Creating Effective Learning in Higher Education
| Module title | Creating Effective Learning in Higher Education |
|---|---|
| Module code | EFPM902 |
| Academic year | 2024/5 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | Dr Lisa Alberici (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 50 |
|---|
Module description
This module is for academics and academic-related professionals who teach or support learning, and/or undertake research/scholarship in a research-intensive university. Drawing on theoretical and empirical research about effective teaching and learning in higher education (HE) contexts, combined with your own professional experience (at least 100 hours of teaching and supporting learners throughout the duration of your programme), 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 teaching practice which you would like to develop; this will become the focus for the narrated PowerPoint portion of your teaching portfolio (summative assessment).
There are no pre-requisites, but it is intended that you would take this module alongside module EFPM900 (The Contemporary Academic in Context) as part of the Academic Professional Programme (Apprenticeship PGCert) or Academic Professional part-time pathway (PGCert).
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, underpinned by the dimensions of practice of the UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF) for teaching and supporting learning and the Academic Professional Apprenticeship standard. We aim to help you to develop ways of engaging in teaching practice development and 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 professional practice within current institutional, political and social contexts whilst evidencing your practice explicitly against the areas of activity, core knowledge, and professional values of the UKPSF for teaching and supporting learning.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Apply and evaluate a range of high quality teaching, assessment, feedback and evaluation methods used in higher education to support learning and achievement.
- 2. Employ and adapt design and delivery methods to create effective learning environments, and support a range of learners needs, including inclusive, sustainable and collaborative teaching practices.
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. Analyse, synthesise and use critical thinking in the conduct of research and/or scholarship in teaching practice.
- 4. Explore innovative and collaborative approaches to undertaking your work to create interest, understanding and enthusiasm among your colleagues and students.
- 5. Use technological processes and digital technologies to develop and disseminate knowledge and understanding of subject disciplines.
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 6. Implement the principles and methods of critically reflective practice and evidence-informed approaches to enhance your own professional development and academic practice as evidenced against the UKPSF for teaching and supporting learning.
- 7. Share ideas and evidence with students and peers, and collect evidence of the impact, quality and effectiveness of your work.
- 8. Commit to, and manage your own, continuing professional development (CPD) in your subject discipline and pedagogy, incorporating research, scholarship and professional practices.
Syllabus plan
This module is designed to support the development of supportive communities of practice amongst academic professionals in Higher Education. It also gives participants the opportunity to examine their learning, teaching and assessment practice, in terms of creating effective learning and inclusive learning environments underpinned by evidence-informed approaches and the outcomes from research, scholarship and continuing professional development.
Most of the teaching on the module is concentrated into three delivery days. Structured learning activities will be varied, to include interactive lectures, discussion groups, expert panels, and collaborative small group tasks. The curriculum content is aligned to the UKPSF for teaching and supporting learning and the Academic Professional Apprenticeship standard. Participants are allocated an assessment tutor from the teaching team, who will provide support as needed, in face-to-face meetings, by email, skype, and/or telephone.
Sessions can vary according to your and other participants’ interests and questions, but all are designed to fit into three broad themes:
1. Education design and delivery, for example:
- Planning teaching sessions (including ILOs, learning and teaching activities, and assessment methods)
- The socially constructed nature of learning and its implications for your teaching methods (active learning, feedback loops, and use of digital technologies)
- Programme and module design and evaluation
- Personal tutoring, student wellbeing, and creating effective and supportive learning environments
- Inclusive teaching practices, informed by equality and diversity and in an internationalised university context.
2. Education development, for example:
- Contemporary issues in Higher Education, including research-inspired, inquiry-led learning, understanding the student experience, university admissions, and widening participation
- How to involve students in the design of curricula and engaging students as agents for change
- Evaluation and feedback methods for teaching quality assurance and enhancement, and for practice development and enhancement.
3. Critically reflective practice, for example:
- Self-reflective teaching practices informed by research, scholarship and professional development
- Mapping your academic and professional practice against, and critically engaging with, the UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF).
