Student Education Bulletin March 2016

Issue 16 Student Education Bulletin March 2016

Leeds USEFsannounced

Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Student Education) Vivien Jones announced Bleasdale-Hill (ESSL); Gary Morris (FMH); Charles Dannreuther the 2015/16 University Student Education Fellowship (USEF) (ESSL), Gina Koutsopoulou (Psychology); and Tess Hornsby-Smith awards at the Student Education Conference on Friday 8January (Arts). (see pp.6-8 for afull review of SEC/DigiFest 2016). Developmental fellowships were awarded to: Dan Pullinger The USEF scheme is open to all staff who teach or support (Library); Edward Venn (PVAC); Duncan Wheeler (Arts); Jacqueline learning. Full fellowships are supported by project funding of Houghton (Environment); and Louisa Hill (LUBS). £15,000 in total, with an annual honorarium of £1,000 for three Awards have been made to 151 staff since the Fellowship Scheme years in addition. Developmental Fellowships are supported by was first launched in 2001. To find out more about the sheme and project funding of £4,000 in total, with aone-off honorarium of award holders’ project details, go to www.sddu.leeds.ac.uk/learning- £1,000 for one year. teaching/reward-and-recognition/university-student-education- Award winners are selected by acommittee (chaired by Vivien fellowships/ B Jones) of Faculty Pro-Deans for Student Education along with representatives from the Student Education Service. contents The committee always receives alarge number of excellent 1Leeds USEFs announced Teaching Excellence 2 Student perspectives and Innovation (LITEI) applications from across the University,soselecting the launches award winners is always adifficult task. All who applied 2Student Education mentors needed 6SEC/DigiFest 2016 –a are congratulated on the excellent work they submitted for multi-perspective review 3Leader Column: consideration. Evidencing excellence – 9Leeds Curriculum –an overview This year full fellowships were awarded to: Richard Tunstall present and future 4Students as partners 12 Professional recognition (LUBS) and Luke Burns (Environment). through UKPSF@Leeds 5The Leeds Institute for Seven colleagues had fellowships increased from developmental to full awards: Charlotte Haigh (FBS); Karen Burland (PVAC); Lydia SEB17 publishes in June 2016 (copy deadline 3May 2016) Visit http://ses.leeds.ac.uk/bulletin

1 Student Education Bulletin

Student perspectives Student Educationmentors Melissa Owusu, LUU Education Officer needed Freya Govus, LUU Welfare Officer Sarah Farrell, Staff &Departmental Development Unit

Ihave been continuing to work on the Why is Anew mentoring scheme has just been launched that seeks to match My Curriculum White campaign by engaging all University staff with amentorfrom outsidetheirfaculty or service students as co-constructors of their education. (unless they choose otherwise). The mentor-mentee relationship We have worked with the Library by asking provides an opportunity forinterdisciplinary and collaborative working students and staff to order books from diverse and alearning opportunity for both parties. The relationshiplasts authors to encourage engagement with the around nine months, withparties matched appropriately.Examplesof the types of topics mentees can request help with include:

Melissa campaign and to raise awareness. We have also recently launched asurvey in which we are • Generaltopics such as confidence, motivation and leadership; trying to gauge the opinions of students surrounding the diversity of • Research-specific topics such as publications, research impact and submissions/re-submissions; and their curriculum and University –please encourage them to fill out • Student education-specific topics such as teaching, scholarship and this survey,itwill only take them five minutes and can be found at assessment and feedback. https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/WIMCW The schemecan also be used to supportcolleagues considering The refresh of the Partnership is currently underway; there are careerbreaksorthose returning from any long-termleave. focus groups going on all over the University with students, staff, Callfor mentors academics and researchers –Ican’t wait to see what the outcome We are looking formentors who would be able to supportotherstaff is. Nominations for the Partnership Awards closed just before this from across all faculties and services, on awiderangeoftopics. issue of the Bulletin went to press and the Awards themselves will Mentors will benefit from sharing expertise and experience, learning take place on 25 April as part of Celebrate Week 2016. from the mentee, University recognition of interpersonal skills plus Finally,the entire Exec team is launching acost-of-living campaign an opportunitytogaininsight into thementee’sworking environment. through which we hope to identify all the areas of astudent’slife in The mentor rôle is achallengingbut immensely rewardingone –we which they can save money,and then help them do exactly that! are lookingfor: • strong communicators, able to listen and offer positive and constructive feedback; Over the exam period, LUU provided aplace • experienced professionals who are prepared to share their career of calm for stressed students. We worked in journeys in order to help and support the development of others; partnership with Lumie to create aLight Café, • people who are passionate about their own and others’ learning and alongside free breakfasts and arange of relaxation development; activities, all of which were warmly welcomed • new and experienced mentors who are willing to attend ahalf day by participants. By the time you read this, we’ll mentoring development session; and

