Spring 2015 Teaching Fellows Journal

Journal 1

Spring 2015 ISSN 2050-9987 (Print)

ENroute launch 27 May

Come along and meet the ENroute team (including your School representative) and find out how ENroute can help you gain the recognition your teaching deserves.

Find an ENroute stall at all three campuses on Wednesday 27 May between 11am and 2pm.

The ENroute Quick Guide to HEA Fellowship

3

categories

2

routes

1

claim

Associate Fellow Senior

Please note for Principal category apply direct to HEA

Qualification

Completion of Postgraduate Certificate delivered by ASPEN

Experiential

Documentary or Dialogue

Yours!

Giving your teaching the recognition it deserves

Contents

tfj Spring 2015 Editorial

3 tfj Spring 2015 Editorial

Katrina Swanton

4 LTA Resource Bank Updates 6 Academic Professional Development Page 7 ENMCA 8 Evaluating Assessment and Feedback Practice within Nursing and Midwifery Programmes Using TESTA 9 Computing Collaboration with ZZULI 10 Student Transitions: Proposals, Projects and Progress 12 Edinburgh Music Instructor InService Training Event 13 Conference Reports and Travel 17 Book Review 18 Diary Dates 20 Around the Faculties SIG-M 21 Student Focus 22 Grants Update Panel 23 Teaching Fellows Journal Editorial Team This edition is going to 30 new Teaching Fellows. We are delighted to welcome you to our community and we are looking forward to seeing you at our Teaching Fellows social on Wednesday 22 April, 4–6pm in 2/10, Craiglockhart.

tfj Spring 2015

Enhancement-led Institutional Review (ELIR) I write this editorial in the period between our Part 1 and Part 2 ELIR visits, and by the time you read this ELIR 2015 will be over. Now, I hope that the champagne corks will have been popped and the University community will be duly proud of the good practice ratified by the Review Team. Of course, there will be work to do, and an action plan will be drawn up accordingly as we continue to develop our practices/policies. Progress will be monitored at various committees over the next few months, years even.

The University will move on, and many colleagues may feel that they can all forget about ELIR until the next review looms in four years’ time… although of course I must stress that forgetting about ELIR is absolutely not in the spirit of the QAA Scotland methodology. However, as I have been leading the University’s preparations for ELIR, I have heard this sort of remark too many times for me not to believe that there is not an element of truth in how some of our colleagues experience ELIR – but not so our Teaching Fellow community who continue to innovate and enhance their practice on an ongoing basis irrespective of review cycles.

This was very apparent to me as I was looking for evidence to include within our Reflective Analysis which was submitted in advance of ELIR. Back issues of this very journal proved extremely useful in tracking the enhancement journey the University had been on since our last review in 2011. It was really rewarding to highlight to the review team the work of the special interest groups and the projects funded through the Teaching Fellow fund as well as the ongoing work led by our Teaching Fellows.

When looking for good practice to showcase during Part 1 I was spoilt for choice having been a participant at the Teaching Fellows Conference in January – it was such an impressive and full programme. Our Teaching Fellows were also well represented in the staff meetings with the review team and contributed to bringing the good practice highlighted within our Reflective Analysis to life for the ELIR reviewers. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Teaching Fellow community for the inspiration you gave me during the ELIR preparations; it certainly made my job a lot easier being able to draw upon your insight, expertise and good practice.

As a University we are once again facing change related to the academic restructure and as we continue to work towards meeting the ambitious targets set out in Strategy 2020. This will also result in changes within, and perhaps challenges to be faced by, the Teaching Fellow community.

However, I believe that the commitment to enhancement demonstrated by the Community will remain as strong as ever and indeed that we will have even better practice to reflect on when ELIR 2019 does come around.

3

LTA Resource Bank Updates The LTA Resource Bank: A Story of the University Mark Huxham, Kathyrn James, Paddy Perry, Errol Rivera, Fiona Smart and Anastasia Dragona In 2008, Edinburgh Napier University began hosting the LTA Resource Bank, an online and open educational resource that collected case studies of professional practice from colleagues across the University with a focus on teaching and supporting student learning.

Authors submitted cases detailing everything from newly designed classroom activities for assessment and group work, to innovative use of technology and simple but effective ways of improving the learning experience for students. The cases were easy to read, engaging and documented active practice from across the University.

Over the next few years, the use of the Resource Bank reached a peak but then began to taper off significantly.

However, it was recognised that the potential of the Resource Bank hadn’t disappeared just because traffic through it had diminished. Led by ASPEN (Academic Strategy and Practice at Edinburgh Napier), a small group of academic staff with diverse professional backgrounds was convened in September 2014 with the purpose of revitalising the Bank. With an aim of raising its profile and active use across the academic and professional service community, we started the process by reviewing all existing cases against the United Kingdom Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF) and the University’s Strategy 2020.

As the team familiarised itself with over 130 cases, it became clear that the Resource Bank tells a story of the University, its development and what matters to its staff. In other words, the Resource Bank was appreciated as being something other than a repository of cases. It was seen as a tool for understanding the University, its priorities and practices and a means to draw these together. The potential for the Bank as a space of community is undeniable; it is a place where people with a common purpose and shared livelihood come together and lay bare their experiments, their questions, their ambitions and even their failures. A place where moments in the development of a craft are illuminated and catalogued in a way which attempts to make these case studies as useful to the people who read them as they are to the people who lived them. The Resource Bank is changing shape so that individually and collectively the cases can encourage pedagogical growth across the University, reflecting on and engaging with academic policy, teaching practice and educational research.

4

Uploading a new case study or drawing on existing work to support your practice or research will be better enabled through ongoing changes that have improved a number of features, including: • • • • •

Redeveloped case study submission template Improved search function Browser compatibility Button functionality New tagging – against the UKPSF and Strategy 2020.

We hope the story of the Resource Bank will continue and will both reflect current and support future practices across the University teaching community.

We welcome your contributions and comments.

Recently Added Resource Bank Case Studies The Impact of Changing Priorities in Online Tutoring John Cowan I collaborated voluntarily with a Taiwanese academic whom I had met online and with whom I had jointly written a paper on meeting students’ affective needs.

I tutored around the discussion boards on her EFL course. My remit and my aim was to develop what the literature calls “critical thinking” (which has very negative connotations for students brought up in a Confucian Heritage Culture), which I preferred to call reasoned thinking, for that is what it is.

Read more on the LTA Resource Bank Access at: http://staff.napier.ac.uk/services/viceprincipal-academic/academic/LTA/resources/Pages/ Details.aspx?ItemID=276&Section=CS

Creating Accessible Digital Content Craig Mill The activity is designed to promote awareness of the importance of accessible learning and teaching materials, particularity original electronic resources created by academic and support staff, that are made available for teaching and learning, e.g. on Moodle.

Read more on the LTA Resource Bank Access at: http://staff.napier.ac.uk/services/viceprincipal-academic/academic/LTA/resources/Pages/ Details.aspx?ItemID=278&Section=CS

LTA Resource Bank Updates Making a Success of the Associate Student Programme at SEBE

Shining the Light on the Cultural Aspects of Student Mobility: Reflections from a Crossfaculty Collaboration

Alastair Stupart 2014/15 was the second of four years of SFC’s Associate Student Programme (ASP). This has a key feature of first year college students matriculating as ‘Associate Students’ at their chosen University, with the guarantee of a place (subject to achieving agreed academic entry requirements). The purpose of the ASP is to extend student numbers/successful progression via the ‘2+2’ articulation model. SEBE is working with 4 colleges, and 57 funded students p/a are supported into third year of three specified engineering undergraduate courses (e.g. HND Engineering Systems to BEng Energy & Environmental Engineering) to smooth the transition of Associate Students from college by familiarisation with University (campuses, learning styles etc.) and improving academic skills.

Read more on the LTA Resource Bank

Monika Foster, Vivien Zhou, Iain Macdonald and Richard Firth The context for this Teaching Fellow funded study is an increased internationalisation of learning and teaching in higher education and specifically the ambition to internationalise student experience. This study went beyond existing understandings of ‘cultures of learning’ linked to China and the UK by opening perspectives on individual experiences to form insights that move from an essentialist view, ‘shining a light’ on the rich and often complex development of cultural awareness involved in study abroad.

Read more on the LTA Resource Bank Access at: http://staff.napier.ac.uk/services/viceprincipal-academic/academic/LTA/resources/Pages/ Details.aspx?ItemID=277&Section=CS

Access at: http://staff.napier.ac.uk/services/viceprincipal-academic/academic/LTA/resources/Pages/ Details.aspx?ItemID=282&Section=CS

Using Education Technology according to the Learning Styles of the Students Sandeep Chowdhry The aim of the activity was to improve the student learning experience in the Mechanical Engineering module by providing adequate study support according to the learning requirements of the third year engineering students. The students’ cohort comprises home students and direct entry students from UK colleges and international students. Home students have used CAD software (Inventor) in their second year and feel the need to revise it. On the other hand some direct entry students have not used Inventor for CAD in the past.

Read more on the LTA Resource Bank Access at: http://staff.napier.ac.uk/services/viceprincipal-academic/academic/LTA/resources/Pages/ Details.aspx?ItemID=281&Section=CS

To reflect the new University strategy, we are currently looking for case studies on: active learning & assessment; cocreation; enquiry-based learning. If you have been involved in work on any of these, we would love to hear from you.

tfj Spring 2015

Add to Resource Bank...

We would like to invite you to submit examples of your work for publication in the LTA Resource Bank. The Resource Bank has been designed as an open education resource and is available internally and externally.

We are looking for examples of learning, teaching and assessment practice which highlight activities that have enhanced the student experience or that are innovative.

As part of your submission, you will be asked for a description of the activity, an outline of its impact on learning, teaching and/or assessment and a brief reflective commentary, as well as how the activity may be used by colleagues. As the information is available externally, you will also be asked to assign a Creative Commons Licence to your case study.

You will find the submission form and further instructions at: http://staff.napier.ac.uk/services/vice-principalacademic/academic/LTA/Pages/Welcome.aspx.

Contact Anastasia Dragona (a.dragona@napier.ac.uk)

5

Academic Professional Development Page ENroute Update Rachel Murray, Elaine Mowat and Janis Ross ENroute, Edinburgh Napier’s professional recognition framework accredited by the Higher Education Academy, is undergoing developmental work to enable it to support the strategic priority of enabling all colleagues involved in teaching and supporting learning to gain HEA Fellowship. HEA Fellowship is a significant asset for staff, providing formal recognition of commitment to professionalism in teaching and learning, which is increasingly recognised by institutions around the UK and beyond.

The ENroute Project Team and Project Board have been meeting regularly to discuss and agree the shape of the redeveloped ENroute framework. In addition, ENroute Reps have been appointed in each of the Schools in order to increase engagement at local level. At the ENroute away day in December 2014, the Project Team and many of the ENroute Reps gathered to hear about the research gained from institutional visits and discuss the best approach for the redeveloped framework.

The framework proposal, underpinned by best practice through institutional visits and agreed by the Project Board on 26 January 2015, offers two routes for direct application: Dialogue and Documentary. The Dialogue route offers applicants the chance to make their claim for Fellowship via a professional conversation with two reviewers. The Documentary route centres around a more traditional written submission.

The ENroute Rep for the School of Nursing, Midwifery & Social Care, Janis Ross, has been busy getting the word out about the ENroute redevelopment in her School. Janis describes her role and the work she has been doing so far: My role involves acting as a link between my School and the ENroute team to advise on the redevelopment and engage colleagues in the opportunities that will become available to gain HEA Fellowship.

One of the challenges associated with my role is to promote active engagement with ENroute, and I wanted to raise awareness about the redevelopment, what was involved and what this would mean for staff. For me it was all about getting the message out there about why Fellowship is a good thing for staff, students and the University and let staff know about the redevelopment and the streamlined application process.

6

In my School, I started raising awareness by sending out an email to all staff to inform them about the redevelopment and my role as ENroute Rep. As Subject Group Leaders have a key role to play in terms of the PDR process (and promoting HEA Fellowship as part of this) I contacted them to discuss a communications plan. I aim to attend Subject Group Meetings to share information about the redevelopment and promote the benefits of HEA fellowship with colleagues. I believe that the Teaching Fellows in our School are a valuable asset and have a central role to play in encouraging and supporting colleagues in their pursuit of HEA Fellowship. To build this relationship, I have organised to meet with them on an individual and group basis to discuss their involvement. I have also presented at an All Staff meeting and plan to present at other relevant meetings.

The redeveloped ENroute framework will be launched in May 2015. Keep track of developments via the ENroute blog at http://blogs.napier.ac.uk/ENroute/ and contact your School Rep if you have any questions, comments or suggestions.

ENroute School Reps Jackie Brodie (School of Management) Kate Durkacz (School of Engineering & the Built Environment) Alun Fotheringham (School of Accounting, Financial Services & Law) Joan McLatchie (School of Marketing, Tourism & Languages) Janis Ross (School of Nursing, Midwifery & Social Care) Alison Varey (School of Computing) Sam Kelly (School of Arts & Creative Industries) Charlotte Chalmers (School of Life, Sport & Social Sciences)

•

ENMCA

There are many everyday examples of academic heroism here at Edinburgh Napier. Staff who support the development of colleagues through mentoring and coaching provide one example. The Edinburgh Napier Mentoring & Coaching Award (ENMCA) was introduced in 2012 in order to recognise and reward this important activity and to provide participants with the chance to sharpen their mentoring and coaching knowledge and skills. By listening, encouraging and challenging, and by providing a confidential, non-judgemental and creative space for exploration and action, ENMCA mentors enable development that benefits both the individuals and the organisation as well as the academic community as a whole.

Twenty-four colleagues have now completed the ENMCA with a further 12 participants, including two colleagues from Queen Margaret University, under way in 2014/15.

Together the ENMCA community has supported over 60 colleagues in developing various aspects of their academic practice. This can lead to tangible outcomes such as publishing a paper or gaining promotion as well as more general flourishing and well-being (“I feel really inspired by my mentor and I look forward to coming to work because I feel supported in my learning.” ENMCA mentee 2012/13).

oa

C oa

d ar Aw

&

C

g in ch

bu rgh

Na pie r

M en to rin g

ENM CA

One fundamental aspiration for a mentoring and coaching approach at the University is the creation of a learning culture where taking the time to listen to and understand each other as well as to question and challenge one another, to act with “fearless compassion” (Hawkins & Smith, 2006), becomes “the way that we do things round here” – not just within mentoring relationships but also in conversations in corridors, classrooms and meetings. This is one dayto-day way to be an academic citizen and to make the University “a great place to work” (Edinburgh Napier University, 2014, p. 4).

Ed in

“Is academic citizenship under strain?” asked the Times Higher recently, addressing the concern that essential but ‘invisible’ activities such as external examining, peer review and mentoring are coming under increasing pressure from rising individualism “in the rush for publications, promotions and research funding” (Morgan & Havergal, 2015). As part of this discussion, Michael Power, Professor of Accounting at the London School of Economics, described those who get stuck into the tasks that benefit others and sustain the academic community as a whole as “the heroes and heroines of academic life”.

d ar Aw

Ed inb urg hN ap ier M en to rin g

Elaine Mowat

g in ch

&

ENM CA

The Heroes and Heroines of Academic Life

The next start date for the ENMCA is October 2015. For further information about the ENMCA and academic mentoring opportunities, please contact the ENMCA Programme Tutor, Elaine Mowat: e.mowat@napier. ac.uk.

•

References Edinburgh Napier University. (2014). Edinburgh Napier University Strategy 2020. Retrieved from http://staff.napier.ac.uk/services/ principal/strategy2020/Documents/Strategy%202020FINAL.pdf Hawkins, P., & Smith, N. (2006). Coaching, mentoring and organisational consultancy: Supervision and development.

Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill/OUP. Morgan, J., & Havergal, C. (2015). Is ‘academic citizenship’ under strain? Retrieved from http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/ features/is-academic-citizenship-under-strain/1/2018134.article

Providing support for mentors so that they are wellresourced, continually learning and working safely is a key element of the ENMCA, and participants receive supervision from an experienced external coach supervisor. A Teaching Fellow funded project is now under way to investigate the extent to which supervision and other development activities contribute to the ongoing development of more experienced academic mentors, helping them to bring the very best of themselves to their work with colleagues.

tfj Spring 2015

7

Feature Evaluating Assessment and Feedback Practice within Nursing and Midwifery Programmes Using TESTA Elizabeth Adamson and Brian Webster Assessment is central to student learning and a powerful driver in determining how and what students will learn (Beaumont , O’Doherty, & Shannon, 2011). Feedback is also an important learning tool and valued by students; however, NSS results continue to highlight dissatisfaction despite increased efforts by lecturers to improve practice.

An over-focus on modules with associated growth in summative assessment is thought to contribute to this (Ball et al., 2012), and recent publications encourage a move towards increased formative assessment (Beaumont et al., 2011) and a greater programme focus (Hartley & Whitfield, 2011).

In response to this and funded by a Teaching Fellow Development Grant the School of Nursing, Midwifery & Social Care at Edinburgh Napier University set out to uncover what students are seeking in terms of assessment and feedback and to evaluate the assessment and feedback strategies within our nursing programmes. To enable this, the TESTA (Transforming the Expedience of Students through Assessment) methodology, developed at the University of Winchester and now being used worldwide to asses practice, was employed within the UG nursing and midwifery programmes.

The TESTA methodology uses validated tools to evaluate assessment and feedback practices and student responses to these (Gibbs, 2010) and has been used successfully in several institutions worldwide (Jessop, El-Hakim, & Gibbs, 2014). The TESTA process involved collecting data across the programmes in terms of number and range of assessment that a student might experience across a three-year programme and capturing the student voice through questionnaires and focus group discussions. The number of summative as opposed to formative assessments was also calculated and showed that assessments were mainly summative.

The questionnaire data provided valuable insight into students’ views and perceptions about assessment and feedback including clarity of goals and standards, whether they use the feedback they receive, and perceived quantity of effort required to succeed in their assessments. The focus group themes identified were as follows:

Essays, exams, online discussion, peer assessment and variety of assessments

Perceived value of assessment

Feedback

Assessment

Quantity and quality of feedback Inconsistency in feedback

Clarity of information goals and standards

References Ball, S., Bew, C., Bloxham, S., Brown, S., Kleiman, P., May, H., … & Waterfield, J. (2012). A marked improvement: Transforming assessment in higher education. York: The Higher Education Academy. Retrieved 27 February 2015 from http://www. heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/assessment/a-marked-

Learning and assessment opportunities in practice Feedback on placement Role of the mentor Tools of assessment Workload

Clinical practice

Inconsistency in tutor expectation Academic guidance and support

improvement Beaumont, C., O’Doherty, M., & Shannon, L. (2011).

Reconceptualising assessment feedback: A key to improving student learning? Studies in Higher Education, 36(6), 671–687.

Gibbs, G. (2010). Dimensions of quality. York: The Higher Education Academy. Retrieved 1 March 2015 from https://www.heacademy. ac.uk/node/3165 Hartley, P., & Whitefield, R. (2011). The case for programme focused assessment. Educational Developments, 12(4), 8–12.

Jessop, T., El-Hakim, Y., & Gibbs, G. (2014). The whole is greater than the sum of its parts: A large scale study of students learning in response to different programme assessment patterns.

Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 39(1), 73–88.

8

The findings were fed back to staff through written reports, face-to-face sessions and an away day where priorities for change were identified. One of the key benefits of the TESTA process is that it initiates rich and reflective discussions amongst staff (Jessop et al., 2014). Programme teams are working on enhancing the student assessment and feedback experience through consideration of the student assessment journey as a whole, and three groups are working on strategies to enhance feedback and clarify goals and standards and value of assessment as a learning tool. The findings will inform design of the new curriculum, and a second away day has been arranged to progress the work further. As a result of this pilot the TESTA process will be rolled out and used to audit other programmes within the wider University during 2015/16.

