ANNUAL LEARNING & TEACHING CONFERENCE 2015 - Wednesday 7th Jan, 2015
PROGRAMME
8:45-9:10
Registration & Refreshments Derwent Main Lobby and Café
9:15-9:40
Welcome and Introduction Allam Lecture Theatre
Professor Calie Pistorius, Vice Chancellor
9:40-9:45
Event Aims and Logistics Allam Lecture Theatre
Dr Elizabeth Cleaver, Director of LEAP
2x25min Presentation
and Discussion Sessions
2x25min Presentation and
Discussion Sessions
2x25min Presentation and
Discussion Sessions
Midwifery & Community
& Youth Work
Geography, Environment
and Earth Sciences &
Philosophy
Maths & Business
Management
Chemistry & Social
Sciences
Drama / English & War
Studies
9:50-10:40
Parallel Discussion 1:
10:45-11:00
Refreshments & Networking Derwent Café
11:05-11:55
Parallel Discussion 2:
12:00-12:50
Parallel Discussion 3:
Computer Science &
Nursing
Psychology &
Organisational
Behaviour and HRM
Physics & History
12:55-13:15
Closing Remarks, Allam Lecture Theatre
Professor Glenn Burgess, PVC (Academic Affairs) & Deputy Vice-Chancellor
13:20-14:00
Lunch & Networking, Derwent Café
Discipline Overviews
1. Faculty of Science – Physics –Dr David Sands / Dr Kevin Pimbblet
We have identified four big ideas within the teaching of physics that traditional modes of instruction do not address very well: modelling, data
analysis, experimental design and integrating knowledge. The latter is especially difficult within the modular structure, which encourages
compartmentalization of knowledge. However, one of the key attributes of a physicist is the ability to solve a problem by bringing together, or
integrating, different strands of knowledge. The ability to construct mathematical models of the physical world is also key to solving problems.
Modelling is essentially the art of the physicist, but it is a skill that takes time to acquire. It is also especially difficult to teach, as there is nothing
routine or algorithmic about building models. Modelling is also central to the design of experiments. In physics the world is rarely observed
directly: it is necessary to construct elaborate experiments to observe what happens under specific conditions, but without a mental model of
the physical processes occurring during the experiment, reliable data will be hard to come by. This then leads on to the value of experimental
data and the importance of uncertainty. Science is a public activity, but no two scientists will ever measure exactly the same value of a given
quantity. Knowing when two measurements correspond to the same phenomenon, and thereby provide independent corroboration, or hint at
some difference in the underlying processes, and thereby open up a new range of investigations, is the province of data analysis, the last of our
four ideas.
Much of our content is determined by accreditation, but our approach to teaching will be heavily influenced by physics education research,
which has shown that students need to be intellectually active for meaningful learning to occur. Meaningful in this context means that students
understand and can apply concepts to situations outside those in which the ideas were taught. Much of physics education research has been
concerned with misconceptions and we know from experience that students can develop incorrect associations and ideas as part of their
learning. Only be applying ideas can students overcome these difficulties and our approach will centre on creating the right kind of environment
for students to work actively, together and individually as appropriate, to: • apply knowledge; • build models; • use multiple representations of
the real world • reason qualitatively as well as mathematically; • design and conduct experimental investigations. Not all the pedagogies we will
employ are specific to physics. For example, team-based learning and flipped lectures are two forms of active learning that we will employ to
reduce the emphasis on transmission of knowledge. However, we will implement some specifically physics related changes, such as enhancing
the investigative aspects of our laboratories by incorporating more open-ended experiments that also require an element of modelling. By
basing our pedagogy on the five different activities listed above we aim to produce graduates who not only know, but understand, the core
physics knowledge defined in the accreditation process, but who, in addition, have good understanding of advanced concepts and ideas.
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2. Faculty of Science - Maths – Dr Tim Scott
1.To see mathematics as a major intellectual discipline with a pedigree that extends back through time and different cultures, with its roots in
the systematic development of methods to solve practical problems.
