A 2018-19 Education Incubator Research Project
‘The hidden rules of the game’ (Portelli, 1993)
From a student: ‘Exeter was a culture shock to my system; it is overwhelmingly white and regularly gripped by racism scandals’
1. The problem Previous educational and cultural experiences of students can vary significantly between students from diverse backgrounds. Yet such background can act either as facilitator or barrier to equal participation to a high-quality Higher Education experience – this has often been described as the Hidden Curriculum.
Hidden Curriculum is a term coined by Jackson (1970) to describe a tendency of school curricula to reproduce the inequalities of wider society. The term gradually took a broader meaning to express any type of often unintentional learning that is not prescribed by formal curricula.
Understanding the barriers posed Education Lorem by the Hidden Curriculum 2. How we tried to explore it Methodology: 1. We adopted a participatory approach in that students were involved as co-researchers 2. We developed scenarios on the topics below: Assumed students – do tutors assume that students have specific characteristics, backgrounds and experiences? Academic values – how are implicit values in social sciences/ humanities presented in teaching and how students navigate this? Being one of a kind – how do you work with minorities in the class without alienating them? Structure of learning – how do you navigate student engagement? 3. We conducted focus group interviews with other students, using scenarios (see example) as stimuli for discussion An example scenario:
Hidden assumptions: •
It is Alex’s first seminar at university. Over the course of the term, it becomes apparent that the lecturer is likely anti-Brexit. When asked to write an essay on the matter, should Alex argue what he believes or what he thinks the seminar leader wants to hear?
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All students are comfortable to express their own and challenge others’ and tutors’ opinions The university is a place where different opinions are welcome
The project aims to: 1. explore Higher Education students’ perceptions of the Hidden Curriculum 2. make aspects of it explicit young white social The British implied straight student able-bodied living away from home without financial (Stevens, 2007) worries • or family/ caring responsibilities • • • • • • • •
3. Preliminary findings and reflections Preliminary findings: v Some students from less advantaged backgrounds can feel they do not fit well with the culture v There seem to be myths about how the university operates, e.g. admission quotas v The current way students access and interact with personal tutors could be improved v International and domestic students can often be seemingly divided, e.g. accommodation, INTO v Curriculum can be, in some cases, “Eurocentric” v There might not be a space or encouragement for minority groups to express their views Reflections from our team: ‘Taking an “objective” stance in the focus groups was a welcome challenge and I learnt a lot from engaging with people I otherwise would never have had conversations with because of my own biases’.
Project team: Clare Smyth, Deniz Fujita, Rose Day, Rebecca Munday, Suzi Rockey, Shivani Bhatt, Alex Westlake, Hannah Muskett, Anna Mountford-Zimdars (CO-I, GSE), George Koutsouris (PI, GSE) – for info contact G.Koutsouris@exeter.ac.uk
Authentic assessment: bridging the gap between students’ conservatism and employers’ needs Dr Cris Burgess and Dr Hazel Mycroft - Psychology, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter Background: Authentic assessments requires students, “to apply the skills and knowledge they have mastered" (Stiggins, 1987, p.34) and provides our students with opportunities to self-assess valued attributes, as well as offering concrete examples to illustrate their strengths to future employers. However, our students are demonstrably an riskaverse and conservative in their appreciation of specific forms of assessment perceived as ‘new’ and their introduction impacts negatively on student satisfaction.
2. Alumni consultation A. Traditional academic skills: “…critical thinking is one of the main things that you need to write any report that’s going to be meaningful…”
“… [providing evidence shows that] you know what you’re talking about because you’ve done the research, so you’re sort of saying we’re not just making this up…”
3. Employer consultation
“… [I am] a lot more mindful of where information has come from…”
We anticipate that increasing students’ focus on the development of core attributes and academic skills during their studies will address these concerns.
This project aims to: •
Audit current academic skills development.
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Identify gaps in skills development.
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Establish methodology for mapping skills across programmes of study.
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Design and implement an online platform to facilitate student reflection and selfassessment of skills.
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4. Student reflection and self-assessment •
Establish a reflective process, based on existing assessment and feedback mechanisms, to encourage students to reflect on and self-evaluate skills.
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Identify suitable online platform(s) to support development of e-portfolio to facilitate assessment and recording of skills, tracking of skills development during programme of study.
