MODULE TITLE
MODULE CODE
DURATION
Creating Effective Learning in Higher Education
CREDIT VALUE
30
EFPM902
MODULE CONVENOR
Dr Barrie Cooper
TERM
1
2
3
Number Students
Taking Module
WEEKS
1
1
1
(anticipated)
50
DESCRIPTION – summary of the module content (100 words)
This module is for academics and academic-related professionals who teach or support learning, and/or undertake
research or scholarship in a research-intensive university. Drawing on theoretical and empirical research about
effective teaching and learning in higher education (HE) contexts, together we will explore, critically and creatively,
a range of ways in which we can enable students in our research-led university to learn effectively. Examining the
values and practices of a changing higher education sector, we will focus on a range of research-informed themes,
including: how students learn; teaching methods; designing effective teaching sessions and modules; assessment
and feedback; and the quality of the student experience within HE. You will work with colleagues to identify an
area of your own practice which you would like to develop; this will become the focus for your individual
assignment. There are no co- or pre-requisites and no prior teaching is assumed.
MODULE AIMS – intentions of the module
In this module, we aim to enable you to find creative and research-informed ways of enhancing your academic and
professional practice with respect to supporting student learning. We aim to help you to develop ways of engaging
in peer dialogue, so that you can participate in and develop supportive communities of practice amongst
colleagues from across the University, including those in the module group, with a focus on sharing and improving
teaching practices and enhancing the student experience. Through critical exploration of relevant education
theory, recent developments in HE and University policy, and with respect to peer and student feedback, you will
also locate and evaluate your practice within current institutional, political and social contexts and identify a
specific aspect of your teaching practice to develop further.
INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES (ILOs) (see assessment section below for how ILOs will be assessed)
On successful completion of this module you should be able to:
Module Specific Skills and Knowledge:
1
Demonstrate critical engagement with all dimensions of the UK Professional Standards Framework for
teaching and supporting learning in Higher Education and its implications for practice;
2
Engage in structured dialogue with academic/professional peers on aspects of teaching, curriculum
development, curriculum delivery and/or assessment, with an advanced level of constructive, critical
analysis;
3
Explore critically, your own practice as a teacher and/or facilitator of learning in higher education;
4
Devise a strategy for changing and enhancing an aspect of your teaching practice, with reference to the UK
Professional Standards Framework, educational research literature, and peer and student feedback;
5
Implement change to develop at least one aspect of your practice and reflect critically on that
development;
6
Critically evaluate key theoretical and research-based debates about learning, teaching, student support,
assessment and evaluation in higher education and apply them to your professional practice;
Discipline Specific Skills and Knowledge:
7
Demonstrate critical awareness of higher education policy and its implications for academic/professional
practice;
8
Demonstrate critical and analytical engagement with education-related literature and ability to cite it and
use references appropriately;
1
9
Show critical awareness of similarities and differences in the cultures of different subject
disciplines;
10
Evaluate alternative forms of theoretical and research-based knowledge;
Personal and Key Transferable/ Employment Skills and Knowledge:
11
Engage in independent study informed by the presentation and analysis of materials and
issues in group discussion;
12
Reflect analytically on personal and professional values and their implications for practice;
13
Communicate effectively in dialogue with peers, giving constructive, well organised
feedback; and
14
Develop a portfolio which communicates clearly and persuasively.
SYLLABUS PLAN – summary of the structure and academic content of the module
This module is designed to develop supportive communities of practice amongst academics and professional staff
in Higher Education, in a range of teaching-related roles, who are relatively new to the University. Most of the
teaching on the module is concentrated into three study days. Structured learning activities will be varied, to
include interactive lectures, discussion groups, a ‘panel of experts’ event, and collaborative small group tasks. In
common with the other PCAP module, participants will be allocated an academic tutor and will be entitled to a
one-hour individual tutorial during the module, plus support by email and/or telephone.
Appropriate sessions will be selected from the following indicative syllabus:
• Contexts for creativity in higher education: issues, changes and values;
• Developing your practice through dialogue with peers: the notions of academic tribes and territories;
communities of practice (Rowland; Wenger);
• The socially constructed nature of learning and its implications for your teaching of large and small classes
(active learning and feedback loops; use of PowerPoint; questioning techniques);
• The idea of professional development: mapping your academic and professional practice against, and
critically engaging with, the UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF);
• Planning for teaching: programmes, modules and individual sessions. QAA Subject Benchmarks: tribes and
territories in practice?;
• Creating authentic intended learning outcomes; selecting teaching methods/ learning activities and
assessment methods, including online options;
• Research-inspired, inquiry-led learning;
• Developing student skills for academic success, employment and sustainability;
• Cultural inclusivity in an internationalised university;
• Student wellbeing and accessible teaching;
• Technology-enhanced learning;
• Engaging students as agents for change
• Personal tutoring
Participants also select a minimum of two taught sessions from the University’s ‘You Teach’ programme
(http://www.exeter.ac.uk/staff/development/teach/) or other comparable developmental activities, under the
guidance of the tutor: for example, there are regular University sessions on programme and module design,
doctoral supervision, working with international students, technology-enhanced learning and accessible teaching
and learning.