2. The importance of helping students to think logically and objectively and to recognise that there are alternative ways to interpret and apply
mathematical concepts, to recognise patterns and conceptual similarities between abstract mathematical objects.
3. Apart from understanding mathematics as a discipline in its own right, to see the importance of mathematics today in the development of
technology for daily use. Be able to apply mathematical knowledge (theorems, techniques…) to unfamiliar or novel circumstances.
4. Be able to appreciate and apply the notion of mathematical proof. To understand how to present a proof, spot when a proof is complete, and
to be able to scrutinise a proof produced by another mathematician. Construction of logical arguments by combining theorems.
5. Develop systematic problem solving and learning skills (breaking a problem down into smaller parts, solving a simple `toy’ model and
understanding how this can lead to an understanding of the general case).
6. To recognise the importance of computers in mathematics in complementing the pen-and-paper approach, and to be confident in using
computers to solve complex mathematical problems encountered in the real world.
Subjects in mathematics are largely cumulative, namely what can be learned depends very heavily and in considerable detail on previously
learned material. Pre-requisites play a key role in developing mathematical knowledge and understanding – sequential layers of foundations
build on previous layers. From the nature of the subject, learners benefit from seeing arguments and solutions to representative problems
developed in real time during lectures – thus the traditional board-based lecture is used extensively to deliver the programme. Lectures are
supported by problem classes and tutorials whereby learners are set assignments regularly to develop their individual understanding and
application of mathematics, and assisting them in becoming independent learners. Understanding a topic at a particular level is vitally
important to understand subsequent development of that topic and possibly other related topics. Other methods of delivery include computer
work-shops and working together on specific problems. For programme components delivered through lectures, the majority of assessment is
through formal examination with coursework contributing a minority of the final mark. For other methods of delivery, students may be
assessed by reports/dissertations and oral examinations.
3. Faculty of Science - Psychology – Dr Myfanwy Buglar / Dr Anna Sandfield
A common misconception about psychology is that it is a social science and not a true science. Students studying Psychology at Hull undergo a
conceptual shift as they appreciate the scientific nature of the subject. The BSc programme aims to engage students in developing a rigorous
scientific approach to understanding people, their activities and behaviours whilst fostering students’ recognition that there are multiple
understandings of human behaviour: psychology contains many contested concepts, theories and ideas. Experiencing the laboratory component
to psychological study changes students’ perceptions of the nature of psychological investigation, demonstrating in real terms that investigating
human behaviour provides probabilistic answers to questions. Only an appreciation of practical scientific methodology equips students for
postgraduate study in psychology (and many aspects to the workplace). Departmental postgraduate strengths are in Health Psychology,
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Cognitive Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Clinical Neuroscience and we are now part of the Health Hub within the University. With the
scientific approach and postgraduate study in mind, the department offers students the opportunity to elect to take part in clinical research and
gain valuable experience in our state-of-the-art research labs, develop leading edge neuroscience skills or volunteer in our Centre for Health and
Clinical Neuroscience. We are one of only two Psychology departments in the country that offer a potential fast-track entry into the BPS
accredited Clinical Psychology Doctorate which is a three year salaried professional training programme.
Teaching in department is designed to promote meaningful learning, problem solving and critical thinking for a diversity of students via a
pedagogy that focuses on interactive learning. Substantive research has shown that active-learning instructional approaches lead to improved
student attitudes and increased attainment relative to a standard lecture format. This places the student at the centre of instruction shifting the
focus from teaching to learning and promotes a learning environment more amenable to the metacognitive development necessary for students
to become independent and critical thinkers. Summative assessments which include essays, multiple choice assessments, practical research
reports, portfolios and unseen written examinations are undertaken during and at the end of taught modules. In order to develop a depth and
breadth of knowledge and understanding there is an emphasis on formative assessment which integrates assessment and self-assessment
components into activities such as on-line tests and oral presentations, which are undertaken throughout the degree programme. Formative
assessment is designed to develop student knowledge and understanding of the principles, research paradigms, research methods and issues
within psychology. This student-centred pedagogy is supported in lectures, seminars and tutorials where students are encouraged to
communicate effectively both independently and in a team, to different audiences using a variety of media. Student- centred learning is further
developed when working on a one-to-one basis with their supervisor to produce their final research project.