Design evaluation methodology to assess impact.
1. Student consultation, curriculum audit •
Consult with students.
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Audit current undergraduate Psychology programme to identify current skills development, based on assessment types.
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Map skills development across programme.
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Explore skills mapping for other programmes, building on Emma Taylor and colleagues’ work at UEMS (Exeter Education Incubator project 2017/18).
B. Unexpected benefits: “…the things that I took from the degree are not the things that I enjoyed the most, but they’ve become the most useful…”
C. And what’s missing?
“…writing different formats is definitely a good thing because it means that you have to take a step back and think more abstractly… …what’s the objective of what I’m writing?”
“…data handling is a massive part of what we do…”
“…If you just had you know almost like a list of when you’ve done what or something maybe… …and then it’s freely available to anyone because okay, yeah, actually we did do that and it did map onto this…”
5. Evaluation of impact This project is due to run until the end of the 2019/20 academic year. Impact on the following will be evaluated: •
Student experience and satisfaction (student feedback, NSS).
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Employability outcomes (DLHE).
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Psychological and academic resilience (baseline Sept 2018).
Acknowledgments: This project is supported by the Exeter Education Incubator and EdTech Exeter
For more information: Please contact Cris Burgess c.n.w.burgess@exeter.ac.uk
Today’s workplace relies on digital technologies. Organisations use software to manage, store, and analyse data, and to enable their members to communicate with each other and the public. Employers expect university graduates to enter the workplace with basic digital skills – but do they? And what do ‘basic digital skills’ really mean?
This poster presents the results of surveys and interviews with Humanities alumni (20); current Humanities PGT and PGR students (32); current Humanities students who have done or are doing a work placement abroad (7); and a selection of employers (6). All the surveys were voluntary, completed without incentive, and advertised via internal e-mail or circulated via the contacts of the Alumni and Careers offices.
The Humanities in a Digital World project investigates what digital skills students need to succeed in today’s workplace and how we can provide them at Exeter.
CURRENT SKILLS PROVISIONS...
WHAT SKILLS DO STUDENTS NEED? When asked about the digital skills needed for today’s workplace, the employers highlighted a range of skills which varied according to the needs of their particular organisation. However, there was a sense that some graduates lacked what they considered basic digital skills, such as the ability to use Excel. This was reflected in their assessment of the digital skills training currently provided by universities: an average score of 3 out 10 for Humanities graduates.
Currently, Humanities degrees provide little digital skills training. Of current Humanities students and those who had graduated within the past 10 years, 32 out of 39 (82%) hadn’t attended any digital skills training sessions as part of their course. And 33 out of 39 (85%) hadn’t attended any other digital training sessions offered by the university. It seems that even when there were other opportunities to gain these skills, students did not choose to pursue them. Interviews with students and graduates indicate that this is because: they didn’t know they were available they weren’t able to attend they didn’t know whether they needed the particular skills being offered
WHAT SKILLS DO STUDENTS WANT? We also asked these students and graduates what kind of digital skills training they would like or would have liked in order to prepare them for the workplace. The word cloud shows the range of suggestions and highlights the most popular terms from the 29 responses. The suggestions clustered around three main areas: handling data, coding and programming, and website design. Humanities graduates and current students with experience in the workplace gave a clearer indication of the kind of digital skills that are used most commonly in the workplace. Three of the four most important skills concerned working with data: data analysis (28%), data visualisation (17%), and database design (11%). Web development was also prominent (11%).
GOING DIGITAL... So what kind of training can and should we offer at Exeter? The wide variety of software used in the workplace means that training students to use particular programs isn’t that useful: different organisations use different programs and programs quickly become obsolete as technology develops. However, students do need to know about the processes involved and what different programs do. They need to be able to think digitally. Incorporating digital skills into modules and coursework will expose students to different digital approaches and give them an understanding of the different processes used. Students would also benefit from more training in quantitative analysis. This doesn’t have to be complex – simply getting students to create their own datasets and analyse them in Excel would give them some experience of data handling.
Building and managing databases was the most popular request, with other suggestions for training in data analysis and data visualisation. Likewise, the prominence of GIS is notable: this relates to the spatial analysis of data. The suggestions for training in Microsoft programmes, including two requests specifically for Excel, may also represent a desire to learn more about quantitative methods, such as creating spreadsheets and applying formulae to data.
