Microgrant Incubation Fellows 24-25
The Exeter Education Incubator funded ten Incubation innovation projects in the academic year 24-25. All these projects were delivered by our educators - academic and professional service colleagues from across the University from a wide range of disciplinary perspectives.
We are pleased to introduce our Microgrant Fellows 24-25.
AI Against the Grain
Project team: Dr Amy Cutler, Dr Anna Kiernan, Dr Joseph Crawford, Professor Konstantinos Thomaidis and Professor Gabrielle Giannachi
Project: AI Against the Grain: This workshop series explores unconventional AI use in creative storytelling, engaging participants in experimental workflows that resist mainstream AI approaches. Through small collaborations, the workshops will generate lightweight, innovative projects and share outcomes via an online showcase. The initiative also serves as a "sandpit" for prototyping cross-disciplinary pedagogies, gathering student feedback on creative interest and methodologies for Exeter's new Interactive Narrative Design MA, set to launch in 2025.
GenAI and I: Developing an Online Training Module for Academics Considering (Deeper) GenAI Integration in their Teaching and Learning Practice
Project team: Dr Constantine Manolchev, Dr Ruth Cherrington, Kelly Louise Preece and Steph Comley
This study aims to develop a pedagogic framework that systematises the integration of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in business education. The framework will guide educators in determining the appropriate level of GenAI integration for their courses, support content creation, assessment, and learning outcomes, and explore pathways for deeper GenAI integration. This research is crucial as it addresses the gap between educators and students in the adoption of GenAI, with the goal of enhancing educational practices and meeting the rising student demand for GenAI in teaching and learning.
Meet Your New Teammate, GenAI
Project team: Professor Alex Janes, Dr Graham Perkins, Sian Robinson, Nicky Thomas, Sean Tilson and Thomas Young
Project: This project explores how students can effectively integrate generative AI (GenAI) tools as active members of their teams in group work settings. Recognizing the rapid rise in AI usage among students, the project aims to address the educational gap in guiding students to use AI responsibly and productively in collaborative contexts. The team will conduct initial research with postgraduate marketing and undergraduate accounting students, who will incorporate GenAI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude.ai) as “teammates” during group tasks. The research team will capture the students' experiences through reflective diaries, focus groups, and questionnaires, analysing key aspects like trust in AI teammates, appropriate team roles, and the overall AI contribution to group dynamics and learning outcomes.
Developing inclusive communication: peer facilitation of group work on controversial political issues.
Project team: Dr Karen Scott, Dr Andrew Schaap, Hannah Lyons, Dr Deborah Johnson, Dr Bice Maiguashca, Barbara Allen and Rae Preston
Project: Developing Inclusive Communication aims to enhance group discussions of controversial political issues among students by employing peer facilitators. These student facilitators, trained in inclusive communication and equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) principles, will guide group work to address issues like gender and racial dynamics that can exacerbate division. The facilitators will help foster respectful dialogue, improve group cohesion, and create an inclusive learning environment where students can critically engage with polarizing topics while feeling supported and understood.
Forward is the new back: moving towards more authentic assessment and feedback
Project team: Dr Jenny Harris, Federico Palmisani, Dr Talitha Kerrigan, Dr Owen Tomlinson, Greg Collinson, Zoe Mia, Mia Honeghan-Bates and Dr Elena Rossetti
Project: Forward is the New Back is a project aimed at improving assessment and feedback in the undergraduate neuroscience program. It focuses on creating a feedback-feedforward framework, enhancing transparency, consistency, and dialogue between students and staff. By co-creating tools with students, the project seeks to provide more authentic, personalized, and actionable feedback, fostering better engagement and learning. The initiative will also introduce a moderation toolkit to ensure fair and consistent assessment across the program, with the ultimate goal of enhancing student satisfaction and academic growth.
Making MEaning
Project team: Dr Matthew Isherwood, Dr George Tarling and Dr Caitlin Kight
The Road Out of Town: (Re) drawing the map(s) of future positive assessment together, with curiosity and courage.
Project team: Emily Kreider, Dr Erin Walcon, Dr Jo Esra, Pam Willox, Dr Michael Pearce, Dr Caleb Lee, Dr Kara Reilly, Dr Chris Grosvenor, Dr Alex Taylor, Dr Evelyn O’Malley, Dr Bryan Brown and Antonia Edwards
Project: The Road Out of Town is a pedagogical inquiry exploring how to create future-positive, inclusive assessment methods in higher education. Focused on cross-departmental collaboration, it seeks to bridge the gap between strategy and practice, while addressing student well-being, resilience, and risk-taking in formative assessment. The project involves staff and student perspectives, aiming to design assessment as an ongoing process that prepares students for their learning journeys, rather than just an endpoint.
Community-Driven Sustainability: Empowering Psychology students to make real world impact
Project team: Professor Natalia Lawrence, Dr Katherine Ashbullby, Becky Rowe, David Parslow, Dr Hazel Mycroft, Dr Julie Pepper, Professor Richard Smith, Jo Shuttleworth and Catherine Butler
Project: Community-Driven Sustainability addresses the lack of sustainability integration in health and social science degrees. Led by Natalia Lawrence, it aims to involve psychology students and staff in real-world sustainability initiatives by partnering with local organizations. The project plans to co-create sustainability-related resources, such as staff training packs and new opportunities for student dissertations, with a focus on increasing student engagement. The initiative hopes to influence other departments in integrating sustainability into their curricula.
Devon on a Plate
Project team: Professor Harry G West, Dr Fatma Sabet, Dr Luciana Torquati, Dr Celia Plender, Dr Paul Cleave and Jed Hilton
Project: Devon on a Plate is a project aimed at teaching first-year university students how to make healthy, sustainable, and affordable food choices while fostering social connections through shared meal preparation. Through workshops, lessons, and field trips, students will learn about the environmental impact of food production, nutrition, and cooking skills. The project ultimately aims to improve student well-being and mental health by promoting better dietary habits and a sense of community, with potential scalability to benefit all incoming students.
Engineering the Future
Project team: Ceri Howells, Dr Ana Neves, Dr Peter Melville-Shreeve, Dr Vicki Brown, Emily Davies, Amber Strong, Daniel Fenton and Pete Offord
Project: Engineering the Future addresses key challenges in education by engaging secondary school and university students in collaborative, sustainability-focused projects. It promotes problem-based learning, diversity in engineering, and entrepreneurial skills while also improving representation of underrepresented groups in STEM. The program involves hands-on engineering challenges aligned with the UN's SDGs, peer mentoring, and career inspiration, with the goal of increasing interest and participation in STEM fields among young students, particularly from widening participation schools and underrepresented demographics.