teaching excellence at subject levelt_conference_progr… · undergraduate students from a range of...

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Thursday 27th June 2019

Teaching Excellence at Subject Level

Enhancing the In-Class Experience

Learning andTeaching Institute#UCLTC2019

Learning and Teaching Conference

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Keynote SpeakerProfessor Sir Chris Husbands has been Vice-Chancellor of Sheffield Hallam University since January 2016.

A Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, he has undertaken senior roles in universities for over eighteen years, as Head of the Institute of Education at Warwick University (2000-3), as Dean of Education and Lifelong Learning at the University of East Anglia (2003-7), as Dean of Faculty and then Director of the

Institute of Education (2007-15) and as Vice-Provost at University College London (2014-15).

His academic interests are in education policy and practice; his research has explored the reasons for difference in performance between education systems and his work has been published in fifteen books and over four hundred papers and presentations. He has worked with local and national governments in the UK and internationally, across four continents.

Sir Chris graduated with a double starred First in History from the University of Cambridge, where he went on to complete a doctorate in Geography. He was a teacher and senior manager in urban secondary comprehensive schools before becoming a university lecturer.

Sir Chris was appointed in 2016 by the Government as the inaugural Chair of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) which assesses teaching excellence across UK higher education. He is Chair of the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Board, Chair of the Doncaster Opportunity Area Board and a co-opted Private Sector member of the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (SCR LEP) Board. Sir Chris was knighted for services to Higher Education in 2018.

Staff Teaching AwardsAward Categories

1. Teaching Team of the Year

2. Innovative Teacher of the Year

3. Positive Change Award

4. Research Informed Teaching Award

WelcomeWelcome to this year’s Learning and Teaching Conference, hosted by the Learning and Teaching Institute (LTI).

The conference has been running for a number of years and is an opportunity to showcase what we do best as a university and highlight the excellent work of colleagues. The theme for this year is “Enhancing the In-Class Experience”. The goal is to highlight excellence in face-to-face, in-class teaching across academic faculties and professional services. There will be sessions that demonstrate collaborations between these areas. With the increased scrutiny of universities and the arrival of subject-level TEF, it has never been more important to reflect on what teaching excellence means and how we can learn from other staff and disciplines.

The keynote speaker this year is Professor Sir Chris Husbands, Vice Chancellor of Sheffield Hallam University and Chair of the TEF panel. In addition to his keynote address at the start of the conference, Sir Chris has kindly agreed to take part in a question and answer session. There will be an opportunity for members of the audience to ask questions and gain a greater insight into the TEF process and the changing landscape of higher education.

Following the keynote sessions and a refreshment break, there will be three main sessions. Sessions A and C will consist of short talks from members of staff across the university. Session B will be one-hour long workshops, related to a number of topics. There are some excellent sessions promised and we encourage you to attend as much as possible. We have asked our presenters to consider how their teaching approaches and practice is influenced by the University Learning and Teaching Strategy 2017-2022. The strategy can be found by using the following URL or by searching on Portal: http://www.chester.ac.uk/sites/files/chester/Learning_and_Teaching_Strategy_2017_2022.pdf

Slides from presentations will be available to view after the conference and some sessions will be recorded.

We will also be closing with a celebration of best practice in teaching at the second annual Staff Teaching Awards. This was a success last year and a number of colleagues were rewarded for their contributions, so please support this initiative and see who is recognised this year.

5. Learning Leader of the Year

6. Outstanding Contribution to Teaching and Learning from Professional Services

Conference Overview

3.30pm-4.00pmCelebration and Recognition – Staff Teaching Awards

8.30am-9.00amRegistration and Refreshments Small Hall

9.00am-10.15amKeynote SpeechProfessor Sir Chris Husbands CBK011

10.15am-10.45amQ&A with KeynoteProfessor Sir Chris Husbands CBK011

10.45am-11.15amRefreshments and networking Small Hall

11.15am-12.15pmMORNING SESSIONS

A1CBK107Developing understanding of BTEC and A level students’ prior educational experiences in order to improve retention and successBridget Caffrey, Rebecca Falcon, Ross Frisby, Richard Hill, Maeve Marmion, Victoria Seddon, Kate Sillitoe‘The sooner, the better’: an evaluation on the introduction of early assessment in first-year Law studiesDr Emma Roberts (Law)Exploring male undergraduate achievement: a mixed methods studyDr Hannah Heath, Dr Suzanne Stewart (Psychology)

A2CBK013/1&2An exercise in paraphrasingLiz Johnson (LTI), Jo Warburton (Media)Achieving positive student outcomes: enhancing the learning environment by making the implicit, explicitElla Turner (LTI)Reading between the lines: supporting the acquisition of information literacy Anne Williams (LIS)

A3CBK106/2Student voice: a new approach to SSLMs and module review Andrea Todd (Law)Can working with students as partners improve job satisfaction and the student experience?Thomas Slater, Dr Julie Sutton, Charina Guanzon, Hannah Dixon

Students v lecturers in the classroom: structure, debate and success in an Animal Psychology moduleLindsay Murray, Lucy Rutherford (Psychology)