“There is no advantage in having training in a particular program, it’s knowing the structures and how things work or what different types of programs do that’s useful” - Postgraduate
Project members: Helen Birkett, Richard Ward, Sarah Jones, Libby Jones, Charlotte Maes, and Hasnul Djohar For further information contact: R.M.Ward@exeter.ac.uk
Sharing a social learning pedagogy BEM2034 Digital Technologies and the Future of Work Opportunities
Challenges
•Co-creation of content from diverse international multi-disciplinary student group
•Timetabling of face-toface sessions across many programmes and different campuses
•Flexible learning – emphasises importance of self-guided independent study time as well as ‘contact’ time
•Students need guidance on how to learn/interact online – can’t assume any prior experience
•Continuous educator-led and student-led formative feedback – reinforces value of reflection and learning from each other •Co-development of digital literacies •Building networks of learning, support and influence •Invites continuous development of materials throughout module
•Students cautious about making online contributions to discussions (reflecting classroom practice!) •Assessment needs to be embedded throughout module to prompt engagement •Content and modes of learning and assessment demand equal attention in module planning
Project team: Lisa Harris - Beverley Hawkins - Stephen Hickman - Alison Truelove Student Digital Mentors: Luke Henderson - Shuyi Tang - Ben Wood
#iSTEPexeter HOW WE WORK, AND THE NATURE OF THE WORK WE DO, IS BEING RE-IMAGINED What we've done:
Supported the creation of a blended learning module called 'Digital Technologies and the Future of Work' Helped to promote digital literacies in the Business School Run focus groups to gather student views
What we've learned:
Luke: "How to reach goals within a time limit" Shuyi: "How to improve teamwork skills and be more creative" Ben: "How digital technologies are constantly shaping our future careers�
What we're doing next:
Taking part in the module Introducing further digital methods of learning into the pedagogy Creating a tighter community using digital tools
Join us!
Website: https://exeterstudentdigitalmentors.wordpress.com/ Email: exeterstudentdigitalmentors@gmail.com Twitter: @MentorsStudent Facebook: Exeter Student Digital Mentors Instagram: e_u_s_d_m
Evaluating the Impact of Peer Programmes on Student Learning Gain - a Cross-Discipline Approach David MacDonald1, Ferdinand Boucher1, Tim Fawcett2, Jonny Gurr3, Bella Magner2 & Amanda Pocklington4 1
College of Medicine & Health; 2College of Life & Environmental Sciences; 3Centre for Social Mobility; 4Academic Skills & Engagement, University of Exeter, UK
Introduction Peer-supported learning is reported to have a significant impact on enhancing the student learning experience (Keenan, 2014; Liou-Mark, et.al. 2015), but no study has evaluated the quantitative impact of peer programmes on student learning gain and academic attainment (Dawson, et al. 2014). To address this gap, we designed a robust study that used weekly pre- and post- MCQ assessments to collect quantitative data. This evaluated independently the impact of selected peer programmes on learning gain and allowed us to investigate correlations with academic attainment in first-year student cohorts across different disciplines.
Results • 71% of participants in the CMH study felt that attending the peer-led sessions made them feel more confident about the lecture content. This was supported by a significant increase in selfreported confidence scores in participants attending the review sessions (see figure 2).
Methods • 84 first year undergraduate student participants and 23 later year Peer Impact Mentors were recruited within the colleges of Medicine & Health (CMH) and Life & Environmental Sciences (CLES).
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An increased performance in mean post-test scores was observed in participants attending peer-led sessions within the CLES study (see figure 3).
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A significant increase in ‘learning gain’ was seen in participants who attended introductory sessions within the CLES study (see figure 4).
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Three separate four-week studies were completed—a pilot study undertaken within CMH in term 1 (n=34) and two further studies undertaken within CMH (n=24) and CLES (n= 26) in term 2.
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Participants were randomly allocated to four protocol groups (see figure 1) and rotated through each protocol group over a four week study period.
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Introductory peer-led sessions introduced that week’s lecture content and focused on activating participants’ prior knowledge as a preparatory exercise; the peer-led review sessions consolidated new learning gained from attending the lectures.
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Qualitative data was gathered by weekly evaluation questionnaires.