4. Faculty of Science and Engineering - Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences – Dr Stuart McLelland / Dr Lewis
Holloway
The five ‘big ideas’ underpinning the GEES programme portfolio are that our teaching is: 1. A gateway to understanding human-environment
relationships. 2. 'Learning by doing' with problem-framed skills development, embedded in module and programme content. 3. Focussed on
the real world through fieldwork that engages with people, places and processes, and the complexities of real world issues. 4. Enhanced by using
digital geotechnologies to develop the research and analysis toolkits students can use. 5. Driven and improved through a focus on specialist
themes defined by staff research interests and academic specialisms. At this event we will focus on fieldwork and geotechnologies. As an
exemplar of how we are developing new digital geotechnologies to enhance our fieldwork teaching we will discuss a LEAP-funded technology
enhanced learning project that we are undertaking in collaboration with the Department of Computer Science to develop a new fieldwork ‘app’.
The app will be customisable to suit the different teaching and learning objectives required by different types of fieldwork. The app will be to
give students access to digital tools that enhance their understanding of their environment to improve their fieldwork experience. The app will
help promote collaborative working which enable students to better understand the complexities of real world issues. An important component
of the project will be to test the impact on student learning so that we can successfully embed these technologies in the field teaching of our new
curriculum.
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The key pedagogic concepts within GEES are: 1. a focus on practice: students will develop key competencies and skills, along with the
knowledge and understanding needed to use them effectively; Geography demands adaptability and flexibility, thus students will learn to be
critical, reflexive and responsive in relation to specific environments, tasks and problems. 2. a focus on real world problems and issues,
encountered in both classroom and field work contexts. Field work will be core to the student experience at all Levels of the programme, and
teaching will focus on problem-framed issues. 3. the development of a set of identified core geographical skills 4. the principles that students
should progress between Levels (building on previous experience and working towards higher levels) and should be able to reflexively transfer
knowledge and skills between modules at the same and at different Levels. 5. a focus on enhancing employability through fostering skills and
knowledges applicable to real-world problems and contexts. In relation to the big ideas that we will present, we will focus on discussing our
approach to embedding real world examples into the curriculum and enabling students to respond critically in relation to specific environments
through fieldwork that is embedded in the curriculum at all Levels. We will explore how our re-designed curriculum broadens our use of
fieldwork to enhance our teaching and learning to make our programmes more attractive to prospective students and also enhance their
geographical skills and knowledge.
5. Faculty of Science and Engineering - Chemistry – Dr Tom McCreedy
The Chemistry Department is developing an integrated MChem course where the year 3 of the MChem is different from the final year of the BSc.
The challenge faced is to ensure the core Chemistry content in both courses is sufficient for students to graduate and be able to be professional
chemists while having sufficient difference to mark the Masters integrated rather than “bolt-on”. We addressing this via incorporating the
difference into the practical element of the course.
The focus will be on how alternative approaches to practical chemistry can offer students the chance to develop appropriate practical skills for
later professional life.
6. Faculty of Science and Engineering - Computer Science – Dr Neil Gordon
Discipline content: Computational thinking - algorithmic thinking, abstraction, automation, separation of concerns, simplicity and elegance)
and the relevance of these to everyday life; The development of graduates (ug and pg) ready for further (research) study or to go on as industryready practitioners Embedding sustainability – with Legal, Social, Ethical and Professional considerations of computing. Flexible teaching and
assessment through Technology: we can enable learner choice, with respect to what, how and when they learn. Blended learning can allow this
choice on when and where to learn; opportunities for personalised learning with the student finding their own pathway through learning
material.