12.15am-1.00pmLunch Small Hall

1.00pm-2.00pm AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS

B1 CBK010Unbundled, personalised, and dynamic education: exploring teacher authenticity through transformative inquiryValerie Ebrahimi (Social Work and Inter-professional Education) Wayne Connor-Scahill (Mental Health and Learning Disability), Gilly Scott (Glyndŵr University)

B2CBK107Getting through the fuss about feedback - how feedback can work to enhance the student in class experienceDr Michelle Tytherleigh (Psychology) Wendy Garner (Education and Children’s Services), Dr Alan Massey (Health and Social Care), Dr Tim Brown (Chester Business School), Craig Smith (LIS)

B3CBK013/1&2Making friends with academic readingDr Laura Kennedy, Lisa Rhys, Sonja Rewhorn (LTI)

B4CBK106/2

ASK (Ask Questions, Shape Ideas and Kick-start Careers) - Embedding Employers Adam Crane, Sally Harding, (Student Futures, Careers and Employability)

2.00pm-2.30pmRefreshments and networking Small Hall

2.30pm-3.30pmAFTERNOON SESSIONS

C1CBK106/2The use of Socrative within seminars Matt Garrett, Eghosa Ekhator, Phil Rouse (Law), Craig Smith (LIS)GIS to map literature in classNaomi Walker (English)

Using simulation as a learning strategy to improve end-of-life care education for student nursesViki Whaley (Public Health and Wellbeing)

C2CBK013/1&2How the Student Quality Ambassador Project has helped students prepare for future practiceSheila Shennan (Acute Adult Care)A passport to success? Enhancing awareness of skills and employability in Archaeology undergraduatesDr Amy Gray Jones (History and Archaeology)Embedding employability skills in day to day teaching Dr Rosa Fernandez (Social and Political Science)

C3CBK010Crafting a collective sense of self: developing creative strength for wellbeing in Initial Teacher EducationGeorgina Spry (Education and Children’s Services)Exploring the contribution of the University of Chester Student Counselling Service to the enhancement of student in-class experienceJamie Patterson (Student Futures)CreateChester - how Computer Science brought together students from all levels and programmesRalph Ferneyhough, Lee Beever, Andy Davies (Computer Science)

C4CBK107Enhancing outcomes on compulsory modules - more than just a gradeDr Tim Brown (Chester Business School)Difficult events faced by students in the world of work - translated into classroom teachingKate Knight, Lucy Wallace, Suzanne Seabra, Trish Partridge (Nursing) Lorraine Palmer, Tracey Phillips (Claire House)Learning together with community stakeholders to enhance the experience of a research moduleGill Buck (Social Work and Inter-Professional Education), Danielle Woolley (Dandelion CIC)

@UoC_LTI #UCLTC2019

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A1Developing understanding of BTEC and A level students’ prior educational experiences in order to improve retention and success.

Bridget Caffrey, Rebecca Falcon, Ross Frisby, Richard Hill, Maeve Marmion, Neil Pickles, Victoria Seddon, Kate Sillitoe

LTI-funded project.

University of Chester retention and success statistics show that students who enter University with a BTEC qualification do less well and are more at risk of non-completion than students who attend with A Levels in their entry profile. This project was designed to investigate why this is so with the ultimate intention of working to improve the retention and success rates of BTEC students.

During the academic year 2018-19 interviews were held with undergraduate students from a range of University departments to establish the nature of the teaching, learning and assessment prior to coming to the University of Chester. The interviews encouraged students to talk about class sizes, teaching activities, assessment types, assistance around completing assessments and the academic transition to university.

This presentation will illustrate the initial findings of the study, focussing on the main differences between the BTEC and A Level student cohorts, and how these differences vary depending on the subjects from which they come and University departments into which they enrol. It is anticipated that this information will promote discussion about how best to engage and support these differing student cohorts within the university.

The sooner, the better: an evaluation on the introduction of early assessment in first-year Law studies.

Dr Emma Roberts (Law)

Whilst assessment is anxiety-inducing – particularly, among first year students – receiving feedback goes some way in generating a positive student experience, insomuch that the assessment process aids the first years’ students transition into Higher Education and confirms their learning-gain. Weak results or poorly-constructed feedback may influence their decision-making over possible withdrawal, thus, influencing retention metrics at an institutional level.

The predominant means of assessing students of Law across the whole curriculum is by essays, often requiring 1,500 to 2,000 words of critical discourse, assessing both ‘knowledge and understanding’ and ‘cognitive skill’. That the first assessment at level 4 required students to produce a long-hand written critical evaluation of a source of law, compounded the anxiety produced by the assessment process and the general feeling of being appropriately placed in Higher Education. To address these issues, the Law School replaced the first written assessment with an early multiple-choice question assessment, administered online, assessing the students’ knowledge and understanding. The

intervention informed students and staff on achievement and potential, facilitating constructive dialogue at the first pastoral meeting. This paper presents on the design of this intervention and analyses the evaluation that followed. It concludes on the value of this approach in ensuring inclusive teaching and learning, improved outcomes on compulsory modules, enhanced student engagement, improved retention and student satisfaction and the embedding of technology enhanced learning onto the curriculum.