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Learning gain was assessed via MCQ quizzes run at the start (pre-test) and repeated at the end (post-test) of each week. A Likert-based ‘confidence’ option - i.e. how confident are you in your choice of answer on a scale of 1(not at all confident/guess) to 5 (very confident) was associated with each question.
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Figure 2. Evaluation of self-reported confidence scores within the CHM pilot study (n=34). Attending the review sessions led to a significance increase in selfreported confidence amongst participants (p=.001)
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Figure 3. Comparison of post-test scores between protocol groups within the CLES study (n=26). Mean post-test scores increased with attendance at peer-led sessions.
Figure 4. Comparison of ‘learning gain’ between protocol groups within the CLES study (n=26). Attendance at Introductory sessions led to a significant increase in mean post-test scores (p=.039)
Conclusions • Preliminary data indicate that student engagement in peer programmes can lead to a measurable increase in learning gain. •
Figure 1. Four-week study design. Each week, all participants completed weekly pre- and post-tests and attended either a peer-led introductory or a review session or both according to whichever protocol group assigned.
Further analysis of quantitative data collected from CMH and CLES studies ongoing; to be reported in full at the International Academic Peer Learning (IAPL) Forum conference in June 2019.
References: Dawson, P.,
van der Mee,r J., Skalicky J.,Cowley, K., (2014). Review of Educational Research, Vol. 84, No. 4, pp. 609–639; Keenan, C. (2014) HEA; Liou-
Mark, J., Dreyfuss, A.E., Han, S., Yuen-Lau, L., Yu, K., (2015). Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, Special Edition: November
Layal Hakim, Department of Mathematics" CSD - Continuing Student Development"
On-line Assessments in Higher Education:" The digital revolution is expanding and on-line assessments are being considered by many UK institutions to enhance the student experience1. " How to run effective on-line assessments: • Questions must test students on topics that are part of the curriculum • Clear instructions on how to perform the test must be given • Feedback needs to be provided • The tests should be inclusive Tests are categorised as diagnostic, formative, summative or mastery2.
Regular computer-based assessments accelerate students’ progress and allow us to identify students’ skills, strengths, and weaknesses. Student support should be individual, engaging, and inspiring.
On-line Quizzes for CSD: What? On-line quizzes were created to help students with their ongoing revision Who? Stage 1 mathematics students taking MTH1001 and MTH1002 Why? Mathematics is highly synoptic and students struggle to keep on track Where? At home or in a computer based lab where technical help is provided When? Weekly during term time (Autumn & Spring) How are these quizzes categorised? Formative, diagnostic, mastery The quizzes were created using NUMBAS3, and imported into ELE .
This project has improved the level of student support while meeting the students’ demand and need for new technologies.
Maths Café: • One-to-one mathematics help, Self-study space, free coffee and pastries • During the winter and summer exams • Surveyed students who attended • Students found the café very useful and pointed out areas of improvement
Current/future plans: • Analyse the data collected from the online quizzes, surveys sent to the students who took the quiz, and survey sent to the students who attended the Maths Café • Expand on the online quizzes in order to make them available to other students in CEMPS 1. Walker D.J. Principles of Good Online Assessment Design, Assessment design for learner responsibility, 2007 2. Bull, J., McKenna, C. Blueprint for computer-assisted assessment, London: RoutledgeFalmer, 2004 3. Numbas is a web-based e-assessment system developed at Newcastle University
EDUPLAYTION Utilising Playful Learning to Enhance Engagement and Learning in Medical Education Joseph Francis
INTRODUCTION Identification and implementation of engaging, evidence-based virtual learning environments is a priority within modern education systems in order to meet the demands of an increasingly digitally focused student population and thus promote deeper learning. Within this exciting area, concepts such as curricula co-design, utilisation of blended digital learning platforms and gamesbased playful learning are increasingly becoming of interest to academic institutions as a way of increasing student engagement and satisfaction. Within the University of Exeter Medical School, there is a similarly identified need for the enhancement of innovative digital learning tools in accordance with aim 5 of the universities Education Strategy.
THE PROJECT This ongoing project aims to bring Playful Learning, an innovative pedagogical strategy, into the forefront of academic and student focus, through creation of innovative workshops, learning objects and research. The project is currently ongoing and will complete in July 2019 with assessment of impact in 2020.
