learning in the HEI there’ relate to what HEIs set out as ‘the learning’ in the and assimilating experience of what goes on ‘out there’. institution? For many students, practice placements do not They experience a complex situation. They need, at the easily stack up with the orderliness of higher education least, to satisfy employers or institutions they are safe and learning. But more than this, students often point in more useful, that is, to blend in with the culture. They also need to than one direction, experiencing what their mentor/assessors emerge with practice understandings that satisfy an HEI. do and say in a practice setting and then having to translate How the experience is organised and assessed is, of course, this into completing an assessment which recognises the the subject of a great deal of activity between a wide range HEI’s take on things. Such tensions need to be seen as of people. opportunities for multi-layered assessment. They reflect the fact that satisfying multiple stakeholders is a feature of much Many people have their fingers in the practice pie. Different professional practice. stakeholders have different shades of understanding about the purpose of practice placements. Employers and HEIs are Capturing practice in assessment is tricky in a number of direct stakeholders. But there are others – for example, the ways, as practice is often messy. I’m reminded of that old Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) and professional bodies joke about the complaints of novice language learners: it regulating various professions. Students are stakeholders, would be OK if ‘they’ didn’t actually talk back to you and too. What this means is that assessment in the practice even better if ‘they’ didn’t have accents and dialects! environment isn’t simply a matter of setting an essay to Practitioners are very like ‘they’, developing local ways of capture a learning outcome, but of ensuring the practice doing things and making quick-fire responses. Every setting is rich enough, and the assessment relevant and practitioner has stories of extreme busyness, of having to purposeful enough, to satisfy the needs of all stakeholders. juggle all sorts of priorities, of thinking on their feet. Often there is a belief that if only the crisis would come to an end, Bearing this in mind, it seems to me that there are three big people could get on with the real practice. But in many ways issues: the nature of the assessment, the support for the ‘the crisis’ is the real practice. So practice doesn’t come out assessment and the quality of the practice setting for like a textbook, and often not at all in the order of the assessment. curriculum.

• How do you develop a formal assessment strategy in work This leads us to consider support, which has somehow to be situations which are contingent and sometimes chaotic? set against this backdrop. Practice supporters have to do their What does assessing ‘on the ground’ have to do with the job as well as assess. They may not have a full picture of HEI curriculum and academic assessment? How long does student learning at the HEI and often they and the student a practice placement need to be, to be able to deliver an have to work to make what they do together fit into the opportunity for relevant and focused assessment? How assessment requirements. They have to try to find a way of should practice experience be documented and how does giving the student an all-round experience no matter how this relate to assessment? long or short the time they are in the setting. Clearly, the • Who are the cast of characters involved in assessment? length of a practice placement has a lot to do with how What do employers, practitioners, academics and students experience the environment and relate to practice students think about the part ‘the others’ play in supporters. A long placement provides a sense of what it assessment and whether it is sympathetic to their needs? really is like to work in ‘this place’ on a day-after-day basis, What support do students get in practice placements and, and an understanding of the challenges their host employer in particular, in the assessment of their activity? What are faces (three weeks actually gives very little sense of what it is appropriate roles in various practice situations? Who pays really like to be in a job). Shorter practice placements which for support roles and who administers? How are offer the opportunity for ‘a taste of work’ do not always supporters supported? manage to capture the richness and complexity or (often • Are students in sufficiently rich practice placements to contingent) nature of the working environment. Students benefit from the experience? How can practice settings working with practice supporters over a long period of time best be audited? Are there enough practice placements so allows for assessment which more fully reflects what it is to do that everyone can have an experience of them? the job. But practice supporters still need to be able to make something of short placements and to have a sense of the All these issues hint at the multiple stakeholdings involved in feedback appropriate either for a quick visit or for a long haul. practice assessment. It is vital to see them as inviting many- layered assessment rather than assessment which risks being The item that involves most stakeholders is often the made unmanageable by tensions between different portfolio, which HEIs frequently use when assessing practice