Authentic assessment and practice – with a mix of coursework that links to professional practice, alongside more traditional academic skills.
Team work as a key skill – graduates likely to work within software development teams. Utilising peer assessment (and technology such as
WebPA) to assist. Utilising teamware software – such as SharePoint – to enable and track team activity. Flexible approaches – diagnostic
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assessment with suitable follow up support. Gamification as a way to engage students – allowing multiple attempts at (some) assignments.
Providing rapid feedback as a way to motivate students.
7. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences - Philosophy – Wayne Williams
1. Critical, creative and purposeful reflection on questions concerning the world and ourselves, such as ‘the nature of reality, value and
experience’ (QAA SBS Philosophy § 2.2); 2. Exercising academic rigour in the analysis, construction and articulation of arguments; 3.
Understanding that philosophy in itself and in its applications is open-ended and contested and thus requires independence, innovation,
intellectual integrity, self-reflection and personal exploration; 4. Active and open-minded engagement with abstract problems and ideas; 5.
Contributing to an ongoing dialogue with other philosophers, past and present and extending such dialogue into every area of human interest,
including the arts, the sciences and outside the academy.
Philosophy is as much an activity as a body of knowledge, therefore teaching of philosophy at Hull is primarily and substantially dialogic rather
than didactic. The QAA Subject Benchmark Statement for Philosophy (§5) prescribes that ‘no one method suits all philosophical problems, but
philosophy is characteristically done by such means as asking questions, trying out and critically engaging with ideas, making and sharpening
distinctions, inventing new vocabularies, criticising and reinterpreting major texts, examining issues that arise in the history of philosophy,
using the techniques of formal logic, constructing and assessing reasoned arguments, conducting thought experiments, or marshalling evidence
from relevant sources.’ In line with this, the approach at Hull is to see learning in Philosophy as an active and a progressive process, one in
which ‘successful forms of teaching and learning [which] may vary widely, including: • lectures • tutorials • seminars • courses of guided
reading coupled with submission of essays for discussion with a tutor • the writing of a substantial dissertation, under a greater or lesser degree
of supervision …’ In line with these variations in teaching and learning examples we follow the QAA Benchmark Statement, which recommends
that ‘various methods and combinations of methods can be used for … the principal ones being: • formal examinations, whether seen, unseen
or open book • assessed essays • portfolios of coursework • dissertations • formal assessment of performance in live presentations and debates,
ranging from seminar presentations to formal viva voce examinations.’
8. Faculty of Arts and Social Science - War Studies – Professor Caroline Kennedy
1. It is problematic: Warfare and organised politically motivated violence is a troublesome concept for the modern western mind. It is a
normative aspect of life that we eschew violence in our everyday lives and violence between societies is taken as, if not an aberration, then
socially atavistic having little relevance for a post-modern society. 2. It is relevant: Warfare is highly relevant to contemporary life. Knowing and
understanding the place of warfare in the past is crucial to understanding society in its widest sense in the present. If we understand that
warfare is a relevant and enduring tool of statehood we can understand why it has been a feature of human civilisation in the past and why it
will remain so in the future. 3. It is intellectually challenging: Warfare and understanding it, requires intellectual flexibility and openness. It
requires that we overcome social inhibitions and moral constructs to accept that war and killing and death and destruction has a justifiable
purpose and that warfare can be good. 4. It is inherently interdisciplinary:-Warfare, is a social construct, It encompasses, inter alia: a. Politics
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and the construction of human society and government; b. Evolutionary biology, anthropology; c. History, geography, law, sociology; d.
Environmental sciences including resource exploitation, energy, food etc. e. Philosophy, ethics and morality, theology.