OUTCOMES SO FAR Faculty Learning Community: The eduPLAYtion FLC has run transdisciplinary workshops with staff and students across our campuses engaging attendees in playful learning theory and practice. Passionate and like-minded individuals have come together to explore, co-design and experience new ways of teaching and enhancing education through playful pedagogies
Playful Learning Object Working alongside BitPod, clinical skills videos have been produced to embed into H5P. The finished product will allow students to run through a number of immersive scenarios with interactive questioning to challenge their knowledge prior to partaking in simulationbased learning in their clinical skills sessions
Procurement of a Gamified Learning Platform Design of a gamified learning platform for student groups is currently underway, in partnership with the Redgrasp collaborators. This automated question based software leads to acquiring of digital badges, leaderboard status and promotes engagement with key resource materials prior to attendance in the clinical skills sessions. Assessment of Impact Informal experiences and learning actions from the FLC will be documented and published in relevant playful learning journals to inform future practice Engagement and benefit of the playful learning objects and platform will be monitored and reflected upon contemporaneously alongside their release in the new academic year
Follow the progress: @josephfra eduplaytionblog.blogspot.com #eduPLAYtion j.francis3@exeter.ac.uk
ephemeral knowledge
This project explores how ephemeral media, such as snapchat and instagram, might confront the idea of ‘endurance’ as a fundamental aspect of learning and knowledge gain. Instead of knowledge as long-term information regurgitation, thinking ephemerally can engage creativity, and help turn memory into understanding.
PART OF THE ‘LOCATING IMAGINED SPACES’ EDUCATION INCUBATOR PROJECT
Snapchat has offered an interesting way into exploring classical didactic poetry. Its temporary nature means that there is not the same pressure to achieve polish, to transform a thought into an argument. Rather, turning text into image (usually film, sometimes photo) has sharpened focus on what is described, and how that could translate out into the world. Images are shared via a group. Allowing some space for non-permanent learning, for images that will disappear after 24 hours, has freed up creativity, and allowed the material to be approached differently.
Short-term exploratory learning through video also has interesting possibilities for longer-term memorability, and for how memory and understanding are entwined. Goetschalckx et al (2018) have recently lent experimental support for 'the concept of memorability as an intrinsic image property that is consistent across observers, across paradigms, and across time'. Such ideas help to move away from the notion of ‘visual learning’ towards the question of what makes an image intrinsically memorable. Rather than thinking only about the objects of a scene, this indicates the importance of framing, aesthetics, semantics, and 'interestingness', and circles neatly back towards the text.
Keeping ephemeral media as a non-assessed element has introduced creative fun into (esp.) revision. However, there are various ways the digital platforms could be integrated: as exploratory class-based learning; as bespoke revision tools to enhance memorability; as part of assessment portfolios, with accompanying reflective work. Benefits include quick start-up and ease of use.
Switching pedagogical tools has also allowed for broader conceptual questions to be posed differently. How is space employed within a section of the poem? Could it be replicated? Is it possible to translate ‘time’ between imagination and the material world? What might the attempt reveal of the flexibility of word and image? The snapchat glasses also enhance classroom aesthetics. Do contact Katharine if you’d like to have a play with them, or if you would like the references given above.
contact: katharine earnshaw (k.m.earnshaw@exeter.ac.uk), classics & ancient history
Future Food MOOC
How can we create a sustainable food system for the 21st century? Dan Bebber, Natalia Lawrence & Bethan Stagg
The food system Sustainable intensificaMon
• Dan Bebber (Biosciences)
Food culture • Harry West (Anthropology)
• Michael Winter (PoliMcs)
Ecosystem services
Diet and health • Rob Andrews (Medical School)
• Ian Bateman (Economics)
Economics and trade
Behavioural change
• Steve McCorriston (Economics)
• Natalia Lawrence (Psychology)
Future farming
Crops
• MaL Lobley (PoliMcs)
• Dan Bebber (Biosciences)
Crop pests
Fisheries
• Sarah Gurr (Biosciences)
• Jamie Stevens (Biosciences)
Soil erosion
Livestock
• Kees Jan van Groeningen (Geography)
• Mark van der Giezen (Biosciences)
Climate change • Steven Sitch (Geography)
Gender Equality MOOC Emma Jeanes UEBS The Challenge Gender inequality is a global, pervasive and enduring challenge facing our societies. Tackling gender inequality requires fundamental changes at multiple levels, including enhancing understanding of the nature and effects of gender inequality alongside policy-led activity. It has received increasing attention recently through campaigns such as HeforShe, #MeToo and policy developments such as the UK’s Gender Pay Gap reporting making it timely to harness this interest and contribute to activities addressing this challenge.