www.seda.ac.uk 21 EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS 10.2 June 2009 experience. Some portfolios come in the format of ‘forms’ assessment has an integral link with the landscape of to be completed to demonstrate certain experiences have practice, and not just the academy. been had (often to certain professional standards). However, the trouble with practice is that it’s all over the So from here on, let’s talk about your landscape of practice. place. Students and supporters sometimes struggle to make (I’m assuming that you are yourself a stakeholder, and practice fit portfolios. Remember, though, the HEI has therefore on such a landscape.) Before your read on, spend quality assurance obligations, probably to QAA and two minutes or so thinking about what you need assessment possibly to professional and statutory bodies, and so does of practice to do, given your own job. Whatever that is, it is need some kind of standard format. So, a lot of people are worthwhile labelling what everyone else on your landscape juggling with practice and how best it can be condensed needs the assessment to do as well, looking at your into a portfolio. assessment devices and seeing whether they cope with this many-layered requirement. Since assessment is part of an The issue about quantity of practice placements links to overall curriculum, you can look at it in terms of design, how ‘rich’ or ‘impoverished’ a setting might be. Regulatory delivery and experience, and in each of these aspects begin bodies and quality assurance colleagues are particularly to fill in what various stakeholders need. I’ve filled in the concerned with this aspect of practice placements. Practice table below with some questions about the construction of a placements have the capacity to be understood as rich and portfolio. complex. Complexity is to be found in how people do their work, obey explicit rules, understand implicit rules, Delivery Experience recognise authority, understand the culture of working with Design service users, clients or customers (and who these people Assessment Based on How is it Are students are: raising issues of practice in terms of age, race, class, professional administered feeding the gender, religion and secularity), how they cut corners and, standards? for ease of experience last but not least, how they fill in expenses forms! The (professional student use? of working capacity for richness can be monitored at audit, but it is and statutory (HEI) on practice substantially enhanced by a good practice supporter or bodies) effectively mentor who is able to introduce a student to this into this complexity. Partly they do this through their understanding Does it show particular of their work setting, and negotiating all the busyness that it fitness for portfolio involves, and partly through understanding the key purpose? ‘shell’? (student) moments to draw attention to in the practice. (employer requirement)

I want now to reframe these ideas about stakeholding Supporters What What Are concerns into what Etienne Wenger (1998) calls the instructions education and participants landscape of practice – the territory everyone inhabits in a do supporters support do assured of profession or practice. Like any landscape, the landscape of need to make supporters the time to practice has different people, communities, features and the portfolio need regarding be able to boundaries in different parts of it. Wenger talks about effective? (HEI) working with work with professional practitioners being able to walk confidently curriculum? students? through a landscape with all these different communities, (HEI) (HEI, terrains and boundaries. And he draws attention to the employer, practitioner tensions and multiple interpretations of this landscape Can supporters capitalise on negotiations) saying: the setting sufficiently? ‘Crossing boundaries between practices exposes our (HEI and experience to different forms of engagement, different employer) enterprises with different definitions of what matters, and different repertoires – where even elements that have the Quality Is it auditable Is the practice Does the same form (e.g., the same words or artifacts) belong to for QAA? (HEI setting one student different histories.’ (Wenger, 1998, p. 140) to check that where recognise the conforms to students can setting as Think of a practice curriculum as a specialised map of a QAA get enough relevant and offering them landscape of practice, which involves design, delivery and standards) experience to actually be enough experience of an educational programme. The map will be able to fill in? opportunity of interest to a number of people who have a stake in the (HEI audit) to make links territory. Assessment is on the curriculum map and will with other interest a number of stakeholders too and so may be learning at complex for that reason. For example, a portfolio is usually the HEI? designed by HEIs to enable students to examine practice in practice settings, often (but not always) using professional criteria of what counts as effective practice. Such an Table 1 The multi-layered portfolio

