10TH ANNUAL HE AND FE COLLABORATIVE CONFERENCE 2014 ‘CAPTURING THE HE EXPERIENCE’ Thursday 3 July 2014

WORKSHOP SESSION ABSTRACTS

This year’s conference workshops have been arranged around the following themes: Giving Effective Feedback, Research, Scholarly Activity, Technology Enhanced Learning, Student Transition, Employability, and Higher Education Review. There is the opportunity for you to engage with the same theme in both workshops 1 & 2 or to choose from differing themes for each session.

GIVING EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK WORKSHOPS

Providing appropriate and meaningful developmental feedback Workshop sessions 1 & 2

Jan Anderson, School of Social Sciences and Law, University

This interactive workshop will consider how we can provide appropriate and meaningful developmental feedback to students on summative assessment. Using an activity based approach participants will be asked to consider their current practice. The session will consider how we can assess learning outcomes in summative assessments and how we can provide feedback directly in relation to them. In addition it will enable participants to develop an enhanced understanding of how to use the University’s generic and module specific marking criteria. Additionally the session will present information on the advantages and disadvantages of using recorded verbal narrative as a method of providing feedback to students.

Student engagement with the feedback and feed forward process Workshop sessions 1 & 2

Anne Llewellyn and Diane Nutt, Department for Learning Development, Teesside University

What is good feedback? How do you provide good feedback? How do we ensure assessment feedback is useful for our students and how do we get students to engage with the feedback and feed forward process? And how do we provide good feedback in a timely and manageable way? This workshop will explore some of the answers to these questions, providing the opportunity to share good practice between participants, as well as drawing on learning from the Higher Education Academy TAPS (Transforming Assessment Pilot Scheme) Project.

The collaborative approach to structured feedback Workshop sessions 1 & 2

Nicola Poppitt, Jill Ross, Teesside University Business School and Carol Dell-Price, Library and Information Services, Teesside University

This session will provide a presentation around how the School supports its students in their final year Business Research Project. The new processes in place within Teesside University Business School (TUBS) around the ‘Structured Feedback / Supervisory Meetings’ will be discussed and the role / perspective of both the student and the supervisor explored throughout this process. The presentation will reflect on the collaborative approach adopted throughout this Project Module particularly highlighting the key role played by the School’s Student Support Hub (and the work of its Learning Development Tutors) and that of the Library Support Systems. Delegates will be asked to consider problems they encounter in supporting student in ‘projects and dissertations’ with a view to sharing possible solutions.

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RESEARCH AND SCHOLARLY ACTIVITY WORKSHOPS

Using CPD to gain an Educational Doctorate Workshop session 1

Clive Hedges, Social Futures Research Institute (SOFI)

The workshop outlines the programme aims of Teesside University’s Education Doctorate and provides examples of current research interests within education and work based learning. This workshop ‘show-cases’ the Education Doctorate, which is offered as a qualification by the School of Social Sciences and Law, as an example of an excellent way of evidencing CPD if you are teaching HE in FE. The workshop will present emerging research from 2 of the current student cohort’s academic students. The workshop represents a ‘must’ for anyone wishing to use CPD to gain a doctoral qualification!

Engaging students in research and scholarly activity Workshop session 2

Megan Nichols,

Meaningful student engagement enables higher education students at the college to actively participate in shaping their learning experience and contributing to the future direction of the institution. This workshop will review and evaluate the challenges and outcomes of our Student Internship Programme. The project recognises that student engagement will be different for each student; however it is important that every learner is offered a range of opportunities to influence and enhance the quality of the learning experience at the college.

Following a series of initiatives in partnership with students during 2012/13 academic year it was evident from our discussions that financial issues were a limiting factor for the participation of many of our students. The HE Student Internship Programme was designed to overcome this barrier through providing opportunities for our students to undertake funded projects. The programme contributes to the implementation of our HE Student Engagement and RSA strategies, both of which prioritise the development of an inclusive academic community. The internships promote and enhance the employability of our graduates through providing valuable opportunities for students to broaden their skill set.

TECHNOLOGY ENHANCED WORKSHOPS

The Transforming Assessment Pilot Scheme – Assessing Groupwork Workshop session 1

Liam O’Hare, Department for Learning Development, Teesside University (Tim James, Helen Page, Helen Carney)

The School of Science and Engineering (SSE) at Teesside University have been taking part in the Higher Education Academy's pilot scheme for Transforming Assessment (TAPS). Our part in this has been trialling a new approach to the assessment of group work. SSE sees group work as a key part of its strategy for improving the employability of students and redesigned courses to include three core modules in which students learned and were assessed in groups. When we held a discussion with Biology students the single most pressing item that they raised was the mechanism for this assessment. At the same time staff were raising concerns about the workload associated with fair assessment of group work. As a result we have revisited the assessment process and have developed a new approach that we feel genuinely assesses group outcomes, seems to be accepted as fair by students and which has somewhat reduced staff workload.