Aim: •
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Increase understanding of gender inequality by creating a MOOC addressing: o What gender inequality is, how it is sustained, and what can be done to tackle it that incorporates theories and examples from different disciplinary areas. To ensure all Exeter alumni have the opportunity to graduate with gender equality training. In the longer term: o Targeted MOOC at Schools to extend the reach of programme; potential to combine this with class-based activities. o Collect impact data on the response to the MOOC, in order to have evidence of the impact of the MOOC, and any associated activity. How is this being done?
This project involves working with students and colleagues with an interest in gender equality in creating a gender equality MOOC focused on broader understandings of gender inequality as they affect the home/family, workplace, governance/politics, and society more broadly (e.g. media). 1. Academic led design and development of course 2. Student’s involved in developing and recording materials; students to ‘host’ the MOOC. 3. Data collected on understanding of gender equality (before and after the course) and discussions. Where is it now? The course has been designed and most of the materials have been drafted. The student led videos are being recorded in April and May. An ESRC Festival of Social Science event ‘gender equality for young women’ event run in November 2018 was a successful pilot of class-based support that can be used to introduce the programme into schools.
InVEnTA: Interactive Virtual Environments for Teaching & Assessment Steven Palmer (s.j.palmer@exeter.ac.uk), Anne Le Brocq & Damien Mansell, Available now to University of Exeter users: Email educationincubator@Exeter.ac.uk for access and instructions
Project Summary: The InVEnTA project embraces the recent advances in geospatial and visualisation technologies to develop a software tool for efficiently producing ‘free roaming’ immersive Interactive Virtual Environments (IVEs).
Case studies:
We are developing case studies to showcase the tool and functionality. Some case studies utilise research data collected in the field, others utilise global datasets that are available through Esri’s City Engine. We are exploring the application for these datasets to form the basis of a Virtual Fieldtrip an alternative to the compulsory residential fieldtrips and for students unable to attend fieldtrips due to mitigating circumstances. Using the InVEnTA tool immersive environments are easily created to teach about for example (a) our own research data on glacial processes and Arctic fieldwork (b) effect of sea-level rise, (c) cityscapes and campus tours (d) 3D models. (b)
(a) Screengrab of InVEnTA showing signpost functionality for the Grand Canyon
3D data from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), kite-based photography, handheld cameras (for smaller areas) or existing online spatial datasets can form the basis for interactive, immersive virtual representations of real-world environments for teaching and learning. Educational content in the form of text, photos, sound, and videos can be easily embedded within the environment, to suit the learning objectives. Project Concept: InVEnTA consists of two separate ‘apps’ – a ‘Creator app’ and a ‘Viewer app’. The workflow in schematic ‘A’ below shows how an educator can create a IVE by embedding educational/learning content to be experienced by multiple learners. This forms the ‘engaged knowledge acquisition’ application. A: Engaged knowledge acquisition Educator 3D data
B: Active knowledge construction L
L
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IVE
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Learning content Creator app
IVE
Learner
Viewer Viewer app app Viewer Viewer app Viewer app Learner app Learner Learner Learner
Viewer app
Educator
InVEnTA has been designed so that it can also be used in an ‘active knowledge construction’ setting ‘B’. In this model of use, learners use the Creator app to build their own unique IVE by adding their own content. These can then be assessed by an educator or shared with peers via the viewer app.
(d)
(c)
Example IVEs within InVEnTA: (a) Russel Glacier (b) sea-level-rise feature (c) city-scape (d) 3D model
A s s e s s i n g t h e l e a r n i n g g a i n s o f I n V E n TA :
The project team are investigating the learning gains of the tool. It has been used in four different undergraduate Geography modules with different applications and learning objectives. Response rates of users are as of yet too low to quantify learning gains, however increased engagement of the cohort using the tool has been noticeable. Students spent far longer on InVEnTA tasks than the traditional alternatives. Ina peer support task students collaborated well and produced results they wanted to share with the cohort. “The software provided an informative visualisation of the different features of a glacier. I enjoyed the 3D aspect of it.” “Very fun software to different environments” Follow the link below or scan the QR code to watch our feature video
@UOE_INVENTA https://youtu.be/UbRP1E9CKJo
visualise
the
Accessible in-class teaching: a training resource for staff Ms Claire Lavers Xfi Centre for Finance and Investment, University of Exeter Dr. Piklu Gupta, FabLab Neckar-Alb e.V. Ra.onale
Content
The objec.ve of this resource is to highlight some of the barriers faced in-class by students with the most commonly occurring impairments in the student body and to illustrate the simple changes that you can make to your classes, and teaching material, that can help reduce or eliminate such barriers.