Freya those who are able to dedicate 60-90 minutes every four to eight have hosted Mind Yourself, our first health and • weeks to amentee. wellbeing festival. We’re working with loads of great wellbeing We are particularly seeking mentors who canoffer support in: organisations to bring services to students and encourage students • student education areas such as assessment and feedback, blended to think about their own wellbeing. and online learning, designing, research and scholarship, teaching and I’m also continuing to look at our approach to student support – UKPSF applications; • returning to work following maternity and family leave; both in the Union and the University.I’m working with the LUU • building confidence in applying for leadership rôles; Advice Centre to look at how the Union delivers support –we’re • new to the UK (for new international staff who would like help in expanding the drop-in service, and updating our digital resource understanding and assimilating into the UK culture); and to better respond to demand. I’ve also been working closely with • research-related topics such as publications, research impact and the University to look at training for frontline staff, support in our research submissions/re-submission. residences, and the wider student support offer from the University. Supporting mentors As for the ‘Tampons don’t grow on Trees’ campaign, the collection Athree-hour Mentoring Others session is available through SDDU that introducesthe rôlecoversbasics such as ethics, contracting launched in October was ahuge success. We had great engagement issues, practical mentoring tools and nowtopreparefor amentoring from students, and managed to collect around 1,500 individual relationship. Additional supportcan be found on thementor products. The donated products ended up going to Rainbow Hearts webpages at www.sdduonline.leeds.ac.uk/mentoring/mentoring8/ and Yorkshire Aid. Due to the success of last semester’scampaign, mentoring-useful-links/ we ran another week of collections at the end of February. B Find your mentor The Light Café To preparementees foraproductive mentoringexperience, we offer offered light a90-minute Making theMostofMentoring session that explores therapy,which can help lift mood its benefits. Applications from thosewho would like amentor during times of from outsidetheir facultyorservice are also welcome. Additional stress. Plus free breakfasts, which information and supportcan be found at www.sdduonline.leeds.ac.uk/ may also help! mentoring/mentoring8/resources-for-mentees/ Furtherinformation To find outmore, visitthe mentoring webpages at www.sdduonline. leeds.ac.uk/mentoring/ or contact Sarah FarrellinSDDU on 37896 or [email protected] B

2 Issue 16

Evidencing Excellence–present and future Vivien Jones, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Student Education)

This edition of the Bulletin includes reports on this year’sStudent The dissemination of Leeds’steaching excellence to the wider world Education Conference. The vibrancy and success of the event is is also central to our ambitious development plans for digital online evident in their words and pictures. Once again, academic and delivery.Over the past couple of years the Digital Learning Team, Student Education Service colleagues came together to share ideas under the leadership of Professor Neil Morris and working with and showcase activities which are benefitting our students in all academic colleagues, has begun to establish Leeds’sreputation as kinds of ways and we used the occasion to congratulate another acreator of high quality digital learning materials. Most recently, cohort of University Student Education Fellows. As always, warm for example, we have built aset of highly successful MOOCs for thanks are due to the conference organising team in Student schools. Opportunity –particularly Stephanie Stones and Rebecca Shaw – Evidencing excellence across the world in digital form is one of the and to Kelvin Tapley’sleadership of the event. most effective forms of marketing and the aim now is to extend our The Conference theme, ‘Evidencing Excellence’, was particularly portfolio significantly,attracting new students and new audiences. timely given the imminent implementation of the Teaching We will work with apartner organisation to develop Online Distance Excellence Framework (TEF), and Iwant to pursue that theme Learning (ODL) programmes, under the Leeds ‘brand’, with the aim here as Ireflect on some key developments currently underway in of attracting significant numbers of learners; and we will work with Student Education. our existing partners, FutureLearn, to make the step from MOOCs One of the most exciting and important moments at the Conference to credit-bearing online courses. Such developments will of course was the official launch of the Leeds Institute for Teaching also benefit on-campus students as we further enhance our skills Excellence and Innovation. Its recently appointed Director,Raphael in digital pedagogy and re-use digital materials in ablended- Hallett, gave an inspiring account of his vision for the Institute, learning context. at the heart of which is the provision of leadership, opportunity, One more important development requires mention. Iam and support for colleagues committed to cutting-edge pedagogic particularly delighted to note the launch, on 1February 2016, scholarship and practice. of the revised academic promotions criteria which will enable This will be realised in part through investment in asmall number the excellence of individual colleagues who choose to focus on of Excellence and Innovation Fellowships, to be held for ayear, education and scholarship to be rewarded appropriately,right up with the first cohort due to be appointed imminently for 2016/17. to Chair level. As in the scenario more familiar from research awards in academic Precisely how the Teaching Excellence Framework will require us disciplines, the Fellows will be given the time to pursue their own to evidence excellence is still unclear.The Green Paper promises projects. And they will be expected to evidence their excellence adetailed technical document sometime in the spring. But it by contributing seminars and masterclasses to the Institute’s does seem increasingly likely that the TEF will eventually involve programme of events. The Institute will thus build on our proud acombination of statistical indicators common to all HEIs with history of high quality pedagogy (we still have more National something more qualitative and institution-specific. Key to any Teaching Fellows than any other institution), and Ihope that more future success will be the high quality education which happens in local centres of excellence will begin to spring up on the model of classrooms, in co-curricular support, and in digital form across the those currently being developed in the Schools of Law,Languages University every day,evidenced yet again at this year’sConference, Cultures and Societies, and Business. and reflected in our steadily improving NSS scores. For the sake The Institute’sother key responsibility will be the effective of our students, we must continue to pursue excellence in our dissemination of our excellence in education nationally and own terms, and we must be confident that we can define and internationally,establishing Leeds as the leading centre for evidence it rigorously in line with scholarly principles. This must research-led teaching and research-based learning. And from be the basis of any future digital developments; it is at the heart of 2017/18 one or two of the Fellowships will be available to external the Institute’svision and mission; and it is surely the best way to applicants with the intention, again, of encouraging lively,outward- prepare for the TEF. facing discussion and collaboration. B 3 Student Education Bulletin

Students as Partners –extracurricular opportunities enhancing student learning in the Biosciences Dave Lewis, School of Biomedical Sciences &ULBERG