•

Feature Computing Collaboration with ZZULI Brian Davison For two weeks in February, the boardroom in John Napier’s tower house became the nerve centre for the latest collaboration between Edinburgh Napier and Zhengzhou University of Light Industry (ZZULI). The International Group Project (IGP) involves Edinburgh Napier and ZZULI students working together on the design and development of a software application.

February saw the kick-off stage with five students visiting from China and working four hours every day with six students from the School of Computing. The timetable for the two weeks was carefully prepared so that control and responsibility was gradually transferred from the tutors to the students. The first week was given over primarily to team development and project selection, and here the Napier students were perfect hosts, contributing the majority of their free time to make the Chinese guests welcome. Project selection created some debate, with the proponents of some ideas naturally disappointed, but the weekend activities cemented the team bonds with trips to Stirling Castle, Glasgow and the Kelpies. The focus of the second week was on establishing communication channels and preparing an initial prototype of the system. It culminated in a presentation to an expert panel of Computing staff on the final Friday and a farewell meal.

The project will finish at the end of May when the Edinburgh Napier students make the return visit to Zhengzhou. The final fortnight promises to be as intense as the first, with all concerned concentrating on testing, bug fixing and documentation as the deadline approaches. Until then, the team will work on the development of the application using remote collaboration tools to help run meetings and to share code and documentation. One student in each country has taken responsibility for project management, so it will be their task to make sure that communications happen as planned and to identify any problems along the way.

The IGP builds on a long-standing relationship between Edinburgh Napier and ZZULI. Edinburgh Napier staff from three different Schools have visited on a regular basis for two-week blocks of teaching since 2006, and each year design students from the School of Arts & Creative Industries take part in a trimester-long exchange.

The IGP represents a new mode of collaboration with a trusted partner and offers the possibility of international experience to a wider range of students.

Those involved with organising the project will be monitoring its progress, and we will be reporting on the experience after it has finished. The idea has already attracted interest from other institutions around the world. If this delivery goes well, there is great potential to widen its scope. Looking ahead, the biggest challenge will be finding ways to make the initiative sustainable from a financial point of view. This year’s delivery relies on funding from the Scottish Government’s Saltire outward mobility fund. Several options are under consideration for next year, including more contribution from the students themselves. For the time being that bridge remains to be crossed. Right now we are looking forward to an exciting few months of hard work.

•

“

The International Group Project

represents a new mode of collaboration with a trusted partner and offers the

“

possibility of international experience to a wider range of students.

tfj Spring 2015

9

Feature Student Transitions: Proposals, Projects and Progress Julia Fotheringham and Imi Dencer-Brown

Background to the Enhancement Theme

Progress – projects and case studies

When the new QAA Enhancement Theme was formally announced in the summer of 2014, it was immediately apparent that Student Transitions was a theme which would create opportunities to inspire our academic community here at Edinburgh Napier. We find it to be inspirational on two fronts: firstly, the theme creates a platform for showcasing and sharing the myriad of examples of practice from across our Schools and Professional Services designed to enable effective student transitions; secondly, the Theme provides us with the ideal opportunity to further develop and to disseminate research evidence to inform existing and emerging practice relating to the support of student transitions. In the report which follows, you will see how these two aspects of sharing practice and generating research evidence are being taken forward under the leadership and co-ordination efforts of the 26 members of the Enhancement Theme Team (http://staff.napier.ac.uk/services/vice-principalacademic/academic/strategyactivity/QAAthemes/ ST2014%E2%80%932017/Pages/The-StudentTransitions-institutional-team.aspx) who are working energetically with staff and students in Schools and Professional Services across the University.

Having established our Edinburgh Napier Theme Team in September, we have made a good progress in our activities, and we were proud to share that with the ELIR team in February as part of the showcase of good practice. In December 2014 we received a strong response to our call for Student Transitions Project Proposals valued at up to £3,000 to take forward projects and research relating to the following areas:

The Enhancement Theme is managed

by QAA Scotland, and a Theme Leaders Group (with representation from every HEI in Scotland) is chaired

by Prof Ronnie Bamber (Queen Margaret University), with Dr Lorraine Anderson (University of Dundee) as Deputy Chair. The Enhancement Theme Team at Edinburgh Napier is led by Julia Fotheringham (Senior Teaching Fellow and Senior Lecturer, ASPEN) and supported by Amy Bostock (Project Officer) and Imi Dencer-Brown (Research Assistant).

Since every university is able to make a unique contribution to the overall work of the Theme, there is plenty of scope to consider where our priorities lie for disbursing funding, for securing engagement amongst staff and students and for raising the profile of student transitions at Edinburgh Napier across each of the three years of the theme.

10

Name of Project

1. International transitions 2. Transitions into placements or work 3. Use of institutional data to explore student routes to admission at Edinburgh Napier, the effects on progress and lessons for staff. An explicit part of this strand will be to publicise this information to staff as a way of reflecting on our strategic commitment to widening participation.

We received more proposals than the QAA’s funding would cover, and one of the Enhancement Theme Team’s first responsibilities in December 2014 was to agree how to disburse the funds across the proposed projects and to suggest how other sources of funding could be found to support the remaining projects. The projects which are under way are listed in Table 1.

Description

1. International transitions Articulation routes Exploring the link between background accessed by overseas knowledge and skills and subsequent students to Edinburgh performance and progression on Napier programmes University-wide Scoping existing international transition international and support initiatives and recommending transitions mapping enhancements project Extension of e-toolkit Supporting international transitions into postgraduate dissertation modules

Led by

Dr Carles Ibanez and Dr Alina Gavris (The Business School) Dr Monika Foster (The Business School)

Dr Jackie Brodie Dr Kay Penny Dr Brian Windram Dr Colin MacKenzie

2. Transitions onto placement or work Video case studies – Supporting transition of undergraduates into Colin Smith and work placements work placement Maureen Ronaldson (School of Computing) Skills Award Investigating good practice in credit-bearing Dr Miles Weaver (The Framework work-related and co-curricular learning Business School) activities Data visualisation Exploring student routes to Edinburgh Napier Dr Alison Varey (School project and their progression on programmes of Computing) 3. Using institutional data to explore routes to admission, progression and employment Transition, progress Explore widening access groups of students Dr Tom Campbell and Dr and success of and their progress and attainment in Katrina Castle (Student widening access comparison with traditional student groups & Academic Services) students Tracking Direct Tracking and detailing direct entrants’ Alistair Stupart (School Entrants to SEBE progression, achievement and transition to of Engineering & the employment Built Environment)

Feature Supporting participation in the Enhancement Theme We have given careful consideration how best to support colleagues and students who express interest in participating in the work of the Enhancement Theme and in undertaking and publishing research relating to Student Transitions. A research support event took place at Sighthill Campus on 6 March, where project progress was shared and attendees took part in two short workshops: Interesting ways to generate data, and writing for publication and knowledge exchange. We intend to schedule further research support workshops in the spring, with a focus on analysing and describing quantitative data.

We have a track record of being well represented at the QAA’s Enhancement Theme conferences, and at this year’s International Enhancement Theme (9 – 11 June) we are delighted to report that Edinburgh Napier have approximately twenty successful submissions from amongst staff and students in the form of presentations, posters and workshops. If you or any of your colleagues would like support in preparing your conference contribution, then the ASPEN team would be very pleased to help.

How can I get involved?

Figure 1. Flowchart depicting current proposals, projects and progress regarding student transitions at Edinburgh Napier University

The Enhancement Theme Team have been extremely successful in generating interest amongst colleagues in producing Student Transition case studies. From more than 20 cases submitted, six were forwarded to the QAA for inclusion in the Enhancement Themes website, and the remaining case studies will be uploaded to the Learning, Teaching and Assessment Resource Bank. Please be in touch with Imi DencerBrown (I.Dencer-brown@napier.ac.uk) if you would like guidance on developing and sharing your Student Transitions practice in the form of a case study. Your contribution would be very welcome.

We used the flowchart in Figure 1 as the basis for our presentation at the QAA’s Institutional Theme Team event in February, where each Scottish HEI outlined its approach to engaging with the Enhancement Theme.

Edinburgh Napier were well represented at that event, and the presentations from other HEIs have prompted insights which are likely to be useful in taking our own response to the Theme forward.

tfj Spring 2015

You can find out who is representing your part of the University by browsing the Student Transition internet pages (http://bit.ly/1ATWrxo) and discuss with them how you can get involved.

Some places are still available at the QAA International Enhancement Conference (9 – 11 June 2015, http:// www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk/events/forthcomingevents/2014/02/06/12th-enhancement-themesconference-9---11-june-2015-glasgow) but if you are not able to attend this conference, other QAA events will be scheduled throughout each of the years of the Theme, and these are usually hosted on the Enhancement Themes website at http://www. enhancementthemes.ac.uk/enhancement-themes/ current-enhancement-theme .

If you would like to find out more about any of the initiatives, then please be in touch with a member of the Enhancement Theme Team in your School or Professional Services area or with Julia Fotheringham (J.Fotheringham@napier.ac.uk), Amy Bostock (A.Bostock@napier.ac.uk) or Imi Dencer-Brown (I.Dencer-Brown@napier.ac.uk).

•

11

Feature Edinburgh Music Instructor In-Service Training Event Bryden Stillie On 5 January the Music department hosted in-service training for Edinburgh City Council (ECC) Instrumental Service staff. The partnership was set up in 2013 to provide Music students with the opportunity to shadow an instructor, and in turn we would reciprocate by providing training relevant to the CPD requirements of the instructors.

Having gathered feedback from ECC staff at an earlier in-service, a number of sessions were planned to address skills gaps they identified. These sessions were tailored to support requirements of the new National Qualification standards and Curriculum for Excellence.

The day began with a welcome from Graham Weir (SGL Music), during which he introduced the Music programmes on offer at Edinburgh Napier. Three workshops were then delivered by Edinburgh Napier and ECC staff that focused on editing backing tracks and scoring music on computer for performance exams and formative assessment, and the instructors attended each one throughout the day. To develop teaching materials that are highly individualised there is a greater requirement for instructors to use music technology. It was clear instructors needed support with music technology related work and that the sessions we delivered went some way to addressing the skills gaps. Richard Knowles, who leads a number of training initiatives for the instructors said: This in-service day demonstrated Edinburgh Napier’s ability to provide excellent, useful and quality training to instrumental teachers. With the new SQA National/Higher exams requiring timed programmes it was especially useful to have hands-on training in methods of importing, creating and editing backing tracks. The Sibelius session was also very useful, and catered for novice and advanced users.

A networking lunch allowed Music staff and instructors to discuss further possibilities for training and integration and allowed me to gather feedback on the shadowing experience from ECC staff. After lunch the instructors were taken on tours of the new music facilities, which were described as “exceptional” and “fantastic”, before moving on to the final workshop session of the day.

12

The partnership is now expanding as links to the ECC run Youth Music Initiative (YMI) projects and the city-wide ensembles are beginning to form. This has resulted in students taking on training and directing roles at a number of these such as Edinburgh Schools Jazz Orchestra, Edinburgh Schools Symphony Orchestra and Friday afternoon music workshops (YMI). As a direct result of the partnership we have managed to get paid employment for two students and have also had two students take on cover teacher roles for the YMI projects. One of these students shadowed Richard Knowles: The Instrumental Teacher shadowing project that Bryden runs, with the City of Edinburgh Council’s Arts and Learning team, is an invaluable way for students to get ‘on the job’ experience. It enhances their learning and teaching skills within a working school environment. It also enables the student to suggest/share new ideas with the instrumental teacher. A fourth year student, that shadowed me last year, recently got in touch to say thanks and that he had secured a teaching job with The City of Edinburgh Council’s ‘Youth Music Initiative’.

It was pleasing to see that a number of alumni are now in the employment of the ECC Instrumental Service and that they are now giving back to the department by taking on students to shadow them. Although the primary aim of the shadowing project is to enhance student employability and experience it has been a valuable way to promote the Music programmes to school staff and pupils. Many of our students have been asked by class music teachers to speak to pupils about their experience on their Edinburgh Napier Music programme, positive destinations in music and career paths in the music industries. It is hoped that during the next round of UCAS applications we see an increased number from the local area. This project has helped to build a positive and mutually beneficial link where we can offer support to the teaching profession and enhance the student experience.

•

Conference Reports and Travel The Teaching Fellows Conference 2015 – Wasn’t it Good!

Mark Huxham The Scholarship of Learning and Teaching. What an august and responsible phrase this is. We meet it dressed in arial font gracing policy documents, or exuding quiet gravitas in conference abstracts, there to show what good company the authors keep. Sometimes its job seems close to that of an obscenely remunerated bank manager; it is there to strike the right tone, wear the right shoes and help us get away with mischief. But what does the real thing look like, and why should we be interested? Much ink has been spilled in answering these questions, but now I have the perfect answer to anyone who asks: go to the next Teaching Fellows conference and you will see for yourself.

The Teaching Fellows conference used to be an important date in the University calendar. In January this tradition was triumphantly revived with an event that was vibrant, inclusive and challenging.

Joan McLatchie led a small team who made an early commitment to ambition. Should we have a half-day event, because people are so busy? No! We need at least a day. Should we invite more outside speakers to lend authority? No! We have a wealth of expertise within the University. Should we be more directive to ensure a focused conference? No! Let’s have a day where people from across the University can discuss their work without needing it to fit a narrow agenda.

Their confidence was rewarded with too many abstracts for us to accommodate, delegates from all Schools and Professional Services and some of the best discussion on teaching and learning I can remember.

Many traditions inform our approach to pedagogy.

There is the individual approach, with an emphasis on psychological understanding of ‘what works’ in the classroom. There is ‘teaching as craft’ with the pedagogue slowly developing a contextualised skill in helping their students. There is teaching as induction to a community of practice, and there is critical pedagogy; teaching as a way to change the world for the better. I saw elements of all of these during the day.

And, perhaps most importantly, the conference felt like a mutual and collaborative celebration of the challenges and joys of teaching. The Teaching Fellows community has bravely embraced change this year. By unanimously endorsing our new membership criterion – accreditation by the HEA at all levels – we agreed that the community is open to all interested and committed staff, whether they are teaching or supporting teaching.

tfj Spring 2015

And by hosting and welcoming so many colleagues who were not (yet) Teaching Fellows we demonstrated once again how our work is for the benefit of the University as a whole. The scholarship of teaching and learning is challenging, engaging and inclusive… or it is nothing.

•

Reviving the Teaching Fellows Conference Joan McLatchie The successful staging of the Teaching Fellows Conference on 6 January was the culmination of months of hard work and planning behind the scenes.

In this article I reflect on what I learned from organising the event. I hope that you find my reflections helpful should you be planning a similar event.

The idea of reviving the Teaching Fellows Conference first raised its head at the ENroute writing retreat last March. We reminisced about the ‘good old days’ when the Teaching Fellows staged their own conference and how good it would be to have it back again. The challenge came from a non-Teaching Fellow: “Well, why don’t you organise one, then?!” Never one to resist a challenge, I took them up on the idea, and the plans were put into action. By April, we had an organising committee, a preferred date and a reserved venue.

Little was done after that until the conference was advertised in the Autumn tfj and circulated round the University staff mailing list. We then published the call for contributions in November, leading to a very hectic end to 2014 as we peer-reviewed the 46 abstracts that were submitted, planned the schedule and attended to the various logistical arrangements that still needed to be agreed. The day itself went past in a blur but was by all accounts an extremely successful event.

So, what did I learn from the experience?

1. Start early. The burst of enthusiasm with which I first embraced the idea of a conference was buried under an avalanche of work commitments, PhD thesis writing and domestic upheavals. It was September before I knew where I was, and everything from then on had to happen in a bit of a rush.

2. Find a Ruth to help. Good administrative support is essential, and I was lucky. I had Ruth, who wasn’t just good, she was amazing! She kept track of the abstracts, managed the registrations, organized the catering, and a hundred other things on pretty much a daily basis.

3. Know who you can rely on. We had a small but enthusiastic organising committee, who shared the tasks of peer reviewing, scheduling the papers,

13

Conference Reports continued co-ordinating the poster display, and pretty much anything else that I asked of them.

4. Be ready for last minute glitches. To name but a few: the main entrance was closed to replace the decking, so we had to redirect delegates; we had to find a coat rack (which we hadn’t thought of in advance); we had to change breakout rooms because of projector issues… this list leads me to my last tip: 5. Don’t expect to participate in the conference if you had the lead role in organising it. With all the last-minute behind-the scenes activity, I managed to attend only two parallel sessions and missed the keynote speaker. Still, people have told me it was a good day!

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to organise the conference. I highly recommend the experience, so if you want to get involved with next year’s event, please let us know – we will definitely start earlier this time!

You can read the abstracts for the conference presentations and posters in our online version of the Journal: http://issuu.com/teachingfellowsjournal

•

Reflections on a Different Sort of a Day Fiona Smart Some weeks ago a colleague from Edinburgh University drew my attention to an event to be held in January 2015. I signed up. A focus on Embodied persons: Drawing on wholeness and creativity in professional practice sounded inviting. And so, with considerable reluctance, I surrendered my comfy spot under the duvet, de-iced the car (a 15-minute affair) and negotiated snow and ice with a zest of freezing fog to add some spice to travel to Queen Margaret University.

A 90+ mile epic; the weather really wasn’t being kind.

Sometimes it’s best not to prepare. This day was a case in point. It’s not that I wouldn’t have attended had I known the plan for the day, but I would have engaged my brain, and that wasn’t the point of what was badged as An artistic and holistic co-operative inquiry. Instead then I was drawn into a gathering of a smallish number of people, around 30, from so many backgrounds, but all perhaps connected by a thread of health and wellbeing, in some way or another. Designed around experiential workshops, I got to engage with my breath and my voice, even getting to recite a little Shakespeare! I enjoyed being ‘forced’ into creative failure, and laughed aloud.

I got to work with a fellow participant and a bamboo stick to ‘feel’ the power and vulnerability of leading and following. I shadow-danced (sort of) to the movements

14

of Tai-Chi and ended up, at one point, as part of a human sculpture which then transformed itself into a stumbling leviathan as we bound ourselves together with Sellotape.

Mmmm – I’m conscious that this isn’t perhaps translating well for you, the reader, but that’s the point.

You had to be there. Yet I did gain things of value, which are worth sharing. I offer a few here with an open invitation to discuss them further if you’d like.

1. I bought a notebook for the day, a usual practice when going to an ‘event’. I didn’t open it. It wasn’t that I didn’t engage my brain so that I needed to write; I chose to be in the various moments and value feeling.

2. I certainly felt the difference which comes with breathing fully right down to the lower reaches of my body before deliberately using my voice. I now know I could gain much if I focused on engaging my breath before speaking, perhaps rather than my brain!

For sure, I own my voice, I can choose to use it for different purposes.

3. By means of a bamboo stick connecting me to another person just by both of us touching each end with our respective index fingers, I experienced the awful sense of letting go of control.

4. I’m understanding a little more how as an academic I seem (a) programmed to privilege thinking over everything else and (b) committed to producing something – a paper, a programme, a PowerPoint, a thing – at all points of the working day. I’m reflecting on how keeping the process as the point changes my outlook.

5. And finally, I’m left thinking about which parts of students I connect with, if it is that grey matter and output appear to demand more than their fair share of attention. What would happen if I didn’t have a plan for a meeting or a learning opportunity?

I’m choosing to leave it there. It was a wild day which disturbed me, but not in a bad sense. It was simply a different sort of a day.

•

EAPRIL Conference Charlotte Chalmers In November 2014 Charlotte Chalmers, Senior Teaching Fellow in the School of Life, Sport & Social Sciences, travelled to Cyprus to present work at the EAPRIL conference. The presentation, Audio feedback: Richer language but no measurable impact on student performance represented work undertaken with colleagues Janis MacCallum, Elaine Mowat and Norma Fulton with support from a Teaching Fellow Development Grant.