Exploring male undergraduate achievement: a mixed methods study.

Dr Hannah Heath & Dr Suzanne Stewart (Psychology)

LTI-funded project.

This project aimed to explore issues related to the achievement of male psychology undergraduate students through the reporting of audit data and focus groups with students and staff. This project was developed through the Department of Psychology’s (DoP) successful Athena SWAN bid (November 2016) and subsequent action plan. From our analysis of student data for the bid, we identified an achievement gap in which male undergraduates had lower achievement in terms of final degree classification compared to females. This achievement gap was larger than that for the Psychology sector. This paper will discuss the results of this mixed methods study. In particular, attention will be paid to the following quantitative audit data: student achievement on modules and assessment types, attendance, incoming grades, combined honours versus single honours, and the age, ethnicity and POLAR data of students. Qualitative analysis of male student focus group data also highlighted the importance of achievement, a felt divide between themselves and staff, and social discomfort in female-dominated classes. Strategies to improve achievement suggested by students included peer-mentoring, better communication between departments, more explicit links between content and assessment, and department-student partnership activities. The staff focus group data highlighted that males tended to occupy the extreme ends of the degree classifications, and discussed issues related to engagement, confidence, and support-seeking. Strategies to improve achievement suggested by staff included group activities, and the importance of male role models. This study has implications for understanding the nuanced and complex needs of male undergraduate psychology students, and provided considerable scope for further exploration into the issues facing male undergraduate psychology students.

A2An exercise in paraphrasing.

Liz Johnson (LTI), Jo Warburton (Media)

An issue with Level 4 students being over-reliant on quotes was recognised by subject staff in the Film Studies programme. An initial collaboration discussing possible strategies to

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overcome this resulted in an embedded specific session on the importance and process of paraphrasing as a transitional skill from FE to HE. Underpinning the session with specific and targeted module reading list text books contextualised the skill, as well as increasing engagement with key thinkers and concepts within the field. The embedded in-class exercises modelled best practice and allowed peer-to-peer learning aiming to support the inclusion and improved outcomes of all students. This also promoted collaborative practice between Study Skills and academic staff. The second assignment for this module was due in after this session and the lecturer noted that most students attempted a more academic style of writing than they had for their initial assignment.

The purpose of the conference paper is to provide an overview of the session from conception to delivery with a view to encouraging other collaborations, in line with the focus on transition within the Learning and Teaching Strategy we hope to demonstrate one approach to enhancing the in-class experience.

Achieving positive student outcomes: Enhancing the learning environment by making the implicit, explicit.

Ella Turner (LTI)

A core priority of the University’s Learning and Teaching Strategy is by 2022, academic skills will be embedded into the curriculum at each level. This priority has driven an initiative that requires new programmes and modules to explicitly reference the embedding of academic skills in the design and delivery of the curriculum. During the rollout of this initiative, colleagues raised concerns about whether embedding academic skills would entail less time for teaching content. Referencing the Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework, this session will demonstrate why and how we can re-imagine in-class teaching as a way to develop students’ skills through disciplinary content. Embedding academic skills in this way can make the oft-taken for granted norms and conventions of our disciplinary communities visible to students for whom those norms are alien (Murray & Nallaya, 2016). Therefore, this session will provide a range of voices to propose that academic skills and disciplinary content ought not to be dichotomous, but should be united as a means to develop learning.

The session will commence with the perspective of a local A level tutor, who will highlight the reality of student preparedness for life within the university culture. Following this, the presenter will address the need to embrace the holistic development of academic skills and provide practical, real-life examples of explicitly embedding academic skills in the curricula.

Reading between the lines: supporting the acquisition of information literacy.

Anne Williams (LIS)

The term “information literacy” has been used to describe the use of technologies for information retrieval; the process of

identification, location, evaluation and use of information; and the competences required to undertake this process (Koltay, 2016). In the academic setting, information literacy is recognised as supporting student success and the employability agenda. While IL sessions are most commonly delivered by librarians, evidence suggests that to be most effective IL should be provided in the context of “a subject curriculum and ideally taught in partnership with academic and academic support colleagues” (Secker & Coonan, 2011, p. 4).

This session will focus on how librarians can work with academic colleagues to embed information literacy within academic programmes . It will highlight examples of good practice from a variety of subject areas.

Koltay, T., Spiranec, S., & Karvalics, L. Z. (2016) Research 2.0 and the future of information literacy. London, United Kingdom: Chandos.

Secker, J. & Coonan, E. (2011). A new curriculum for information literacy: executive summary. Retrieved from http://ccfil.pbworks.com/f/Executive_summary.pdf

A3Student voice: a new approach to SSLMs and module review.

Andrea Todd (Law)

In the 2017 NSS, the Law School’s score for NSS question 25: ‘it is clear how students’ feedback on the course has been acted on’ was 15% below the sector average, despite scoring around the sector average on statements relating to opportunities given to provide feedback and on staff valuing students’ views and opinions about the course (NSS Q23 and 24). Given the importance of the results of the NSS survey (not least to subject-level TEF metrics), I undertook quantitative and qualitative research with L5 and L6 Law students, as well as staff, to discover the underlying reasons for the poor NSS score and to conclude how best to improve processes for closing the feedback loop.