Partnerships are acornerstone of the Leeds student learning The majority of my ‘day job’ is spent delivering an ethics education experience. We have thePartnership and the Celebrate Week of for students across the Faculty of Biological Sciences. Over the annual awards. They have been shown to motivate andenthuse years, I’ve tried without success to get students to participate in students,promote engagement, achievement and learning gain. extracurricular ethics debates and discussions, both on and off Critical to their success is the formation of distinct learning campus. Last yearIwas approached by Sammy Baptiste,alevel 6 communities,each partner having shared values and beliefs. The Medical Sciences student who was interested in ethics and wanted added value comesfrom theprocess rather than the product: student the opportunitytodiscuss topicalethicalissueswith herfellow work collaboratively,applyingtheir knowledge to enhanceboth their students. Together,weset up MSEDG (Medical and Scientific Ethics own and their peers’ learning experiences and, in doing so, acquire Discussion Group), astudent-led, extracurricular ethics discussion key employability skills and graduate attributes. and debate group. Meeting once amonth and facilitated initially by Partnerships need not be restricted to within the taught curriculum, Sammy,students from across the Faculty discuss topical issuesin the NUS and CBI report Working towards yourfuture recommended the biosciences, such as three-person IVF or the righttodie. that universities offer extracurricular opportunitiesfor studentsto Student buy-intothese extracurricular partnership opportunities contribute tothe development of their education. This could be is exceptional. Educational internships are typicallyten times across the whole sphere of higher education, from co-designing and oversubscribed, Pop-up Science has over60students (UGand PG) co-developing curriculaand assessmentstoco-researching and co- enrolledthis year,whilst 25 students regularly turn up for the ethics inquiring, either in discipline specificresearch or the scholarship of discussion sessions.Iwant students to learn from their experiences, teaching and learning. not to forget them, and to implement this learning into future Our students are avast and largely untapped resource: we don’t activities. Iget them to reflect on theirexperiences, their learning make the most of theirknowledgeand skills, or providethem with journey and theskillsgained in personal blogs. sufficientopportunities to stretch themselves. To address this, Theirreflectionsshow they arelearning from their experiences: Icreated three extracurricular partnership opportunities for my “I am honestly surprised with the amount that Iamlearning.” students.The first, an educational researchinternship scheme, • “It helps reinforce your knowledge when you have to explain involved studentsworking in partnership with academic staffon • something to anon-scientific audience.” on-goingcurriculum-development or pedagogical-research projects. Theyare inspiring boththemselvesand others: Slottingaround their academic studies, each intern undertakes 75 “I gained so muchfrom the day.Icame away feeling enthused, hours of paid work on projects such as thecollation of an online • passionate and appreciating how much Ienjoy my degree.” collection of Online Educational Resources aboutlaboratory animal experimentation, student-created guidance on the use of the Freefromthe constraintsofaformalacademic environment, it’s a different, more in-depth learning: e-learning resource development software Xerte, or the evaluation • “More relaxed, can speak your mind, ask stupid questions.” of public-engagement opportunities within STEM undergraduate Theyrecognise the skills gained and the positive impact on their curricula. employability: I’m passionate about publicengagement: my students are aware of • “Brilliant experience that taught me avariety of skills. Internships this, so Iregularly receive requests from them to participate in these set you apart from other students.” activities. To enablethem to share my experiences andmyenjoyment Theyrecognise our contribution: of engaging the publicwith science and its ethical implications, I • “Dave Lewis was my fairy godmother!” created Pop-up Science –astudent-led public-engagement volunteer Theywantustooffer moreopportunities like these: scheme –which is apartnership between students and theirfellow • “Shouldbean integral part of all degree programmes.” students,and between students and the community.Students work in teams to create and deliver interactive science activities at local Extra-curricular partnerships providesubstantial benefits for all communityfêtes, family fun days and agricultural shows;those involved. For students,theyenablethem to contributetoacademic withpublic engagement experience mentoring thosewithout in the communitieswherethey are co-producers of knowledge, to enrich creation and delivery of the event. theirown learning journey by broadening theireducationand experiences, the opportunity to developkey skills, and, through providing training or mentoring to their peers, the skills of others, ultimately to become morewell-rounded workplace-ready graduates. They provideoutputs that they can showcase to potential employers. Students are co-authors on any publications, it is included on their HEAR transcripts. Forstaff, students bring knowledge andskills they may not possess.They promote change in, andenhancement of, your teaching andlearning practices. For the Faculty,they are an opportunity to showcase our excellence in student education and research, and to enhancethe educational experience of our students. Given the benefits to all, as an institution we shouldbemaking greater useofextracurricular partnerships across the entire spectrum of ouractivities. B

4 Issue 16

LITEI Launches: Announcing theLeedsInstitutefor Teaching Excellence and Innovation Raphael Hallet, Director