Unlike most university subjects, War and Security Studies is not taught at A level. Nevertheless it draws upon a wide range of students with
diverse abilities, needs and subject backgrounds. Insofar as these factors apply, War and Security Studies students will be introduced to the
core disciplines of Politics. Of course it follows that, whilst recognising that module content is specific and distinctive according to subject and
theme, such content must provide a holistic approach that drives the student to deep critical learning so that the learning is transcendent and
irreversible. Whilst War and Security Studies is grounded in long-established theory it is a dynamic and unfolding subject constantly in
contention and flux because of the nature of the international environment and so needs to be continually evaluated, reflective and driven by
free enquiry and debate. As with the other programmes in the Politics Portfolio, War and Security Studies will follow an overall structure: Level
4: Breadth: managing the transition from school to university by introducing core concepts and subject matter. Level 5: Themes: introducing
students to the core concepts of strategy theory that cover the big issues in the subject as well as discrete subject areas such as seapower,
airpower, terrorism and counterinsurgency. Level 6: Depth: a core focus of level six, with the exception of those undertaking either a placement
or study abroad is the dissertation of 12,000 words. Appropriately, it is at this level where students demonstrate their independent ability as
students of War and Security Studies.
9. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences – History – Dr Charles Prior
In the discipline of History, big is back. Over the past 18 months, historians in the UK, the US and Australia have returned to the approach
pioneered by the Annales School of historians in the mid 20th century. Led by Fernand Braudel, they argued for the need to return to the
'longue duree' as an historical perspective. More recently, David Armitage and Jo Guldi have argued that short termism has damaged the
vitality of the discipline in key ways: students are presented with ever-smaller and more specialised segments of historical knowledge; pressures
on academic publishing and the demands of impact mean that historians themselves choose to focus on narrowly-defined and sometimes
arcane topics; and finally the gap between University departments and the broader public is widened, as not cogent case of made for the value
of academic history to issues of contemporary concern (see http://historymanifesto.cambridge.org/). In its approach to Curriculum 2016, the
Department of History has actively engaged with these important developments. In our contribution to the conference, we will provide a brief
overview of how History as a discipline drifted toward ‘short termism’, before going on to explain how historians around the globe are seeking
to reverse this trend, by widening their temporal and geographical perspectives in order to place historical events and patterns of historical time
within contexts that are sufficiently broad to demonstrate the deep structures of historical continuity and change.
We will focus on a number of disciplinary pedagogies, including (but not limited to): how to effectively introduce students to the problems of
historical context, through engagement with primary sources and adopting an empathetic, yet critical, approach to the past and its peoples;
making the case for the relevance of history to contemporary life; encouraging students to embrace and engage with the fact that history is
debated, contested and the subject of on-going controversy; demonstrating that history, being concerned with the complexity of human
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experience over time, is necessarily interdisciplinary, and that historians must actively engage with the other disciplines in their encounter with
the past; that the discipline of history is not primarily concerned with filling students up with an endless list of facts and ‘answers’, but rather
that it should teach them to ask better questions.
10. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences – Social Sciences – Paul Dearey / Dr Julia Holdsworth
Imagination Imagination is crucial for the study of any social behaviour. The anthropological imagination explores human action as meaningful
in its own historical context, rejecting ideas of irrationality where they may arise, and encouraging students to understand cultural relativism.
The sociological imagination explores how structures and agency interact with each other to produce outcomes for individuals and society as a
whole. The study of norms concerning the sacred and the profane is fruitful in both approaches. Social Construction and Power Sociological
approaches emphasise that individuals and society are as they are due to the actions of humans in social contexts. Anthropology understands
social relations to involve relations of significance and also of power. Students learn the importance of analysing, interpreting and applying
different kinds of knowledge about society, including religious knowledge, and also about the relations of power that are in play within and
across societies. Critical reflexivity: Making the familiar strange and the strange familiar All social science areas engage with ‘troublesome
knowledge’ as a reflexive tool by which students learn to evaluate their ways of thinking and researching real-world problems. Critical reflexivity
underpins our collaborative learning and teaching pedagogies, developing in students their distinct sense of graduateness. Research for life:
The social sciences are taught as relevant to real-world issues and concerns. Students are required not only to reflect on their learning
experience, but also to apply their knowledge in various aspects of research activity.