Conference Reports continued EAPRIL stands for the European Association for Practitioner Research on Improving Learning. The association is based in Leuven, Belgium, and was established primarily as a forum for teacher educators.

EAPRIL’s aim is to promote practice-based research on learning across the ages and to enhance practice in schools, Higher Education and in the workplace. The first conference held in 2006 (in Belgium) attracted about 150 delegates. Subsequent conferences have been held all over Europe; in 2014, it was in Nicosia, Cyprus. Delegate numbers have increased each year, and in Nicosia we were nearer 400.

Our venue was the Hilton hotel, which happened to be the choice for the visiting Barcelona football team for one night, prior to their match with the Cypriot team, Nicosia APOEL. This lead to great excitement and much tweeting about “a Messi situation at the EAPRIL conference” and the conference photo competition including many (blurry) shots of Lionel Messi exiting for the team coach.

The conference had a real buzz and very much a European flavour, although all presentations were in English (always very humbling to witness such good language skills). The Netherlands seemed to have sent the most delegates, but Scandinavian countries were also well represented. Edinburgh Napier was the only Scottish institution, and I only met five other delegates from the UK. The variety of presentations was impressive, if a little mind boggling; in one day I attended a session about teaching maths in primary schools, collaborative learning amongst trainee teachers and a ‘best practice award’ for a project involving mobile technologies to teach trainee chefs. My own presentation was about audio feedback, a Teaching Fellow funded project undertaken with colleagues who also teach Biology (Chalmers, MacCallum, Mowat, & Fulton, 2014). There was a good discussion following the presentation, and a very friendly reception to the work. During my stay, I had also arranged to visit Cyprus University to explore possibilities of an Erasmus partnership.

Teacher educators were well represented at the conference, and one session and subsequent conversations with fellow UK delegates who teach in Further Education impressed on me the value of professional recognition for teachers/lecturers and how lucky we are to have the HEA. The presentation was by a Dutch teacher who had helped to set up a professional body for teacher educators in the Netherlands.

English colleagues at the conference were particularly interested since the General Teaching Council was abolished in England in 2012, leaving FE lecturers (where much teacher education takes place) without,

tfj Spring 2015

Left: a statue at the museum in Nicosia Right: Cypriot dancers at the conference dinner

in their words, a “buffer” against government policy changes to which they have to respond, and against which they have no professional body to support them.

There were opportunities to sample Cypriot culture and hospitality, including a conference dinner complete with dancers (but without the plate smashing). I also joined a tour of the museum in Nicosia, a small building packed with amazing Greek, Roman and Byzantine treasures representing Cyprus’s chequered history of invasion and occupation.

For anyone interested in research in education including workplace learning I would recommend the EAPRIL conference as a very friendly and supportive forum with a truly European flavour.

•

Reference Chalmers, C., MacCallum, J., Mowat, E., & Fulton, N. (2014). Audio Feedback: Richer language but no measurable impact on student performance. Practitioner Research in Higher Education, 8(1) 64–73.

LLAS e-Learning Symposium, University of Southampton, 22–23 January 2015 Christine Penman The Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies (known as LLAS), part of the Higher Education subject network until 2011 and now an independent body, has been hosting an e-learning symposium in its centre at the University of Southampton for the past 10 years. I have attended three of these conferences so far and have always found them stimulating as they effectively combine interest in technological developments and overriding concern for pedagogical benefits. To mark its 10th anniversary this year the event included the launch of an edited collection of case studies in good practice under the form of a free downloadable e-book (Borthwick, Corradini, & Dickens, 2015, pp. 117–126). With the help of a TF grant I attended the conference partly to present the initiative which I had described in one of the chapters of the book, on the use of a software

15

Conference Reports continued (the Learning Object Creator) to develop e-learning resources with the collaboration of students. In the course of the two-day symposium I also attended very interesting keynote presentations and parallel sessions and left with a number of ideas to take forward. The focus of the presentations varied from reflections on large initiatives, such as a collaborative venture between the British Council and a MOOC platform provider or a panning review of challenges, to the use of e–resources by language learners, to the reporting of more localised innovative practices. Among those pedagogical initiatives featured the use of a particular software (for instance, Jing and Screencast-o-matic to provide verbal feedback to comment on elements of a text but also to create audio resources combining audio and visual elements), blended learning initiatives and the articulation of multiple digital resources. What linked these presentations was the search for fresh approaches to engage students and respond to their evolving needs and expectations. Discussions with practitioners from various institutions across the UK and beyond were also stimulating.

•

Reference Borthwick, K., Corradini, E, & Dickens, A. (Eds). (2015). 10 years of the LLAS elearning symposium: Case studies in good practice.

Dublin, Ireland: Research-publishing.net. Retrieved 23 February 2015 from http://research-publishing.net/publications/10-years-ofthe-llas-elearning-symposium-case-studies-in-good-practice/

HEA Conference Laurence Patterson What can we learn from MOOCs was the name of the HEA Enhancement event, held in London on 22 January 2015. What indeed? MOOCs carry with them a reputation for being poorly written and delivered and for having, typically, extraordinarily high drop-out rates.

Professor Hugh Davis of Southampton University presented enlightening findings from research carried out with students of two of the institution’s MOOCs – Web Science and Oceanography. These twelve-week online courses were subscribed to by tens of thousands of students. He described that Southampton provide the cMOOC model – where connectivity is key, learning is self-directed, without intervention from a tutor – as opposed to the guided, xMOOC model.

1. Patterns of Engagement. Davis’ research showed that almost half of the original sign-ups to the Southampton MOOCs never showed up online on day one. For those that did, drop-outs (in terms of activity) could be seen from the very start, with the most

16

significant fall seen from week three. Once there, students generally worked systematically through the MOOC – from start to finish (in other words, they didn’t dip in and out of sections). Video content was a particularly enjoyable aspect of the courses, but students would watch only about three minutes before moving on. The University will continue to offer twelve-week MOOCs, but three to four week MOOCs will be made available, too, and bize-sized content will become the norm.

2. Demographics. One of Southampton’s goals in MOOC production was to make learning available to new audiences. They anticipated a broad demographic but found a much narrower spread – 77% were from U.K., over two-thirds already had a University qualification, and over half were over the age of 45.

The University’s aim now is to create MOOCs which would purposefully attract a broader demographic.

3. Learner Perception of MOOCs. Southampton MOOC feedback suggested that most exiting students had found the courses had challenged them intellectually, particularly those with HE experience already. For those currently in HE, regardless of age, there were marked higher levels of engagement, but there were lower levels of engagement from those over 65 – except in collaboration, where this group was higher.

Older students were generally more critical of the MOOC than younger ones. Professor Davis observed that there was a MOOC ‘shape’ to engagement – one which was high on analytical and integrative learning, and lower on social and interactive learning.

4. Comparing MOOCs with UKES. The research team used the UK Engagement Survey (UKES) to benchmark MOOC students’ exit survey data against national data. On the whole, the MOOCs came out well – perhaps even better than expected, with some variation in results between the two MOOCs themselves. Professor Davis suggests there is development work to be done in providing an authentic, rich learning experience which is comparative to traditionally delivered courses.

5. The Embedded MOOC. Davis discussed that a University’s rationale for engaging with MOOC development may be to provide a window on a preexisting academic programme of study, with content taken from that programme (or indeed content provided and guided by its students). He argued that a free embedded MOOC may draw students into a paying programme.

Further information on this research can be found in the report here: https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/ resources/detail/elt/the_pedagogy_of_the_MOOC_UK_ view. Information on MOOCs offered by Southampton University can be found here: http://www. southampton.ac.uk/moocs/webscience.shtml.

•

Book Review Anne Tierney

As a biologist coming to terms with qualitative research, I am always looking for any literature which is readable and accessible. This book is both and has been a great practical help in approaching qualitative data analysis.

The first thing to notice about this book is its size. The main body of text is 120 pages long and can easily be read in one sitting. Its size also makes it easy to jump back and forth through the sections. The language used in the book is clear and accessible, and the ideas are presented in a common-sense way. The authors set out to reflect upon (and charge the reader to do the same) the interplay of data and theory, suggesting that to ‘fit’ data with theory results in pedestrian research, which does little to push back boundaries or offer new insight. Instead, they introduce the concept of ‘mystery’ as a way to interrogate data, which can then be used to review theory, looking for interesting occurrences in the data which niggle at existing theory. By moving in an iterative way between data and theory, and following the interesting ‘niggles’, adaptations to existing theories, or even new theories may emerge. This, the authors stress, is a more robust contribution to research than fitting data to existing theory.

Alvesson and Kärreman present a practical way of applying this method, using examples of their own research to illustrate it. They use a decision tree, where the researcher can reflect on their progress and make decisions on the direction of their enquiry.

By using an iterative decision-making process, the researcher checks their progress, using the ‘mystery’ to inform their enquiry. For example, they suggest as a starting place identifying something unexpected in the data and following its path. This may result in a dead end but will also uncover another area which leaves clues as to where the direction of enquiry lies. By treating the research process as a detective puzzle, the researcher’s mind is left open to discovery. The resolution of the mystery is to either come to a solution or to move the mystery on so that new questions can be asked in the light of the discoveries made.

tfj Spring 2015

From a personal standpoint, I was attracted to the book for two reasons. Firstly, I admire Alvesson’s other work on the use of metaphor (Alvesson & Spicer, 2011) and grandiosity (Alvesson, 2014). Secondly, to see qualitative research described as ‘mystery’ was a relief to me, as someone more used to enzyme assays and spreadsheets. The book was a wise investment, as it demystified the mystery, and I am happy to report that I have used the process to make headway into my own research data. I cannot recommend this book highly enough, especially for anyone making the transition to qualitative research.

References Alvesson, M. (2014). The triumph of emptiness: Consumption, higher education, and work Organisation. Oxford University Press.

Alvesson, M. & Spicer, A. (2011). Metaphors we lead by:

•

Understanding leadership in the real world. Oxon: Routledge.

“

The authors ...

introduce the concept of ‘mystery’ as a way to interrogate data, which can then be used to review theory, looking for interesting occurrences in the

“

Alvesson, M., & Kärreman, D. (2011).

Qualitative Research and Theory Development: Mystery as Method. SAGE Publications Ltd.

data which niggle at existing theory.

17

Diary Dates

mathematicians, it should be of interest amongst others to psychologists, teachers, pedagogical and educational experts, engineers, scientists and social scientists.”

Early bird registration closes 11 May

HEA Second Annual Conference on Equality and Diversity in Learning and Teaching in Scottish Higher Education

http://www.ima.org.uk/conferences/conferences_ calendar/barriers_and_enablers_to_learning_maths. cfm.html

Our Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh 23 April 2015

Annual Conference on Research in Education

Developing diversity competence “This conference includes a comprehensive programme of nine papers and six workshops exploring current projects, initiatives and research on developing diversity competence at institutional, curricula and non-curricula levels.”

Bookings close 9 April. https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/about/news/10986

SEDA Spring Teaching, Learning and Assessment Conference Marriott Victoria and Albert Hotel, Manchester 14–15 May 2015 Internationalising the curriculum: What does this mean? How can we achieve it?

“The conference focuses on how, as a community of academic developers, we can support our institutions and colleagues move away from this deficit model to meaningfully embed the positive benefits.”

Early Bird registration closes 13 April. http://www.seda.ac.uk/events/info/453

IMA International Conference on Barriers and Enablers to Learning Maths: Enhancing Learning and Teaching for All Learners Glasgow University, Glasgow 10–12 June 2015 Approaches to teaching and learning mathematics “The conference examines learning and teaching throughout the life span, from the most basic to the most advanced topics and for the full range of learners, including people with dyscalculia and other maths learning difficulties, gifted learners and mathematicians. This should lead to cross-fertilisation between different areas of learning and teaching. The conference is also highly interdisciplinary. In addition to

18

Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, Lancashire 8–9 July 2015 Controversies in Education: Problems, Debates, Solutions “What is the purpose of education? What should we teach our children? Who should teach the teachers?

This year’s theme is centred on controversies in education. The conference will draw on current research within the Faculty of Education’s research centres: CLNR (Centre for Literacy and Numeracy Research), CLIS (Centre for Learner Identity Studies), and SCaTE (Centre for Schools, Colleges and Teacher Education).”

Call for papers (abstracts) closes 30 May. http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/education/research/ conference/

British Educational Research Association Annual Conference Queen’s University, Belfast 15–17 September 2015 “Belfast is one of the most inspiring cities in Europe and we are harnessing that enthusiasm to prepare a programme that will inspire you to develop new research ideas, and new research relationships which will enhance the research education community.”

Keynote Lecture – Knowledge, education and research: Making common cause across communities of practice.

Early Bird registration closes 1 May.

https://www.bera.ac.uk/beraconference-2015

21st Annual Online Learning Consortium International Conference Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort Lake Buena Vista, Florida 14–16 October 2015 Shaping the future of online learning “The conference program will … address blended

learning, issues of diversity, international applications of online learning, open educational resources, social networking, online learning and community colleges, and K-12 online education as well as other topics of common interest.”

Abstract submission date 28 April.

Early bird registration closes 14 August. http://olc.onlinelearningconsortium.org/ conference/2015/ALN/welcome

SEDA Annual Conference St David’s Hotel and Spa, Cardiff 19–20 November 2015 Scholarship and educational development: The importance of using an evidence base for learning and teaching “We use existing scholarly knowledge to underpin and develop our practice and that of others. It also underpins the UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF), namely A5, ‘engage in continuing professional development in subjects/disciplines and their pedagogy, incorporating research, scholarship and the evaluation of professional practices’ and V3 ‘use of evidence-informed approaches and the outcomes from research, scholarship and continuing professional development.’”

Call for contributions deadline 15 May. http://www.seda.ac.uk/events/info/454

Diary Dates are coordinated by Kate Durkacz (K.Durkacz@napier.ac.uk) and Joan McLatchie (J.McLatchie@napier.ac.uk) – contact them with any dates you would like added.

Visit: http://staff.napier.ac.uk/services/vice-principalacademic/academic/TFscheme/Pages/DiaryDates.aspx

Students as Colleagues in the review of teaching practices ASPEN is currently piloting an innovative project that rethinks traditional peer review techniques. Eighteen students have been trained as voluntary professional ‘reviewers’ of teaching practice and randomly paired with a willing staff member. They have been asked to provide reviews on staff members’ teaching and assessment practices, including: observing a lecture, conducting a focus group, reviewing Moodle pages and commenting on examples of feedback on coursework assignments. Feedback is delivered in a collegial and professional manner by the student through written reports and face-to-face meetings. Students can also act as researchers on the project, co-authoring journal papers and presenting at international conferences. The following table displays upcoming training opportunities provided to students involved in the project:

Date

Event

Purpose

21/04/15

ARISE series workshop:

Showcase current projects working with students as producers of research and open

Students as researchers

discussion of challenges and benefits around students as producers of research.

Giving and surviving oral

Practising the delivery of presentations.

22/04/15

wresentations Workshop* 23/04/15

Using Prezi for researchers

Introduction to Prezi software – a fun alternative to PowerPoint for conference presentations.

24/04/15

CV workshop

Careers team lead a debrief CV/job application and interview preparation workshop.

20/05/15

Introduction to research

Discussing advantages and disadvantages of quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods

methods workshop*

approaches.

SPARQS conference:

Student-led presentation reflecting on Students as Colleagues project.

29/05/15

Student-led presentation 09/06/15

QAA conference: Student-

Disseminate reflections and findings of project to international audience; encouraging

led presentation and

student-led conference presentations and academic poster display.

student-led academic poster 19/06/15

Staff conference: Student-

Disseminate reflections and findings of project to wider University audience; encouraging

led presentation

student-led conference presentations.

*Workshops run in conjunction with Dr Linda Gunn, Student Learning Adviser, Student and Academic Services.

For more information contact Jenny Scoles, j.scoles@napier.ac.uk

•

tfj Spring 2015

19

Around the Faculties ASPEN

At ASPEN we are very excited to have merged with Academic Professional Development and are looking forward to the wealth of productive collaboration which the merge will facilitate. One of our common areas of work is the ENroute scheme, which is currently being updated and will be launched later this year. At the time of writing we are going through ELIR; most of our staff are involved in ELIR one way or another – either in leading, supporting or presenting their projects. The Resource Bank project is concluding its first phase. Our PGCert TLHE and MSc BOE programmes are currently being redeveloped, and we are also leading the DigitalU project, which moves forward the work of the Digital Futures Working Group in examining our current practice and envisioning our strategic approach to digital support and activity across the University.

Anastasia Dragona, A.Dragona@napier.ac.uk

•

The Business School

Sophie Foley successfully facilitated two workshops designed to support staff in delivery of the transnational education (TNE) provision within the School of Life, Sport & Social Sciences. This was undertaken in response to the rapid expansion of TNE activity in the School to cover a greater range of disciplines in recognition of the importance of delivering a good quality portfolio and to assist the increasing number of staff contributing to this delivery for whom TNE is new.

Feedback from staff was overwhelmingly positive, with requests for further and regular workshops. Anne Waugh has successfully applied for a Teaching Fellow grant to undertake a mentor video education project for the Mentorcentre. This is being undertaken in collaboration with Barbara Neades, Senior Lecturer and Mike Parkinson, Lecturer.

Paddy Perry, P.Perry@napier.ac.uk

•

Caroline Turnbull and Elaine Mowat

David Jarman and Ivana Rihova welcomed a group of over 50 students from NHTV Breda University to Craiglockhart for a joint project with Napier students.

Students worked together to develop event proposals using the ‘imagineering’ techniques that feature heavily in the Dutch curriculum. The best proposals were presented at a social event at the NSA’s Union bar. Carles Ibanez has received funding from the QAA (Student Transitions) to analyse the link between the background knowledge and skills of ENBS overseas students and their performance and progress once they come to Napier. He plans to use the results of this analysis to critically compare different access route models. Grahame Steven is working with the Healthcare Financial Managers Association (HFMA) to generate real-life data for students studying a research-based module in which student groups create a questionnaire, analyse responses and produce recommendations. The HFMA has agreed to include a clickable banner in its newsletter that links to the questionnaires. Perhaps the groups will find out if management accounting will save the NHS! Joan McLatchie, J.McLatchie@napier.ac.uk

•

20

Faculty of Health, Life & Social Sciences

SIG M

SIG-M is a Teaching Fellows Special Interest Group set up to facilitate networking and support of all colleagues across the University who are already active in mentoring or have an interest in becoming mentors.

SIG-M started off the academic year with a session on mindfulness, led by Edinburgh Napier researcher Gill Mathews. This was an opportunity to share experiences, to join together in a guided meditation and to consider the implications of mindfulness for our mentoring and coaching practice. Focusing on the present moment with each other felt both simple and profound, and we really appreciated Gill’s warmth and expertise to guide us through the experience.

Our next event was a lunchtime session in early December where the focus was all about getting the opportunity to get stuck into some practice!

Members worked in coaching/mentoring practice triads, with participants taking turns in the roles of coach, coachee and observer. The session was very much an opportunity for colleagues to brush up their skills and experiment or try something new. There was also the opportunity to experience being coached and reflect on what that means for your practice as a coach/mentor. The session was rounded off with the opportunity to share observations and feedback with

Student Focus fellow participants. Feedback on the session was very positive, with a plea, perhaps as you might expect, for the opportunity to do more.

In early March, SIG-M are delighted to be working with Gillian McCready (Gemm Ltd.), who is an experienced executive and team coach and coaching supervisor.

The focus of this event with Gillian will be on listening, attending and noticing. This will include listening actively to your coachee/mentee in order to build an effective working relationship and to facilitate their thinking – listening with not just your ears but with your eyes and your own inner experience to provide insight for both the coach and the coachee to better support the working together. This workshop will also allow coaches/mentors to be more aware of microemotions and the importance of attending to your own self process as a source of information which may be of use to your coachee.