This research informed a pilot approach to Law School SSLMs and module feedback processes during 2017-18, and resulted in a 15% rise in student agreement with Q25 in the 2018 NSS. The pilot approach appears to have worked, but we have more to do. This session discusses the results of the primary research, the details of the pilot approach, a word on teething troubles and a conclusion on what we have learnt.

Can working with students as partners improve job satisfaction and the student experience?

Thomas Slater, Dr Julie Sutton, Charina Guanzon, Hannah Dixon

This symposium is of direct relevance to the TEF, as it focuses on Student Partnership (TQ5) and how we engage students as partners across two faculties at the University of Chester. It also explicitly relates to Priority 3 (developing and enhancing

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partnership activity with students), within the University of Chester’s Learning and Teaching Strategy.

An example of working with students as partners is the Student Empowerment Group, which was established in the FHSC to support the programme planning team. It employed the new Nursing and Midwifery Council standards for Pre-Registration Nursing to ensure that, “students are empowered… to become resilient, caring, reflective and lifelong learners…’’. Students co-chair the group with academics and membership includes practice partners and student services. The group mapped current student empowerment and created a ‘wish list’ for the new curriculum. The group bench marked ‘students as partners’ initiatives by attending a SIG on this theme to reflect on the direction they want in co-creating the curriculum. Student generated inductions were also co-designed with students, academics and support staff. The induction utilised feedback from students and the ‘What works in student retention and success’ campaign philosophy. The team created a new model for peer-mentoring which improved not only the new students’ experiences, it also developed those peer-mentors transitioning into their third year, who reported it enhanced their leadership and mentorship skills.

Students v lecturers in the classroom: structure, debate and success in an Animal Psychology module.

Lindsay Murray and Lucy Rutherford (Psychology)

This presentation aims to describe the evolution of a third year optional module in Animal Psychology, and how considerations around delivery and assessment drove an upward trajectory in both student achievement and satisfaction. It is co-presented to offer perspectives from both the lecturer’s and student’s point of view. From its inception, this module always aimed to be different, exciting, challenging and with student experience at its core. Its early years in operation saw the module team balance a structure of alternating lecture-led and student-led sessions. Presentations of article evaluations by small student groups were followed by discussions which have evolved into debates. While all students on the module loved going on the zoo trip and presenting a poster on a mini-project, some students were more apprehensive about presentations and debates but surprised themselves with their ability, and sometimes flair, in both. Students fed back their appreciation of the module and this has proved motivational in their achievement in terms of grades, with most students obtaining at least upper-second class marks, and many first-class. On the basis of their experience on this module, sometimes coupled with doing their dissertation on an animal project, several students have gone on to work in animal-related jobs and, this year, three graduates of the module have embarked on MRes projects to further their experience and to pave the way for PhD research. The impact on module choice and attendance of different methods of assessment and style of delivery are also discussed.

B1Unbundled, personalised, and dynamic education: Exploring teacher authenticity through transformative inquiry.

Valerie Ebrahimi (Social Work and Inter-Professional Education) Wayne Connor-Scahill (Mental Health and Learning Disability) Gilly Scott (Glyndŵr University)

One of the key drivers in HE is to increase student satisfaction through: “... inspirational teaching, [and] transformational learning....” (UoC, 2017, p.3). Recent research on TEF and student choice (DfE, 2018) lists the quality of teaching as ‘the’ third most important factor in the undergraduate experience. Whilst telepresence is predicted as early as 2020 (Deloitte, 2015), scale-up pedagogy (McNeil et al, 2018) and digital education have already landed. As indicated by student participants in De Bruyckere et al’s (2016) study, teachers in HE not only need expertise, but passion, unicity and distance. We argue that to achieve this we also need self-authenticity: • How confident and connected we feel to ourselves. • How confident and connected we feel to students.

Finding ‘true to self-authenticity’ (Kenny et al, 2018) can be challenging. We ask you then, to remove yourself from the ‘competitive soil of academia’ for forty minutes, to consider yourself as a teacher through transformative enquiry (Tse et al, p.660). The ‘insider perspective’ on authenticity and unicity, as explained by students, will be explored. During this interactive session we will share different approaches to inclusive teaching and as ‘active participants’, we ask you to consider different perspectives on this theme.

Delegates are encouraged to bring SMART phones; tablets, iPads or laptops.

B2Getting through the fuss about feedback - how feedback can work to enhance the student in class experience.