It is exactly the right time for our University to be building a Enhancing Educational Practice (LEEP) network co-ordinates an flagship institute for teaching innovation and pedagogy. existing community dedicated to student education scholarship and Steadily,and rigorously,the Leeds Curriculum has evolved from practice, one that will feed into our new Institute. STEM teaching institutional project to institutional catalyst for student education. scholarship is nurtured by the PRiSM group, and our Learning As part of this structure, we promise –and with increasing richness, Technologists’ Network horizon-scans the constantly changing deliver –the distinctive student journey from research-led teaching landscape of technology-enhanced education. to research-based learning. Our students are increasingly conscious Most excitingly,perhaps, local centres for teaching scholarship not just of being inspired by great researchers but also of growing and innovation are emerging in Languages, Cultures &Societies into co-creators of research themselves. We match this intensity (LCS), LUBS and Law,toname only those nearest to fruition. This of research training with the fresh coherence of Broadening, is ample evidence of the culture-shift that LITEI will accelerate and Discovery Themes acting as exciting pathways for interdisciplinary co-ordinate. We are, quite rightly,moving to an institutional culture and experimental learning beyond ‘core’ subjects, alevel of cross- at Leeds that gives full credit, prestige and visibility to the staff campus innovation that many of our competitors can only grasp who inspire and support our students and who propagate our wider towards at present. And we complement it through the support we reputation for student education. offer to students in taking up co-curricular opportunities. To put this into practice, then, LITEI will act first and foremost as Elsewhere, enterprise education weaves its innovation into avibrant community for student education innovators. It will draw programmes across campus; Liberal Arts is set to launch as a together our National Teaching Fellows and University Student ground-breaking interdisciplinary programme; our students are Education Fellows into more consistent dialogue, and push these stimulated by high quality digital resources for learning and leading lights to more regular,high quality and visible outputs. provided with the educational architecture to assess, critique and Joining this established community at LITEI, and our clearest assimilate those resources skillfully. investment in talent, will be acohort of Research &Innovation Such exciting developments provide the foundation for LITEI, Fellows (four in the first year; six annual awards thereafter) who an institute whose aim is to build on this innovation in student will be seconded to the Institute and dedicate the great majority education by taking it to anew level of impact and visibility. of their year’stime to teaching innovation and scholarship driving forward our institutional practice and reputation. We will reserve As we have worked to inspire these educational opportunities, we some of these fellowships for external recruitment, with the aim have perhaps been alittle humble in announcing their significance of attracting some of the most talented educators on visiting and distinctiveness. Certainly,now is the right time to showcase fellowships from HEIs across the world. and disseminate our teaching excellence with abit more gusto, to offer much bolder statements about the ways we lead and change I’m conscious that many exciting innovators at Leeds currently at sector-level, backing up these statements with stout and clearly lie at the developmental cusp between practical innovation and articulated evidence. pedagogical publication, and LITEI will employ aboard of research mentors and advisors to help fellows and members bridge that gap The Institute will, as part of its remit, respond in an agile way to and disseminate teaching ideas and models to amuch broader the incremental demands of the Teaching Excellence Framework, audience. Do you teach brilliantly? Use LITEI to write, present and which will no doubt ask for metrics but also for coherent and publish about this. detailed narratives tracing the way we offer our students the highest quality education. Whilst uncertain of their precise Our digital presence must clearly be dynamic too: aLITEI nature, we shouldn’t be troubled by these requests, or be overly website is being designed to carry details of each live project and defensive. We have very good stories to tell and groundbreaking testimonies of the impact of completed work, so that our influence developments to report. To energise our response, there will be ripples quickly to national and international audiences. But our adedicated research group within LITEI committed to gathering presence will also be concrete and communal, with our soon-to-be and articulating the impact of the student education initiatives refurbished building at 18 Beech Grove Terrace, at the heart of we deploy,aproject given atimely boost by the 2016 Student campus, becoming ahub for fellows and members to meet, work, Education Conference’sfocus on ‘Evidencing Excellence’, a present reports and offer consultancy on student education. theme which now seems deftly prophetic. As well as ashowcase and reputation-builder,LITEI must also Arobust response to the TEF must be the least of our ambitions, function as aliving, breathing and sometimes noisy community, though. LITEI gives us the more profound opportunity to build a hosting ideas and debate and allowing its members to take risks, be hub for teaching innovation and pedagogical research that can lead bold, be visible and shape the priorities of student education at this the way nationally and build prestige internationally.The University University and beyond. has demonstrated its commitment to this ambition by investing The Institute will offer space, time and resources to those who over £3m in the Institute over the next four years. wish to transform and enhance the education we provide at the As director,itisinspiring to look around me across campus University of Leeds. It will offer astrong platform and powerful and notice the current blossoming of centres dedicated to the acoustics to those wanting to broadcast our ideas and practice to stimulation and recognition of teaching brilliance. Already the rest of the world. established are the impressive Centre for Enterprise and Ilook forward very much to hearing from anyone who would like to Entrepreneurship and the recently inaugurated Centre for Research get involved and can be contacted on [email protected] into Digital Learning (based in the School of Education). The Leeds B

5 Student Education Bulletin

Student Education Conference andDigital Festival:perspecti

More than 350 University staff participated in panels, workshops, “Not only were exhibitors able to inform visitors about how seminars and exhibitions at the Student Education Conference their services can support student education, but they were (SEC). The 13th annual event dedicated to all aspects of student also able to promote new and innovative technologies such as education took place on 8and 9January 2016 and focused Blackboard Collaborate (the new online, interactive session tool on Evidencing Excellence.For the first time this year,SEC now supported by the University). VLE e-Learning Officer Adam incorporated the Digital Festival (formerly Hands on the Future), Tuncay was pleased that so many delegates visited his stand which many colleagues attended on day one of the new combined, wanting to know more about Collaborate and were excited that it two-day event. The consolidation of DigiFest and SEC demonstrates can already be accessed via the VLE. It was also used during the the importance of digital innovation in developing teaching Online Distance Learning panel discussion during the DigiFest excellence. Below are different perspectives on the event. programme to enable Helen O’Sullivan from the University of Liverpool to actively participate. The V-C’s Perspective SEC/DigiFest 2016 was opened formally at the start of day two by Vice-Chancellor Sir Alan Langlands. He pointed out that the conditions for excellence were already in place in Leeds: “First and foremost, we are giving equal weight to education and research –others say it, we are well down the road to doing it!” He went on to list five important conditions for success that exist at Leeds: aclear goal, summed up in our mission; the alignment and coherence of policy; student engagement; a supportive organisational culture; and key people to lead change. “All of this is adynamic and ongoing process that will ensure an absolute focus on meeting the needs and aspirations of students –and “Wewere also able to evidence excellence on the Lecture you will know that we are now shaping Capture and Media Management stand where we showcased up to take further steps, including videos of student feedback outlining the benefits of Lecture substantive investment in digital Capture. In addition to which, we could provide qualitative and learning, to increase academic quality quantatitive data to support the success of the project. Jim Bird, and power.” Lecture Capture and Media Management Support Specialist, was able to announce the one millionth view of Lecture Capture. Exhibitors’ Perspectives “The Exhibition Area also provided stall holders with an excellent opportunity to network with colleagues and provide on-the-spot There were over 30 stalls in the SEC/DigiFest Exhibition Area advice and technical support. Ieven manged to get afew case in Parkinson Court over the two days. Exhibitors Beth Snowden, studies from staff who are willing to share good practice on their Jim Bird and Adam Tuncay were involved in two stands innovative use of technology.” showcasing the Lecture Capture and Media Management system and the new interactive session tool Blackboard Collaborate. Parallel Sessions and presentations are also available on the Beth Snowden writes: VideoLeeds Channel, Guest Lectures and Special Events at https://video.leeds.ac.uk and further information on Blackboard “Exhibitors were given the opportunity to introduce their stalls Collaborate in the VLE is available from by writing abstracts that were advertised in the SEC/DigiFest https://www.leeds.ac.uk/vle/staff/collab/collaborate/ programme and on the event’swebsite. Many exhibitors chose to cast their net wider by also advertising on Twitter.They were SEC/DigiFest able to ‘tout their wares’ on the day by taking part in aseries Online of one-minute lightning presentations in the Rupert Beckett Lecture Theatre. This was really well received by delegates who said they were impressed with the range and diversity of the stalls. As well as the champagne on offer at one of them

