WARWICK INTERNATIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION ACADEMY
WIHEA STUDENT ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMME
‘enhancing learning together’
GUIDANCE NOTES FOR STUDENTS AND STAFF
Call for Projects Spring 2016
Programme Objectives
The WIHEA Student Engagement Programme demonstrates Warwick’s sustained commitment to promote
excellence in teaching and learning through collaborative partnership models. It aims to optimise the student
experience and enhance learning outcomes, involving students and staff across all academic departments in the
processes of shaping learning and co-producing knowledge.
"As a student at Warwick, you'll be used to working together with educators and other students, influencing
and improving the ways in which you learn. We'll make sure this philosophy of ‘co-producers’ is embedded
across Warwick so it has a positive impact on your student experience. It's a strategy designed to break away
from a traditional ‘us and them’ approach to build a community of learners."
https://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/academy
We know that there are lots of good ideas out there waiting to be made real, but that it can be a challenge to finding
time to make enhancements. This funding is designed to help you fund those projects which you have wanted to
run. We’ve highlighted ideas below for projects in Assessment & Feedback, the relationship between Research and
Teaching, exploring what makes a Great Lecture, and technology-enabled Digichamps Projects.
We are inviting proposals for department-led projects involving a lead academic and one or more students,
collaborating to enhance the learning experience. The Grants can cover staff time, student time, and modest cash
costs. The projects should run between 1st April and 31st July. WIHEA will provide support and funding of up to
£5,000 per project, to enable staff and student partnerships to develop or enhance teaching and learning strategies
and projects. Students and staff will work together from the early planning stages of the project, through to the
development of resources and delivery of outputs.
Benefits of Student Engagement Projects
•
•
•
•
•
Departments can enhance learning for current and future students, develop areas of the curriculum
Students can demonstrate and develop their skills, experience research and teaching projects and gain
Academy Student Fellow status and contribute to the experience of future students
Staff can work alongside students to gain new perspectives and skills recognised within UK Professional
Standards Framework (UKPSF)
https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/sites/default/files/downloads/ukpsf_2011_english.pdf
The Academy can capture learning, disseminate good practice and recognise success
This is a real opportunity to make a difference for staff and students.
This is the first Call for Projects to apply for the grants. Successful projects should start upon confirmation and be
completed by 31st July 2016 at the very latest. The second Call is expected to be later in 2016 so if you are not ready
to apply yet, you can wait until the second Call.
Project ideas might come from students or staff. You need to form a project team to submit a proposal. You may
wish to work with: SSLC members, Student Experience Lead, Learning and Development Centre, Academic
Technologists. Technology use should focus on the core Extended Classroom tools. A guidebook is under
development at: warwick.ac.uk/extendedclassroom- please familiarise yourself with the tools. There is additional
guidance to make successful Digichamps projects, at: (friendly url to follow). Proposals involving Monash are
particularly welcome.
Your proposal must be endorsed by your Head of Department.
To support Warwick’s strategic direction there are five key themes to this Call. Project Applications must clearly state
which key theme it is aiming to contribute to.
Themes for this Call:
Assessment & Feedback
Projects should involve staff and students working in partnership to improve and diversify current
approaches to assessment and feedback. Questions to consider might include: what does assessment for
learning mean in your discipline? How can students be involved in designing or choosing
assessment/feedback mechanisms?
Teaching and Research Links
Projects should explore one or more aspects of the teaching-research nexus and should considering
answering one or more of the following questions: In what ways can research and teaching be linked for the
enhancement of student learning? How can the relationships between research, teaching and student
learning be strengthened?
Digichamps
Using the University's supported tools, projects could include: A) taking a technology-enhanced practice
from another department and applying it; B) redesigning an activity or creating online interactive resources
to optimise face to face time (aka the flipped classroom, lab preparation); C) creating rich online activities to
enhance courses; D) creating classroom activities using Responseware interactive polling E) using Warwick's
supported tools in other ways to enhance learning within your department. A moodle course has been
created to support students through the project process and to provide key skills. Students work is
recognised in this course with digital badges. Bidders should visit the Digichamps toolkit:
http://www.warwick.ac.uk/digichamps/moodle to inform their proposal. Please contact Robert O'Toole, the
Digichamps Facilitator in the Academic Technology Team, to discuss your proposal in advance of submission.
Great Lectures
Projects should address one or more of these questions: A) From a student perspective, what makes a great
lecture? (it should include multiple disciplinary/subject areas); B) How does lecture recording change
student's note taking practice?; C) How else can technology be used to enhance the effectiveness of
lectures? Projects that work with Monash University are particularly welcome. We are not just looking for a
report: we want engaging outputs that will inspire and support staff and students.
Open Call
This is your chance to propose a project that might not fit neatly under one of the other themes. It should
still meet the criteria below for student engagement projects. Projects involving Monash are particularly
welcome. Tell us what you want to do!
If you would like to discuss your idea before submitting an application or help to identify which theme your idea best
fits into, please email WIHEA@warwick.ac.uk to arrange a discussion.