22 www.seda.ac.uk Assessing learning from placements

It’s a useful exercise to look at each cell of the chart and ask Supervision is an activity which is not just about students but yourself to which stakeholder is it relevant. You might want often part of a professional identity. Students need to know to try this with all your specific assessment devices and ask: about the sort of thing that people do talk about in will all parties at least see that their interests are included in supervision as part of their professional interactions (often that assessment device? Your own checklist and its level of mundane but crucial). Where practice supervision is part of complexity will be down to the stakeholders in your the definition of the profession, the assessed student version situation. Some people have professional and regulatory usefully looks like and rehearses the real thing. Examples bodies as stakeholders, others have sector skills councils, and might be specific practice episodes being related to a code of so on. As you do this exercise, if you find HE features conduct, or employer constraints such as health and safety prominently, don’t worry. HEIs often co-ordinate and (or melding these together – the professional implications of facilitate a whole qualification. They put the package health and safety in a practice context). together so are likely to feature in a lot of the ‘fixing’. Finding assessment moments What assessment, what landscape? The above modes of assessment are maps of well-trodden There is no magic formula for assessment of practice paths. They offer a structure for students. But, for practice placements. If there were, we’d have all memorised it by supporters, there are also those serendipitous instances now. What I think is useful is to keep holding to the idea that when a teaching or assessing moment comes along, a assessment takes place on a complex landscape of practice, moment which can be turned into a learning resource. and that assessment structures really need to enable the Finding the moment for assessment is key for supporters student to feedback to all the stakeholders that they can whether this is focusing on a ‘snapshot’ of something going ‘read the map’ and they can ‘inhabit the landscape’. We all on, responding to a question, or latching on to a moment of recognise the assessment devices. But getting a clear idea of student puzzlement. These are the moments of situated the territory they ask the student to walk through is the crux assessment which can be fed back into portfolios and of the matter. Whether you are a practice supporter or an investigations. No HEI can anticipate what these moments HEI academic (in this you are a practitioner too), assessing might be. They are often moments of crossing some kind of learning in practice involves capitalising on this landscape of boundary on the landscape of practice. All the more practice, who inhabits it, and what practice issues arise in important, then, that any assessment enables students to that territory with those people. Assessment is complex, have an opportunity to represent those moments of multi-layered and represents a range of interests. And in this, ‘landscape awareness’. it is practice itself. Whether you are replicating the landscape of practice or Practice placements are real-time, situated practice learning putting students into practice placements, in addition to opportunities with their safety nets being the supporter, the practice adjustment and improvement through assessment, HEI background and the preparedness of the student. The the student usually has to make some kind of an account of supporter can offer ongoing interpretation, modelling and the practice experience (including those adjustments). adjustment, but it is for real. HEIs may also replicate aspects of practice landscapes (skills labs, etc.), where through Portfolio work is a classic assessment account. It needs to monitoring and assessment practice can be practised, offer a framework to interrogate practice in real situations, rehearsed and readjusted in safety. building on the student’s own experience. It also draws down from professional standards (which often shape its The role of supporters is a key element in successful practice format), contextualising them professionally and assessment and improvement, because not only can they academically. At its mechanical worst, it’s a tick-box exercise, enable the student to adjust their practice, they can also get but with some flair it can be a very rich and complex leverage from their own experience and alert the student as location for assessment. Examples of portfolio development to who is on that part of the landscape and what the terrain might be if you need to use a set of given standards to build is like. the portfolio, using a second axis – for example, a structure to accommodate reflective practice for each competence, or Developing scenarios, telling stories, working on narratives all a novice-to-expert categorisation, thus accommodating offer a framework in which assessment work can be carried several stakeholders. out. Practice assessors can build up their own scenarios playing off work with current students against scenarios Personal diary and journal work offers students a safe place which may be built into the HE curriculum resources, and to set out their experience and play around with it in terms using their own experience of being in an employment of practice opportunities and constraints they encounter - setting. Examples might be practice supporters responding to such as the standards and ethical codes of their profession. student confusion by citing examples of how they had been Diaries may be written about stakeholders, but unlike some confused, as a basis for examining a particular practice. other forms of assessment, are not publicly for them. While Practice isn’t just theory on the ground. It plays out through rarely assessed per se, personal diaries and logs are good people’s lives, talk and workplaces – therefore stories of feeders into the portfolio, enabling students to be involved in experience are an appropriate medium. a messy process leading to more formal portfolio outcomes.

www.seda.ac.uk 23 EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS 10.2 June 2009

(However, for some professions there are issues around the subtlety of his analysis, and would highly recommend his status of such records if anything goes wrong.) Once you book on communities of practice. But I remain convinced start thinking about process-based diaries, this may challenge that the image is powerful even as a very abbreviated the construction of the portfolio itself. Ongoing, process- shorthand for the complexity of the experience that students based work may be more useful than completed work have on practice placements, and that orienting to this (which is sometimes an unfortunate consequence of complexity is key to assessing learning in placements. portfolios linked to a specific period of practice).