6 Issue 16 pectives from across theStudent Education Community

AWorkshop Facilitator’sPerspective Martin Levesley from the Faculty of Engineering co-ordinated a workshop entitled ‘Opportunity for unity!’. He tells us that he was helped by two excellent presenters and ahandful of enthusiastic students (both UG and PGR), “who had all been far more involved than Iwas in our project, which was to build avibrant UG research community.After abrief presentation summarising our approach alively discussion soon got underway and Iwas delighted that staff were happy for our students to lead the debate on anumber of topics. As well as the obvious benefits

Emily Timson (Engineering Employability Team) joined Martin Levesley to co-present the ‘Opportunity for Unity!’ workshop to the staff engaged in the project and to students there was a very open conversation about costs. We agreed using the UGRL model for student payment was an obvious approach, though our students highlighted that, particularly for those considering acareer in research, they really appreciated the opportunity to work within The University on aresearch project and the level of pay was seen more as abonus rather than a“deal maker” though equity of student pay between research and industry supported projects was very much appreciated. Though staff very much appreciated the student perspective, they highlighted the need to ensure we have checks and balances in place to ensure students are not exploited simply as low paid workers. APanellist’s Perspective “Returning to one of the keynote speaker’scomments on defining excellence as “constantly striving to improve” we also discussed Engineering student Bilal Ahmed says that, if he could sum what should be next for aproject such as this? It was great to up his experience as apanellist on the ‘Impact in the Field’ see enthusiasm for growing the scheme both within the school, discussion in one word, that word would be ‘insightful’. across our faculty and in other schools across the university. “As astudent of limited experience in addressing large There was some frank discussion about barriers both cultural and audiences, Iwas able to learn from the vast experiences of financial and most encouraging, but best off all there was plenty other panel members and apply these to my own life; the of great ideas on how these could be overcome.” most memorable being that striving for excellence is in itself Getting involved –delegates excellence. Ideveloped skills which Iwould have otherwise never during the ‘Impact in the have developed as an engineering student, such as being able Field’ panel discussion to discuss such asubjective topic yet in acoherent, logical and thought provoking manner. “Delegates seemed really interested in what every panel member thought since there was abroad range of backgrounds present ranging from astudent employer and astudent careers advisor to an ex-director in aglobal organisation turned author.The majority of delegates were academics and staff members, so they were open to views and opinions from an industrial perspective.” And, as the last tweet (above) would suggest, our delegates agreed with Bilal there! p8

7 Student Education Bulletin

SEC/DigiFest 2016 perspectives p7

ALITEI Perspective Excellence Framework and its relevance to evidencing Rafe Hallett excellence. and Viv Jones at the official “Mark explained how,in LITEI launch his rôle at the BBC, he implemented awholesale review of broadcasting and how the Corporation used detailed analysis to evidence excellence which then guided its decision making in terms of content, media platforms and popularity. “Mark’spersonal reflections The Leeds Institute of Teaching Excellence and Innovation relating to his own education at Leeds and now that of two of his (LITEI) was launched at SEC/DigiFest. The Institute’sinaugural children was areminder to the audience of exactly why we should director Raphael Hallett says: continue to aspire to deliver excellence in all that we do.” “It felt extremely apt, as the new Director of LITEI, to walk The parallelsessions around aconference where academic and professional staff “The parallel sessions gave participants an opportunity to were ‘evidencing excellence’ of teaching innovation. Even more understand in more detail the innovative practices being fascinating, perhaps, were the debates it raised about the ways developed by abroad range of dedicated staff. Engineering gave in which we might characterise ‘excellence’ and the ways we an insight into the significant programme of on-campus research quantify and disseminate it. To me, this showed that the Leeds internships they have developed to boost the employability of Student Education community has aparticularly self-aware and students as well as providing an insight into potential future reflective edge, helping us investigate the types of excellence we research careers. The student interns involved in the session gave strive for and to find inventive ways of mapping and justifying it. afirst-hand account of the personal benefit they had derived from “Joslin McKinney (PCI) and David Lewis (FBS) led amorning being involved.” session on measuring the impact of the Final Year Project, Thank discussing the way we need to capture alumni as well as student You! views on the impact of research-based learning. Mitch Waterman And finally,all of us who worked on SEC/DigiFest 2016 would (FMH) led alively workshop on the evaluation of the Leeds like to thank all of you who participated for making it such agreat Curriculum, introducing the longitudinal process of mapping event –wehope to see you all again next year! the ‘ripples’ of the Leeds Curriculum as it moves from project to business-as-usual, shaping as it does so the journey of every student. Iended the day by attending afascinating session led by Philip Walker (Maths) who dealt with the issue of tracing and enhancing student revision techniques. His presentation introduced aproject which aims to investigate how ‘excellent’ revision techniques might be propagated across campus. “LITEI can only benefit from such varied and vibrant projects.” Gotopage 5tofind out more about LITEI. Delegate Perspectives B Greg Miller,Head of Student Placement, gives his account of attending the keynote and parallel sessions: The keynote “Leeds alumnums Mark Byford worked his way up from journalist to Deputy Director-General of the BBC. He delivered apersonal, entertaining and thoughtful presentation that charted his journey from aLeeds undergraduate to his current work as an author. “Mark set out the political context within which asuccession of government reports have shaped the higher education Networking in the Exhibition Area at SEC/DigiFest 2016 landscape and he reflected on the emergence of the Teaching B