LEARNING AND TEACHING
LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND TEACHING METHODS (given in hours of study time)
Scheduled Learning &
38
Guided independent
262
Placement/study
Teaching activities
study
abroad
0
2
DETAILS OF LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND TEACHING METHODS
Category
Hours of study time
Scheduled Learning & Teaching
20
activities
Scheduled Learning & Teaching
activities
Scheduled Learning & Teaching
activities
Scheduled Learning & Teaching
activities
Scheduled Learning & Teaching
activities
5
Guided independent study
10
Guided independent study
40
Guided independent study
42
Guided independent study
120
Guided independent study
50
10
1
2
Description
Whole group sessions (3 study days), comprising
a combination of discussion groups, collaborative
small group tasks, a ‘panel of experts’ debate and
interactive lectures
Triad concept-mapping activity: working in a
group of three to prepare a group presentation
Blended learning engagement including online
discussion and preparation for session
Individual tutorials and online/telephone support
‘ASPIRE Seminars and Workshops are small
group, interactive staff development sessions run
by University academic or professional staff on a
wide range of practice-related topics
Engagement with peer dialogue/observation and
writing up and reflecting on that experience
Independent study of the education literature
focusing on the area of teaching practice to be
developed
Completion of the ASPIRE application for
Fellowship of the HEA (Descriptor 2)
Implementation and evaluation of planned
change to teaching practice
Developing output to be assessed, reflecting on
and evaluating the implemented change
ASSESSMENT
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT - for feedback and development purposes; does not count towards module grade
Form of Assessment
Size of the assessment e.g. ILOs assessed
Feedback method
duration/length
Triad concept-mapping activity:
20 minutes for the triad
1-4, 9, 12-13
Oral feedback from
working in a group of three to develop plus feedback (1,000 words
peers and tutors
a strategy for enhancing an area of
equivalent)
teaching practice, mapped to the UK
PSF and with respect to the
educational research literature
Engagement with face-to-face and
Variable depending on the 2, 6-13
Plenary discussion with
online discussions and learning
task (1,000 words
feedback from
activities
equivalent)
peers and tutors
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT (% of credit)
Coursework
100
Written exams
Practical exams
DETAILS OF SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
Form of Assessment
% of
credit
Written record and
N/A
reflection on peer
observations/dialogue
Completed ASPIRE/HEA
N/A
Size of the assessment e.g.
duration/length
1,000 words
ILOs assessed
Feedback method
2-3, 13
2,500 words
1, 3, 8, 12, 14
Written feedback
by tutor on portfolio
coversheet
Written feedback
3
Fellowship application
Analytical account of the
changes implemented to
practice, with critical
reference to research into
higher education and other
relevant literature.
Portfolio containing the
above elements
Original form of assessment
All above
N/A
15-minute recorded
presentation (2,000 word
equivalent)
100
4-6, 11
1-6, 8, 11-14
Form of re-assessment
All above
ILOs re-assessed
1-6, 8, 11-14
by tutor on portfolio
coversheet
Written feedback by
tutor on portfolio
coversheet
Written feedback
by tutor on portfolio
coversheet
Time scale for re-assessment
Resubmission at next
assessment deadline
(minimum 3 months later)
RE-ASSESSMENT NOTES
RESOURCES
INDICATIVE LEARNING RESOURCES - The following list is offered as an indication of the type & level of information
that you are expected to consult. Further guidance will be provided by the Module Convener.
Basic reading:
Barnett, R. (2000) Realizing the University in an age of supercomplexity Buckingham: The Society for Research into
Higher Education and Open University Press (especially Chapter 12, ‘Teaching for a supercomplex world’).
Becher, T and Trowler, P (2001) Academic tribes and territories: intellectual enquiry and the culture of disciplines
(2nd ed.) Buckingham: The Society for Research into Higher Education and Open University Press
Biggs, J. (2003) Teaching for quality learning at university (2nd ed.). Maidenhead: Open University
Press.
Brookfield, S.(1995) Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher, San Francisco: Jossey:Bass
Fry, H., Ketteridge, S. & Marshall S. (eds.) (2003) A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in
Higher Education, 2nd edition. London: Kogan Page
Gosling, D and Mason O'Connor, K. (2009) Beyond the Peer Observation of Teaching, SEDA
Paper 124, London: SEDA
Kreber, C. (ed.) (2009) The University and its Disciplines: Teaching and Learning Within and
Beyond Disciplinary Boundaries. New York: Routledge
Jackson, N., Oliver, M., Shaw, M. and Oliver, M. (eds.) (2006) Developing Creativity in Higher
Education: The Imaginative Curriculum. Oxford: Routledge
Knight, P. and Yorke, M. (2003) Assessment, Employability and Learning , Buckingham: SRHE/Open University
Press.
Meyer, J. and Land, R. (2003) Threshold Concepts and Troublesome Knowledge: Linkages to
Ways of Thinking and Practising within the Disciplines Occasional Report 4; Enhancing
Teaching-Learning Environments in Undergraduate Courses Project, University of
Edinburgh
Morss, K. and Murray, R. (2005) Teaching at university: a guide for postgraduates and
researchers. London: Sage
Rowland, S. (2006) The Enquiring University: Compliance and Contestation in Higher Education.
Buckingham: McGraw Hill
Rowland, S. (2000) The Enquiring University Teacher. Buckingham: SRHE/Open University Press.
Ramsden, P. (2003) Learning to Teach in Higher Education (2nd edn). London: Routledge/ Falmer
4
Thompson, J. (2000) Stretching the Academy: the politics and practice of widening participation in Higher
Education, Leicester: NIACE.
Wenger, E. (1998) Communities of practice: learning, meaning and identity. Cambridge and New
York: Cambridge University Press.
Exeter Learning Environment (ELE)
http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=903&topic=4
Web based and electronic resources:
Plus Higher Education Academy resources, relevant to each subject discipline, online at
https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources
CREDIT VALUE
30
ECTS VALUE
15
PRE-REQUISITE MODULES
N/A
CO-REQUISITE MODULES
N/A
NQF LEVEL (FHEQ)
7
AVAILABLE AS DISTANCE LEARNING
YES / NO
ORIGIN DATE
30 May 2008
LAST REVISION DATE
22 July 2015
KEY WORDS SEARCH
Higher Education; Teaching; University; Academic Practice
Module Descriptor Template Revised February 2012
5