Project Criteria
Projects must be formed through collaboration with other academic or central service departments and involve one
or more students. The outputs of each project must be based on one of the above key themes and as a condition of
the project funding it must meet the first seven criteria below. Criteria 8,9 and 10 are optional:
10 Criteria for a Student Engagement Project:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
An idea that involves staff and students working together to enhance learning
At least one student able to work on the project for at least three days between March and July: more
than one student and more time are even better
A lead academic able to work on the project for at least three days between March and July (The lead
academic will submit the proposal on behalf of the department)
A Head of Department who will vouch for the usefulness of the proposed project, ideally with SSLC
input
A project plan that describes the outputs, timescales and resources required
A clear description of the proposed impact of the project
A commitment to sharing the learning around the project, with a view to spread good practice and scale
it across the institution
Your project might include using Warwick's Extended Classroom toolset to enhance learning See:
warwick.ac.uk/extendedclassroom
Your project might include working with other academic departments, Student Careers and Skills, the
Library, IATL, Academic Technology or Learning and Development Centre
Your project might include collaborating with staff and students that you are already in touch with at our
Alliance partner, Monash University
It is crucial that these projects are a genuine collaboration between students and staff, with outputs that will
improve the learning experience. Proposals will be selected in accordance with the criteria above and with the aim
to reflect the breadth of subject teaching across the University. Therefore, when applying for project funding, the
impact of the project should be considered, along with how the project could be adopted in future modules and
courses, how to make it sustainable and if outputs will need updating in the future, who will update them.
Project progress will be monitored by the submission of an interim and final project review. The interim review is to
be completed by the Project Lead, half way through the project and the final review is to be completed immediately
after the project end date. A template document is available for both the interim and final review, but if preferred
the format of the reviews can be recorded by video or audio equipment, but must cover all items on the template
and must provide a review of the budget and expenditure in document format.
Project Lead’s will also be responsible for communicating the teams outputs and learning and the contribution of
content to the WIHEA repository.
Eligibility
All projects must have a dedicated Project Lead, who must be a member of academic or student support staff.
In the case of the Project Lead being a member of student support staff, they will need to nominate an agreed Lead
Academic Partner, who must be an academic member of Warwick staff.
Project Leads will be responsible for the application, planning, delivery and reporting of the project to an agreed
budget and timescale and with all communications with WIHEA.
Project Leads and Lead Academic Partners will be jointly responsible for delivery of outputs/outcomes and sharing of
information.
Other team members are to be named in the Project Funding Application form, with students clearly identified and if
the project collaborates with Staff and Students from Monash University, please ensure the details of the Monash
staff and students are clearly listed in the Other Information section of the Project Funding Application Form and the
Monash Alliance box is ticked in the Project Information section.
All Project Applications must be approved by the Lead Partners and the Lead Academic Partners’ Head of
Department before being submitted.
Funding
Project Funding is currently available for 10 projects. This funding round can offer up to £5,000 per project. If a
project idea will make a significant contribution to Warwick’s Teaching and Learning Strategy, then additional
funding may be awarded (dependant on availability and contribution).
The funding provided aims to pay staff and students for their time and cover costs such as equipment and catering.
Guidance on Staff and Student Time
•
•
Based on the standard per day, the minimum amount of staff time that can be bought-out is 3 days per
project and the maximum amount of staff time is a total of 10 days per project (the 10 days can be
divided between staff in the project team).
Based on £9 per hour, the minimum claim per project is one student working 15 hours and the
maximum claim is 3 students working 30 hours each (only to be worked if legally permitted and in
accordance with any visa restrictions over the duration of the project). Students paid time can only
commence after proof of eligibility to work in the UK has been provided, hours worked will be claimed
via Unitemps. When costing the time that students will work during the project, please base it on
£12.40 per hour which includes holiday & sick pay).
The project should start by 1st April and complete by 31st July 2016. It is anticipated that projects will run for
between 6 and 12 weeks.
Project Leads are encouraged to adopt, adapt and try new ways to enhance or transform teaching and learning, if a
project does not deliver planned outputs, funding will not be clawed back but Project Leads will still be required to
share learning from the project. If a project becomes inactive and no effort is being made to get the project back on
target, then funding may be withdrawn or further funding awards to staff and student partners blocked.
As a condition of the project funding Project Leads and where applicable the Lead Academic Partner will be required
to participate in some synthesis and evaluation activities, contribution to the Repository and outputs of the Project
may be reused or rolled out to, future modules and courses. Failure to engage with these activities may result in
funding being withdrawn or further funding awards to staff and student partners rejected. To apply for funding,
Project Plans must be submitted within the specified timeframe, please see the final section for deadlines.
Assessment of Project Applications
Project funding applications will be assessed by a panel consisting of WIHEA Foundation Fellows. The Panel
members will individually check each application meets the required project criteria and allocate a scoring out of 10
based on the perceived impact of the project. The assessments and panel score totals will then be reviewed by the
WIHEA team and funding will be allocated to the highest scoring projects first. If a project is not awarded funding,
following feedback from the panel it may reapply during the next call for applications.
Submission of Project Application
Project Leads are to complete a Project Application Form, which includes a Project Plan section and a breakdown of
costs. Prior to submitting, the Project Lead is to obtain approval from the Head of Department and if a Lead
Academic Partner has been nominated, their Head of Department also.
Final Applications are to be submitted before the closing date. The outcome of the application will be
communicated to the Lead Partner, one week after the closing date.
Deadlines
Call for Project Applications:
8 February 2016
Closing Date:
29th February 2016
Panels:
2nd to 7th March 2016
Outcomes Communicated:
7th March 2016
Project’s Start Date:
11th March 2016
Duration of Funding:
Claims must be completed and Funding spent prior to 31st July 2016