Michelle Tytherleigh (Psychology) Wendy Garner (Education & Children’s Services), Dr Alan Massey (Health & Social Care), Dr Tim Brown (Chester Business School), Craig Smith (LIS)

How much feedback is ‘enough’ feedback and how can feedback be made more effective? Do students really like verbal feedback and how can Turnitin be used to produce it? What do students expect from feedback and how can I get them to engage with it? Whilst we all know that feedback and feedforward are key areas in student learning, we also know it is one beset by a multitude of challenges. And not just for the student who receives it. So, if getting through the ‘fuss of feedback’ is a barrier to your practice, or you simply want answers to your questions about the practicalities of how to make your feedback better, then attending this workshop is for you. Presented in the format of an ‘expert’ panel Q&A session, comprising experienced academics, technical staff and a representative for the student voice, you will have one hour to ask and get some answers to your

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questions. You will also hear some ‘hot off the press’ news about how students are actually using their feedback to enhance the in-class experience for them.

B3Making Friends with Academic Reading.

Dr Laura Kennedy, Lisa Rhys, Sonja Rewhorn (LTI)

From our experience, students are often intimidated by the reading they are required to undertake for their degree programme. The intention of our workshop is to present a range of tasks designed to help demystify academic reading for students. By encouraging students to appreciate the direct importance of reading to their academic achievement, we are seeking to increase the likelihood of success and progression of all students. We believe it is important to acknowledge certain truths about academic reading in order to empower students with the knowledge that they are not alone in finding the transition into degree-level reading difficult. The workshop’s title embodies our approach: to teach the student to get to know the text gradually and know the right questions to ask to get what they require from the text. The activities have been designed to be easily embedded in the curriculum, by advisors and/or academic staff, as recommended by the University Learning and Teaching Strategy 2017-2022. They encourage dialogue about reading in the seminar room or lecture theatre that will be reassuring to students from a wide range of educational backgrounds making the transition into Higher Education.

B4ASK (Ask Questions, Shape Ideas and Kick-start Careers) - embedding employers.

Adam Crane, Sally Harding, (Student Futures, Careers and Employability)

ASK is a re-modelled employer panel which aims to be informing, insightful and inspiring. ASK encourages peer supported learning, which is crucial for students, and provides a platform to learn from local industry professionals by sharing their insight and experience.

ASK launched in 2017/18 as a series of both in-class and out of class employer panel sessions. In its soft launch year 24 sessions were held, which span across most of the University’s subject areas. As of 2018/19 ASK is now completely embedded into the classroom in the curriculum. As a result of this embedding, ASK truly helps to contextualise the student’s learning in an impactful way, by hearing first hand from employers.

ASK aligns closely to the University’s foundation value of ‘the vital role of education in the service of society’ by ensuring

that students gain valuable and real insight into their future potential careers.

ASK 2018/19 strategically engaged with specific subject areas in order to improve destinations performance. These included Humanities, Computer Science, Creative Arts, Health & Social Care, Maths, Media and Accounting & Finance. An ASK session can form part of your departmental TEF narrative submission.

This workshop will explore what ASK panels are all about and it will also provide you with a framework for holding a panel within your department. We will showcase first hand, from both an employer’s and student’s perspective, about why they get involved and the benefits of doing so. This will be achieved by delivering the workshop in the format of an ASK panel to demonstrate how ASK supports the embedding of academic and employability skills in the curriculum, thereby promoting innovation, imagination and creativity in the design, content and delivery of inclusive teaching, learning and assessment.

C1The use of Socrative within seminars.Matt Garrett, Eghosa Ekhator, Phil Rouse (Law) Craig Smith (LIS)

Seminars are a traditional means by which students can engage in discussion, test knowledge and in theory receive feedback on their progress to date. They should play a key role in assisting students to transition into university and between levels of study while providing a regular form of feedback. However, attendance and engagement in law seminars at least is notably lower than for lectures. Thus the Law School undertook a project to re-evaluate seminars and how they operated.

In Contract Law innovation was shaped by the desire to meet three key points:1. Most notably the first foundational value of the University-

the dignity and worth of each individual. Anecdotally one reason for lower attendance in seminars has been the fear from some students of losing face amongst their peers.

2. Supporting transition, progression and achievement- a key element of the Learning and Teaching Strategy. As a level 4 module Contract Law plays a key role in terms of a general transition to undergraduate study but also as a foundational subject in Law. The aim was to enhance engagement in the seminars themselves.

3. Providing feedback to students - this is a recurring area for improvement from student surveys and of course these now feed into the TEF process.

That innovation was the adoption of Socrative and this is paper will seek to explore how Socrative was used to try to address these aims and to reflect on the value of its use.

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GIS to map literature in class.

Naomi Walker (English)

This paper will explore how Geographical Information Systems (G.I.S.) can enhance both teaching and learning within the classroom. I will display how I have used Google MyMaps to teach various English literature texts including Jane Austen’s novel Northanger Abbey (1817) and Mary Webb’s novel Gone to Earth (1917). By the application of maps and mapping, the student can understand the text in a different and more profound way and can notice connections and relationships which an initial reading might have failed to appreciate. The use of G.I.S. enables both the teacher and the student to explore relationships between the text and the author and to more easily identify fictional places and landmarks. Through the production of virtual maps within the classroom, an open and accessible resource can be created which both scholars, enthusiasts and academics can use. This acknowledges the wider context in which higher education operates and recognizes the implications for professional practice.

Using simulation as a learning strategy to improve end-of-life care education for student nurses.