8 Issue 16

The Leeds Curriculum–anoverview

Mitch Waterman delivers a workshop at SEC/DigiFest 2016 on the findings of an extensive evaluation of the Leeds Curriculum

Evaluating the Leeds Curriculum –the story so far that all programmes map the ways in which students progress Martin Purvis, Karen Llewellyn and Mitch Waterman from learning about the research of others to becoming skilled and confident researchers in their own right. Pinning down the details Launched in 2009/10 as amajor strategic project, the Leeds of the routes that students might follow proved unexpectedly Curriculum began to impact directly on the structure and ethos of difficult in some instances, but the endpoint of amandatory final- our undergraduate programmes in 2014/15. So it seems timely to year project (FYP) has now been in place for all undergraduates reflect on what has been achieved thus far,and clarify the goals of entering the University from September 2014 onwards. We have continuing programme development. also made progress in organising supervision training for staff in The task of developing adistinctive Leeds education was initially schools where an FYP was not previously compulsory. defined with reference to three main Curriculum strands: On Core Programme Threads (CPT): here too the majority of • the enhancement of Research-Based Learning, including a schools and institutes across the University responded positively to compulsory Final Year Project; the request to identify and map the presence of these threads in • the universal introduction of Core Programme Threads: all of their programmes. So we know that the threads are in place; Ethics and Responsibility,Global and Cultural Insight, and but there may still be work to be done at alocal level to promote Employability; plus awareness of their significance amongst staff and students. • the creation of amore structured and imaginative approach to On Broadening: the establishment of ten Discovery Themes has Broadening allowing students to put their disciplinary studies provided amuch-needed structure for our substantial offering of into wider perspective. extra-disciplinary modules –previously electives and now reborn At the same time we recognised that athorough review of our as discovery modules. The Themes also provide areference point assessment strategies, to ensure alignment to programme-level against which disciplinary programmes can demonstrate their own learning outcomes, was vital for the success of our plans. The contribution to broadening students’ horizons. The appointment Leeds Curriculum Project also provided an opportunity to consider of Theme Leaders has enabled us to think strategically about the whether changes in the shape of the academic year would improve development of new teaching and delivery methods to reinforce student education delivery.For more details, see the Leeds our discovery portfolio. We know that students feel better informed Curriculum overview that follows this section. about the scale and scope of what we offer at Leeds thanks to the launch of the Broadening website –asacomponent of the The University has now started asubstantial evaluation process LeedsforLife site –and Discovery Theme fairs in September and measuring the success of the project against its eight original May.Asaresult more students are taking agreater variety of objectives. This will necessarily be long term as we follow the first discovery modules when compared with the previous elective undergraduates recruited under the new curriculum through to provision. graduation and beyond. But we can also draw some immediate conclusions about the strengths and weaknesses of the curriculum On Assessment: this is still very much work in progress. But development process so far. schools that have made the greatest progress with assessment On Research-Based Learning (RBL): the project initiated arequest p10

9 Student Education Bulletin

The LeedsCurriculum –anoverview

p9 mapping and reviewing alignment against learning outcomes have reported that it proved auseful exercise. It has helped them to identify elements of over-assessment and scope for assessing in more imaginative ways to develop agreater range of student skills. On the Academic Year: this proved to be aknotty and time- consuming challenge, and one which ultimately defeated us. The original intent was good, but the proposed changes received such mixed reviews that this element of the project was suspended. So, what else have we learned? Mostly that University-wide change involving input from schools, colleagues and students across the board is an achievable but time-consuming process. Some project elements took longer than originally planned; for example, we had to put back the introduction of the compulsory FYP by ayear. Others, particularly assessment mapping and the review of learning outcomes, remain as continuing tasks. We have also had to review The data suggest that most students actually perform better outside their home faculty some of the University’sfundamental systems and processes which support programme creation and review.There are important implications here for the ways in which the planned Integrated performance data of students comparing performance of students Programme Administration System supports these processes in on core modules; optional modules (i.e. can choose from within future. Internal communications to keep everybody informed about their own school), and discovery modules (which could be within project progress was always going to be difficult in an institution their home faculty or elsewhere). as large as the University of Leeds. But we have arguably been Perhaps surprisingly,until now there has been no comprehensive too modest in our external statements about the curriculum; not dataset which allows for University-wide reflection on performance. least in the way that we present our degrees to intending students. Working with Dan O’Rouke from the SIMS Team, the Discovery Through our commitment to Broadening and Core Programme Theme Leaders asked for the production of adataset which Threads, and in our introduction of auniversal Final Year Project mapped performance of students across the University over the Leeds genuinely does offer adistinctive undergraduate education. last three years, broken down by performance on core, options and discovery modules. Debunking the Performance Myth? Or why We then undertook analysis of the 2014/15 data based on the Broadening is good for your health! following: a) Where students study –mapping the ‘home’ of astudent against Nick Robinson (POLIS) and William Young (Earth and the faculty of their discovery module. The findings here are perhaps Environment) unsurprising, with the largest numbers of students discovering within their ‘home’ faculty. One of the key concerns for many staff and students alike is does student performance suffer when undertaking modules other b) Scale of discovery: aremarkable success? What is really than those offered by their ‘home’ department /programme? In encouraging is the sheer scale of students who are engaged in an increasingly instrumental age, predictably yet unfortunately, broadening via the discovery process –approximately 5,000 students will often ask ‘will my performance suffer if Idoamodule enrolments undertaking discovery modules. What is striking, from outside my school or faculty?’ the data, is the sheer variety of engagement with those at the vanguard of discovery –students from Arts and LUBS –with nearly These are not trivial concerns of course –potentially,they reflect 60% of their students undertaking discovery module(s) (2,394 awhole series of questions, some of which are: Will students be module enrolments and 869 respectively), whereas in Biological confronted with atypical or unconventional assessment regimes?; Sciences and Medicine &Health, it is approximately 10%. Is there a‘hidden curriculum’ of prior understanding that students from other faculties may fail to understand?; Do modules present We analysed student performance based on faculty-level data, different challenges that students from outside the faculty or school looking at students from all faculties, breaking down performance are ill-equipped to deliver on? As Discovery Theme Leaders, these based on each faculty.For example, we have data for the are key questions that threaten to undermine the whole ethos of performance of Faculty of Arts students in all faculties, which Broadening and the associated Discovery Themes. covers their ‘home’ (Arts); to ‘near home’ (PVAC and ESSL), and to those faculties which we might instinctively see as ‘less The good news… predictable’ (e.g. Engineering, LUBS or MaPS). The good news is Looking at the performance of students across the University the that the performance of all students, regardless of faculty of origin good news is that students, in the main, are not negatively affected and of the faculty in which they undertook the module, is generally by Discovery Themes and Broadening. within the margins of what might be termed ‘acceptable’ variation. One key way to begin to answer this questions is to look at In fact students often actually perform ‘better’ than in their home