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Digital and News Media: globalise the learning experience Workshop session 1

Scott Ellis, Newcastle College

Students recruited into HE programmes delivered through a mixed economy college tend to exhibit high rates of attrition and low rates of engagement with academic material and experiential opportunities offered through 'mainstream' channels. As a re-engagement tactic, existing media resources were utilised as apparatus to globalise the learning experience of a group of undergraduates identified as being at risk and from non- traditional learner backgrounds. The most successful channels were those that were readily accessible without subscription fees and that offered strongly-branded, structured direction for students to build a new understanding of academic material from a global perspective. YouTube and LinkedIn offered non-traditional students 'new' access to the experiences of other undergraduates in the global education system which resulted in substantial re-engagement of students who demonstrated new motivation and interest to develop their research skills, enabling them to place themselves and their environment within an important, international context.

Digital students – mobile learning Workshop session 2

Gordon Duffy-McGhie, College

As students’ use of smart phones, tablets and other mobile devices increases, there is a growing interest in how they might be used to support teaching and learning in and out of the classroom. In this session we will explore a variety of uses for mobile technology and discuss how, as teachers, we need to curate rather than create digital resources.

Uses of technology in HE teaching and learning Workshop session 2

Anne Hill, West Lancashire College

There is without doubt an advantage to providing 24/7 access to learning resources, but is the virtual classroom solely the answer? In this session I will review some of the results from the research carried out on the concept of a ‘virtual classroom’, and demonstrate how technology can be used in teaching and learning.

The virtual classroom is becoming more common particularly in higher education. Of course, the has provided this kind of learning environment for many years, offering people the ability to study from the comfort of their own homes. Schools and colleges are now starting to introduce virtual learning resources, to their curriculum not only to support learning where students are asked to reinforce learning at home (otherwise known as ‘the flipped classroom’) but also where students might find it difficult to attend classes.

Another interesting concept that can be used whether students physically attend classes or study at home is the use of computer games in teaching and learning. There is a growing body of research on the effectiveness of online games as learning tools. There is widespread consensus that games motivate players to spend time on task mastering the skills a game imparts. A number of distinct design elements, such as narrative context, rules, goals, rewards, multisensory cues, and interactivity, seem necessary to stimulate desired learning outcomes.

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STUDENT TRANSITION WORKSHOPS

The transition to higher level skills: enabling effective learning and teaching of HE in FE Workshop sessions 1 & 2

Dr Ewan Ingleby, School of Social Sciences and Law, Teesside University

This workshop explores the challenges of delivering HE in FE. The students and the lecturers may be the same! Those teaching and learning at NQF level 3 may come together again in levels 4, 5 and 6! The workshop provides examples of learning activities that appear to have worked well with students who are studying HE in FE contexts. The workshop explores what is meant by ‘identifying’, ‘analysing’ and ‘synthesising’ information alongside considering how these skills can be developed within students. An example learning session commented on favourably by a recent Ofsted observation of teaching on a PCET (ITT) programme is exemplified as an example of enabling effective learning and teaching of HE in FE.

EMPLOYABILITY WORKSHOPS

The pedagogical approach to developing students with an entrepreneurial mindset Workshop sessions 1 & 2

Andy Price, Academic Enterprise, Teesside University

Developing authentic ways for students to learn entrepreneurship is a hugely challenging task, whether in HE or FE. This is important because many policy makers and commentators see the acceleration of an entrepreneurial society as the key to our ongoing economic success. Teesside University has been delivering its extra-curricular Entrepreneurs@tees programme (student entrepreneurship) for three years now and Andy Price its Director would like you to join him to look at what he has learned about this form of experiential learning, it’s place in the University Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Strategy and to explore with him new ideas on a pedagogical approach to ‘teaching’ an entrepreneurial mind-set. This will be an interactive, workshop format based on collaborative learning approach.

Approaches to managing Work Based Learning Workshop session 1

Sarah Flynn, Vice Chair, ASET (http://www.asetonline.org/), University of Hertfordshire

The UK Quality Code for Higher Education offers a new opportunity to consider how work based and placement learning is part of the student experience; but with that comes complexity as what is a placement, what is work based learning, what is work related learning and what is just reflection on professional practice? Defining learning opportunities can be contentious within a department or institution, add in another organisation such as in collaborative provision and is it any wonder that confusion arises? This discussion will look at boundaries; between the college and the awarding body (university), between what is placement and what is work based, between when a student is working and when they are learning. Once we have some agreed notions, we can think about how that practice fits in with the Expectations and the Indicators of the UK Quality Code, and the ASET Good Practice Guide for Work Based and Placement Learning. Please note: this workshop will be remotely delivered by the presenter and facilitated by the University.