The Sociology, Anthropology, Religion and Gender Studies portfolio is characterised by its commitment to a pedagogy which emphasises
collaboration in learning and research. This pedagogical style emphasises co-operative efforts on the part of students and teachers. It stresses
common inquiry as the basic learning process. It treats the acquisition of knowledge as a social process, providing students with a social context
of learning with peers. It is through interaction with others that students learn to conceptualise issues and solve problems. Modules that
demonstrate this pedagogical style most fully belong to the degree stage of the programmes; lower level modules develop the necessary skills in
students for greater collaboration in their learning and research. This pedagogical strategy shifts the focus from the provision of knowledge to
the generation of it. Each programme within the portfolio articulates the strategy in a manner that is suited to its disciplinary subject matter.
The coherence of the pedagogical strategy is demonstrated most clearly in the intellectual skills that are fostered. In each discipline area, the
curriculum is designed to ensure that reflection on practical and professional skills is a generative theme for students. This pedagogical
commitment in the design of curriculums means that students on all degree programmes engage with the employability agenda both as a
directive and as an ideology. While developing transferrable skills, students grow in awareness of knowledge/education as involving relations of
power. They gain in knowledge of the global economy as a context in which higher education operates. Students are encouraged to reflect on
how the shaping of vocational and social lives relates positively or negatively to global economic activity.
11. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences –Community and Youth Work – Julie Rippingale & Dr Sinead Gormally
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The Big Ideas to be discussed are those relating to the Community Development and Youth Work programme. Two Professional, Statutory or
Regulatory Bodies (PSRB)are also validating the programme therefore the big ideas need to link PSRB requirements. The programme combines
taught academic modules and professional practice placements. The Big Ideas are: 1. The importance of developing critically informed
educators equipped to work multi disciplinary in a range of environments, contexts and cultures 2. The wish to develop evolving critically
reflective practitioners and learners who can be self directed and work as part of a team 3. The importance of analytically connecting theory,
policy, politics and practice 4. The importance of helping students to confidently articulate professional values and resolve conflicts between
their professional and personal identities and values 5. A graduate with professional accreditation and high employability skills.
The disciplinary pedagogy to be used is Critical pedagogy. This utilises mixed methods to ensure praxis between academic study and
professional practice placements. It adopts a dialectical approach which focuses on participatory group based learning to facilitate the
promotion of criticality. The dialectic approach chimes with the LTS Strategic Objective 6.4 – “engaging learners as partners in learning,
sharing responsibility for developing valid and reliable assessment, both formative and summative, together with stimulating and timely
feedback.” Critical pedagogy offers possibilities for widening critical comprehension of sociological questions by exploring these in a more
reflective way. It offers a dialogical approach to generating criticality where tutor and student co-investigate the object of study. It is an
approach that encourages students to explore and reflect dialectically the nature of social problems beyond traditional understandings
invariably founded on positivist epistemological positions. This approach focuses on ensuring students are critically reflexive and aligns with all
five of the ‘big ideas’. It also facilitates the QAA benchmark statement within the academic content and through the professional practice
placements: “Critical and reflective practice involves engagement with the model of the professional as a reflective and reflexive practitioner;
investigating the meanings associated with being a critical practitioner; exploring accountability in practice and developing methods of mutual
support; locating professionalism in practice settings through practice learning; and developing understanding of practice and/or
professionalism through a variety of placements of substantial duration...” (QAA, 2009, p.15). Use appropriate technology and assessment of
academic work and professional practice to ensure relevance to graduate employability and skills will be discussed.
12. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences – Drama, English and Creative Writing – Sarah Jane Dickenson / Professor
Elizabeth Salter
Creativity and the Capacity for Change We argue that the study of creativity has been paralleled by a political appropriation of discourses of
creativity. The individual’s adaptability and ability to improvise are necessary survival strategies for a workforce in a neoliberal economy.