Project and investigation work in practice settings lets In the past several years a substantial amount of resource students explore situated practice in terms of academic and stimulus material around assessing learning in practice theories, practice imperatives and professional requirements. has been developed by a number of CETLs. The HEFCE It allows them to latch on to the world as it is rather than the CETL website offers the addresses of these sites. world as it ought to be. Much like practice supervision, there is a strong element of this actually being what it is like as a competent practitioner, so investigations are usefully References generated out of consultation between stakeholders and an Wenger, E. (1998) Communities of Practice, Cambridge: agreement as to what is relevant in a practice situation. The Cambridge University Press. end point of such investigations is accounts which discuss outcomes which blend understandings borne of practice Pam Shakespeare is Professor of Practice Based Open with evidence and theory. Learning and a Principal of the Practice Based Professional Learning CETL, at the Open University. I’m aware that in borrowing and simplifying Wenger’s image of landscape so much, I have done little service to the

‘Dreams and Aspirations of what might be Achieved’: The Quality Enhancement Themes Conference 2009 Dr Lorraine Walsh, University of Dundee, Dr Darren Comber, University of Aberdeen, and Dr Iddo Oberski, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh

‘I experienced the Enhancement aspirations, and to what extent it is Themes Conference as a bit of a hitting the mark. QETs and Launch Years mixed bag …[but it] left me reassured that problems in making progress are 2009 The Quality Enhancement st not unusual nor are they reasons for Themes • Graduates for the 21 Century giving up on dreams and aspirations The annual QET conference provides 2006 of what might be achieved’ (PgCert a forum for practitioners from across • Research-Teaching Linkages: participant, University of Dundee). Scotland, and increasingly beyond its Enhancing Graduate Attributes borders, to participate in a two-day 2005 This was the feeling of one of our event of presentations, keynotes, colleagues who attended the annual • The First Year project findings and scoping • Integrative Assessment Quality Enhancement Themes (QETs) discussions centred around a ‘Theme’ conference in March at Heriot-Watt (or two). This year’s Theme was the 2004 University, Edinburgh. Now in its newly launched ‘Graduates for the 21st • Flexible Delivery sixth year, the two-day QET Century: Integrating the Enhancement • Employability conference appears to be going from Themes’. This new Theme is the latest 2003 strength to strength in terms of its in a line of QETs (being the eighth) size, range of contributors and • Responding to Student Needs launched by the Quality Assurance • Assessment participants and in its growing Agency (Scotland) as part of a rolling reputation. In this article we reflect programme of quality enhancement http://tiny.cc/nfAe0 on the conference, its highlights and work that commenced in 2003.

24 www.seda.ac.uk ‘Dreams and Aspirations of what might be Achieved’: The Quality Enhancement Themes Conference 2009