•

The Engineering Peer Tutors Kate Durkacz, Amy Balfour, Darryll Spittal, Marcin Rogoz and Laszlo Csek The use of 3rd and 4th year engineering students as tutorial assistants on the engineering mathematics modules was initiated in September 2012. The scheme was developed by Kate Durkacz in response to a shortage of lecturing staff in mathematics and a 48% increase in first year engineering student numbers, resulting in large classes. Having obtained local approval, four students were selected on the basis of their maturity, their mathematical skills and previous experience of tutoring, and they were asked to work with the lecturer during tutorials. These students agreed to be the first engineering peer tutors in exchange for references detailing their experience. The peer tutors were hugely successful, and so the scheme has been expanded to include all groups on four of the engineering mathematics modules. This is the third academic year in which the scheme has been running and there are benefits for the lecturer, the peer tutors and for the students studying the modules.

There are currently seven peer tutors helping with maths modules. They are no longer studying maths in stand-alone modules themselves, so they find that working as peer tutors maintains their mathematical skills and helps their studies in a very significant way.

They are also extending their communication skills and developing creativity in their explanations. The

tfj Spring 2015

Top: Amy helping a first year engineering student Bottom: Darryll helping a first year engineering student

students feel able to ask questions of the peer tutors that they might not want to ask the lecturer and also find it reassuring to see someone who has taken the module previously being able to help. There is a good rapport between the peer tutors and the students; the students say hello to the peer tutors when they see them around the campus and sometimes ask for advice or information about the later years of their studies. Overall, peer tutoring is a very good experience as helping younger students is rewarding and it adds value to their own skill set and CV in areas such as developing others and team management.

From the lecturer’s viewpoint, having the peer tutors helping in tutorials means that the younger students are getting the help that they need when they need it, which is particularly crucial during the first year modules. Additionally, it is often the case that a peer tutor explains something differently to the way the lecturer would explain it, which can make it more accessible to the student.

The engineering peer tutors were developed in response to a crisis and have evolved into a successful and very worthwhile scheme, which will continue to run in future years.

•

21

Grants Panel Update

•

The following grants were approved at the Panel meeting held on 25 February:

Ref

Teaching Fellow

Title

Amount Awarded

TBC

Ian Lambert

Conference paper: Convergence in industrial and craft processes…

£541

TBC

Monika Foster

Attendance at the Higher Education Academy inaugural Principal Fellows’ lunch and forum.

£75

TBC

Richard Firth

Work on the move: An international collaborative design workshop for product design academics and students.

Exploring workflow methodologies and learning spaces.

£351

TBC

Jackie Nicol

Embedding and evaluating video content into clinical research programmes.

£1,470

TF1217

Kay Penny

Investigation of key learning concepts to inform the development of interactive learning resources to supplement the Dissertation Module within the Business School.

£3,745

TBC

Kendall Richards

Supporting Scottish undergraduates in applying for externally-funded vacation research (FECCI pilot).

£1,756

TF1221

Anne Waugh

International Congress of Nursing Conference, Seoul, Korea, 19–21 August 2015.

£1,050

Ad-hoc

Iain Macdonald

AIGA Design Educators Conference.

£3,100

Ad-hoc

Anne Waugh

Mentor Video Education Project.

Edinburgh Napier University • ASPEN Sighthill Campus • Sighthill Court • Edinburgh • EH11 4BN email: tfj@napier.ac.uk web: http://staff.napier.ac.uk/TeachingFellows Read the current and back issues online: http://issuu.com/teachingfellowsjournal

22

£720

http://blogs.napier.ac.uk/apd-conferences

Save the date and get involved!

Join us for the Edinburgh Napier Learning, Teaching and Assessment conference Friday 19 June 2015

is k me dbac e e th r’s d Fe a e n e is y t a Th men r th ions o f s ut but ses k o ntri on As o Lo r Co g so ll fo in Ca com

Teaching Fellows Journal Editorial Team Ruth Lough Teaching Fellows Administrator

Anastasia Dragona Information and Project Officer

t: (0131) 455 6360 e: R.Lough@napier.ac.uk

t: (0131) 455 5018 e: A.Dragona@napier.ac.uk

Kirsteen Wright Publications Officer

Joan McLatchie Senior Teaching Fellow School of Marketing, Tourism & Languages

t: (0131) 455 3217 e: K.Wright2@napier.ac.uk

Kate Durkacz Teaching Fellow School of Engineering & the Built Environment t: (0131) 455 2349 e: K.Durkacz@napier.ac.uk

t: (0131) 455 4341 e: J.Mclatchie@napier.ac.uk Rebecca Riordon School of Arts & Creative Industries e: 40138078@napier.ac.uk

Edinburgh Napier University is a registered Scottish charity. Reg. No. SC018373

tfj Spring 2015

23

Visit our website at:

http://staff.napier.ac.uk/TeachingFellows

Conference 2015 Abstracts 1

Contents Stream 1: Sharing good practice 3 Dr Lesley-Anne Barnes Macfarlane: Presentation Jaqueline Brodie: Presentation 4 Deborah Callister and Tony Douglas: Poster 5 Tom Campbell: Poster 6 John Cowan: Presentation Isabel Dosser and Shona Montgomery: Presentation 7 Piotr Jaworski: Presentation Mel Kinchant, Claire Coleman, Linda Gunn: Poster 8 Eva Malone and Anne MacNab: Presentation 9 Wendy McInally, Stephen Bruce, Anne Jamie: Presentation 10 Debbie Meharg, Dr Kevin Chalmers & Alastair Stupart: Presentation 11 Craig Mill: Presentation & Poster Jennifer Murray, Grant Jeffrey: Presentation 12 Janis Ross, Paddy Perry, Kev Head and Linda King: Presentation 13 Dr C. Paul Sellors: Presentation Esther Shreeve: Poster Dr Fiona Smart: Presentation 14 Ian Smith: Presentation Sally Smith, Emilia Sobolewska, Ian Smith (SoC): Presentation Mabel Victoria and Mariano Rossi: Presentation 15 Miles Weaver, Lena Bauchop, Jackie Brodie, Alzbeta Rehakova: Presentation

Stream 2: Pedagogic research 16 Jyoti Bhardwaj: Presentation 17 Kev Head and Jackie Johnston: Presentation 18 Joan McLatchie: Presentation 19 Jennifer Murray, Aileen Duffy: Poster 20 Kay Penny and Jaqueline Brodie: Poster 21 Kay Penny, Jacqueline Brodie and Brian Windram: Presentation 22 Jenny Tizard: Poster 23 Mabel P. Victoria: Presentation

Stream 3: Research projects from the PG-Cert TLHE / MSc BOE 24 David Bishop: Presentation Shauna Marr: Presentation 25 Laurence Patterson: Presentation Sibylle Ratz: Presentation 26 Anne Waugh: Presentation Dr Richard W Whitecross: Presentation

Stream 4: Outputs from TF Grant projects 28 Meena Bhagat and Mark Huxham: Presentation Karen Campbell and Anne Jamie: Presentation 29 Dr Monika Foster: Presentation Dr Iain Macdonald: Presentation 30 Jackie Nicol and Fiona MacKinnon: Presentation Christine Penman: Presentation 31 Tony Westbury, Kate Durkacz and Charlotte Chalmers: Presentation

Stream 1: Sharing good practice Dr Lesley-Anne Barnes Macfarlane

New role-play Oral Assessment for law students and video ‘learning collage’: Sharing the experience and discussing potential transferability Presentation This presentation will provide a critical evaluation of a recently created role-play Oral Assessment (and subsequent ‘learning collage’ video) designed, developed and delivered within the LLB (Bachelor of Law) (Hons) Programme in the Business School.

Academic underpinning, impact and potential transferability of the assessment into other contexts will be considered.

Embedding employability skills is central to University learning and teaching. Being able to present, persuasively, arguments grounded in the appropriate theory, in written and oral form, is both good academic practice and good practice in professional workplaces.

Edinburgh Napier courses are designed to “have an applied, professional or vocational focus which contributes directly to employability” and to “develop confident, employable graduates with high quality skills and attributes” (Edinburgh Napier University, 2009). The Law Society of Scotland, the professional regulating body for Scottish solicitors, recently observed that employability skills and commercial awareness are abilities that “the overwhelming majority of law students, and overwhelming majority of successful trainee applicants, don’t [overtly] have”. As part of our accredited law degree, developing students’ confidence and oral presentation skills is increasingly important: it was agreed that the level 9 module Evidence was an ideal module in which to embed this form of assessment.

The Oral Assessment ran as a pilot in session 2013/14 and, after the general success (as well as some important lessons learned in the pilot!) the assessment was developed further, and it ran again in trimester 1 of session 2014/15. The Oral Assessment now constitutes 40% of the module assessment in Evidence, a module in which law students consider the rules determining how facts are proved in court. In the Oral Assessment, students prepared for, and took part in delivering, a role-play legal submission about whether certain evidence should be considered by the Sheriff court (Sheriff role-played by module leader). Students were asked to assume the role of defence counsel, making

2015 Conference Abstracts

a submission to court in a criminal case (a ‘trial’) on behalf of their client, Mr Green, who had been accused of various sexual offences. They were given only eight minutes to do this! Students were encouraged to go to court as part of their preparation and watch real lawyers do this first, which many did.

Presentations took place in week 9. Students were marked on clear criteria, outlined and explained at the start of the semester. Personal feedback and marks were emailed within a maximum of four working days of the assessment taking place. The oral assessments were videoed. Now, with the consent of certain presenting students, Ian Hesketh, learning technologist, is kindly putting together a ‘learning collage video’ of student clips in order to share the student experience with, and provide guidance to, successive cohorts. As module leader, I am narrating and helping structure the ‘collage’ with a view to focusing on themes of (I hope transferrable) best student practice. This presentation will form a critical overview of this assessment experience (including both the positives and the challenges involved in running this sort of assessment!) and will also seek to consider potential transferability into other disciplines.

References Edinburgh Napier University. (2009). Strategy 2009–2015.

•

Jacqueline Brodie

The pedagogical value of using social media in a Scottish Business School Presentation Rapid technological change and increasing complexity in today’s business world presents novel challenges and produces additional demands on University Business Schools. There is a growing awareness of the necessity to change and improve the support given to students in Higher Education to prepare them to take their place as digital citizens in the 21st Century. One approach, suggested in the literature, is to support the development of relevant skills, knowledge and attitudes for digital citizenship through the effective use of social media in the classroom (Rodriguez, 2011; Archer & Axe, 2012; JISC, 2012). Therefore, the focus of this MSc BOE dissertation research was the pedagogical value of using social media in a Business School. Four in-depth semi-structured interviews were

3

completed over the period of a month with a group of Business School lecturers who could be classed as enthusiastic users of social media tools.

The main aim of the research was to explore what value these individuals placed on the use of social media in their classroom and what additional support, if any, would enhance their use of social media. The interviews aimed at probing the current practices of early and enthusiastic adopters of social media technology in the classroom. An interpretive stance was taken in the data collection, and thematic analysis was used as the main method for data analysis.

Additional data were collected and fed into the analysis through observation of two of the lecturers interacting with students and an analysis of artefacts they used with students. Findings indicate that the use of social media tools has the potential to build communities (Wenger, 1999), support immediacy in feedback and facilitate dynamic delivery of learning material. However, some drawbacks to social media were also noted such as the merging of the Public and Private identity of lecturers and a general sense of anxiety around the use of social media tools.

The conclusion of the research identified that social media tools do offer sufficient extra value to the learning experience of students in Business Schools to outweigh any of the drawbacks identified in the research. However, the research also highlights a number of areas that could be enhanced to further support the use of social media tools by educators. For example, a peer mentoring scheme was identified as being an important addition to any current support. Further research is now required to identify the perspective of the students who use social media in the classroom to further enhance the researcher’s understanding of the phenomenon and inform future policy and practice.

Reflections on the Research Process: The researcher found the process of research very interesting. However, the greatest challenge faced in the research was a paucity of pertinent literature related to the dissertation topic, so there was a need to use, alongside traditional peer reviewed material, some ‘grey’ literature (Tyndall, 2008). This ‘grey’ literature had not yet been published in traditional academic outlets and verified by a peer review system but was judged as highly relevant to the areas presented in the literature review.

Keywords: Social media, pedagogy, thematic analysis References Archer, G. R., & Axe, J. (2010). Social media engages online entrepreneurship students. In C. Wankel (Ed.) (2010), Cutting-edge

4

social media approaches to business education: Teaching with LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Second Life, and Blogs. Information Age Publishing.

JISC. (2012). Developing digital literacies programme. Retrieved July 2013 from http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/ elearning/developingdigitalliteracies/~/media/52FDBDF612F2407E 84F092112704D5F3.ashx Rodriguez, J. (2011). Social media use in higher education: Key areas to consider for educators. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, (7)4.

Tyndall, J. (2008). How low can you go? Toward a hierarchy of grey literature. Retrieved July 2013 from http://cas.buffalo.edu/classes/ psc/fczagare/PSC%20504/Knopf.pdf Wenger, E. (1999). Communities of practice. Learning, meaning and identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

•

Deborah Callister and Tony Douglas

Re-energising employability – development of a Personal Selling Skills and the Sales Process module within Edinburgh Napier University Business School Poster There is an abundance of sales jobs in the UK marketplace, but many students are unprepared since there is an apparent disconnect between the business community and sales education in the UK. More and more businesses are looking to Universities and Colleges to attract bright young talent to the sales profession (Bristow, Amyx, & Slack, 2006; Nachnani & Ashok, 2007). According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) (2006) in the US, sales is one of the top 10 jobs for graduates, with demand likely to outstrip supply in the near future (United States Department of Labor Bureau of Statistics, 2013). Businesses recruiting in Scotland provides anecdotal evidence that there are significantly more sales job opportunities for graduates than any other business function, but there has been a need for employers for some time to help enhance the status of sales (Murray & Robinson, 2001) to feed the shortage.

Interest in sales education is growing, and with this growth the argument for the assessment of how Universities teach and deliver sales education (Schmelz & Kennedy, 2011). Very few Universities in the UK make provision to deliver to the UK economy sales-ready graduates. There is a growing need for universities to produce graduates who possess personal selling skills

and an understanding of the sales process. Having a commitment to the provision of undergraduate sales education might signal to the UK business community, and the sales profession, that selling skills and sales knowledge can be an integral part of a Business School curriculum (Douglas, 2011). The development of a Personal Selling Skills and the Sales Process third year undergraduate module on a Business Management programme demonstrates commitment to increasing sales education and enhancing student employability by encouraging direct contact with the sales industry and sales professionals and employers during student learning. This valuable contact provides a foundation for their understanding of a sales environment and industry.

Students will benefit from a range of industry links including liaising with sales industry professionals, hosting guest speakers in class, teaching materials that reflect knowledge and insights gained from industry consultancy work and hosting speed selling events and workshops that allow students to meet and interact with sales professionals. The module will include an introduction to personal selling, selling skills and the sales process: the development and role of selling, sales strategies, buyer behaviour, selling in an international context, ethical selling, sales responsibilities, key account management and relationship selling. The module will develop and assess a broad range of employability skills desirable to employers; including oral and written communication, presentation skills, reading ability, listening, time management, observation, problem solving, critical analysis and individual and team work.

In conclusion, the development of the Personal Sales Skills and Sales Process module within the Business Management programme makes sales education, employability and work-related learning within the curriculum more explicit and more relevant.

References Bristow, D. N., Amyx, D., & Slack, J. (2006). An empirical look at professional selling from a student perspective. Journal of Education for Business, (81)5, 242–248.

Douglas, T. (2011). Edinburgh Sales Institute Video. Retrieved March 2013 from http://www.napier.ac.uk/EILMP/Pages/SALESVideo.aspx Murray, S., & Robinson, H. (2001). Graduates into Sales – Employer, student and University perspectives. Education and Training, (43)3, 139–144.

Nachnani, A. G., & Ashok, G. (2007). Throw out the old playbook: Adjusting to the new realities of the sales talent game. Top University Sales Education Programs 2007.

2015 Conference Abstracts

United States Department of Labor Bureau of Statistics. (2013).

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2013. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes410000.html

•

Tom Campbell

Coming from college: Supporting articulating students through the transition to university Poster The Student Articulation Advisers, based in the Student Learning Team, are tasked with helping students navigate the transition from college to university. Articulating students enter directly into second or third year at Edinburgh Napier University, and regardless of previous experience they often do not feel they are as well prepared as students who come to the University straight from school. However, according to a recent report from the National Union of Students (2013, p. 4), “Where specific direct entry support was available students reported that this did help them settle in”. Articulation from college is considered by the Scottish Funding Council to be an important entry route to university. As such, it is essential that we continue developing good practices to support these students and continue to draw awareness to these students’ needs and support resources available across all University schools and departments.

The Student Articulation Advisers would like to present a poster sharing our Coming from College resource. This is a forward-facing online resource, built on Moodle to help students get used to using the University VLE before arrival. It contains information, interactive materials and talking heads of students sharing their experiences. Coming from College is designed to provide advice, highlight some of the differences and similarities between college and university study, help students manage their expectations and fears about the transition and provide access to practical skills instruction for studying at university level. Ultimately, Coming from College is designed to mitigate the unknown for students, helping to familiarise them with university’s culture, teaching practices, programme structures, and to feel part of the university community.

This poster will outline the rationale behind the Coming from College resource and will link to an ‘electronic banner’ which will provide a rolling display of screenshots and videos from the resource.

5

References

Isabel Dosser and Shona Montgomery

National Union of Students. (2013). Learning journeys: Student experiences in further and higher education in Scotland [ONLINE].

PASS – Moving forward

Edinburgh: The Higher Education Academy. Retrieved 20 November 2014 from http://www.nus.org.uk/Documents/NUS%20 Scotland/Learning%20Journeys%202013.pdf

•

John Cowan

The impact of changing priorities in online tutoring.

Presentation The PechaKucha presentation in narrative form recounts a progression through three stages in the development of online tutoring style, while concentrating on nurturing critical thinking ability in an English as a Foreign Language Programme in Taiwan. The Western tutor began by following the style of his Taiwanese colleague (Chiu, 2009), providing constructive feedback in response to students’ discussion board postings.

Having achieved only slight gains on the Critical Thinking Skills Test and little change in the stilted nature of the postings, he moved on to concentrate on classical Western feedforward (Sadler, 1989) with some emphasis on perceived affective needs. This led to modest gains on the post-test, but little change in the discussions, which still lacked reasoned interactions. He therefore moved on to concentrating his personal feedforward on nurturing self-efficacy. Within weeks the discussion board featured reasoned interactions and significant critical thinking of which students were keenly aware and which they were able to describe (Chen, Chou, & Cowan, 2014). Post-test scores were to confirm marked improvement in critical thinking. The short descriptive presentation concludes by asking participants to discuss how they allocate their tutorial time between feedback, feedforward and developing self-efficacy, what returns they have recently discerned from each of those efforts and if this reported experience prompts them to reconsider and experiment in their own online support of learners.

References Chiu, Y. C. (2009). Facilitating Asian students’ critical thinking inonline discussions. British Journal of Educational Technology, 40(1), 42–57.

Chen, Y.-T., Chou, Y.-H., & Cowan, J. (2014). Concentrating on affective feedforward in online tutoring. British Journal of

Presentation The Peer Assisted Student Support Project (PASS) began in 2012 as a pilot within the School of Nursing, Midwifery & Social Care. The project encompasses all fields of practice across the School and includes a number of dimensions. The team have now developed specific training at two levels for volunteers who wish to engage. Level one training aims to support and enhance self-awareness and communication skills as well as recognition of limitations. Level two is aimed at particular parts of the project that some volunteers may wish to develop following initial training. Support for the volunteers is available from their allocated named PASS supervisor. Practical packs including a certificate of recognition are given following training, and skills they develop contribute to their portfolio and employability.

