{"title":"Evaluating the benefits of virtual training for bioscience students","authors":"Sarah K. Coleman, Caroline L. Smith","doi":"10.1080/23752696.2019.1599689","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/23752696.2019.1599689","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Virtual laboratory simulations are commercially available to train students; these creative resources are available to complete remotely without traditional time and safety restrictions of laboratory-based practical classes. We introduced a Health and Safety virtual laboratory simulation to a core large first-year science module. Having surveyed students using a combination of Likert-type responses, multiple answer questions and free text responses, students reported that it had increased understanding and knowledge. Additionally, students reported that the laboratory simulation was motivating and had increased confidence for actual practical classes. We also surveyed students one year after completing the simulation finding a similar pattern of responses; the simulation had been useful, increasing confidence and knowledge about Health and Safety. Our data show that the virtual laboratory simulation improved student understanding and was still perceived to have been useful one year after completion, providing evidence of a longer term impact of the simulation on student learning.","PeriodicalId":43390,"journal":{"name":"Higher Education Pedagogies","volume":"4 1","pages":"287 - 299"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/23752696.2019.1599689","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42088524","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The benefits of a press release coursework for undergraduates","authors":"G. Hughes, Benjamin J. White, D. J. Wilkinson","doi":"10.1080/23752696.2019.1587715","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/23752696.2019.1587715","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Today’s academic staff and students are faced with increasing challenges including respective delivery and development of essential subject-specific content, research and diverse transferable skills for future employment. To meet these needs, we piloted an academic and Media Relations delivery partnership focussing on developing science communication skills to our undergraduate medical science students. This case study reports that the introduction of a science media workshop, combined with a short 250-word, low-stakes, summative press release coursework, proved to be an efficient and effective approach. The assessment required reading and understanding ‘unknown’ primary research findings and submission via the University Media Relations template for ‘real-world’ needs. Co-developed grading criteria allowed for rapid marking and feedback, and the academic-Media Relations marks correlated closely. Student feedback indicated that this authentic exercise was valued, being ‘different’ and ‘enjoyable’ for introducing key skills for research critique whilst also highlighting science media as a vocational route.","PeriodicalId":43390,"journal":{"name":"Higher Education Pedagogies","volume":"4 1","pages":"244 - 255"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/23752696.2019.1587715","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47168202","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Blogs in the modern foreign languages curriculum. A case study on the use of blogging as a pedagogic tool and a mode of assessment for modern foreign languages students","authors":"L. Di Gregorio, F. Beaton","doi":"10.1080/23752696.2019.1644660","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/23752696.2019.1644660","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Since the early 2000s, the numbers studying Modern Foreign Languages at university has declined, although there is a strong body of evidence that language capabilities are valued and in demand by employers, operating in global markets and working with international partners. A significant element in the Higher Education MFL curriculum to these challenges is to adopt innovative and engaging approaches to teaching, including the use of technology to develop the range and confidence of students’ language skills and prepare them for formative and summative assessment. This paper, drawing on theoretical perspectives of social learning, peer collaboration and curriculum design, considers the role of blogging in developing language capability, engaging students with real life non-academic forms of reflective writing and addressing the interrelatedness of language skills, cultural awareness and personal growth. It discusses the challenges of embedding new assessment methods in the curriculum and potential implications for practice in and beyond Modern Languages learning and teaching.","PeriodicalId":43390,"journal":{"name":"Higher Education Pedagogies","volume":"4 1","pages":"406 - 421"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/23752696.2019.1644660","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49102712","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Developing a framework for sustainable growth of flexible learning opportunities","authors":"M. Andrade, Bethany Alden-Rivers","doi":"10.1080/23752696.2018.1564879","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/23752696.2018.1564879","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Flexible learning increases access to higher education, particularly for traditionally undeserved students. First-time entrants, who may lack the cultural capital to be successful, may also be more likely to participate in flexible learning than traditional students, and particularly in online and blended courses. We posit that success for all students enrolling in flexible forms of learning can be achieved through course design and responsive pedagogies. For these efforts to be successful, competency frameworks must be developed, and initial and ongoing training provided for teaching staff. This paper discusses a theory-based and practice-informed framework for the scalable expansion of flexible learning, which in our case, encompassed online learning, blended learning, competency-based education, and open educational resources. We provide a context for the framework, introduce the framework, discuss the steps for developing and implementing it, and share initial findings and implications.","PeriodicalId":43390,"journal":{"name":"Higher Education Pedagogies","volume":"4 1","pages":"1 - 16"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/23752696.2018.1564879","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45321446","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The exploration of students’ learning gain following immersive simulation – the impact of feedback","authors":"Dawn Morley, S. Bettles, C. Derham","doi":"10.1080/23752696.2019.1642123","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/23752696.2019.1642123","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT With an increasing emphasis on the importance of real-world learning in higher education, coupled with demand for placement experience, simulation has become an increasingly popular pedagogy. However, literature is scant on how students feedforward their learning from the simulation debrief into placement. A mixed-method study of 108 student nurses explored how feedback from the debriefing contributed to students’ learning from immersive simulation and whether students used this learning in the placement that followed. In this case, authenticity, realism and interaction were achieved through the use of actors, high fidelity mannequins, clinicians, medical equipment and replicated clinical environments. Results indicated barriers to feedforward at the two stages of the simulation