Realising the potential of flexible blended learning for mature students

Professor Sandy Allan (GSE), Dr Karen Knapp (GSE), Susan McAnulla (Medical Imaging), Matthew Newcombe (e-Learning), Dr ZhiMin Xiao (GSE)

This project explored how a flexible blended learning approach could be used to transform and enhance mature students’ experiences of higher education. The project drew on a Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework and involved the Education and Medical Imaging disciplines.

Single-Page Resource

Support Innovations to Improve the Academic Success and Emotional Well-being of International and Widening Participation Students in Law

Dr Charlie Bishop (Law)

This project explored how international and widening participation students could be better supported to succeed academically in the Law School. The primary objective of this project was to develop, pilot, evaluate, and promote an evidence-based tutoring and mentoring model that was targeted at these student groups.

The Exeter Spectrum Project

Dr Layal Hakim & Dr Barrie Cooper (CEMPS, Mathematics)

This project developed and trialed a new programme to support autistic students and members of staff on campus. With endorsement from the National Autistic Society this project aimed to create resources that put Exeter on the map as a leading university for inclusion and support of those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). 

Network Mentor:  Professor Beverley Hawkins (UEBS)

Access for all to UG Modern Languages: supporting learners in their transition to University

Professor Sonia Cunico, Dr Juan Garcia-Precedo, Dr Damien Gaucher (Modern Languages, SSIS)

This project delivered a Peer-Assisted Learning scheme for new modern languages undergraduates in 2019. From September 2019 Exeter welcomed students whose highest language qualification was at GCSE, supporting these students to study alongside peers who had studied languages to A-Level. This project involved students as mentors, who also developed and delivered new language training resources to support this unique cohort. 

‘Choose your own adventure’: tiered skills development activities for academic workshops

Dr Emma Taylor, Dr Shelly Dogra, Dr David Macdonald (CMH)

This project aimed to deliver an academic skills development experience that appealed to all students. In the Fundamental Skills for Medical Scientists module, a series of tiered workshops were be made available that students could attend dependent upon their prior experience or educational attainment. This increased student perception of the value of academic skills workshops delivered within the BSc Medical Sciences programmes, with them being considered neither too challenging nor patronisingly simple.

Network Mentor: Dr Alison Hill (CLES)

Equality of Opportunity in the Practical STEM Environment

Dr Peter Connor, Dr Helen Smith (CEMPS)

This project aimed to improve the quality of lab-based teaching by developing data on the roles students take in the lab and then applying and testing the effectiveness of interventions to try to work toward a more rounded teaching experience for all.

Decolonising the Curriculum/Diversifying the University

Professor Jerri Daboo (HUMS)

This project aimed to provide opportunities for innovative and creative engagement with complex issues surrounding decolonising the curriculum and diversifying the University. The following questions were explored:

Do current practices reflect an appropriate range of sources and approaches instead of repeating and reinforcing dominant western canonical texts and theories?

How do we diversify our teaching methods, engage wider communities, external partners and academic discourse with real-world issues while enhancing collective learning?

Unhoming Pedagogies: Decolonial Practices, Ethical Education, and the Humanities

Dr Natalie Pollard (HUMS)

This project explored and examined collaborative teaching practices developed in the Humanities, focussing on co-authoring and co-teaching with students. In bringing together staff and students across the disciplines, it considered how far collaborative pedagogies can enable a creative 'unhoming' of educational power hierarchies.

Network Mentor:  Dr George Koutsouris (GSE)

Citizen Journalism News Network (CJNN) MOOC

Dr Mike Leyshon, Matthew Rogers (CLES)

The Podcasting and Digital Journalism project aimed to provide University of Exeter students with the opportunity to develop specific podcasting, digital journalism and communication skills through engagement with an incrementally structured, 4-week-long, bespoke curriculum. Importantly the Podcasting and Digital Journalism project enabled participants to present their research for broader consumption by a wider audience through the forward-facing CJN app. In this way, the Podcasting and Digital Journalism EdTech project facilitated a networking opportunity between interested grassroots and professional media organisations and the University of Exeter students.