A number of roles are available for the volunteers within PASS who register interest, including offering support to junior students in practice or university, assisting in workshops offered to local schools in deprived areas and supporting recruitment on open days within the School. This project has the potential to be expanded across schools within the organisation and stems from a longstanding initiative by the University of Manchester which has been adopted across the world and approved by the Higher Education Academy.

•

Gordon Hill, Jackie Johnston & Simon Sikora

Understanding the needs of overseas students: Findings from an International Student Survey Poster Introduction: Edinburgh Napier University has been involved in the National Student Survey for a number of years. However, this is focused on students who are on campus and does not meet the needs of students who are based overseas. This means that the views of an important group of students are not being heard.

This poster will report on two years’ worth of data that have been collated from students in Singapore.

Educational Technology, 45(4), 694–706. DOI: 10.1111/bjet.12077

Aims: Sadler, D. R. (1989). Formative assessment and the design of instructional systems. Instructional Science, 18(2) 119–144.

6

•

• To collect data from three groups of international

students, based in Singapore.

• To compare these, where possible, with data from the wider School, University and the HEI sector in Scotland.

Methods: In the Centre for Wellbeing and Healthcare we have three programmes that run in Singapore, including a BSc in Nursing (top-up), an MSc in Health Administration and an MSc in Clinical Research. We were keen that feedback should be sought to help to improve our understanding of the needs of these students, and also to benchmark, where possible, with other Edinburgh Napier students. To do this the National Student Survey was adapted to reflect the international market and collect data that could be used to improve our educational provision. The survey was administered in paper form or electronically, depending on what best suited the programme.

Overall the feedback from the International Student Survey compares well with the SNMSC, University and HEI sector in Scotland.

Conclusion: The ISS has been a very useful exercise to collate data from a group of students who have been identified as a priority in the University 2020 Strategy.

It is hoped that this data will help to improve the educational provision in these programmes and provide an exemplar for other groups in the University.

•

Piotr Jaworski

Internalising academic concepts through simulation: Economic game as a tool enabling students to understand real life processes Presentation

Results: In 2013, the School of Nursing, Midwifery & Social Care (SNMSC) had 308 students undertaking three programmes of study in Singapore, and in 2014, there were 309 students undertaking the programmes.

This survey was open for the students to complete in trimester 3 of their session. Students were asked to rate their institution on 21 factors using a 5-point scale.

The overall response rates were 55% in 2013 and 68% in 2014.

Comparisons were made in relation to the two sets of data, and the areas which improved considerably related to the assessment and feedback section. It is extremely positive that these areas have been improved on and are as a result of actions identified from the previous year.

Another area where there was considerable improvement was in the learning resources. This also reflects actions which were undertaken to ensure that the library resources and services meet international students’ needs and that they can access general IT resources. The final area where there was a vast improvement was under personal development; this fits in well with the actions from the previous year of feeding in to programme-level priorities. These areas are not only important to the teaching teams, they also reflect the University 2020 Strategy of having a more programme focused approach.

The areas which did not evaluate so well in 2014 related to staff enthusiasm, student confidence, timetabling and advice regarding study choices.

Measures are being put in place to address these moving forward.

2015 Conference Abstracts

The workshop falls within the theme of games, experiments and simulations. It attempts to present how the link between theory and real life could be internalised by students through simulation.

By undertaking roles of macroeconomic actors, participants create a macroeconomic working environment. In 12 rounds, players clustered in five groups simulate one year of an economy. Ongoing analysis of their strategy makes them realise how macroeconomics work. In particular, the mechanism of financial crisis is internalised.

The workshop has a hands-on approach allowing the participants to undertake the role of students.

It is to be concluded with recommendations if any participants would like to use simulations in their teaching practice.

•

Mel Kinchant, Claire Coleman, Linda Gunn

Embedding academic skills development in an Adult Nursing module Poster The Student Learning Advisers have been working in partnership with module and programme leaders across Faculties to embed academic skills development. The aim is to support students in gaining the academic skills appropriate to their Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) level (Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework, 2014). A recent example is the collaboration of the student learning

7

team with academic staff to support students on the BN (Adult Nursing) programme. According to the Nursing and Midwifery Council All nurses must appreciate the value of evidence in practice, be able to understand and appraise research, apply relevant theory and research findings to their work and identify areas for further investigation. (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2010, Domain 1:9, p. 14).

manner. It will outline the approaches taken to provide support using the LTC essay as an example and include examples of staff and student feedback.

References Alien, P., Lauchner, K., Bridges, R. A., Francis-Johnson, P., McBride, S.G., & Olivarez, A. Jr. (2008). Evaluating continuing competency: A challenge for nursing. Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 39(2), 81–85.

Nursing and Midwifery Council. (2010). New standards for pre-

As noted by Alien et al. (2008) the skills required in sourcing, comprehending and utilising effectively the vast volumes of research evidence are key nursing competencies. Critical reading and writing skills, therefore, are a necessary part of nurse education to ensure an evidence-based approach is developed and implemented in preparation for professional practice. In a recent study (Parkes, Blackwell Young, Cleaver, & Archibald, 2014) it was suggested that support embedded into modules was perceived by students as being more relevant than support delivered solely by professional services, particularly when linked to specific assignments. According to Ooms, Fergy, Marks-Maran, Burke and Sheehy (2013), contextualising support in relation to particular assignments helps to decrease student anxiety and increase confidence as well as develop the appropriate academic skills. Furthermore, Wingate (2006) suggests students who are most at risk of failing academically are often those who are least likely to attend bolton classes, demonstrating the importance of a cohesive timetabled approach to support the requisite development of the critical skills.

Contextualised academic skills sessions were developed to support nursing students with the essay related to the year 2 Long-term Conditions (LTC) module of the programme following consultations with the academic staff. Timetabled, active workshop sessions were designed to assist the development of critical reading and writing skills and, acknowledging the diversity of our student population, one to one sessions were also offered. Feedback from students and academics to the workshops has been overwhelmingly positive, and as a result, the support will be embedded again next trimester.

The Student Learning team would like to present a poster demonstrating the value of appropriately embedding academic skills development and of linking support to specific assignments. The poster will illustrate how we work collaboratively with academic staff to ensure that support is tailored to meet student requirements in an effective and time-appropriate

8

registration Education. London: NMC. Ooms, A., Fergy, S., Marks-Maran, D., Burke, L., & Sheehy, K. (2013).

Providing learning support to nursing students: A study of two universities. Nursing Education in Practice, 13(2), 89–95.

Parkes, S., Blackwell Young, J., Cleaver, E., & Archibald, K. (2014).

Academic and professional services in partnerships literature review and overview of results: Leading the student experience.

The Higher Education Academy. Retrieved 21 November 2014 from https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/Research/ prof_service_partnerships Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework. (2014). SCQF levels. Retrieved 21 November 2014 from http://scqf.org.uk/theframework/scqf-levels/ Wingate, U. (2006). Doing away with ‘study skills.’ Teaching in Higher Education, 11(4), 457–469.

•

Eva Malone and Anne MacNab

Can we enable students to reach their potential through engaging with feedback – a feedback pathway?

Presentation In response to our experience and supporting evidence (Price, Handley, Millar, & O’Donovan, 2010) that students may not engage with, understand or use their feedback, we have created and introduced a ‘feedback pathway’ into a level 9 module. This pathway promotes engagement with and the active use of feedback by staff and students within a module, across modules and across levels of programmes to promote and deepen student learning. The initial catalyst for the pathway came from the Confident Futures workshop Making Feedback Work For You, which was included in the module BMS09100, Immunology, as part of the Feedback for Learning Campaign (2009–2012). This workshop is designed to encourage student awareness of the learning process and utilises elements of self-

motivation theory and research (Mangels, Butterfield, Lamb, Good, & Dweck, 2006) to tackle the issue of non-engagement and inadequate Action Planning on academic feedback. Research-based concepts provide insight into what motivates or demotivates students to reflect and act upon feedback in order to enhance their future performance. This is complemented by an Action Planning tool that facilitates students in developing a true awareness of their ability levels, clarifying the meaning of specific feedback and promotes derivation of appropriate improvement-orientated actions. The development of the pathway spanned three years from inclusion of the workshop in BMS09100 (2012) to adoption of the principles within the module (2013) and embedding the Action Planning tool and workshop principles as important elements in student learning within the programme (2014). Examples of elements of the pathway include students (level 9, trimester 2) seeking and reflecting on key assessments of trimester 1 to inform and develop learning practices in trimester 2, facilitated by their Action Planning tool. A core trimester 2 module provides an accessible, feedbackrich-environment for students to interact with their feedback. The feedback from this module is delivered, in part, in level 10 with the relevance highlighted in the context of level 10. Space and time is provided to the students to interact with this feedback to inform their action planning for level 10, trimester 1.

Initial analysis of the impact of the pathway suggests that students experienced a deeper learning. From inclusion (2012) to embedding (2014) the average module mark for BMS09100 has remained constant, while four comparable modules’ average marks have generally declined. In 2014, the percentage of merits achieved in BMS09100 compared with these modules was increased, as was the quality of the merits.

Supporting the BMS09100 module data, the average response on the Internal Module Satisfaction Survey to “Feedback on my coursework has helped me with my learning on this module” was 1.5 (1 = strongly agree).

The average for the combined comparable modules was 2.5 (2 = agree).

Our experience indicates that the concepts included and the pathway approach could be embedded in programmes of different subject areas with ease and provide a unique springboard that lecturers can use to provide a feedback-rich environment for students.

We plan to use this session to share our innovative feedback pathway and engage with participants to seek input to develop our approach further.

References Mangels, J. A., Butterfield, B., Lamb, J., Good, C. D., & Dweck, C.

2015 Conference Abstracts

S. (2006). Why do beliefs about intelligence influence learning success? A social–cognitive–neuroscience model. Social, Cognitive, and Affective Neuroscience, 1, 75–86.

Price, M., Handley, K., Millar, J., & O’Donovan, B. (2010). Feedback: All that effort, but what is the effect? Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, (35)3, 277–289.

•

Wendy McInally, Stephen Bruce, Anne Jamie

PDP development: Using an ePortfolio tool Presentation Effective learning, teaching and assessment are dependent on the learner having access to support and being encouraged throughout their studies. It is recognised that learners will require support at some point in their academic life (Stevenson, 2009).

The Effective Learning Framework (ELF) (QAA, 2007) provides a basis for an institutional model to support tutors in the implementation of PDP with ePortfolios. There are three overlapping areas within the framework: • The Personal area, where learners develop their generic skills and also the ability to interrelate all aspects of their learning experience. This could include academic and other experiences, gained perhaps through part-time work or sabbatical appointments with student associations.

• Career-related skills such as career planning, interview techniques and self-presentation are included in the model. There would be substantial involvement of the institution’s Careers Service including in the implementation of ELF from the very beginning of the process in this area, and it is essential that the Careers Service is involved in the implementation of ELF from the very beginning of the process.

• The Academic area of ELF, where learners would be expected to clarify and embed the development of their knowledge and understanding of their subject-specific skills as related to specific learning outcomes.

The Personal Development Tutor (PDT) role within Edinburgh Napier involves all students and academic staff and has the overall aim of enhancing the student learning experience. Student engagement and belonging to a cohesive learning community are central to the overall student experience and success.

The development of the PDP within the programme can enhance the PDT role and provide a structure for

9

the meetings with the PDT and the individual student.

Anecdotal evidence highlights that within the School of Nursing, Midwifery & Social Care the PDP supports students to: • become more effective • become independent and confident self-directed learners • understand how they are learning and relate their learning to a wider context • improve their general skills for study and career management • articulate their personal goals and evaluate progress towards their achievement • encourage a positive attitude to learning throughout life.

This presentation will showcase the Child Health Nursing ePortfolio; discuss some of the development challenges; highlight the benefits and impact of the innovation as well as exploring its potential transferability to other contexts. The ePDP was developed for a small-scale study with one cohort of 50 students, over one trimester, intended to be the basis for a larger study for all students within the School of Nursing, Midwifery & Social Care.

•

References Stevenson, N. (2009). Enhancing the student experience by embedding personal tutoring in the curriculum. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Education, (8)2. Retrieved from http://jisctechdis.ac.uk/assets/documents/subjects/hlst/ vol8no2_stevenson.pdf

provided significant additional funding towards the ASP in an effort to extend the student numbers and success via the ‘2+2’ articulation model.

Both School of Engineering & the Built Environment and School of Computing are heavily involved in the ASP. Since September 2013 over 200 students from five college partners have registered on seven routes into selected engineering and computing undergraduate courses. For example, HND Computer Science to BSc (Hons) Information Technology, HND Engineering Systems to BEng (Hons) Energy & Environmental Engineering. These students are additional to Edinburgh Napier’s existing targets for advanced entry students (450 in 2012/13).

Student support has been undertaken via seven interventions as follows: 1. Students attend lectures and labs at Edinburgh Napier, these generally being first and second year activities already timetabled to take place.

2. Familiarisation with the Campus – with tours often delivered by existing students (rather than staff), a method much favoured by the Associate Students.

3. Academic skills: report writing, note taking, referencing etc. delivered by colleagues (from Student & Academic Services), generally in the college, but also at Edinburgh Napier as part of (1).

4. Additional assistance in areas such as Mathematics.

5. Dedicated events (e.g. industrial participation in employability skills workshops).

6. Mentoring scheme.

7. Site visits.

QAA. (2007). Effective learning framework: Using focussed learner questions in personal development planning to support effective learning. Retrieved from http://www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk/ docs/publications/framework-using-focused-learner-questionsin-personal-development-planning-to-support-effective-learning. pdf?sfvrsn=4

Debbie Meharg, Dr Kevin Chalmers & Alastair Stupart

Student transitions – supporting best practice Presentation This current academic year is the second of four of the SFC’s Associate Student Programme (ASP). A key feature is first year college students matriculating as ‘Associate Students’ at their chosen University, with the guarantee of a place, subject to achieving the agreed academic entry requirements. The SFC have

10

A key feature adopted by Edinburgh Napier has been to offer the support more widely than just to the funded Associate Students. Therefore, by involving whole college classes in the activity, including nonAssociates, registered students with the programme gain access to the extra support offered by Edinburgh Napier, including those students registered with other universities and those on courses where no current articulation agreement exists.

The emphasis is on both (a) cooperation with the colleges – for example, in shaping the support offered to students to best match the college curriculum and (b) obtaining feedback from students. Feedback has been predominantly positive, and we will present an analysis during the presentation, e.g. the usefulness and relevance of the interventions, student awareness of where to obtain help, confidence in starting university.

This talk will present lessons and best practice advice for

wider interaction with all advanced entry students and extending relationships with key college partners.

•

Craig Mill

Struggling with your Studies?

Presentation & poster Many students attending University experience literacy difficulties and require additional support with reading, writing and comprehension. This workshop (and poster) will explore the range of issues associated with student literacy acquisition and how it is manifested in higher education. In response, the presentation will focus on how students can overcome barriers to learning by using appropriate technology, much of which is available on the University network or is freely available via cloud technology. Students can also utilise their own portable technology using a range of suitable apps such as eBook readers and Personal Digital Assistants such as Siri and Google Now. Struggling with your Studies is a step-by-step guide offering a range of practical, technology-focused solutions – a toolkit for successful, independent learning based on years of grounded research and anecdotal evidence. Using ‘circles of support’, Struggling with your Studies adopts a methodological approach, guiding the student through a series of ‘have you tried’ scenarios until they find a personalised self-help solution.

While support technology such as text-to-speech, word prediction and optical character recognition (OCR) – to name a few – is often associated with ‘additional needs’ or ‘dyslexia’, it has the potential to be useful to all learners and staff providing a good example and model of sharing practice.

•

Jennifer Murray, Grant Jeffrey

Using Brief Encounters to build staff morale and share knowledge and practice

these sessions was to foster greater conversation amongst staff and postgraduate students on topics within psychology, research practice and teaching practice. These sessions, while not firmly grounded in a particular underpinning theory (to allow maximum flexibility), do share similarities with Action Learning, where knowledge is challenged and complemented by the questioning of insight to foster learning.

Topics covered to date have been wide ranging, including teaching experience in different continents, indigenous psychology, the psychology of witchcraft, and mindfulness, among other topics. Sessions can include discussion about specific journal articles, research queries, methodological issues, or something teaching related. The sessions last for 30 minutes, and each week the session is ‘led’ by a different member of the psychology subject group. They are, by design, not formal. While we have not formally measured acceptance or ‘success’ of the sessions, they have run successfully for three trimesters, with participation and input across the subject group. The sessions have been very well received by staff, and they have helped us get to know each other and our research and teaching interests better since they began. While it is not the key purpose of the sessions, it is likely that they will foster collaborative working between the staff, and certainly a sense of collegiality has already emerged. We envisage continuing these sessions and would like to share our Brief Encounters practice with others across the University and gain feedback for future development of the sessions. Brief Encounters sessions may be useful or used to enhance teaching practice in two ways: 1) by improving teaching through the sharing of innovation, practice and problems and supporting staff to overcome challenges that they may have in their teaching practice in a supportive, collegiate way; and 2) through vicarious learning and experience of others’ teaching practices and experiences. This latter point may be particularly useful to those newer to teaching and postgraduates who teach. In regard to transferability, Brief Encounters sessions are flexible to staff needs and are not tied to formal processes. Other staff or student groups could easily and simply adopt or adapt this type of session for their needs.

•

Presentation The psychology subject group sought to establish a stronger sense of collegiality, research collaboration and shared teaching practice among staff and postgraduate students. Beginning in trimester 2 of 2013, we began a series of weekly sessions running each trimester called Brief Encounters. The aim of

2015 Conference Abstracts

11

Janis Ross, Paddy Perry, Kev Head and Linda King

The Personal Development Tutor and student relationship: Enhancing the experience using the Senses Framework Presentation Learning Outcomes 1. To discuss the findings of a study related to compassion and the PDT and student experience.

2. To explore undertaking a Pilot Study involving using the Senses Framework to underpin the PDT/Student relationship and its potential impact on the student experience.

The importance of the personal development tutor (PDT) – student relationship and the associated PDT role have gained increased recognition within Higher Education in recent years. Edinburgh Napier University’s guidance concerning the PDT advises students that their PDT will be the key contact for academic or personal issues during their time at University (Edinburgh Napier University, 2014a), and staff guidance on the PDT role emphasises the importance of a consistent approach to the PDT system to enhance the student experience (Edinburgh Napier University, 2014b).

opportunities related to the role of the PDT, namely undertaking a pilot study where the Senses Framework itself could be used as a way of supporting the PDT role.

The aim of this pilot study is to develop further knowledge of this complex role and inform the teaching community of a potential approach to undertaking the PDT role. As already indicated, the proposed project will advance the previous work undertaken to explore student and lecturer experiences and perceptions of the PDT role (Ross et al., 2014). This would enable staff and students to bring their experiences of the PDT relationship to consideration and reframing of the Senses Framework as a potential model to support PDT– student relationships. This would be achieved by undertaking a pilot study which would apply participatory action research approaches to consider utilisation of the Senses Framework (Nolan, Brown, Davies, Nolan, & Keady, 2006) to underpin the PDT role and inform development of a tool based on the use of the Senses Framework.

References: Dewar, B., Mackay, R., Smith, S., Pullin, S., & Tocher, R. (2010). Use of emotional touchpoints as a method of tapping into experiences of receiving compassionate care in a hospital setting. Journal of Nursing Research, 15(1), 29–41.

A study was undertaken as part of the Leadership in Compassionate Care Programme which involved evaluating the Personal Development Tutor role within the School of Nursing, Midwifery & Social Care (SNMSC) in terms of the type of support provided and considered how to include or further enhance compassionate care as a component of the students’ personal and professional development processes.