10 Issue 16

faculty! To take just two examples, Biological Science students which measure the impact of teaching and curriculum design”. ‘over-perform’ in the faculties of Environment, Medicine &Health If you have any questions about Broadening, simply contact Karen and MaPS. Similarly,Medicine &Health students ‘over-perform’ Shaw on [email protected] in MaPS. For those interested in checking out the data, the slides presenting theses findings will be made available in the online version of this issue at http://goo.gl/PbwVcc Reflections on the rôle of Discovery Theme Leader On the surface there is much to encourage staff to be really bold Caroline Campbell, Language and Intercultural Understanding in persuading their students to embark on discovery modules with Theme Leader confidence, and for students to be confident in taking the plunge. Wasitreally December 2012 That said, there are acouple of caveats and things which we are that Iwas appointed one of ten further investigating: Discovery Theme Leaders? Such a) There are acouple of areas in which students do seem to alot has happened in that time, underperform and it is worth exploring why.Inparticular,students some of it planned, some of it from Business undertaking modules in Engineering, ESSL unplanned, but always inspiring, students in Environment, and MaPS students in LUBS do seem to challenging and rewarding. underperform. That that happens is perhaps aquestion that could It has been my first experience of working on aUniversity-wide be addressed via enhanced targeted support, for example. project (one day aweek). It was exciting and daunting to create a b) We are also actively interested in exploring the stories vision for my Theme –Language and Intercultural Understanding underneath the data to understand at agranular or case-study level –and to articulate the aims of the Discovery Themes project. I’ve how different faculties are supporting students and the positive enjoyed being part of the team that is responsible for decision- impact that this is having on performance. In short, there are making, discussing strategic issues, finding creative solutions, clearly some very important practices which are underpinning these exploring how systems can be more student-centred, and working findings that we could all learn from. with colleagues from across the University as well as three c) What is also clear is that the appetite for Broadening varies Student Ambassadors. I’ve learned to make sense of huge sets of considerably amongst students. Those from Arts are clearly the enrolment data and use graphs and pivot tables for the purpose of trailblazers here and one interesting question emerges around the analysis. I’ve enjoyed promoting the concept of Broadening with Broadening culture or ‘confidence’ of different disciplines. Are Arts staff, students, employers, parents and schools, and working with students intrinsically more experimental, or do cultures of learning LUTV to film staff and students offer their perspectives. To have within the Arts privilege interdisciplinary activity more than others? developed ten coherent Discovery Themes and articulate the ethos If so, what can be done to learn from this area? The data may,of of Broadening via adedicated website where students can find out course, not be exposing issues of student mentality and it may be about each Theme and its sub-themes, explore options for each that instead it is exposing structural issues based on programme year of their programme, access module summaries, search by subject and keyword and make awish list, is quite an achievement. design –inshort, how much scope does aprogramme offer for discovery? It’srewarding to hear colleagues discuss the benefits of making their modules more accessible to students from outside their d) Finally,weare also aware that much is concealed in the data school and experience stimulating discussions with students as currently presented. In particular,there are important insights first hand who bring avariety of perspectives from their various that would be revealed with module-level analysis. At this stage, we disciplines. It’smore rewarding still to hear students talk about the actively choose not to undertake module-level analysis as we felt it opportunities that Broadening offers and their ideas for creating could /would present issues in terms of confidentiality.That said, their personal discovery pathway. we recognise that such analysis is likely to be incredibly important to Module Leaders and we are actively investigating how to produce Now that the Themes have been embedded, the next stage of data to inform staff across the university,albeit with safeguards in the project will see the creation of innovative interdisciplinary place. modules, reflecting our approach to interdisciplinary research. It will continue the process of evaluating Broadening as part of the Analysis of the impact of Broadening on student behaviour, Leeds experience. Ifeel privileged to have had the opportunity to performance and satisfaction has only just begun. The Leeds contribute to designing the discovery part of the Leeds Curriculum. Curriculum Evaluation Group, chaired by Mitch Waterman, will Ilook forward to hearing students articulate what this means for be including these discovery dimensions within their overarching, them as Leeds graduates. longitudinal analysis and an overview of this analysis can be Become a found at the start of this Leeds Curriculum feature. Rafe Hallett, Discovery Theme Leader currently aDiscovery Theme Leader and Director of LITEI asserts Applications for Discovery Theme Leaders are sought. Successful that “this kind of evidence will form acrucial part of the metrics candidates will be responsible for co-ordinating, developing and and narratives that describe our educational innovation and the implementing the academic vision for one of seven Discovery Themes transformative effect it has on the student experience,” adding that (0.2FTE). Deadline for applications is 11 April 20016.Full details “the Institute will encourage proposals for related research projects available at https://jobs.leeds.ac.uk/vacancy.aspx?ref=SESSP1066 B