Viki Whaley (Public Health and Wellbeing)

Within the Faculty of Health and Social Care, staff are required to teach emotionally distressing content. This presentation outlines the lessons learnt in creating a safe learning environment for students undertaking lessons with affective content. A simulation was developed to transform student perceptions and develop coping mechanisms which are considered essential to provide effective learning and subsequently care when focusing on a person’s end of life.

A mixed-methods study was conducted with first year nursing students. A validated tool identified that simulation can positively transform learners’ attitudes towards caring for dying patients and provide a more effective teaching strategy than theoretical methods. By facilitating a patient death, nursing students practised the requisite affective and psychomotor skills to provide this care; particularly exploring students’ fears and emotional reactions in a safe environment.

Focus groups conducted with nursing students across four sites established that the relationship between student wellbeing and the in-class experience has been greatly enhanced using simulation. The debriefing enabled students to analyse their emotions, fears and reactions to affective situations that cannot be achieved using more traditional classroom-focused techniques. Students reported satisfaction with the teaching method as they testified feeling less fearful of encounters in real life situations and more confident and emotionally prepared to provide EOLC whilst identifying the privileged nursing position to provide this care.

Knowles (1984) outlined in his theory that adults require a learning environment that does not threaten them. One of the major challenges highlighted in the literature on EOL simulation is ensuring the psychological safety

of the participants. The findings from this research have demonstrated that simulation can provide a safe environment for learning, however several lessons were learned that can be applied to both healthcare education and alternative fields and subjects such as; role-modelling positive behaviours, reframing previous experiences and challenging assumptions using unconditional positive regard, the use of pre-briefing and de-briefing and managing psychological safety using the concept of de-griefing. Alongside findings from the study, conclusion will be discussed and how a safe environment can be created when adopting simulation as a teaching strategy.

C2How the Student Quality Ambassador Project has helped students prepare for future practice.

Sheila Shennan (Acute Adult Care)

In this presentation I will explain how the Student Quality Ambassadors (SQA) project works, the benefits students gain from being part of the project and showcase the new initiatives it has produced. Looking at the transferable skills students gain and how that develops them for future professional practice.

SQAs are given the opportunity for extra training, this includes, amongst others, emotional wellbeing, new up to date research and quality improvement. They are encouraged to develop initiatives, share best practice and increase communication skills.

As the project incorporates all of the health care sciences, across 11 Universities in the North West the students are engaging with and learning beside their peers from different courses and even different Universities, which in a conventional learning environment they may not get the opportunity to do.

In addition some students who have developed projects under the SQA umbrella have been nominated and won national and international awards.

All of this has resulted in the students gaining extra skills, the ability to work with other multidisciplinary team members and extra confidence in public speaking.

As a result they have more on their CV and a great deal of experience to take into their future careers, this is very popular with employers and enhances the students future job prospects.

A passport to success? Enhancing awareness of skills and employability in Archaeology undergraduates.

Dr Amy Gray Jones (History & Archaeology)

LTI-funded project.

This paper presents the results of a project designed to enhance skills recognition and employability amongst Archaeology undergraduates. Whilst both academic and

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transferable skills are embedded in our degree programmes, students do not always fully recognise these skills or feel confident in articulating them, limiting their evaluation of their achievements and, ultimately, their employment aspirations. This project, supported by a Teaching Innovation Grant from the LTI, aimed to address this through a programme of student reflection on, and evaluation of, the skills gained and developed during the Archaeology Experiential Learning module in Level 5. LTI funding has allowed me to support this activity by supplying students with an Archaeology Skills Passport, a reflective log developed by the HEA and professional bodies, and recognised by employers. This paper will present an evaluation of the effectiveness of this programme of reflection, recording, and assessment of competency, on students’ understanding and awareness of the skills they have gained.

Embedding employability skills in day to day teaching.

Dr Rosa Fernandez (Social and Political Science)

The purpose of this contribution is to share the different initiatives that the Economics team within the University of Chester is following in order to improve the students’ opportunities of employment after graduation. As it is widely known, employability is part of the TEF metrics – included in ‘students outcomes’, so every effort to improve the figures is welcomed. Economics is a highly competitive discipline with high employability figures, but challenges appear when students are taking the course as a combined subject, with the risk of employers getting the perception that Chester candidates may not possess the wide range of concepts and modelling knowledge expected from ‘pure’ economists. The Economics team has made every effort to ensure such perception is minimised, complementing concepts knowledge with skills expertise from Level 4, giving our students a competitive edge. Said skills include some of the most valued characteristics by employers, such as communication/oral presentations and teamwork, achieved through specifically designed assessment methods. The initiatives also include direct contact with a range of employers within the lecture setting, so that students can hear first-hand what type of skills and knowledge are really in demand within the labour market. All the aforementioned initiatives are in line with the University’s Learning and Teaching Strategy, which includes ‘embedding employability skills in the curriculum’ as one of its key priorities. Contact with recent graduates is testament of the positive results of the approach taken, with most of them already in quality graduate jobs.