Developing a Student-Crowd Sourced Formative Integrated Clinical Anatomy Spot Test Question Items Bank, and Evaluation of Appropriate Mode of Delivery

Dr Tudor Chinnah, Dr Hope Gangata, Vikram Devaraj (CMH)

Evidence has continued to suggest that assessment drives learning and knowledge and has an overwhelming influence on what, how, and how much students study. Student-crowd sourced formative assessment question items provided an efficient source of quality assessment items that helped in saving staff time while providing students with learning opportunities.

This project had two key aims:

1) to engage students in writing contents for formative assessment short answer question items bank

2) to identify and evaluate the best platform for the delivery of Integrated Clinical Anatomy Spot Test assessments.

Evaluation took place in several ways during this project: evaluating the impact of exposing students to assessment question items writing; evaluating the impacts using these formative assessment tests on their summative assessment exams, and conducting psychometric performance analysis of each of the question items to determine their appropriateness in a test environment. Various technological platform options, including PeerWise, were tested for their optimal educational impact.

Narrowcasting the curriculum: Using video and podcast content to enhance student learning in a core human geography research design module

Dr Matt Finn (CLES)

This project created videos and podcasts of staff and students talking about common research design issues in human geography/social sciences. The project worked with students and evaluate the impact of different media on learning. This resource was used (i) to enhance student learning in a new partially flipped second-year core research design module and (ii) as part of a resource site to support A-level student development of their geography non-examined assessments (coursework). 

Network Mentor:  Dr Helen Knowler (GSE)

Mobile Learning for Mathematics

Layal Hakim (CEMPS)

The Mobile Learning (M-Learning) project aimed to create a mobile application that was used to build a platform for students to learn and revise 'on the go.' The mobile application was used to integrate a variety of materials for Stage 1 modules to improve student engagement. These included module summaries, personal photos storage, upcoming lecture plans, as well as providing ways to provide course feedback.

Creating a new Environment & Climate Emergency mandatory training resource for all students

Joel Smith

In response to the University of Exeter’s Environment and Climate Emergency (E&CE) announcement in 2019, this project aimed to provide content to train students about the project, through a combination of desk-based research and consultation with students, staff, and other partners. It will be rolled out by September 2020.

Penryn Geo-Observatory

Clemens Ullmann (CEMPS)

The project aimed to capture and monitor environmental data and research-led teaching by creating a Geo-Observatory at the Penryn campus, capitalising on its unique surroundings and status as an internationally excellent research hub. The collected data was analysed with students and used to create online resources for students and researchers to access.

Future Food for Families: Creating family-friendly educational resources about sustainable diets

Natalia Lawrence (CLES)

The project created a series of educational resources about the Future Food MOOC through working with students on existing modules around sustainable food. Through a collaboration with the community organisation ‘Kid’s Kitchen,’ a series of practical sessions were be delivered online for school children and their families, helping them gain a better understanding of sustainable diets and how to implement them into their day-to-day lives. 

Sustainability Assessment Tool for Green Consultants

Helen Hicks 

The project identified a standard sustainability assessment tool/app to be used by all Green Consultants to assess the carbon footprint of different types of organisations. This tool will be used by our interns on the Green Consultants programme in 2020/21 to work with small businesses and organisations and implement practical solutions to improve their sustainability. 

(Green Consultants in an award-winning employability programme which enables students to attend a training programme and execute an environmental consultancy project on campus then complete an internship in an external organisation).

Students as Co-Researchers: A new digital technology learning model as a response to the COVID-19 virus and similar potential future threats 

Pascal Stiefenhofer (UEBS)

The project was created in response to the COVID-19 virus and aimed to create guidance and resources on how to engage students digitally as co-researchers in interdisciplinary and international initiatives. The guidance and publications that come from this project outlined methods that universities could use to engage students in innovative and creative ways when redesigning their curriculum.