Notions of creativity are firmly yoked to ideas about economy and entrepreneurship in a way that may seem deeply problematic to a scholar of
the creative arts. Evaluative processes and assessment processes offer the capacity to analyse and understand aspects of creative practice.
However, the drive to evaluate can too easily mean that we are driven by evaluation, replicating the neoliberal veneer of creativity. The idea of
replicating creativity is tautology; what’s more it acts to shut down the possibilities for a radical and transformative reimagining of the world.
Such reimagining is a vital aspect of education. In doing so we need to visit notions of aesthetics and ideas about use of protective processes in
teaching.
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Creativity is a remarkable set of human capabilities. We will point to some of the ways of protecting and developing it, as well as to look at
strategies for freeing creativity for its many possible and as yet unimagined futures. Via the subject areas of Drama, English and Creative
Writing we will be looking at possible innovative uses of the tutorial model, assessment and feedback techniques, balancing choice with
efficiency of delivery without compromising research conditions.
13. HUBS – Organisational Behaviour & HR Management – Dr Ian Pownall & Dr Claire Hookham-Williams
With Curriculum 2016 the School and University is engaged on an extensive programme of change in what is offered to future students. To
deliver this change requires the School to directly address key identified threshold and liminality concepts that previously have perhaps been
implicitly rather than explicitly considered. In other words, we need to consider that students are able to effect the transition between one
identity (that of a student of X) to that of another (the students as practitioners of X). Hawkins and Edwards (2013) in particular focus upon the
difficulty of leadership – both as a concept and as a practice of the undergraduate student. Once this threshold knowledge is understood and
grasped effectively, student perspectives are significantly transformed. This is an important focus for the School, given our vision of developing
“responsible leadership for a complex world” and hence for the type of nascent manager and leader we hope to develop. We anticipate
broadening the scope of this discussion to also embrace additional concepts.
An examination of the curriculum difficulties by Hawkins and Edwards (2013) recognises that there may be many such threshold points faced
by an undergraduate Business student, but that leadership studies is particularly ‘troublesome’ because of both its learning and practising
aspects. Studying leadership alone does not sufficiently address the liminality of the concept as it only prepares the student for some of the
uncertainty of the ways in which a management issue can be addressed through leadership. The duality of this difficulty is further exacerbated
for the student in that as noted by Ford and Harding (2007), many leadership development interventions by organisations occur outside of the
organisation through other group and organisational gatherings. It is our view, that placing students in an environment that is not class room
based but authentic to this ‘outside of the organisation environment’ will encourage them to effectively and directly address the doubt and
uncertainty associated with leadership development and practice.
14. HUBS – Business Management - Dr Fernando Correia
The UK Quality Code for Higher Education identifies Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) as one of the key cross-subject themes
with broad relevance for the HE and its role in society. In June 2014 the QAA and HEA published the document “Education for sustainable
development (ESD): Guidance for UK higher education providers”, defining ESD as “the process of equipping students with the knowledge and
understanding, skills and attributes needed to work and live in a way that safeguards environmental, social and economic wellbeing, both in the
present and for future generations” (QAA/HEA, p.5). The guidance aims to help HEIs develop sustainability literate graduates who can consider
key concepts of global citizenship and environmental stewardship in their future professional and personal lives, as well as provide them with
the skills to be active contributors to sustainable futures. By its very nature and cross-subject focus, ESD can therefore have a key role in
promoting the development of interdisciplinary curricula. Building on such ideas, the Business School is developing an undergraduate
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programme on Business Management with Sustainability inspired by “Vision 2050” of the World Business Council for Sustainable Business, i.e.
to equip our graduates to become the future leaders and managers that can shape a world well on the way to sustainability by 2050, where over
9 billion people are living well and within the resource limits of the planet.