C3Crafting a collective sense of self: developing creative strength for wellbeing in Initial Teacher Education.

Georgina Spry (Education & Children’s Services)

The intended benefits of arts-based social groups promote self-confidence, inclusion, empowerment, self-efficacy and

the building of social networks. This has implications for student wellbeing and supporting longer term student retention. The ongoing project explores how ITE students’ experience of studying in an Education Faculty in the North West of England is inflected by participating in an art-based support group. By running a weekly support group in term-time, where students can ‘natter and make art-work’, this project seeks to develop an understanding of how these activities promote student wellbeing and informal student interaction as well as promoting learning. Using zines to explore and capture ITE students’ experiences and perceptions throughout weekly art and craft gatherings, making connections not only with encounters in previous sessions but also with each other’s experiences, creating a collective sense of self. Weekly data collection takes the form of simple arts-based evaluative strategies. From the emerging data, issues pertinent to the student’s wellbeing will unfold and may ultimately be able to be tracked back to students’ in-class experience.

Exploring the contribution of the University of Chester Student Counselling Service to the enhancement of student in-class experience.

Jamie Patterson (Student Futures)

Background: Student counselling services are ubiquitous in higher education. Quantitative psychological outcome measures are commonly relied upon to provide a mean by which service value can be assessed. However, whilst quantitative data establishes the mean, it does not convey the meaning of student involvement and how that might relate to student in-class experience. This study explores the meaning that students attribute to engaging in counselling, postulating on the broader value and contribution to in-class experience.

Aims: To evaluate the relevance and value of student counselling to in-class experience.

Method: Qualitative questionnaires were gathered from students completing counselling. Data was analysed using applied thematic analysis to develop codes and suggest themes.

Results: 23 codes suggested 3 over-arching themes of: Operational; Transformational; and Academic-Experiential Dimensions

Conclusions: Quantitative data from University of Chester Student Counselling Service in 2017/18 demonstrates 73% improvement in Wellbeing. Problems, Risk, and Functioning also improved in students who engaged with UoC student counselling service. Qualitative feedback was overwhelmingly positive, indicating transformational and academic benefits to students who engage with counselling.

10

createChester - how Computer Science brought together students from all levels and programmes.

Ralph Ferneyhough, Lee Beever, Andy Davies (Computer Science)

Reflecting on over three years of collaboration delivering the Games Development programme, Ralph and Lee realised some of the best industry related activities, the game jams and competitions, were only taken up by a small number of the students, as they were extra-curricular in nature.

A plan to suspend lectures for the games students for a few days to deliver a more comprehensive and inclusive set of such activities grew and was soon adopted by the whole Computer Science department - createChester was born.

For one week in November, every CS student from all programmes and all levels were invited to come together, first for a series of workshops that didn’t always fit within the more modular programmes, and then to face a 2-day challenge activity of their choice – a game jam, a hackathon or a cyber capture-the-flag event.

Presented here will be a full summary of the event and the way it enhanced the classroom experience, alongside a look at the positives encountered and how they improved engagement and hopefully retention. Issues and problems, such as the possible adverse effects on disrupting regular teaching, will be reflected upon, and how they have fed into a preview of the changes we will be implementing for next year’s event. Finally, a selection of the student reflections and feedback received will be offered.

C4Enhancing outcomes on compulsory modules - more than just a grade.

Dr Tim Brown (Chester Business School)

“Enhancing the student experience, and in particular student engagement, has become a primary focus of Higher Education” (Bryson, 2014, p xix) but how can we effectively achieve this? One approach is the use of compulsory modules but do these have the intended outcomes that they are designed to achieve? Whilst many compulsory modules are aligned to professional programmes that require high attendance rates there are a number also used to ensure positive outcomes for students which are usually linked to group work (Race, 2014). There is a clear correlation and data that positive attendance rates leads to higher average grades (among other outcomes) but this fact fails to enthuse many students to still attend, even on some compulsory modules. Could one approach be to use a ‘fear of missing out’ to aid attendance (and retention) as well as improve the outcomes on compulsory (and non-compulsory) modules (Alt, 2015; Race, 2014)?

Difficult events faced by students in the world of work - translated into classroom teaching.

Kate Knight, Lucy Wallace, Suzanne Seabra, Trish Partridge (Nursing) Lorraine Palmer, Tracey Phillips (Claire House)

Inclusive teaching/creating safe environments to develop confidence in the classroom.

Placements and work experience outside of the classroom give students life experience, transferable skills and an insight to future employers. However, they may see events that they were not expecting or prepared for which can be unnerving and stressful. We need to prepare them for this and give them skills to enhance both their own learning but manage themselves professionally in a wider workplace arena.

Through simulation experiences, we bring to life real life case studies and scenarios where students get to discover potential experiences through mock simulation. We use a range of inclusive teaching methods to learn. Our teaching team consists of academics, clinicians; and support workers to make these are real as possible.

This presentation will discuss the inclusive teaching methods but also share practical tips for others wanting to incorporate this into their own practice outside of a healthcare field.

Learning together with community stakeholders to enhance the experience of a research module.