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HIGHER EDUCATION REVIEW WORKSHOP

Working with students on the Higher Education Review Workshop session 2

Sally Dixon and Laura Seward, Grimsby Institute

The Quality Assurance Agency advises higher education providers that ‘students are one of the main beneficiaries of Higher Education Review and are, therefore, central to the process of review’. As part of the Higher Education Review (HER) providers have to nominate a Lead Student Review, support students in writing the Student Submission and convince students to meet with QAA during the review. These all present different challenges and the question of how do providers ensure that students are informed and supported during the process but are also all able to represent the whole student body can be difficult to address.

This workshop will share the experience of the Grimsby Institute who had its HER in February 2014 and will be led by Laura Seward who was the Lead Student Reviewer for the review and Sally Dixon, Academic Registrar. The session will include:  How to get students involved in the review  How to select the right students for the right role  How the HE provider can support students but not ‘do’  What resources and information to provide to students for writing their submission

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KEY NOTE SPEAKERS

Jonathan Simmons and John Lea, Authors of the report ‘Capturing an HE ethos in College Higher Education Practice’ published by the QAA

This report, commissioned by QAA and written by Jonathan Simmons and John Lea, explores the context in which further education colleges in England have been responding to the opportunities and challenges of providing higher education programmes. Specifically, it explores the connection between two features which have been identified as vital in ensuring that such programmes can provide an enriching learning experience for students: first, that experience needs to be demonstrably higher, not just in terms of enabling students to achieve high level learning outcomes, but also that students should experience, what has been referred to as, an 'HE ethos'; and second, that this experience needs to be soundly underpinned by a culture of 'scholarship and research'.

For a copy of this report please use the following link: http://www.qaa.ac.uk/Publications/InformationAndGuidance/Pages/HE-ethos-Lea-Simmons.aspx

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EXPERT PRACTITIONER FORUMS

The last session of the conference will provide an opportunity for you to engage with colleagues from across the network of partner colleges and TU Schools and to establish an expert practitioner forum in three key areas:  teaching and learning enhancement  technology enhanced learning  research & scholarly activity (staff and student led).

The focus of these forums will develop over time, however the main objective is to encourage partnership working and enable joint pedagogical studies/projects across the partnership network and disseminate good practice. The sessions will establish initial aims and objectives for each forum and provide an opportunity to discuss and agree some suggested project working that can be started in 2014-15.

If you are currently a champion in these areas or are interested in becoming more active in order to enhance your current provision then we encourage you to attend.

If you are unable to attend the session but are interested in becoming involved in the forums then please email and indicate your forum interest to [email protected]

Research and Scholarly Activity:

This forum is for anyone currently involved in research and/or scholarly activity in their discipline area, or those interested in becoming engaged in research or scholarly activity. The focus of the forum is to enable staff to channel ideas for research particular to a discipline area to a wide network of partner colleges and the university to encourage collaborative working and joint funding bids. This initial workshop will provide an opportunity to put forward areas of interest for future collaborations. If you have a project you are currently working on and wish to share or an interest area that you would like to raise at the forum for collaborative working please email [email protected] with your initial thoughts.

To encourage the flow of ideas Dr Ewan Ingleby & Dr Clive Hedges will showcase some of the research that is currently associated with the Education Work Based Learning Research Unit at Teesside University. The research unit is part of the Social Futures Research Institute in the School of Social Sciences and Law. Research projects have been funded from the British Academy, The Higher Education Academy and The Society for Educational Studies as well as the University Research Fund. They will outline the work of the research unit and provides examples of current research projects that staff associated with the University may wish to become involved with/develop.http://www.tees.ac.uk/sections/Research/social_futures/education.cfm

Teaching and Learning Enhancement

If you are a current champion of teaching and learning for your college or school, or are interested in becoming one then we encourage you to sign up to this forum. The forum aim is to cascade good practice through the network and encourage joint working on initiatives to enhance current teaching and learning practice.

If you have been involved in a pedagogical initiative or project that your college/school is supporting or has recently implemented and would like to showcase it through the forum, or have an idea for a future project then we would be interested to hear from you. Please email an outline of the project/initiative to [email protected]

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Technology Enhanced Learning

Technology advances so quickly that we are barely able to keep up with it and yet it is second nature for most of our students to use new technology, such as blogs, twitter, facebook, etc. in their everyday lives and we therefore need to use it more effectively to encourage learning too. If you are currently a technology learning champion for your college or school, or are interested in pursuing this then we encourage you to sign up to this forum. The forum aims to encourage the use of technology to enhance teaching and learning practice to support the curriculum and to cascade good practice across the network. The network will enable joint working on initiatives and encourage joint funding bids.

If you have a technology enhanced initiative or project that your college or school is supporting or has recently implemented and would like to showcase it through the forum, or have an idea for a future project then we would be interested to hear from you. Please email an outline of the project/initiative to [email protected].

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