The aim of the QETs, part of the incorporate. He posed a series of • HEIs need to explore staff enhancement-led approach to quality high-level questions in order to ‘conceptions of graduate in Scottish higher education, is to prompt thinking amongst the attribute learning outcomes and support the sector in addressing the audience, including asking whether processes’ and avoid ‘limitations challenges of mass higher education graduate attributes should be viewed inherent in conceptions based on in the 21st century; achieving high as aspirational or practical in their “generic” and “skills” ’ quality and effective approaches to orientation. By considering attributes • Acknowledge different the improvement of the student as dynamic rather than static, Phil stakeholder perspectives and in experience; and effecting noted the notion of ‘emergence’, particular student perspectives transformational change (see also that graduates might only begin to • Implementation has to come at Ross et al., 2007). Following appreciate the attributes developed all levels of the organisation and consultation with the sector in 2008, during their time at university after not to be left to some individuals it was agreed that in light of the some period away. He went on to • Rethink aspects of the resources developed through the question the extent to which the curriculum, such as modularity activities of the previous QETs, any ‘Ivory Tower’ skills and attributes and the range of learner new Theme should aim to developed at university are of use to experiences offered consolidate and build on that work. what he described as ‘economic • If graduate attributes are to be ‘Graduates for the 21st Century’ engineers’. He finished by turning achieved, then constructive therefore takes an integrative this latter notion around, asking the alignment needs to be approach, set within two overarching sector to think about a supply-side developed, in particular, in contextualising questions: ‘what agenda, being clear about what we relation to assessment practices. should be the attributes of a graduate in higher education actually do and from Scottish Higher Education in the the valuable contribution that our 21st Century?’ and ‘how can the graduates make to society, rather Educational developers need to keep achievement of these attributes best than having demands dictated to us in mind: be supported?’ by business. • Need for support and encouragement to engage in Simon Barrie, Associate Director of Conference Highlights curriculum renewal and the Institute for Teaching and The focus on graduates for the 21st development of new learning Learning at the University of Sydney, century allowed for a potentially experiences is a long-standing critical friend of wide range of contributions to the • We are faced with a different the QET conference, who has conference which was realised in the (broader) cohort with different challenged delegates in previous poster presentations and workshops, needs years to look more closely at, and which for the first time this year were • Educational development needs think more deeply about, their open to anyone who wished to to address all aspects of the practice. This year’s challenge was present on their work in the area of puzzle not just ‘tools’ the achievement of graduate enhancement of learning, teaching • It’s a long-term undertaking – attributes, where he contended that and assessment, as opposed to there is no short-term fix ‘meaningful solutions have proved previous years where they have been • Staff motivation to engage is vital. restricted to specific Theme project elusive and there remains a “national outcomes. This was a welcome gap” between the rhetoric of (Adapted from Barrie, 2009) change of direction which allowed graduate attributes and the reality of for greater inclusivity and a variety of the student learning experience’ platforms for discussion. The posters (Barrie, 2009). Simon’s presentation Caroline MacDonald, until recently in particular were a highlight of the centred on the conceptual work he Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Student and event, strategically placed in the has carried out around the topic of Community Engagement) at Glasgow dining room to allow browsing and graduate attributes and his current Caledonian University, and currently discussion at a number of points work on the National Graduate Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Learning and throughout the two days. The Attributes Project (GAP), a Student Experience) at the University keynotes, meanwhile, were more nationwide project funded by the of Teesside, maintained a clear focus centred on the topic of graduate Australian Learning and Teaching on supporting student success in her attributes. Council, looking at structural and outline of the international institutional barriers to curriculum benchmarking work that she has been Phil Winn, Vice-Principal (Learning renewal and the achievement of leading in this area (MacDonald, and Teaching) of St Andrews graduate attributes. 2009). Key to this new work is the University and Chair of the steering emphasis on identifying contextualised committee of the Graduates for the Simon Barrie’s presentation good practice, in the recognition that 21st Century QET got the event off to suggested that there are a number of different contexts require different a good start with an overview of what key issues in relation to embedding responses. A further important issue the term ‘graduate attributes’ might graduate attributes: raised was the move away from seeing