Edinburgh Napier University. (2014a). Personal Development Tutor,

Data were generated using the emotional touchpoint technique with six students and five lecturers. The benefit of this approach is that it allows participants to see in a more balanced way the positive and negative aspects of an experience and to help them take part in a meaningful way in developing provision of the service (Dewar, Mackay, Smith, Pullin, & Tocher, 2010).

Data were analysed using a modified version of the Senses Framework (Ross, Head, King, Perry, & Smith, 2014).

(GRiP) Report No 2. Project Report. University of Sheffield.

In this presentation the key findings of this study will be discussed which, in brief, relate to awareness of students as people, seeing them as a person, fostering a sense of belonging and sustaining relationships to develop trust. This study highlighted further research

12

Guidance for Students. Edinburgh: Edinburgh Napier University.

Edinburgh Napier University. (2014b). Personal Development Tutor, Guidance for Staff. Edinburgh: Edinburgh Napier University.

Nolan, M. R., Brown, J., Davies, S., Nolan, J., & Keady, J. (2006).

The Senses Framework: improving care for older people through a relationship-centred approach. Getting Research into Practice

Ross, J., Head, K., King, L., Perry, P. M. & Smith, S. (2014). The personal development tutor role: An exploration of student and lecturer experiences and perceptions of that relationship. Nurse Education Today, 34(9), 1207–1213.

•

Dr. C. Paul Sellors

Dr Fiona Smart

The gift of not giving: On pedagogical parsimony

Can poetry facilitate the development of the early career academic? An exploration of possibility

Presentation Presentation In the laudable spirit of improving the student experience, and in acknowledgement of our culture of immediate access to online information, we provide students with PowerPoint presentations, referencing guidelines, lecture notes, on-demand support in email and social media, and a perpetual ‘open door’ office policy. We then craft assessments to respond to our assumptions about how we think students think, work, and learn in a culture dominated by digital media.

While all of these practices can have pedagogical value, they do not have it necessarily. Reliance on such support mechanisms can result in a pedagogical culture of dependence. It risks instilling in students the view that an education is something to be received rather than earned. Moreover, this dependence often risks impeding the development of knowledge by mistaking information for knowledge and activity for learning. In this paper I discuss the pedagogical parsimony I have been building into my classes, the challenges it presents and the benefits to student engagement, attendance, students’ critical abilities and overall studentship that have resulted.

•

Esther Shreeve

Alternative assessment: Reasonable adjustment?

Poster The poster is aimed at raising awareness of inclusive practice by prompting staff to consider key issues in providing alternative assessment as a reasonable adjustment. There is still a tendency to rely on the written assignment / timed written exam as a default method of assessment, which disadvantages many of our students, not only those with Specific Learning Difficulties. A lot of work has already been done at Edinburgh Napier which provides staff with excellent resources if they are considering alternative methods of assessment; this poster is designed to provide a snapshot of issues to take into account.

•

2015 Conference Abstracts

Poetry, specifically found poetry, is a recognised data analysis method. Otherwise known as poetic transcription (see, for example, Glesne 1997, Jones, 2010), it invites the researcher to re-tell interview data, always recognising inevitable power in the process.

Whilst the ‘rules’ for poetic transcription are not fixed (Jones, 2010), at the heart of the process is the retelling of a story (i.e. the interview output) in distilled poetic form enabling “the essence, hues and textures” of what was shared to be re-presented (Glesne, 1997, p.

206).

It is only recently that I discovered poetic transcription, the consequence of attending a conference entitled Kindness, Care and Love in the Hinterlands of Higher Education in April 2014, at which Anna Jones spoke about its use in the context of research. My attention was caught because I write poetry but had never, up to this point, thought there was a connection between academic life and a form of writing which helps me voice things that are not always easy to say.

Somewhat entranced, I started to play with the possibilities which poetic transcription seemed to suggest and came to devise what I’m calling ‘poetic transcription with a twist’. I’ve used it twice, once at an academic induction event here at Edinburgh Napier and the second time within the SHED (Scottish Higher Education Development) community. Both times, it enabled different slants on a single critical incident to be told by a group, providing the author of the incident with refreshed perspectives on their own experience.

This paper intends to explore with the audience the potential of using poetic transcription with a twist to support early career academics. It will argue that entry into the realm of higher education pulls such individuals into a liminal state (La Shure, 2005) which, for some, can be uncomfortable, even painful, perhaps even destructive, with consequences for them, as a person, for students and for the University itself. It will suggest that one means by which early career academics could better negotiate the betwixt and betweeness of liminality (La Shure, 2005) is to work collectively with experiences, recasting them via a process of parallel poetic transcription. It will set the discussion with a framework which indicates

13

that it is three particular aspects of early academic life which create challenges – agency, identity and a sense of community (Sutherland & Taylor, 2011). Poetic transcription with a twist will be proposed as one way in which early career academics might find strength and bolster their resilience so that they might flourish in their roles.

References Glesne, C. (1997). That rare feeling: Re-presenting research through poetic transcription. Qualitative Enquiry, 3(2), 202–221.

Jones, A. (2010). Not some shrink-wrapped beautiful package: Using poetry to explore academic life. Teaching in Higher Education, 15(5), 591–606.

La Shure, C. (2005). What is liminality? Retrieved from http:// www.liminality.org/about/whatisliminality/ Sutherland, L., & Taylor, L. (2011). The development of identity, agency and community in the early career stages of the academic career. International Journal for Academic Development, 16(3), 183–186.

•

In order to realise the employment ambitions of our computing graduates, we can work with students to facilitate the construction of their identity as members of a global computing profession. Of particular interest is whether (and, if so, how) students reconstruct their identity through the delivery of modules specifically designed to increase students’ employability attributes and widen their horizons. In preparing students for life beyond university we developed a new module, Professional Identity through Portfolio Development, designed for final year creative computing students to support the transition from university to employment.

The literature on identity and role theory was reviewed and a survey and follow-up interviews were designed. Findings suggest that while only 61% of students strongly identified themselves with their chosen profession before undertaking the module, this increased to 73% of participants at the end of the module. The module, in its examination of identity and next steps, appears to have also affected the strength of student identity, with 65% expressing a strong student identity before the course, increasing to 88% after the course. The presentation will be used to share our findings and invite curriculum developers to consider whether there are implications for their own students and graduates.

Ian Smith

Moodling through the Honours Project

© 2014 IEEE

•

Presentation

Mabel Victoria and Mariano Rossi

There is an increasing demand from the student body for online submission and feedback. In addition a significant number of students fail to complete the Honours Project on the first diet.

Promoting a culturally inclusive classroom Presentation

From employability attributes to professional identity: Students transitioning to the workplace

Teaching and motivating a linguistically and culturally diverse group of students has become one of the most pressing challenges for educational institutions that aim to attract international students. How do you communicate effectively to a mixed group of students with varying levels of proficiency in the language of instruction? How do you build common ground and establish rapport with students while being respectful of their individual differences? How do you get ‘shy’ students to answer questions and at the same time ensure that they don’t lose face?

How do you incorporate elements of the students’ cultural background in your teaching so that they feel included?

Presentation This abstract is based on a paper presented to FIE2014. Attendance at the conference was funded by a Teaching Fellows Grant.

The intended outcome of this presentation is to demonstrate strategies that we have found very useful in increasing student engagement through the use of culturally relevant materials. This presentation is for

This case study will demonstrate how online submission and feedback of the honours project can be more effective with respect to staff resource and enhance the student experience. The phased submission approach supports student time management and the integrity of the project.

•

Sally Smith, Emilia Sobolewska, Ian Smith (SoC)

14

those who are passionate about creating an inclusive classroom where teacher and students from highly diverse multicultural/multilingual contexts collaborate in the establishment of a richly rewarding teaching and learning environment.

Miles Weaver, Lena Bauchop, Jackie Brodie, Alzbeta Rehakova

Engaging in professional practice through civic participation: Students as ‘trustees’ Presentation This presentation will take the form of a Pecha Kucha to disseminate findings from an Academic Practice pilot that sought to empower students to be ‘Trustees’.

The pilot included 20 students, trained in Governance Practice and supported in getting on the board of a charity, volunteering organisation or management committee while at University or as part of holding a civic life while in work. The pilot is suggested as one approach to contribute to the University’s Academic Signature to: “Build concepts of global citizenship, promote diversity, ethical understanding and behaviour, and generally develop students’ social capital” (Edinburgh Napier University, 2009, p. 4).

Particularly, in alignment to the aims of the Strategy 2020 to embed ‘citizenship’ as a core theme as part of an unrivalled learning experience that is deeply rooted in the communities served by the University.

The programme is delivered in partnership with The Governance Forum and supported by the studentled ‘Young Trustees in Scotland’ (a Napier Student Association society). Students are invited to undertake the programme of study combined with networking opportunities with third sector leaders seeking to appoint new trustees. (In Edinburgh alone, of the 1,800 voluntary sector organisations, the Volunteer Centre Edinburgh report 90% hold vacancies). Students are also invited to achieve professional recognition for their learning in the form of taking an Exam set by the Association of Corporate Governance Practitioners.

be engaged in a form of professional practice, utilising practice-based learning methods, theory underpinning students as “co-producers” of knowledge and building communities of practice (See Lave & Wenger, 1991).

The pilot also includes the introduction of the Careersled Skills Award to recognise students’ attainment gained as part of co-curricular and extra-curricular activity.

Lessons learnt are provided on how such an initiative can be rolled out across the University as one vehicle to provide opportunities for students to develop workrelated skills and enhance their graduate attributes and on whether activities should be incorporated into curriculum development, where such an initiative should sit (i.e. as co-curricular activity in the NSA Vbase, as a credit bearing module led by TBS) and how student skill attainment can be recognised. A Research agenda is presented to undertake educational research on the desired skillsets of ‘Students as Trustees’.

Additionally, the enhancement of generic attributes (what is taught/learnt and how it is taught/learnt) and complementary discipline-specific learning outcomes (e.g. Governance in different sectors – Health, legal profession, Civil Engineering etc.), additional skills (e.g. networking and building social capital), translation of what is learnt in class to new unfamiliar settings and enabling the transformation of the individual (e.g. ethical and responsible decision-making).

Implications for further developing the wider Public and Community Engagement strategy of the University are also discussed.

References Edinburgh Napier University. (2009). Academic Strategy.

Haigh, M., & Clifford, V. A. (2011). Integral vision: A multiperspective approach to the recognition of graduate attributes.

Higher Education Research & Development, 30(5), 573–584.

Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

•

Educational research focuses on the enhancement of Graduate Attributes to hold a ‘social conscious’ and ‘passion to give back’, with a focus on what Haigh and Clifford (2011) discuss as an increasing agenda that instils professional understanding by being ‘agents’ to bring about social good. Students as ‘Trustees’ provides an opportunity to develop a skillset, knowledge base and perspectives to encourage lifelong civil participation. Civil society boards have interests that present opportunities for all students to

2015 Conference Abstracts

15

Stream 2: Pedagogic research Jyoti Bhardwaj

Proposed benefits on employability of cooperative serious game-playing by first year Computing students Presentation The HEA’s framework “to support higher education institutions in embedding employability” (Cole & Tibby, n.d.) is based in part on Bandura’s work on employability and its components, including selfefficacy and confidence (1977). A meaningful definition of employability for applicants, parents and educators faced with employability statistics on the Unistats website might be: “a set of achievements – skills, understandings and personal attributes – that make graduates more likely to gain employment and be successful in their chosen occupations, which benefits themselves, the workforce, the community and the economy” (Pegg, Waldock, Hendy-Isaac, & Lawton, 2012).

This study is of particular interest to educators in STEM subjects and presents an initiative to embed employability in the first year computing curriculum by means of SimVenture, a simulation-centred learning activity undertaken as part of the ISO module over one semester in small groups of two or three, assessed by group presentation. Feedback is given instantly on paper, and discussion mimics the face-to-face, interactional model of study amongst collaborating students (Pillay & James, 2014). Classes take the form of a weekly two-hour lab session, facilitated because “educators need to provide additional instructional supports” when using simulations for teaching (Wouters & Oostendorp, 2013; Yamen, Nerdel, & Bayrhuber, 2008).

Of the 20 disciplines included in the National Student Survey, only Mathematics students gave a more negative response than Computing students to the statement “The course has helped me to present myself with confidence” (HEFCE, 2013). It was of special concern that the mainly male (9:1 male:female ratio) cohort members should have the chance of friendship fostered through purposeful interaction. A friendship network would help ease the transition to university (Wilcox, Winn, & Fyvie-Gauld, 2005) and provide support (Wilks & Spivey, 2010). There is evidence for the protective role that friend support plays against academic stress (Wilks & Spivey, 2010) and that loneliness correlates with factors of learning burnout (Lin & Huang, 2012).

16

Allan, McKenna and Dominey (2014) correlate academic outcome with mental resilience (measured using the item “close and secure relationships” of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, 2003) in inductees to HE; they found that the positive correlation is greater in females, thereby arguing for different pedagogical approaches for male students.

They repeat Pollack’s proposition (2006) that undergraduate males may “present a ‘mask of bravado or pseudo-resilience’ which may project confidence yet hide a troubling sense of isolation”.

Although preparing members for groupwork is advocated by Beccaria, Kek, Huijser, Rose, and Kimmins (2014), SimVenture groups are randomly allocated in the first lab session to prevent deliberate or unconscious exclusion by students, of those they see as less attractive, intelligent or less socially confident (Strauss, U, & Young, 2011). Implementing SimVenture as a small-group activity is a risk, as groupwork is unpopular amongst students concerned about free-riding by group members (Hall & Buzwell, 2013; Hillyard, Gillespie & Littig, 2010). As part of the final presentation, groups give a critical evaluation of their co-operation and teamwork during the previous ten weeks to signal the importance of reflecting on the employability attributes they’ve gained (Deeley, 2014).

References Allan, J. F., McKenna, J., & Dominey, S. (2014). Degrees of resilience: Profiling psychological resilience and prospective academic achievement in university inductees. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 42(1), 9–25.

Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191–215.

Beccaria, L., Kek, M., Huijser, H., Rose, J., & Kimmins, L. (2014, February). The interrelationships between student approaches to learning and group work. Nurse Education Today.

Cole, D., & Tibby, M. (n.d.). Defining and developing your approach to employability: A framework for higher education institutions.

Retrieved 24 April 2014 from http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/ documents/employability/Employability_framework.pdf Connor, K. M., & Davidson, J. R. (2003). Development of a new resilience scale: The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC).

Depression and Anxiety, 18(2), 76–82.

Deeley, S. (2014). Summative co-assessment: A deep learning approach to enhancing employabiity skills and attributes. Active Learning in Higher Education, 15(1), 39–51.

Hall, D., & Buzwell, S. (2013). The problem of free-riding in group projects: Looking beyond social loafing as reason for noncontribution. Active Learning in Higher Education, 14(1), 37–49.

Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).

(2013, June 20). National Student Survey. Retrieved 28 March 2014 from http://www.hefce.ac.uk/whatwedo/lt/publicinfo/ nationalstudentsurvey/nationalstudentsurveydata/2012/ Hillyard, C., Gillespie, D., & Littig, P. (2010). University students’ attitudes about learning in small groups after frequent participation. Active Learning in Higher Education, 11(1), 9–20.

Lin, S.-H., & Huang, Y.-C. (2012). Investigating the relationships between loneliness and learning burnout. Active Learning in Higher Education, 13(3), 231–143.

Pegg, A., Waldock, J., Hendy-Isaac, S., & Lawton, R. (2012).

Pedagogy for employability. Retrieved 10 April 2014 from http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/employability/ pedagogy_for_employability_update_2012.pdf Pillay, S., & James, R. (2014). The pains and gains of blended learning – social constructivist perspectives. Education + Training, 56(4), 254–270.

Pollack, W. S. (2006). Sustaining and reframing vulnerability and connection, creating genuine resilience in boys and young males. In Handbook of resilience in children (pp. 65–77). New York: Springer.

Strauss, P., U, A., & Young, S. (2011). ‘I know the type of people I work well with’: Student anxiety in multicultural group projects.

Studies in Higher Education, 36(7), 815–829.

Wilcox, P., Winn, S., & Fyvie-Gauld, M. (2005). ‘It was nothing to do with the university, it was just the people’: The role of social support in the first-year experience of higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 30, 707–722.

Wilks, S., & Spivey, C. A. (2010). Resilience in undergraduate social work students: Social support and adjustment to academic stress.

Social Work Education, 29, 276–288.

Wouters, P., & Oostendorp, H. (2013). A meta-analytic review of the role of instructional support in game-based learning. Computers & Education, 60(1), 412–425.

•

Kev Head and Jackie Johnston

Turnitin: It’s a scary rainbow for us Presentation The increasing number of international students studying in United Kingdom (UK) Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) is clear and well evidenced (United Kingdom Council for International Student Affairs, 2012). Through discussion of a recently developed postgraduate programme with which they were both involved, the authors shared concerns about how well the international students enrolled on it had been supported and included. They resolved to investigate further.

While the existing literature reveals some useful information to inform practice in this regard, there was surprisingly little of direct relevance. While there is good quality research available on the international student experience generally, much of this is from North America (Brown & Holloway, 2008; McDermottLevy, 2011; McLachlan & Justice, 2009; Olivas & Li, 2006; Williams & Johnson, 2011), with seminal work also having been conducted in New Zealand (Ward, 2001), so it is hoped that this study, with a more directly UK focus, will prove useful.

Several gaps in the literature were also identified, which this study aimed to address. These were, namely, that more needs to be known about the postgraduate student experience specifically (Evans & Stevenson, 2010) and that, while the need to support international students during their transition is clear, what such support should actually comprise is less evident (Brown & Holloway, 2008).

Through a focus group approach involving students on the programme in question, the current work has given the authors a richer and more detailed appreciation of the experience of these students. This was achieved by asking these students specifically about their experience of transition into the UK learning, teaching and assessment (LTA) culture and the effectiveness of the accompanying academic and pastoral support.

In looking at these postgraduate students’ transition to the appreciably different LTA culture in this UK HEI, many issues were raised by participants. Much of this was a useful, but only locally relevant, corroboration of the existing body of knowledge around the international student experience.

A set of findings around how plagiarism is communicated and understood appeared both new

2015 Conference Abstracts

17

and significant, however. Participants discussed feeling scared, intimidated and “treated like a criminal” in response to staff-led interventions which were (presumably!) designed to be supportive and developmental. Considering these issues in depth is important to future practice and forms the substance of this paper.

The significance of this work will primarily be evidenced through the testimony of these international postgraduate students. So that their experiences and perspectives can be further developed usefully, their words will be considered in the context of the relevant literature and presented with ideas for future practice.

This theme was revisited solely with postgraduate students based in Singapore in 2014 and the findings were very different. The research found a group of students well prepared for the expectations and challenges of academic writing on their programme.

McDermott-Levy, R. (2011). Going alone: The lived experience of female Arab-Muslim nursing students living and studying in the United States. Nursing Outlook, 59, 266–277.

McLachlan, D. A., & Justice, J. (2009). A grounded theory of international student well-being, Journal of Theory Construction and Testing, 13(1), 27–36.

Olivas, M., & Li, C. (2006). Understanding stressors of international students in higher education: What college counselors and personnel need to know. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 33(3), 217–222.

United Kingdom Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA). (2012). International students in UK Higher Education: Key statistics. London: UKCISA. Ward, C. (2001). The impact of international students on domestic students and host institutions: A literature review. Report for the Ministry of Education. Wellington: New Zealand Ministry of Education.

Williams, C. T., & Johnson, L. R. (2011). Why can’t we be friends?

The applicants are keen to develop this further and investigate this dissonance, and therefore the scale of the research will be increased to include students in two programmes within two different academic schools in the UK. It is hoped that this will provide a useful additional reference point, help in resolving some of the uncertainties raised from the two differing sets of data and enhance the validity and utility of the research as a result.

Multicultural attitudes and friendships with international students.

International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 35, 41–48.