The training resource will contain anima.on, videos with special effects and student tes.mony, illustra.ng the barriers to learning students with disabili.es face, by replica.ng how disabled students experience a range of learning environments. This will illustrate why accessible in-class teaching is important and help to combat some of the a2tudinal problems some students experience from staff (Fuller 2004).
Introduc on
Example of the experience of a student with a visual impairment: glaucoma
Ra onale
In 2009/10 the par.cipa.on rate in HE by students aged 19 with an impairment was 33%, however this s.ll lags behind the par.cipa.on rate for their non-impaired peers which was 41%.
Using paper with a gloss, rather than a maC finish can make text very difficult to read for a student with dyslexia.
Sample page extract: Field work. There are some physical environments that are simply not accessible, par.cularly to students with mobility impairments. It is important to first consider whether it is pedagogically necessary to visit these loca.ons; could a video or simula.on of the loca.on provide a student with the informa.on they need, or could a similar alterna.ve environment be used as a subs.tute? If it is necessary for all students to aCend, it is important to ensure students know in advance about any barriers they may face, so that they can make informed decisions as to whether they take the module or programme. Site facili es In order for students to be able to make informed decisions about whether they can par.cipate on a trip it is likely that you will need to know the following informa.on about the site: •
Students with impairments have lower comple.on rates and degree classifica.ons (Richardson et al. 2003).
The UK performs poorly compared to European countries on measures of the employment rate of individuals of working age who have a disability 48% versus 75% (Eurostat 2015).
Outputs
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The campus map with normal vision Created using The Color Blind Simula.on func.on is copyright (c) 2000-2001 by MaChew Wickline and the Human-Computer Interac.on Resource Network
The campus map with the most common form of colour blindness: Anomalous Trichomacy.
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What will the access to toilets be during the day for students with gastro-intes.nal disorders? Will there be facili.es to store medicines that have to be kept cool? How far away is the nearest doctor’s surgery or hospital? What will the sleeping arrangements be, as some students will not be able to share rooms, while others might want to share rooms? Students with poorly controlled epilepsy or diabetes may not want to be in a room by themselves. Will assistance dogs or support workers be allowed on the trip? Will the site be able to accommodate students with dietary restric.ons?
Academic Support? There is an app for that… Dr Andrew Pye, National Teaching Fellow, University of Exeter Education Incubator Fellow, College of Life and Environmental Sciences. a.j.pye@exeter.ac.uk
Aim: To explore student views on ‘academic support’ and ‘digital academic support’ to identify ways of engaging students and supporting them online. Existing applications such as ‘Yammer’ have the potential to transform the way we think about academic support. Taking academic tutoring out of the dusty academic office and into the 21st century. Yammer (effectively an internally administered, Office365 based version of Facebook) has the potential to not only facilitate communication between students and their academic tutor, but also between tutees in tutor groups; enabling the creation of online peer support groups across the University.
Study timeline: 1. Online survey sent to 375 UG Biosciences students 17% response rate (n62) (January). 2. Followed up with focus groups with peer leaders (n8) (February). 3. Yammer group small scale pilot (March). 4. Large scale trail of Yammer groups September (200 students).
We compared students wish list of features for an ‘academic support app’ with their current digital platform use. Yammer had the best fit of features. Questions focused on NSS questions around academic support. Contact with academic staff was identified by students as very important. Online contact (such as ELE forums on modules) was also seen as academic support.
Download the Yammer app now on android:
When asked directly 76% of students said ‘online’ counted as ‘being able to contact staff’.
or the iOS app store:
Yammer is available to all students as part of the Universities Office365 package, but students are currently unaware of its potential. Interested in discussing this more? Future research collaboration? Contact a.j.pye@exeter.ac.uk