www.seda.ac.uk 25 EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS 10.2 June 2009 student support as remedial, and and its subsequent impact on the • In what ways could we use the towards a more holistic, integrated graduate jobs market), this is a topic concept of teacher ‘authenticity’ to way of thinking and acting, with the that has already been, and continues foster a different kind of approach student experience at the centre. to be, addressed as a result of a to the QETs and to graduate previous recent Theme – Research- attributes? (Kreber, 2009) The final afternoon of a conference is Teaching Linkages: Enhancing always challenging to handle as Graduate Attributes. It would be Discussions during the workshops delegates begin to weigh up the pros unfortunate if the opportunity for were wide ranging, with participants and cons of staying for that last addressing the integrating part of the commenting favourably on the session, or hitting the road to miss the Theme were to be lost. At the same opportunities to explore the issues worst of the Friday evening rush-hour time, it must also be acknowledged raised with the presenters. Striking a traffic, but the organisers did well in that the conference is only the starting balance between presenting their choice of Paul Redmond, Head point for discussion and activity information and providing prompts for of Careers and Employability at around this Theme, and the emphasis discussion is one of the challenges of a Liverpool University. Paul’s on graduate attributes at the conference of this sort, where presentation on Generation Y students conference could be considered as mainline academics are invited to was a full-on extravaganza of images, providing a bridge towards such present in a developmental, rather eyebrow-raising statistics and powerful integration, rather than a substitute. than a broadcasting, forum. anecdotes. Generational theory may Furthermore, unlike with the previous provide too much of a broad-brush QETs, the major part of the activity of Hitting the Mark? approach for some, with learners this Theme will concentrate on the Undoubtedly, the annual QET hived off from one another in Scottish HEIs themselves, in order to conference has become a significant generational camps of Boomers, provide an opportunity for them to feature in the landscape of both GenXers, GenYers and Millennials, but focus on their own priorities and areas quality enhancement work and it does create food for thought – and a of interest, within the context of the sharing of practice around learning, good session for a Friday afternoon. overall framework. teaching and assessment, with a clear focus on the student experience, Perhaps one of the most provocative support and engagement. The PgCert keynotes, however, came from Liam Did the Conference Meet its participants from Dundee were also Burns, Depute President, NUS Aims? struck by the friendliness of the Scotland, who changed the focus from One of the principal aims of the conference and the accessibility of the graduates to lecturers for the 21st conference was to provide one of the dialogue and debate. Yet some serious century. This point was well made as first opportunities for the sector to questions remain in relation to the the whole idea behind this Theme engage in a discussion around the new whole premise of the conference – the does raise challenges and Theme. The perceived extent to which QETs themselves – which cannot be opportunities, particularly for teaching this aim was successful was somewhat glossed over by the success of the staff and thus for educational mixed but it was encouraging to see event itself. Levels of staff engagement developers as well, to turn the such a wide-ranging programme of with the QETs beyond those who spotlight onto themselves and to workshops on offer, each of which attend the conference, and who reflect on how their approaches to clearly focused on aspects of current engage with the institutional teams developing teaching staff within their or previous Themes, raising a number which support the work of the Themes home institutions are aligned in turn of questions that could be explored in individual HEIs, persists as an issue. with the need to develop graduates fit further through the new QET, for And by the end of the conference for the 21st century. It is to be hoped example: there still remained a lack of clarity that the steering committee for the around the focus of the new Theme. Is new Theme will consider educational • How does the impact of the QETs it really about consolidation and development as a key project within ‘trickle down’ to students? integration of previous work, or this QET. • How do we go about defining sustaining and deepening engagement graduate attributes? (Walkden and with one or more specific QETs, or is it Reflecting on the focus of the Comber, 2009) simply about graduate attributes? The conference keynotes, there is a • How do we capture the level of idea of Graduates for the 21st Century potential issue here in that the framing staff engagement with both the needs to embrace more than just questions set for this Theme will direct QETs and the concept of graduate attributes and to look at new its focus more squarely onto the attributes? conceptions of the teacher, ‘graduate attributes’ aspect, rather • How can we increase student and educational development roles and than ‘integrating’ the work of the staff engagement with graduate approaches, and the impact of previous Themes. While there is attributes? disciplinary contexts and inter- doubtless a continuing job to be done • Do we need to develop a more professional working (to name but a in relation to addressing the issue of holistic approach to the first year? few areas), if it is to develop a fully graduate attributes (not least in the (Benske and Whittaker, 2009) rounded picture of what leads to the context of the current ‘credit crunch’ development of today’s graduates. It