•

Joan McLatchie

Making transnational collaborations work: The lived experience of the local academic Presentation

In disseminating the findings to date at the staff conference, we hope to inform other members of the teaching staff community working with the wider student population both at home and overseas. This workshop may be of use/interest to any colleagues but especially those teaching international students and those using Turnitin as part of their assessment process.

At this point we aim to disseminate our findings through this conference and once the final stage is complete, potentially, at publication.

References Brown, L., & Holloway, I. (2008). The initial stage of the

Rationale: Transnational education (TNE) has become a significantly important element of HE delivery throughout the world, and much has been written on the subject. However, the majority of research in this field is produced from the perspective of the (usually Western) awarding institution, as demonstrated by early definitions of TNE, and refers to the students as studying in a foreign country (GATE, as cited in Tadjudin, 2000). A neglected aspect of the TNE relationship is the role of the academic situated in the delivery institution. This paper addresses this gap by investigating the lived experience of a group of Indian academics working in collaboration with a UK university.

international sojourn: Excitement or culture shock? British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 36(1), 33–49.

Evans, C., & Stevenson, K. (2010). The learning experiences of international doctoral students with particular reference to nursing students: A literature review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 47(2), 239–250.

18

Theoretical framework: The research views culture as a complex ‘constellation’ of influences (Cohen, 2009; Holliday, 2010), within which the individual establishes an identity. Identity in this research is considered to be developed through a combination of personality and context (Beijaard, Meije, & Verloop, 2004), and can be defined as “the various meanings people can

attach to themselves, or the meanings attributed by others” (Beijaard, Verloop, & Vermunt, 2000, p. 750).

The research focuses on the conflicting sub-identities which exist in cross-cultural contexts, “where teachers must reconcile conflicting selves in order to contend with a workplace in which liberal and traditional pedagogies co-exist” (Liu & Xu, 2011, p. 590).

Methods: The research focuses on teaching culture and identity and how this influences practice within the transnational relationship. Three specific questions are asked: • How does the Indian culture of teaching differ from the UK culture?

• How does the perceived identity of Indian academics relate to their role within the TNE collaboration?

• What challenges do Indian academics face within the collaborative system?

Indian and the UK systems. Significant differences are identified between the teaching cultures, along with a strong recognition of the challenges involved.

Awarding institutions must recognise the challenges faced as a result of this hybrid identity and provide the necessary support and opportunities for development.

Overall, the research clearly demonstrates the often underestimated role of local academics in making transnational education work. Awarding institutions must, therefore, recognise their importance, by valuing their experiences and opinions and seeking their contributions and advice.

References Beijaard, D., Meijer, P. C. & Verloop, N. (2004). Reconsidering research on teachers’ professional identity. Teaching and Teacher Education, 20, 107–128.

Beijaard, D., Verloop, N. & Vermunt, J. D. (2000). Teachers’ perceptions of professional identity: An exploratory study from a

Primary data were produced by a process of coconstruction between the researcher and the 14 voluntary participants. Initial use of email to promote dialogue was followed up by unstructured interviews, designed to enable the participants to set the agenda for discussion. Participants were asked to bring ‘artefacts’, or objects, which represented their teaching identity to the interview; these formed the starting point for discussion. After the interviews, participants were asked to comment on the transcripts, with the invitation to add additional comment where appropriate. Quotes from the transcripts were then used to illustrate the issues raised by the research questions.

Findings: Primary data indicated that participants in the interviews identified themselves very strongly as “teachers”. The responses identified a widespread consensus on what it means to be a teacher, and a strong focus on the benefits of learner-centred education. Teaching was seen as a respected job role in Indian culture, and several respondents felt “proud” to have that professional identity. They identified issues around the Indian culture of a fully-timetabled day, with little time for the students to work independently, or the academics to undertake scholarly activity. They also identified issues regarding the different methods of teaching and learning between India and the UK and the challenges inherent in developing the students to be independent learners.

Conclusion: The findings indicate the development of a hybrid teaching identity among Indian academics, incorporating their own learning experiences and their teaching experiences as educators in both the

2015 Conference Abstracts

personal knowledge perspective. Teaching and Teacher Education, 16, 749–764.

Cohen, A. (2009). Many forms of culture. American Psychologist, 64(3), 194–204.

Holliday, A. (2010). Complexity in cultural identity. Language and Intercultural Communication, 10(2), 165–177.

Liu, Y. & Xu, Y. (2011). Inclusion or exclusion? A narrative inquiry of a language teacher’s identity experience in the “new work order” of competing pedagogies. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27, 589–597.

Tadjudin, M. K. (2000). Higher education in Indonesia and the role of transnational Education. Higher Education in Europe, 25(3) 395–400.

Jennifer Murray, Aileen Duffy

How can we smooth transitions across school, Further and Higher Education? A study of students’ aspirations, inspirations and motivations across educational settings Poster Background: The Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) aims to transform education in Scotland by providing a more flexible, coherent and enriched curriculum for students aged 3–18 years (Education Scotland, 2013).

Within the CfE, four key capacities are embedded which aim to not only enhance the standard and quality of education in Scotland, but also to enhance

19

the students’ experiences of learning, motivating them to become lifelong learners (Scottish Government, 2013). These four capacities aim to develop students into successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens (Education Scotland, 2013). However, the CfE only applies to school and Further Education establishments, not explicitly to Higher Education Establishments. This presents potential issues in student transitions.

Methods: Two semi-structured focus groups were run, one with school students and the other with teachers, to identify student motivations, inspirations and aspirations in relation to university and to identify potential concerns around students’ experiences of CfE in school in relation to the transition to university. The student focus group was task based, with group discussion following each task. The tasks involved students working in small groups, identifying, prioritising and discussing their motivations, inspirations and aspirations, creating visual representations of these. The staff focus group was discussion led and was audio recorded. The student outputs were analysed using basic descriptive statistics and content analysis. The staff output was analysed using thematic analysis following the guidelines of Braun and Clarke (2006).

Outcomes: Student motivations and aspirations were linked to operational, tangible goals. While personal and social motivations and aspirations appeared to be viewed as less important or less prominent, their indications of inspirations for continuing education would suggest that personal relationships are highly important, particularly those with family and teaching staff. Staff experiences of the CfE were positive.

The staff participants did, however, highlight that a supportive atmosphere across all levels of the school had helped in its adoption and uptake. Staff indicated that the CfE had led to more inter-disciplinary projects being established across the school to support student learning and that there was a clear desire to broaden this ‘partnership’ and supportive working to include institutions outwith the school itself (e.g. working in partnership with other schools or with universities).

It was felt that partnership working was the best way to support the students’ transition, as only by sharing best practices can multiple institutions begin to work together.

Future Directions: In order to support continued learning and development, it would be helpful to form partnerships with schools and/or colleges, openly discussing best practice, what students actually do and, most importantly, what the students will

20

most benefit from. In having partnerships and open discussions, schools and Higher Education Institutions can begin to learn from one another, providing the best possible opportunities and experiences for students. The next stage of the research will carry out structured teaching observations across Higher and Further Education Institutions to identify potential areas of shared practice to smooth student transitions.

Ultimately we aim to identify and share best practice using an empirical basis and easily accessible forum.

References: Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 11–101.

Education Scotland. (2013). What is Curriculum for Excellence?

Retrieved 1 August 2013 from http://www.educationscotland.gov. uk/thecurriculum/whatiscurriculumforexcellence/index.asp Scottish Government. (2013). Curriculum for Excellence – A quick guide. Retrieved 2 August 2013 from www.scotland.gov.uk/topics/ education/schools/curriculum/ACE/cfeinaction/cfequickguide

•

Kay Penny and Jaqueline Brodie

Student and staff perceptions of the use of multiple choice question assessments in higher education Poster Multiple choice questions (MCQs) are commonly used in higher education assessments, and their use has increased alongside the availability of information and computer technology (Biggs, 2003). Online MCQ testing is often considered an option to help deal with increasing numbers of students on distance learning and work-based learning (Bull & McKenna, 2004; Nicol, 2007; Albino et al., 2008).

The aim of this study is to present the perceptions of both the lecturing staff and students on the use of MCQs in higher education and to summarise the viewpoints and opinions of their usefulness to give both formative and summative feedback.

Students and teaching staff at Edinburgh Napier University Business School were invited to take part in an online survey consisting of questions relating to experience and use of MCQs in higher education.

A total of 334 students and 28 staff members responded to the questionnaire survey. A total of 63.1% of undergraduates and 48.1% of postgraduates

indicated that they had taken an MCQ test during their current degree programme. On the whole, most students did not have a favourable attitude towards the use of MCQ testing, and postgraduate students had more negative opinions than undergraduate students; in particular, postgraduates believed that MCQ tests cannot be used to assess comprehension or understanding.

A thematic analysis was also carried out on two open-ended questions included in the survey, and the responses were summarised into three main themes: pedagogical tool to support student learning; questionable suitability at higher education level; and question construction.

The survey findings indicate that, on the whole, both academic staff and students are in agreement with previous studies (Airasian, 1994; Scouller, 1998) and tend to have a rather negative attitude towards the use of MCQs in higher education. Although MCQs may have a place in assessing knowledge, they are less useful in assessing higher level skills such as interpretation, critical evaluation and writing skills.

However, staff felt that MCQs can be very useful as a formative assessment tool and a means of providing positive feedback to students. Students agreed that MCQs are useful for self-evaluation and were satisfied with the use of MCQs as a means of revision. However, students felt that MCQs, when used on their own, did not provide them with the opportunity to demonstrate their higher cognitive skills in an assessment setting.

When designing higher education courses teaching staff should consider the use of well-designed MCQs as a tool for providing formative feedback to students, and the use of ICT in distance or work-based learning provides a means of access to a wide range of learners.

References Airasian, P. W. (1994). Classroom assessment (2nd edition). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Albino, J. E., Young, S. K., Neumann, L. M., Kramer, G. A., Andrieu, S. C., Henson, L., Horn, B., & Hendricson, W. D. (2008). Assessing dental students’ competence: Best practice recommendations in the performance assessment literature and investigation of current practices in predoctoral dental education. Journal of Dental Education, 72(12), 1405–1435.

Biggs, J. (2003). Teaching for quality at university: What the student does (2nd edition). Berkshire: Open University Press.

Bull, J., & McKenna, C. (2004). Blueprint for computer-assisted assessment. London: Routledge Falmer

2015 Conference Abstracts

Nicol, D. (2007). E-assessment by design: Using multiple-choice tests to good effect. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 31(1), 53–64.

Scouller, K. (1998). The influence of assessment method on students’ learning approaches: Multiple choice question examination versus assignment essay. Higher Education, 35, 453–472.

•

Kay Penny, Jacqueline Brodie and Brian Windram

Direct entry students’ perceptions of the enablers and barriers to embarking on the undergraduate dissertation Presentation Direct entry students into year four of their undergraduate study often find embarking on a dissertation straight away a very daunting prospect.

Often, they have just arrived from college or an overseas institution and haven’t had time to adjust to the culture of studying at university (Sinclair, 2005; Cook & Leckey, 1999), and they find it challenging to become independent learners (Christie, Barron, & d’Annunzio-Green, 2013; Roberts, 2011; Tait & Godfrey, 2001).

The aim of this study was to determine the barriers students feel they encounter and to explore what help they need to enable them to get started and engage with the dissertation module straight away.

Semi-structured interviews with a sample of international students and students who previously studied in a college setting who are direct entry into year four undergraduate level within the Business School were carried out. A qualitative data analysis was carried out to identify themes relating to barriers and enablers to embarking on the undergraduate dissertation.

The findings show that these students often find embarking on a dissertation a daunting prospect since they can lack the required knowledge and academic writing skills to formulate a viable dissertation proposal at Higher Education (HE) Honours level and have not given sufficient thought to deciding on a topic for their dissertation study. In addition, they often have not had time to reflect on the culture of studying at HE and they face significant challenges in terms of becoming independent learners.

We have identified that one of the best ways to

21

support these students’ transition into HE and ease their ‘chronic uncertainty’ is to provide ‘scaffolding’ in the form of a comprehensive and robust e-toolkit.

This seeks to help support the direct entry students as early as possible so that they engage with the dissertation module and get started on their dissertation at a time that is convenient for them at any point in their previous year of study prior to entry into year four at Edinburgh Napier University. We designed and implemented a mini module experience called the Dissertation Maze, which students could study at their own pace and enrol on even before they started university. This e-toolkit, in the form of a webbased learning artefact, seeks to provide ‘provisional stability’ for these learners, and we are currently piloting this tool with direct entry students.

References Cook, A., & Leckie, J. (1999). Do expectations meet reality? A survey of changes in first year student opinion. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 23, 157–171.

Christie, H., Barron, P., & D’Annunzio-Green, N. (2013). Direct entrants in transition: Becoming independent learners. Studies in Higher Education, 38(4), 623–637.

Roberts, S. (2011). Traditional practice for non-traditional students? Examining the role of pedagogy in HE retention. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 35(2), 183–199.

Sinclair, C. (2005). From college to university: Sociocultural issues for “direct entry” students. Socio-cultural theory in Educational Research and Practice, 1–16.

Tait, H., & Godfrey, H. (2001). Enhancing the student experience for direct entrants to the penultimate year of undergraduate degree programmes. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 25(2), 259–265.

•

Jenny Tizard

Different but equal? Comparing pathways to degrees in the School of Computing – Listening to student voices on direct entry for HN students Poster

easy is the transition from college to university for these students?

Learning Journeys For All (Higher Education Academy / National Union of Students, 2013) reported that students entering year 3 of university from college are less likely to feel prepared for the experience of studying at university than students entering at year 1. Previous research at Edinburgh Napier University explored the transition of year 3 direct entrants to the Business School (Christe, Barron, & D’Annunzio-Green, 2011). This study identified strategies and attitudes that students who were successful with engaging with the new learning environment at university were likely to adopt.

The survey of students in September 2014 asked students a number of questions about their goals and what they saw as their main challenges. A response rate of 57% to this online survey has allowed analysis of responses by year of study, programme and previous study background. Why do students choose to study Higher National Computing at college rather than come to university? Which is more important as a factor influencing their decision to come to Edinburgh Napier, the reputation for student support or the reputation for graduate employment?

Last year the Scottish Funding Council established an Associate Student programme with funding (through additional funded places) to increase the number of students articulating from Higher National programmes in colleges to university (Scottish Funding Council, 2013). The Associate Student programme has allowed the School of Computing to explore issues and challenges facing students and staff from the range of pathways taken to a degree. Based on this research, a number of initiatives to better support student transition from college are being piloted and evaluated. This poster highlights key research findings from the survey.

References Christe, H., Barron, P., & D’Annunzio-Green, N. (2011). Direct Entrants in Transition: Becoming independent learners. Studies in Higher Education, 38(4), 623–637.

Higher Education Academy / National Union of Students. (2013).

Learning journeys for all. Edinburgh: Higher Education Academy.

A large scale survey of all undergraduate students in the School of Computing has examined the expectations of students following different routes to a Computing degree. In years 2 and 3 the School of Computing takes in between 30% and 45% new students who are direct entrants from colleges. How

22

Scottish Funding Council. (2013). Additional articulation places for partnership between colleges and universities. Edinburgh.

•

Mabel P. Victoria

Using the liminal, off-task spaces of the classroom as a pedagogical resource Presentation Existing literature on pedagogic practices has yielded many interesting insights on classroom discourse, sometimes called ‘teacher talk’. The centre piece of most of these studies, however, tends to be on the institutionally sanctioned and legitimised ontask exchanges as teacher and students go about the planned content of the lecture or tutorial. The predominant discourse structure often follows the Initiation– Response–Feedback, or IRF, model (Coulthard, 1992).

Liminal and often invisible spaces of interaction such as what happens during the pre-lecture icebreaker and ‘small talk’ (Coupland, 2000), transitions between topics or activities, and playful moments of sociality a few minutes during break or immediately after the class are often underexplored and devalued.

Using transcribed data from more than 150 hours of naturally occurring spoken discourse, collected via participant observation, a discursive approach is used to analyse how teachers and students from highly diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds use the offtask spaces of the classroom for a variety of important functions: to subvert institutionally-sanctioned roles, establish and maintain rapport, modify participation structures and mitigate potentially face-threatening acts. Most importantly, examples from data will show how the teachers and students in this class use humor and playfulness to establish a culturally inclusive, engaging and motivating learning environment.

Theoretical and methodological inspirations are drawn from linguistic ethnography and sociolinguistics.

Based on the findings of this study, two main arguments are put forward: 1) the importance of the liminal, unofficial and off-task spaces of the classroom as a fertile site for learning and teaching; 2) the usefulness of a discursive approach in analysing the moment–to– moment interaction between teachers and students.

Both have implications for theorising pedagogic practices and for conducting pedagogic research.

References Coulthard, M. (Ed). (1992). Advances in spoken discourse analysis.

London: Routledge.

Coupland, J. (2000). Small talk. New York: Routledge.

2015 Conference Abstracts

23

Stream 3: Research projects from the PG-Cert TLHE / MSc BOE David Bishop

Aligning applicant expectations with student experience: A new approach to postgraduate recruitment and admissions processes Presentation What is the purpose of university recruitment and admissions processes? To attract and select applicants suitable for particular programmes of study is the obvious answer, but that only considers the university’s perspective. What about the viewpoints of different applicants to higher education?

Building on a research project submitted for the PGCert TLHE, this paper examines how the principle of constructive alignment inspired the new approach to postgraduate recruitment and admissions processes.

It will compare this approach with processes used by other institutions and contextualise it within the admissions guidance of the QAA’s UK Quality Code for Higher Education.

Finally, this paper will consider how the new approach has benefitted students and staff and suggest ways it might be adapted for use elsewhere.

References 1994 Group. (November 2007). Enhancing the Student Experience

The 1994 Group (2007) suggests that admissions processes are important in shaping an applicant’s attitude, because this early relationship can initiate engagement and prepare students for their transition to university life.

– Policy Report.

Mott-Smith, J. (2012). Viewing student behaviour through the lenses of culture and globalization: Two narratives from a US college writing class. Teaching in Higher Education. DOI: 10.1080/13562517.2012.725222

Those first impressions are even more pertinent with internationalisation, an increasingly important strategy. Mott-Smith (2012) argues that higher tuition fees – often with substantial advance deposits – lead to a sense of consumer entitlement, shaping international students’ behaviour and expectations.

The Creative Writing MA at Edinburgh Napier is pioneering a new approach that addresses these challenges by incorporating programme-specific teaching and learning activities (TLAs) into its admissions process. The outcomes of that approach have been twofold.

Firstly, it has enabled the programme team to better identify and engage with students who would most benefit from our unique Creative Writing MA course. But the innovative new process has also proven beneficial to applicants, giving them a deeper insight into the MA than offered by the boilerplate admissions process on most creative industries postgraduate programmes.

Before adopting the new approach, the programme team had noticed a gap between the course they were offering and student expectations, leading to problems with student retention in trimester 1. Now, with live TLAs deployed as an intrinsic part of the admissions process, students find that their expectations and experience are far more closely aligned – and retention has ceased to be an issue.

24

•

Shuna Marr

From Scavenger Hunt to Storify: Using a redesigned curriculum to incorporate more blended and socio-constructivist learning approaches to a level 10 module Presentation This is an example of action research undertaken for the BOE module EDU11108 Curriculum Design and Development for Blended and Online Learning.

TSM10107 LITHE (Leadership and Innovation in Tourism, Hospitality and Events) is a module taken by all fourth year students in our School, comprising one lecture and six tutorials each week. I am one of a team of four who deliver this module, and we each take sole responsibility of it for three weeks. During trimester 1 of this academic year I taught the lectures/tutorials in weeks 8, 9 and 10. The LITHE module has undergone a complete overhaul for the 2014/15 academic session: the delivery of the course has been reordered, and the main assessment, with 75% weighting, has changed from an integrated report to a portfolio with three separate tasks. So this is a major curriculum change and my own three weeks have had to be completely redesigned.

