Session 7.1: Social media – time for cold turkey?
General
Dr Debbie Bevitt, Newcastle University
Use of social media including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Whatsapp and YouTube is second nature to most of the student population and there are an increasing number of innovative uses of Social media in teaching. However there is also strong evidence in the literature to show that regular distraction by Social media has a negative impact on learning. There is therefore clearly a balance to be struck between the very positive applications of social media in learning and teaching and the need to control the negative distractions. At Newcastle we are investigating students’ self-awareness of their own social media use and the impact it has on their concentration. The project also aims to identify strategies which help students to self-manage these distractions and to evaluate the value of self-control apps in this context. This presentation will summarise the preliminary findings of this ongoing study.
Session 7.3: A prototype application for the generation of assessment and feedback reports
Computing
Mr Neville Palmer, Southampton Solent University
It is often a challenge to both assess student coursework subjectively and at the same time to deliver detailed and meaningful feedback on it in a timely manner. Students need to understand why the work has been awarded a certain grade and at the same it is desirable for them to receive feedback offering suggestions on how the work could be improved. A prototype application has been developed that enables the lecturer to both assess coursework and at the same time generate a feedback report. This has been initially trialled on a Computer Networking Degree programme to assess coursework. The application allows the lecturer to formulate their own marking scheme and to customise feedback so that either generic or specific feedback can be generated for each student. The aims of the session are to demonstrate how the application can be used to improve the process of assessment and feedback.
Session 7.4: Contract cheating and academic misconduct in examinations and tests
Interdisciplinary
Dr Thomas Lancaster, Dr Robert Clarke, Birmingham City University
Contract cheating, the behaviour where a student pays or uses a third party to provide the assessed work that they should be completing themselves is of concern across the STEM disciplines. The traditional work on contract cheating and the use of academic ghostwriters has focused primarily on written coursework such as essays and project reports. Other studies have looked at specific disciplines such as Computing and the impact on fitness to practice in areas such as law and medicine.
This session will extend the discussion of contract cheating behaviours that are of concern by looking at academic misconduct within tests and examinations. Particular issues have been observed with online tests where students can hire an impersonator and take-home exams which students completed without supervision over a constrained time period. The session will focus on examples and practical opportunities for STEM academics to improve their assessment and minimise cheating.
Session 7.5: Science communicators
General / Biosciences
Dr Pat James, Dr Salim Khan, Birmingham City University
We will introduce the background to BCU science communication programme. The project recruited students from a range of programmes in the faculty and prepared them to deliver a range of science based experiments. This was facilitated by Classroom Medics an established local company involved in delivery of STEM events to both local and national and international schools and colleges The science experiments used in the programme demonstrate a mix of related medical science and general science principles. This allowed students to build on their understanding of physiology and medical technology but also introduced science principles they may not have come across for some time. By doing this in a fun and different setting the programmes aim is to develop a passion and interest in science. The trained communicators then visited and under supervision delivered sessions in local schools.
As part of the session a group of science communicators will assist in demonstrating some of the experiments they performed and talk about how this improved their own scientific knowledge.
Session 7.6: Improving retention for all students studying mathematics as part of their chosen qualification by using a voluntary diagnostic quiz
Interdisciplinary
Miss Carol Calvert, The Open University
The aim of this session is to share information using a recent case study on:
- the challenges involved in using a diagnostic quiz to improve students awareness of study requirements for a Mathematics unit;
- the improvement on retention that can be achieved;
- lessons learnt from the process.
The intention of the voluntary diagnostic quiz was to enable students who were taking a wide range of qualifications to determine if they were on the right mathematics course. The power of the quiz in predicting future success on the course was identified using predictive analytics. Early indications show an improvement in early in module retention.
Session 7.7: PASS: A learner-centred approach to transition into and on from Higher Education
General
Mr Nigel Smith and Miss Sally Frost, University of Cumbria
Integrating Peer-Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) into a programme can contribute towards more participative and transformative learning. These sessions enable active learning in an informal friendly and fun environment and provide opportunities for students to develop understanding and skills needed for success in both their undergraduate studies and increasingly complex and unpredictable work environments. The PASS scheme was introduced within Forensic Science programmes as a pilot within the University of Cumbria in 2011 and following positive feedback from students was recommended for roll out to other programmes. This presentation will examine the benefits and pitfalls of integrating the PASS scheme within a programme and consider how PASS can be used to support a student’s transition into and on from higher education.
Session 7.8: iPads in the classroom: what do staff and students really think?
General
Dr Laura Boubert, University of Westminster
In September 2015 the University of Westminster’s Faculty of Science and Technology began transforming its learning by providing over 2000 staff and level 5 and 6 students with I-Pads. This ambitious project comes with a multitude of challenges encompassing technology regulations distribution legal aspects but above all else its success relies on staff and students choosing to adopt the technology and adapt their practice. Here we present an overview of the project so far with a review of what has been learnt to date and the journey ahead of us. We will present current approaches to adapting teaching to include mobile technology such as Puentedura’s 2006 SAMR model for introducing technology into the classroom and we will explore some of the barriers to change e.g. Karsenti & Fievez (2013).