Business management in general, but especially business management through a sustainability lens, deals with issues that are characterized by
their systemic and emergent nature, relative complexity and future uncertainty. Hence why the PSRBs in the sector (like the Institute for
Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability) put strong emphasis on key skills such as problem-solving, creativity, flexibility, adaptability,
influencing, collaboration and stakeholder engagement, as well as systemic thinking, strong analytical ability and research capability. The
QAA/HEA guidance on ESD recommends a range of selected pedagogical approaches that are considered particularly effective to address such
skills, both in the context of ESD and to develop students’ employability and professional behaviours. All of them are equally relevant in
Business Management education, so the discussion will focus on three particular such approaches: - the case method, with a strong tradition in
business-school education, and focused on providing students with real-life examples of complex business issues for discussion, promoting
strategic thinking and appraisal of professional and ethical dilemmas; - problem-based learning, aiming at student-led collaborative work
focused on real-world complex, multi-faceted issues, in order to develop individual and collaborative problem identification and problemsolving skills; - experiential project work and/or place-based learning, preferably in collaboration with other internal and external stakeholders,
enabling students to engage with practitioners’ issues at a number of levels and reflect on their own and others’ values, attitudes and accepted
social norms.
15. Faculty of Health and Social Care – Midwifery – Linda Bateman and Julie Flint
The Big Ideas in midwifery education, incorporated into our new curriculum, are Practice, Professionalism, Critical Analysis and Caring and
Compassion. Midwives need to be ‘fit for purpose’ at the point of registration and we need to ensure that we are developing professional, caring
and analytical individuals. Two e-learning tools underpin our Big Ideas as follows:
Authentic World enables students to calculate correct drug dosages, in a safe, on-line environment which assesses their conceptual, calculations
and technical measurement competencies. Midwives dispense a variety of medications, including controlled medications, (diamorphine) and it
important that midwives are safe, competent practitioners who can also challenge incorrect prescribing. Between 2005–2010 there were
525,186 medication error incidents, 86,281 caused actual patient harm (16%) and 822 (0.9%) resulted in patient death. (MHRA 2013). It is
equally important that our students are able to administer medication in a caring/compassionate manner, to reassure those women who are
fearful of medication and its impact on foetus or self. A compassionate approach is thus essential together with the accurate, professional
practice of medicine administration.
K2 is an interactive e-learning tool which enables students to work through a series of modules to support their cardiotocograph (CTG)
interpretation. NICE recommends that all women with high risk pregnancies have electronic cardiotocographic foetal heart monitoring in
labour to assess foetal wellbeing and enable staff to recognise signs of a compromised foetus. K2 is an interactive tool which explains the
aetiology of foetal hypoxia together with the role of the midwife in identifying and categorising these features on a CTG recording. Students
have the opportunity to interpret CTGs via simulation scenarios and receive feedback to support their learning. This enables students to
develop critical thinking when faced with a variety of scenarios from K2.
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E-learning is a useful pedagogy for adult, self-motivated learners and within the context of healthcare can act as a conduit between the clinical
setting and the academic setting to narrow the theory/practice gap. Many midwifery students are familiar with web-based technology and have
an expectation of many different forums for learning. It is important to ensure that the e-learning materials have relevance and application.
Within midwifery, both these programmes have practical, professional and theoretical relevance.
An important consideration for e-learning is its implementation within the curriculum and how it can enrich students learning. The integration
of e-learning pedagogy within the midwifery curriculum enables students to embed their e-learning through actual cases in practice (CTG) and
through observation and administration of medication (Authentic World). Moreover, the confidence and competence building aspect of this
learning enables a woman centred, non-mechanistic approach to care.
Authentic World and K2 allow the learner to develop at their own pace and reflect on their learning needs through feedback via the e-learning
tools. Midwifery student’s familiarisation with e-learning as a learning tool will enable them to be equipped with the skills required in a 21st
century healthcare environment when they become qualified practitioners and enhance their practice.
This is our fourth year of using K2 which evidences our commitment to foster and assure midwifery graduates competence in practice,
confidence and professionalism at the point of registration. The incorporation of Midwifery’s Big Ideas and rationale for our e-learning
programmes will be developed in the presentation
16. Faculty of Health and Social Care – Nursing – tbc
Text to follow
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