11 Student Education Bulletin

Should you have professionalrecognition for yourrôleinStudentEducation? Rebecca Dearden, SDDU

The UKPSF@Leeds Individual Application Route to professional on thelevel of application), whichrelates the applicant’sprofessional recognition by the UniversityofLeedsand the Higher EducationAcademy. practice to dimensions of the UKPSF; (orcase studies /Recordof The UKPSF@Leeds Individual Application is anon-credit bearing route to Educational Impact when applying for recognition as aUKPSF@Leeds professional recognitionfor colleagues’ rolesinteachingand supporting SeniorFellow (SFHEA) /UKPSF@LeedsPrincipalFellow (PFHEA), studentlearning. This process is accredited bythe Higher Education respectively); and supporting references from colleaguesable to comment Academy (HEA)and managed bySDDU: successful completionresults in on an applicant’s activities in teaching and supporting learning.All recognition as both aUKPSF@Leeds fellow and an HEA fellow.Thisroute applicants mustalso beable to demonstrate engagement with CPD at the is available to staff and PGR students whohave beeninvolvedinteaching UniversityofLeeds by: and supporting learning at Leedsfor at least one academicyear. • ensuring awareness of, and engagement with, Leeds-based teaching Fellowship applications are considered against the UK Professional and learning initiatives and policies, such as the Leeds Curriculum, Standards Framework (UKPSF) for teachingand supporting learning in LeedsforLife, quality assurance policies and review processes at school, faculty and University level; higher education. • being active in the Leeds Student Education community,i.e. The UKPSFaims to: participation in student education networks, the Student Education • Support ‘the initial and continuing professional development of staff Conference, engagement with the TES. engaged in teaching and supporting learning’; • Foster ‘dynamic approaches to teaching and learning through Frequently Asked Questions creativity,innovation and continuous development in diverse academic Is professional recognition by the HEA aqualification? and/or professional settings’; • Demonstrate ‘the professionalism that staff and institutions bring to No, recognition entitles theholder to usepost-nominal letters and be teaching and support for student learning’; registeredwiththe HEA as working at aparticular level of experience. • Acknowledge ‘the variety and quality of teaching, learning and If Iamalready anHEA Fellow shouldIapply? assessment practices that support ... student learning’ Youare encouragedtoconsider whetherapplicationinadifferent category • Facilitate ‘individuals and institutions in gaining formal recognition may nowbeappropriate foryou. For example, applicationfor UKPSF@ for quality-enhanced approaches to teaching and supporting learning, Leeds Senior Fellowifyou are already aFHEA and are now supporting often as part of wider responsibilities that may include research and/or colleaguestodevelop their teaching practice. management activities’ (UKPSF,2011). See www.heacademy.ac.uk/sites/default/files/downloads/UKPSF_2011_ Is thereacharge? English.pdf Thereisnocharge for members of staff and registeredPGR students. Individuals can applytobecome aUKPSF@Leeds fellowship holder in How does SDDUsupport applicants? one of thefollowing four categories: UKPSF@Leeds Associate Fellow SDDU runaseries of three ‘Supportfor Professional Recognition’ (AFHEA),UKPSF@Leeds Fellow(FHEA), UKPSF@LeedsSeniorFellow workshops. Each of these sessionstakes the form of ashort, practical (SFHEA),and UKPSF@LeedsPrincipal Fellow(PFHEA). small-group session, who will also provide peer support on colleagues’ Why applyfor professionalrecognition? applications. Eachworkshoprunsmultiple timesthroughout the academic Recognitionagainst the UKPSFprovides national recognition of an yearand can be booked freeofcharge at www.sddu.leeds.ac.uk/learning- individual’scommitment to learning and teachinginHE; it demonstrates teaching/individual-application-for-professional-recognition/ukpsfleeds- an alignment of professional activities against national benchmarks; and individual-application/support-for-your-application it entitles asuccessful applicanttouse post-nominalletters that show Informal enquiries can be directedtoRebecca Dearden on r.dearden@ affiliation with theHEA, and which arerecognised by other UK HEIs. adm.leeds.ac.uk –potential applicantsshould also discussthis withtheir Every yearthe University is requiredtosupply staffdata to the Higher Head of School or line manager. Education StatisticsAgency (HESA). The information provided includes Do youalready haveprofessional recognition? your highest academic qualification and your academicdiscipline. We also If so,let us know,orupdateyour details through Self Service: return the teaching qualificationsfor all Academic and Teachingstaff. http://hr.leeds.ac.uk/news/article/3461/hesa_academic_teaching_ Teaching qualifications are interpretedbroadly andincludecredit-bearing qualification_update awards and recognitionbythe HEA against thedescriptors in the UK Log into the Self Service portal (using yourusualUniversity credentials) Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF) (Associate Fellow,Fellow, • Go to Work Information >Work Profile. etc.); this information is published toprospective students as part of the • Click on the HESA Data tab. Key Information Set(KIS) data. • Click on the Pencil icon to the right of the screen to edit the data. • Click into the drop-down list on the topmost Acad. Teaching Why have aLeeds scheme? Qualification field and select your qualification from the list. • “It is more direct and less intimidating than dealing with the HEA • Enter up to six teaching qualifications using the fields provided – direct. It felt achievable and the [local] support really helps.” please select only one HEA Fellowship status. • “It has made me aware of some of the gaps in my knowledge.” • Click Save and Back to complete the update. • “It gave me an opportunity for reflection that has led to me looking at my overall rôle and practice.” Have you completed one of theUniversity’scredit-bearing courses (e.g.ULTA-2 or PGCLTHE) andneverregistered your fellowship? What does the application processinvolve? To evidence practice againstthe UKPSF,applications involve the If so,you may still be entitledtobe registered as an HEA Fellow – preparation of: areflective account of 1,500-6,000 words (dependent contact: [email protected] information. B recycled When you have read me, 75% please recycle me!