feedback process and the transition of learning into practice. Recommendations identify measures to strengthen the formative feedback phases between the university and practice settings and further enhance the potential of simulation pedagogy.","PeriodicalId":43390,"journal":{"name":"Higher Education Pedagogies","volume":"4 1","pages":"368 - 384"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/23752696.2019.1642123","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46425808","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Promoting student engagement by strengthening the link between research and teaching in Higher Education: an early career researcher perspective","authors":"Tasnima Aktar, L. Oxley","doi":"10.1080/23752696.2019.1669205","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/23752696.2019.1669205","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Having the opportunity to teach is a valuable experience to those starting out in the world of academia. In this article, the authors cast a reflective lens on their experiences of teaching and their participation in a structured programme York Learning and Teaching Award (YLTA), designed for new and aspiring academics and working towards becoming an Associate Fellow of The Higher Education Academy (AFHEA). They consider how research and teaching could be more closely linked in Higher Education and suggest benefits that could be gained from this link. In particular, they explore how strengthening the link between research and teaching in Higher Education could promote positive student engagement.","PeriodicalId":43390,"journal":{"name":"Higher Education Pedagogies","volume":"4 1","pages":"167 - 179"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/23752696.2019.1669205","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47460800","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Susan J. Deeley, M. Fischbacher-Smith, D. Karadzhov, Elina Koristashevskaya
{"title":"Exploring the ‘wicked’ problem of student dissatisfaction with assessment and feedback in higher education","authors":"Susan J. Deeley, M. Fischbacher-Smith, D. Karadzhov, Elina Koristashevskaya","doi":"10.1080/23752696.2019.1644659","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/23752696.2019.1644659","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Student dissatisfaction with assessment and feedback is a significant challenge for most UK Higher Education Institutions according to a key national survey. This paper explores the meaning, challenges and potential opportunities for enhancement in assessment and feedback within the authors' own institution as illustrative of approaches that can be taken elsewhere. Using a qualitative design, a review of assessment and feedback, which included an exploration of students' perceptions, was made in one College of the University. The findings highlighted variations in assessment and feedback practice across the College with dissatisfaction typically being due to misunderstanding or miscommunication between staff and students. Drawing on the review, we assert in this paper that students' dissatisfaction with assessment and feedback is not a 'tame' problem for which a straightforward solution exists. Instead, it is a 'wicked' problem that requires a complex approach with multiple interventions.","PeriodicalId":43390,"journal":{"name":"Higher Education Pedagogies","volume":"4 1","pages":"385 - 405"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/23752696.2019.1644659","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48414466","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Opinion piece: ensuring an effective higher engineering provision for STEM engaged applicants","authors":"D. Knapton","doi":"10.1080/23752696.2019.1664133","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/23752696.2019.1664133","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This paper is positioned at the junction between the requirements of the manufacturing industry for a significantly increased number of professionally registered engineers in the UK employment pool and the excellent work which is ongoing in and around the education sector to encourage more young people to follow a career in this field. Higher Education (HE) is a natural stepping stone between these two stakeholder areas of the skills pipeline and has an opportunity to make a unique contribution to ensure an effective HE engineering provision for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) engaged applicants.","PeriodicalId":43390,"journal":{"name":"Higher Education Pedagogies","volume":"4 1","pages":"311 - 314"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/23752696.2019.1664133","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42937427","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Integrating ideas from design disciplines into the STEM curricula","authors":"Gareth Loudon","doi":"10.1080/23752696.2019.1599688","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/23752696.2019.1599688","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The ‘Future of Jobs’ report from the World Economic Forum highlights that creativity is one of the most important skills needed by the workforce. One way of enhancing the creativity of students undertaking STEM subjects is by taking inspiration from design disciplines. The product design curriculum has creativity at its heart and follows a product oriented learning strategy, integrating ideas from the humanities and sciences, mixing theory and practice. The curriculum is structured to support multidisciplinary collaboration between students from different courses to bring in new ideas, perspectives and skills. Students are encouraged to explore new ideas, materials and technologies through play and experimentation. Teaching is undertaken in a studio environment rather than a lecture hall, enabling group discussions and practical activities to take place as part of teaching sessions. If ideas from the world of design are integrated into the STEM curricula, perhaps student creativity and engagement will improve?","PeriodicalId":43390,"journal":{"name":"Higher Education Pedagogies","volume":"4 1","pages":"284 - 286"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/23752696.2019.1599688","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42940937","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Solving the quantitative skills gap: a flexible learning call to arms!","authors":"S. Cook, Duncan Watson, Dimitrios V. Vougas","doi":"10.1080/23752696.2018.1564880","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/23752696.2018.1564880","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Recent years have witnessed the emergence of a growing literature bemoaning the level of quantitative methods provision within the U.K. Higher Education sector, noting its negative impact upon the subsequent skills of graduates and their preparedness for the workplace. The present paper documents and evaluates an attempt to counter these issues via the introduction of an increasing element of flexible learning on a business and financial forecasting module. Using a mixture of empirical methods, it is shown that flexible learning results in improvements in student performance and ability across a range of metrics. It is argued that ‘broad’ forms of flexible learning can be employed to overcome the concerns of an increasingly negative literature on quantitative methods provision and the subsequent skills levels of students.","PeriodicalId":43390,"journal":{"name":"Higher Education Pedagogies","volume":"4 1","pages":"17 - 31"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/23752696.2018.1564880","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46358286","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}