Gill Buck (Social Work and Inter-Professional Education) Danielle Woolley (Dandelion CIC)

The Social Work discipline has been at the forefront of advancing service user involvement in research and education. More broadly, society has seen an increasing emphasis on service user engagement in human services, given the necessity for methods that suit service users’ needs (Hughes, 2012). In order to reflect these developments in the curriculum, our level 6 ‘Approaches to research’ module piloted a ‘learning together’ approach with a local service user-led community organisation. ‘Dandelions’ fills a gap in services for parents who have had child/ren removed from their care. Their founder (who has lived experience of social work) was invited to co-learn and teach ‘service user research’, with dual aims: (i) To develop student empathy for a marginalised service user group and their understanding of what service users can bring to research; (ii) To ‘co-produce’ research questions with a community provider – advancing learning, whilst helping Dandelions move toward their own professional goals. This approach complements the Learning and Teaching strategy, as it is an innovative and creative approach to teaching, with community partners at the centre. Student feedback included “I really enjoyed the service user input… It was taught very effectively clear and linked well to requirements of the assignments”.

List of Abstracts

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Arts and Media CH 90Biological Sciences C5 12Business/Chester Business School CH 83Careers and Employability C5 18(Student Futures)Centre for Stress Research C5 14Centre for Work Related Studies CH 83Chaplaincy C4 22Clinical Sciences and Nutrition C5 14Corporate Communications C6 1Corporate Business and Enterprise CH 83Education and Children’s Services CH 82English C7 65Estates and Facilities Department D6 61Finance O�ce C8 73Centre for Foundation Studies CH 79Geography andInternational Development B2 42Health and Social Care CH 82History and Archaeology C4 23International Centre CH 77Journalism B2 43

Law D2 54Learning and Information Services (LIS)/Library B4 35Marketing, Recruitment and Admissions (MRA) CH 82Marketing, Tourism, EventsManagement and HRM CH 83Modern Languages C4 23Nursery CH 90Performing Arts CH 90Print Unit B5 26Postgraduate Space C2 43Professional Development CH 83Psychology B2 43Registry Services C6 1Residential Living and Conferencing Services C5 10Social and Political Science C2 45Sport and Exercise Science C5 14Student Futures C4 23Theology and Religious Studies D5 58Work Based Learning C2 45(Student Futures)

Department/Faculty/School

Bache Hall D1 51Best Building B2 42Beswick Building C5 17Binks Building C4 23Careers and Employability Centre C5 18CH1 (Student Bar) B6 28Chapel C6 5Changing Rooms C5 16Chichester House C8 73Chritchley Building B2 43Cloisters C5 11Downes Sports Hall C2 46Elgan Edwards Building(67 Liverpool Road) D2 54Fitness Suite C5 13Gateway House CH 79Grounds and Gardens A1 47Gymnasium C5 15Grosvenor House B4 34Hollybank D5 58Hollybank Lodge D5 59John Smith’s Bookshop C6 7Longfield House (Chaplaincy Centre) C4 2224 Liverpool Road D7 63Maintenance O�ce B1 49Maintenance Stores A1 48

Molloy Hall B3 40NoWFOOD Centre C2 41Old College C5 3/C5 10Old College Science Laboratories C5 10Old Pavillion Annex C2 44Prairie C5 2Parry Squash Courts B6 31Price Tower C5 14Porters’ Lodge C4 20Rigg Building D6 61Riverside Building CH 82Rockmount D7 69Santander C6 7Senate House C6 6Senate House (conservatory) C6 9Seaborne Building B4 35Small Hall C4 24Students’ Union and Shop B6 32Swimming Pool C5 19Temperance Hall CH 77Thomas Building C5 12Vicarage C7 65Westminster C2 45Whites Dining Room C6 29Old Nursery A5 91

Building Name

Residences

Alexandra House C4 37Astbury House B5 25Arden Court D7 64Bache Hall D1 51Bridge Street Row CH 81Brook Lane Houses E3 55Catherine House C4 38Cheyney Road Houses B/C6 30Chichester Court C8 72Church College Close A5 33De Bunsen Hall CH 84

Eversley House D2 53Fisher House B5 27Fontessa House C8 82Gladstone House C6 8Grosvenor House B4 34Hayes Park D5 56Hollybank Court D5 57John Douglas Court C7 66John Milton Hall D6 62Kingsley Lodge D2 5237 Liverpool Road D6 60

Margaret House & Flat C4 36Old College C6 4Parkgate Road Houses C1-4 501-7 Parkgate Road C7 7135 Parkgate Road C7 67Scotia House C7 70St Oswald’s Mount C7 68Sumner House D8 74The Towpath CH 83Tramways Accommodation CH 80

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Eastgate Str

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Building Name

Residences




1

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Tennis Courts

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Liverpool Road

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Eversley Park

Walpole Str

Chichester Str

Shro

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Cheyney Road

Exton Park

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Bus to Blacon

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KingswayCampus

Brook Lane


Church C

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Che

shire

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Kingsway Campus


Riverside Campus


3G MUGA

Delamere St

A5268


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Learning andTeaching Institute#UCLTC2019

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