This presentation outlines the blended and socioconstructivist learning approach taken in my redesigned section of the module. I will show how the assessment task for my section of the portfolio was revised to incorporate social media and Internetrelated technology. Also covered will be how Moodle was used to support this section of the module and some analysis of the technological and socioconstructivist activities used during the module (including Turning Point clickers, an online Scavenger Hunt, Storifying Social Media evidence and a studentled classroom debate).

Throughout this section of the module students worked collaboratively, discussed in large and small groups, contributed to authentic tasks and drew from real-life contexts. It was anticipated that adopting such a constructivist pedagogical approach would encourage student participation as the means by which they would work collaboratively to construct their own knowledge of the technological landscape of the THE industries and reflect upon how this impacts on the customer experience and organisational performance. The results of an online student survey administered within Moodle provide evidence as to how successful students considered this to be. This iteration of the module was considered a pilot run, and my evaluation focuses on its efficacy in building students’ digital literacy in managing, evaluating, collating and creating information and cultivating e-professionalism.

•

Vocabulary Learning and the Moodle glossary tool Presentation This case study describes and evaluates the use of the Moodle glossary to support vocabulary learning in a class of first year German language learners.

The study will be of interest to language teachers but also to lecturers of any discipline which deals with specialised terminology.

Each student in the class was allocated a week during which they contributed 30 vocabulary items. All students were asked to learn the new contributions on a weekly basis and classroom tests were used to reinforce the new vocabulary. In order to support the correct use of the new vocabulary, contributions were expected to follow a certain format including grammatical information and example sentences.

Students received a small percentage of their mark for their contributions.

The following data was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the glossary: Statistics from the glossary, feedback notes, observation notes, results from weekly vocabulary tests, and a focus group with students.

The evaluation of the glossary revealed the following results:

Laurence Patterson

Steering the Digital Literacy ship. Preparing our students (and ourselves) to navigate their digital world Presentation Aharr, hearties! The presentation explores our underlying relationship with the digital world and the acquisition of skills necessary for us to better navigate within it. We present five key nuggets of gold which might serve to inform our understanding of the digital world and introduce en:compass, an online development, originally considered as a project on the MSc Blended and Online Education. en:compass is treasure now freely available to staff and students at Edinburgh Napier University and forms part of a booty of support tools provided by Information Services.

•

2015 Conference Abstracts

Sibylle Ratz

• Most students coped well with the technology, but some students needed individual technological support.

• Grading the contributions seemed an effective way of encouraging all students to upload contributions, whereas the (ungraded) classroom activities proved an incentive for most students to learn the vocabulary, although the intensity varied over the semester.

• In the focus group, students commented on the fact that their vocabulary had greatly increased over the semester. Statistics from the glossary compared with results from the activities provided evidence that engagement with the glossary improved students’ performance in the activities.

• Students remarked that they preferred the collaborative nature of the glossary to individual assessment work as carried out in the previous semester. However, the input of the lecturer as a corrective was important to ensure that the collaborative work was of good quality.

25

The case study will benefit lecturers who are contemplating the use of the Moodle glossary. Further research could focus on the role of assessment for this tool.

•

Reference Fellenz, M. (2004). Using assessment to support higher level learning: The multiple choice item development assignment.

Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 29(6), 703–719.

•

Anne Waugh

PeerWise: Online assessment for learning Presentation PeerWise is an easy-to-use online tool which requires students to write, answer and evaluate multiple-choice questions (MCQs), enabling meaningful and engaging online activity in any size of student group.

Although MCQs are argued to encourage rote learning, Fellenz (2004) introduced multiple choice item development assignments (MCIDA) as a form of learning and assessment which focuses on enabling higher levels of learning with successful outcomes.

PeerWise facilitates these processes electronically.

Studies show that student activity correlated positively with learning. Three characteristics of student learning using PeerWise are reported: • Writing MCQs promoted active learning.

• Collaborative learning occurred during peer sharing, evaluating and discussion of MCQs. • Frequent formative assessment with constructive and explanatory feedback facilitated ‘deepened’ learning.

As a student on the PgC Blended and Online Education (BOE), I introduced this tool to a large group of students undertaking a blended learning module in Singapore. Students’ engagement with PeerWise activities was awarded a summative assessment mark against specified criteria. PeerWise was the most frequently mentioned topic and students provided consistently positive feedback in the summative module evaluations. I have used PeerWise successfully three times to date; students continue to report it helps their learning and is an enjoyable activity to undertake. Completing the PgC BOE provided the opportunity to focus on innovative practice and, as importantly, plenty of encouragement to become a ‘pioneer’!

This presentation will introduce concepts and principles that underpin PeerWise, illustrate its use in practice by visiting a typical (online) PeerWise classroom and provide the opportunity for questions and discussion.

26

Dr Richard W Whitecross

Strengthening the teaching of legal professionalism: A comparative study of teaching professional values Presentation What does it mean to teach professional conduct, values and ethics? What does it mean in the specific context of legal education? As part of a wider research project on the changing landscape of the legal profession, it became apparent that there is a need to examine how we currently teach the undergraduate LLB (Bachelor of Law) at Edinburgh Napier University and across law schools in Scotland. Following the recession in 2008, there have been increasing complaints about the lack of responsiveness in law schools to the changes happening in the profession.

Maharg (2007, p. 5) writing just before the recession states that “many of our twenty-first century law schools still inhabit an industrial system of education inherited from a twentieth century mired in nineteenth century structures – a system that is entrenched by the massification of higher education”.

In June 2013, the Legal Education and Training Review (LETR) was published. LETR focuses on legal education and provision in England and Wales. However, it is relevant to and will influence legal education teaching in Scotland. Amongst a range of concerns identified, the review raised concern over the lack of educational provision on professional values and ethics in the undergraduate degree (LLB). LETR highlights the emphasis on these areas at the qualification stages of training. LETR recommended that students would benefit from earlier exposure to ideas of professional conduct, ethics and values. However, no specific proposals on how to address this concern were offered. At present the focus of the undergraduate LLB is on the substantial areas of law and the production of legal knowledge.

In Scotland, following a review of legal education, the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice currently provides the main introduction to core professional values. Therefore there is, following LETR, a similar need to consider how we teach students about

professional conduct, ethics and values during the undergraduate LLB. However, what is meant by ‘professional values, conduct and ethics’ in the Scottish legal educational context is open to a range of interpretations and perspectives that impact on the teaching of these core attributes of the ‘professional’ lawyer. Two professions that focus on professional values as part of their undergraduate teaching are medicine and accountancy. This paper draws on educational literature on teaching values and ethics general and from both of these disciplines to consider what lessons may be learned and applied when developing and embedding teaching on and of professional conduct, values and ethics in the undergraduate LLB. The presentation briefly sets out the theoretical perspectives found in the main literatures on professionalism and professional values. It then turns to consider the development of formative assessment that explicitly links an aspect of professionalism with a piece of assessment that provides feedback for the student to reflect on. It concludes with an argument for building in to current LLB modules more explicit discussion of professional values strengthening the students’ understanding of the professional standards and ethics.

Reference Maharg, P. (2007). Transforming legal education: Learning and teaching the law in the early twenty-first century. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing Ltd.

•

2015 Conference Abstracts

27

Stream 4: Outputs from TF Grant projects Meena Bhagat and Mark Huxham

Resilient learning: How to teach climate change and other troubling subjects Presentation This presentation discusses the complex challenge that students face when learning about climate change. It is a large and complex subject, with difficulties arising from its interdisciplinary nature and also, potentially, from the emotional challenges it raises (in common with other subjects dealing with emotionally charged topics such as palliative care). The study aims to explore whether there is an emotional response preventing engagement and how much the teaching of climate change and other emotionally difficult subjects should be influenced by the perceived emotional response of students.

Materials and methods: A questionnaire was designed with the aim of exploring students’ knowledge about and emotions towards climate change and their responses to climate change education. A total of 12 questions were asked in the preliminary stage and a further three questions were asked in the post-lecture stage. The questionnaire was piloted with seven people, then completed by a total of 205 students – a first year life science class (109 questionnaires), a third year life science class (20 questionnaires) and a first year sociology class (78 questionnaires) – prior to any specific climate change education. A post-lecture questionnaire was handed out on 26 October 2012 to the first year life sciences class, and a total of 87 were returned; this was about three weeks after the class had had their climate change lectures so that they had had time to assimilate their learning. A total of 68 respondents completed both the pre- and post-lecture questionnaires.

A small focus group with three first year students and four depth interviews were also conducted.

Summary of progress/results: The results for the main quantitative phase show an overall increase of concern and emotional awareness from the pre to the post stages. An overall score for each respondent for knowledge and emotion was calculated using the questions, and a weak correlation was found between the increase of knowledge and an increase in expressed concern. The qualitative findings show that students can engage with and understand climate change and other troubling subjects despite

28

uncertainty and no positive outcome. This is achieved through resilient learning and being emotionally able to understand, engage with and, more importantly, step through a metaphorical emotional doorway with the knowledge that they can do something that could change the outcome despite the outcome.

•

Karen Campbell and Anne Jamie

Flashcard application: A development for reference guidance Presentation Edinburgh Napier University used to provide ‘referencing guidance’ through a PDF format, but the student population felt this did not promote active learning. A student group in consultation with staff believed this could be improved and simplified for the School of Nursing Midwifery & Social Care, improving the student experience and promoting active learning.

Two solutions that the partnership raised was a handheld flashcard booklet and a mobile application based on a ‘flashcard’ action. Information Services was approached to develop a mobile application, which could be embedded in the University website. As a consequence, the team developed a general University ‘flashcard’ application, which is embedded in Moodle and staff can populate with content, as the course, module and/or student need requires in terms of promoting active learning.

This session will present the journey of developing the flashcards. In addition, the session will introduce the underpinning principles of Norman’s theory ‘principles of good design’ and ‘everyday designs’ visà-vis: visibility, mappings, affordances, constraints and mental models (Norman, 2002). These principles form the basis of a conceptual model on how individuals interact with devices. Both the initial, paper-based generating flashcards for categories of reference and the flashcards mobile application will be discussed in terms of usability and repurposing.

Therefore, this presentation will highlight the benefits and challenges in developing the flashcard in both formats and the University wide application of the Moodle flashcard activity.

Reference Norman, D. (2002). The design of everyday things. Basic Books.

•

Dr Monika Foster

Shining the light on the cultural aspects of student mobility: Reflections from a crossFaculty collaborative TF funded project

methodologies by sharing a study with colleagues from other subjects.

References Edinburgh Napier University. (2014). Edinburgh Napier University Academic Strategy 2020.

Presentation Higher Education Academy. (2014). Internationalising Higher

This session will briefly examine the outcomes of a Teaching Fellow funded, cross-disciplinary study involving Business and Design academics and their students in relation to the current topic of student mobility, as well as lessons learned from the collaborative project, which will be of use to anyone considering setting up a cross-subject TF funded project.

In this TF funded project, we examined the learning experiences of students (originally from China) studying in the UK and students (originally from the UK) studying in China by adapting a non-essentialist approach (Holliday, 2013) which values the individual experiences and complexities involved in cultures of learning. We went beyond existing understandings of ‘culture of learning’ linked to China and the UK, ‘shining the light’ on the rich and often complex development of cultural awareness involved in study abroad. It is often the less stressed aspect of student mobility but one that, as we discovered in the study, plays a major part in the students’ selection of student mobility option and the benefits achieved from it (Sweeney, 2012). The outcomes from the project inform the development of international exchanges, as encouraged by the University’s Academic Strategy (Edinburgh Napier University, 2014), and ensure they provide a significant learning experience they promise and develop global graduate attributes (Higher Education Academy, 2014).

In this session we will also reflect on the largely positive experience of this cross-subject project which provided an innovative opportunity for interdisciplinary pedagogic research, especially the significant benefits in sharing our expertise and methodologies. We also briefly reflect on the challenges involved in a team, cross-subject project of four busy academics, especially in the set up, preferences for data collection tools, reporting and dissemination of results.

Participants will be invited to share their insights in encouraging student mobility, especially from a cultural perspective. We will also encourage reflections from the participants on shared, team projects, especially the benefits of developing our own

2015 Conference Abstracts

Education: Framework for action.

Holliday, A. (2013). Understanding intercultural communication: A grammar of culture. Routledge (Taylor and Francis).

Sweeney, S. (2012). Going mobile: Internationalisation, mobility and the European Higher Education Area. Retrieved fromhttp:// www.britishcouncil.org/going_mobile_brochure_final_.pdf

•

Dr Iain Macdonald

Developing intercultural competencies for socially responsible design practice and global citizenship Presentation This session will examine the outcomes of a Teaching Fellow-funded project that examined how five design students participated and negotiated the implementation of live projects in an African context, specifically Mozambique. The aim was that a cultural learning experience in a very different environment with challenging resources and social conditions would develop student global citizenship and mobility.

Within the field of design education Mendoza & Matyók (2013) argue that design is a transformative and social engaged practice offering an important platform for student internationalisation. Although there is a growing body of academic literature on the internationalisation of higher education there is still a lack of research on the students’ perspective, and this TF-funded project seeks to make a valuable contribution to remedy that.

Many academics (Deardorff, 2009; Brooks & Waters, 2011; Root & Ngampornchai, 2013) are critical of the impact that such studies abroad claim to have on the student. There is an assumption that immersion in a different culture will automatically lead to intercultural competency. Instead this TF-funded project allowed students to first reflect on their own culture and behaviour. Intercultural competency requires effective communication with others, the ability to establish relationships and the ability to deal with psychological

29

stress. These competencies are essential if graduates, and especially those in design, are to be prepared for global citizenship and design without borders. At a time when higher education has moved towards discipline-specific training and job preparation it could be argued that it is time to find inspiration from more radical theories of design. Garland (1964; 1999) provides an approach that can culturally inform the European and African students in this study as they actively shape the world around them.

In this session we will also reflect on the design outcomes of the students and the impact that they had on the local Mozambican students that they worked with.

References Brooks, R., & Waters, J. (2011). Student mobilities, migration and the internationalization of higher education. Palgrave Macmillan.

Deardorff, D. K. (2009). Intercultural competence. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.

Garland, K. (1964). First things first manifesto. London: Privately Published.

Garland, K. (1999). First Things First Manifesto 2000.

Retrieved 9 March 2015 from http://www.emigre.com/Editorial. php?sect=1&id=14 Mendoza, H. R., & Matyók, T. (2013). Designing student citizenship: Internationalised education in transformative disciplines.

International Journal of Art & Design Education, 32.

Root, E., & Ngampornchai, A. (2013). ‘’I came back as a new human being’’: Student descriptions of intercultural competence acquired through education abroad experiences. Journal of Studies in International Education, 17(5).

time, therefore a creative response was required. The main aim of the project was to achieve the goal of “using learning technology appropriately to provide more student focus and improved communication in the design, delivery and support of the curriculum” (Edinburgh Napier University, 2010, p. 3). Following a recent Digital Futures forum this initiative was discussed and supported by the Assistant Dean of the School of Nursing, Midwifery & Social Care (SNMSC).

The project team created a set of videos, made by the Bright Red triangle (the student consultancy service in the Business School), comprising five–ten minute demonstrations of five clinical skills. The project involved second year nursing students undertaking a core theory module (Holistic Approach to Long Term Conditions) using video demonstrations of skills taught in the module prior to attending their clinical skills class. Students were asked to complete an evaluation using Turning Point to obtain quantitative data on satisfaction and use of the videos. The students were also encouraged to submit written comments which addressed their views on the benefits and challenges of this approach. The results of this evaluation will be shared. The facilitator’s experiences will also be considered.

A more robust evaluation is now planned to explore the students’ and lecturers’ experiences of using nursing skills videos to support student learning. It is anticipated that the findings from the initial project would inform the development of skills videos as a means of support to other programmes within the wider University.

Reference Edinburgh Napier University (2010). Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategy 2010–2015.

•

Christine Penman Jackie Nicol and Fiona MacKinnon

Developing adult nursing skills videos to support student learning

Reflections on two related TF funded projects in 2013: A training workshop and a project using software for the design of online learning activities

Presentation Presentation The presentation will provide an insight into a Teaching Fellow funded project that has been developed as a response to the National Student Survey (third year nursing students) and internal module evaluations of the second year core undergraduate nursing programme module. Students wanted more time allocated to the clinical skills classes. There was no facility within the teaching timetable to increase class

30

In 2013, I was awarded funding to organise a workshop for training in the use of a software (the LOC tool, the development of which had originally been partly financed by the HEA) which allows the creation of user-friendly online material. This workshop was attended by 13 people from different academic disciplines across the University. I also concurrently

received funding for a project to involve students in the creation of online material using the same software.

This session will contextualise the two projects and report on the evolution of use of this software since the funded activities took place. With specific reference to the project which I ran, it will situate the collaborative design of learning objects in the context of language activities external to the core learning activities of language students. It will discuss the initial set-up of projects and pragmatic constraints and affordances to team-based design. It will report on perception of this work by students and academic staff and document the building of an open source library of discovery tools for a programme-based community of learners. It will also reflect on how the TF funding has facilitated my personal journey from use of the software, to content designing, dissemination of its potential, and academic writing on the topic.

•

2001) than male students.

The evidence, therefore, supports the supposition that women underestimate their performance in assessment and show less confidence in ‘professional roles’ than men. A Teaching Fellows Development Grant was received to investigate these hypotheses, and this presentation shows the results of the first part of the study in which we asked students in Biology and Engineering to self-assess their performance in summative assessment (either essays, written class tests or online tests) prior to having their work marked. Our results will compare student selfassessment with mark awarded for male versus female students.

References Stannard, K. (2013, 6 December). Getting girls to stick with STEM subjects. TES. Retrieved from http://www.tes.co.uk/article. aspx?storyCode=6379190 Brown, H. (2008). Gender bias remains prevalent in the biological

Tony Westbury, Kate Durkacz and Charlotte Chalmers

sciences. Molecular Oncology, 2, 293–295.

Gender differences in self-assessment amongst STEM students

Science careers.

Presentation

role confidence and gendered persistence in engineering.

Females are under-represented in the STEM (science, technology engineering and maths) careers, despite doing well at school, where they often out-perform boys (Stannard, 2013). Whilst the number of girls entering STEM subject university courses has increased, and in some subjects, e.g. biology, female students may outnumber males (Brown, 2008), women are still under-represented at the higher career levels (Clayton, 2011). One model suggested for this is the ‘leaky pipe’, i.e. women gradually drop out at each stage of career development, including dropping out of university. Cech, Rubineau, Silbey and Seron (2011) suggest that attrition of women from engineering courses may be due to their relative lack of confidence in being able to fulfil roles identified with their chosen profession (“professional role confidence”), which the authors (Cech et al., 2011) assessed by means of questionnaires.

org/10.1177/0003122411420815

Clayton, J. (2011, 21 January). Fix the system, not the women.

Cech, E., Rubineau, B., Silbey, S., Seron, C. (2011). Professional American Sociological Review, 76(5), 641–666. DOI: http://dx.doi.

Chemers, M. M., Hu, L., Garcia, B. F. (2001). Academic self-efficacy and first year college student performance and adjustment.

Journal of Educational Psychology, 93(1), 55–64.

Langan, A. M., Shuker, D. M., Cullen, W. R., Penney, D., Preziosi, R. F., Wheater, C. P. (2008). Relationships between student characteristics and self-,peer and tutor evaluations of oral presentations.

Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 33(2), 179–190. Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02602930701292498

•

Amongst university students, gender differences have been identified in a student’s ability to self-assess their performance in assignments; female students are more likely to underestimate their performance in oral presentation (Langan et al., 2008) and in maths assessment (Cech et al., 2011; Chemers, Hu, & Garcia,

2015 Conference Abstracts

31

Visit our website at:

http://staff.napier.ac.uk/TeachingFellows