26 www.seda.ac.uk ‘Dreams and Aspirations of what might be Achieved’: The Quality Enhancement Themes Conference 2009 forces us to ask searching questions between teacher identities, about the very essence of what we’re authenticity, pedagogies and graduate about as institutions of higher attributes’, workshop presented at the Information education in the 21st Century, set Scottish Quality Enhancement Themes against a backcloth of a rapidly conference, Heriot-Watt University, for changing society which is placing Edinburgh (available at http://tiny.cc/ increasing, and increasingly complex, HSHVg). Contributors demands on its universities. MacDonald, C. (2009) ‘Supporting The Editorial Committee of student success: critical points in Final Thoughts … successful student support’, keynote Educational Developments In addition to being ‘a welcome presentation for the Scottish Quality welcomes contributions on any opportunity for a day’s reflection, Enhancement Themes conference, aspect of staff and educational away from the university’ (PgCert Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh development likely to be of participant from Dundee), the QET (available at http://tiny.cc/3n1OD). interest to readers. conference also offers a range of Ross, D., Walsh, L., Comber, D. et al. Submission of an article to effective opportunities for networking (2007) ‘How is it for us? Living with Educational Developments and engagement with ongoing work quality enhancement strategies in implies that it has not been across the sector, as evidenced by the Scottish HE – a view from educational wide range of workshops on offer, and published elsewhere and that it developers’, Educational through that, for new opportunities to is not currently being Developments, vol. 8.3. network within one’s own considered by any other organisation as well as across other Walkden, G. and Comber, D. (2009). publisher or editor. HEIs. ‘Attributes or aspirations? Trying to For more information please make practical sense of graduate contact the SEDA attributes’ (available at http://tiny.cc/ Potential also exists to articulate the office via email: HSHVg). conference experience with [email protected] educational development activities for new and experienced staff. PgCert Dr Lorraine Walsh is Assistant participants at the University of Director (Educational Development) in Dundee are encouraged to attend the the Library and Learning Centre at the conference as one of the ways of University of Dundee addressing a specific learning outcome ([email protected]). Notice to within their programme of study – as well as providing a great networking Dr Darren Comber is Senior Publishers and socialising opportunity. Next year Educational Development Adviser in may see making a poster presentation the Centre for Learning and Teaching Books for review should be for the conference become an at the University of Aberdeen sent to: assessment option within their initial ([email protected]). Rachel Segal module. Dr Iddo Oberski is a Lecturer, Book Review Editor, c/o The Higher Education References Learning and Teaching, in the Centre for Academic Practice at Queen Academy, Barrie, S. (2009) ‘Achieving graduate Margaret University, Edinburgh Innovation Way, York Science attributes’, keynote presentation for ([email protected]). Park, Heslington, the Scottish Quality Enhancement York YO10 5BR Themes conference, Heriot-Watt With thanks to the PGCertTHE Email: University, Edinburgh (available at participants at the University of [email protected] http://tiny.cc/3n1OD). Dundee who contributed their or [email protected] Benske, K. H. and Whittaker, R. (2009) thoughts. ‘Moving forward: enhancing progression through partnership. A university-wide initiative to enhance the first-year experience and to Proposals are invited for the SEDA Spring Teaching, Learning and develop independent lifelong Assessment Conference 2010. The conference theme is to be learners’, workshop presented at the Communities of Learning and the event will be held at the Park Scottish Quality Enhancement Themes Plaza Hotel in Leeds from 6th - 7th May 2010. For details of how conference, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh (available at http://tiny.cc/ to submit a proposal see www.seda.ac.uk. Proposals should be HSHVg). submitted to the SEDA office by Friday 25th September 2009. Kreber, C. (2009) ‘Exploring linkages

www.seda.ac.uk 27 EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS 10.2 June 2009 News from SEDA Forthcoming events SEDA Roll of Honour Congratulations to Jill Brookes who was awarded a • Workshop: Turning a Conference place on the SEDA Roll of Honour at SEDA’s recent Presentation into a Publication conference in Brighton. The SEDA Roll of Honour 10th June 2009, London recognises those who have made an exceptional contribution to the work of SEDA or to staff and educational development generally. Jill worked as • SEDA Summer School 2009: Supporting the SEDA Administrator from 1988 until 2005, Educational Change bringing to the association a brilliant combination of 21st - 23rd July 2009 administrative ability, understanding, commitment to Cumberland Lodge, Windsor Great Park the SEDA goals and values, and tolerance. Jill helped to give SEDA its long-term future and deserves our deepest thanks. • 14th Annual SEDA Conference 2009: Changing Educational Development: New Ideas, New Approaches, New Contexts 17th - 18th November 2009 Aston Business School Conference Centre, Birmingham

• SEDA Spring Teaching, Learning and Assessment Conference 2010: Communities of Learning 6th - 7th May 2010 Park Plaza Hotel, Leeds

See http://www.seda.ac.uk for further details of all of these events.

New Publications

Jill Brookes receiving her SEDA award SEDA Paper 123: Embedding CPD in Higher Education Committee Updates Edited by Mike Laycock and Liz Shrives We would like to thank Fran Beaton, Ann Rumpus, Price: £18.00 Pam Shakespeare, Ellen Sims, Nicky Torrance and André van der Westhuizen, whose terms of office on SEDA Special 25: the SEDA Executive Committee came to an end Personal Tutoring in Higher Education – earlier this month. Thanks also go to James Wisdom, Where Now and Where Next? whose term as Vice-Chair has come to an end. By Mike Laycock Price: £12.00 We would like to warmly welcome our new Executive members: Peter Kahn, Ranald Macdonald, Download an order form from Ruth Pilkington, Chris Rowell and Marion Webb, http://www.seda.ac.uk/publications.htm and new Vice-Chair Julie Hall.

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