Additional elements will be designed in collaboration with you, as participants, in order to reflect your own priorities and the needs of your department, as determined in prior and on-going discussions between you, your Academic Leads and other stakeholders.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 35 | 160 | 105 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities | 21 | Three delivery days (each of approximately 7 hours), involving whole group sessions, comprised of a combination of activities, such as interactive lectures, presentations, discussion groups, collaborative small group tasks, triad presentations, and panel discussions. |
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities | 5 | Triad concept-mapping activity: working in a group of three to prepare a group presentation |
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities | 2 | Blended learning engagement including online discussion and preparation for session |
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities | 6 | Writing retreat structured, tutor-led and peer-supported writing retreat for critically reflective writing. |
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities | 1 | Individual tutorials with assessment tutor and/or academic mentor. |
| Guided independent study | 10 | Engagement with peer dialogue/observation and writing up and reflecting on that experience. |
| Guided independent study | 70 | Reading course materials and education literature for reflective case study, and focusing on the area of teaching practice to be developed. |
| Guided independent study | 30 | Mapping practice to UKPSF; and reading and preparation for reflective case study. |
| Guided independent study | 50 | Developing output to be assessed, reflecting on and evaluating the implemented change to teaching practice for narrated PowerPoint. |
| Placement | 105 | Directed activities in professional contexts CPD and roles related to teaching practice (including developing output to be assessed, reflecting on and evaluating the implemented change to teaching practice). |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Triad concept-mapping activity: working in a group of three to develop a strategy for enhancing an area of teaching practice, mapped to the UK PSF and with respect to the educational research literature | 20 mins for triad presentation and 10 minutes for feedback and discussion | 1-8 | Oral peer and tutor feedback. Completed feedback template forms from peers and tutors. |
| Giving feedback to other participants, using template feedback form. | 1 hour (variable depending on number of triads) | 1, 6, 8 | Oral peer and tutor feedback. |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written record and reflection on peer observations/dialogue | 0 | 1,000 words | 2-3, 8 | Written feedback |
| Teaching portfolio, comprising the following five elements: | 100 | Equivalent to 5000 words, plus one supporting statement of up to 500 words. | 1-8 | Written tutor feedback |
| 1. Completed proforma of teaching activities mapped to the UKPSF. | 0 | 10-12 professional and developmental activities mapped against UKPSF for teaching and supporting learning - 1000 words (max.) | 1-8 | |
| 2. Written reflection on an aspect of teaching practice | 0 | 500-word reflection on an aspect of teaching practice, mapped to UKPSF, with critical reference to appropriate education literature. | 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 | |
| 3. Two peer observation of teaching forms | 0 | One peer observation of teaching form as the observer (providing feedback); and one peer observation of teaching form as the observed 1000 words (max.) | 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8 | |
| 4. One teaching support statement | 0 | One statement of support to endorse teaching practice articulated in portfolio (c. 500 words) | 1, 4, 7, 8 |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teaching portfolio, comprising the following elements: | Teaching portfolio, comprising the following elements: | 1-8 | Resubmission at next assessment deadline (minimum 3 months later) |
| 10-12 professional and developmental activities mapped against UKPSF for teaching and supporting learning - 1000 words (max.) | 10-12 professional and developmental activities mapped against UKPSF for teaching and supporting learning - 1000 words (max.) | 1-8 | |
| 500-word reflection on an aspect of teaching practice, mapped to UKPSF, with critical reference to appropriate education literature. | 500-word reflection on an aspect of teaching practice, mapped to UKPSF, with critical reference to appropriate education literature. | 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 | |
| Two peer observation of teaching forms: one peer observation of teaching form as the observer (providing feedback); and one peer observation of teaching form as the observed 1000 words (max.) | Two peer observation of teaching forms: one peer observation of teaching form as the observer (providing feedback); and one peer observation of teaching form as the observed 1000 words (max.) | 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8 | |
| One statement of support to endorse teaching practice articulated in portfolio (c. 500 words) | One statement of support to endorse teaching practice articulated in portfolio (c. 500 words) | 1, 4, 7, 8 | |
| 15-minute narrated PowerPoint presentation (2500-word equivalent). | 15-minute narrated PowerPoint presentation (2500-word equivalent). | 1-8 |
Re-assessment notes
As per the TQA manual.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
- Biggs, J. and Tang, C. (2011). Teaching for quality learning at university, (4th ed.), Maidenhead: Open University Press.
- Brookfield, S.D. (rev. 2017). Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher, (2nd ed.), San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons Inc, and Jossey-Bass Inc.,U.S.
- Fung, D. (2017). A Connected Curriculum for Higher Education. London: UCL Press. https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1558776/1/A-Connected-Curriculum-for-Higher-Education.pdf.
- Fry, H., Ketteridge, S. and Marshall, S. (eds), (2014). A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: Enhancing academic practice, Abingdon and New York: Routledge.
- Race, P. (2014). The Lecturer’s Toolkit: a practical guide to assessment, learning and teaching, (4th ed.), Abingdon and New York: Routledge.
- Tong, V. C. H., Standen, A., and Sotiriou, M (eds), (2018). Shaping Higher Education with Students: ways to connect research and teaching. London: UCL Press. https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10044671/1/Shaping-Higher-Education-with-Students.pdf.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
- ELE:https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=8068.
- Advance HE, UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF) for teaching and supporting learners in higher education: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/uk-professional-standards-framework-ukpsf.
- Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, Academic Professional Apprenticeship standard: https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/academic-professional/.
- University of Exeter – Inclusive teaching practices: https://as.exeter.ac.uk/tqae/inclusiveteaching/.
Indicative learning resources - Other resources
- Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), subject benchmark statements: https://www.qaa.ac.uk/quality-code/subject-benchmark-statements.
- University of Exeter – Teaching Quality Assurance (TQA) manual: https://as.exeter.ac.uk/academic-policy-standards/tqa-manual/.
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | N/A |
| Module co-requisites | EFPM900 |
| NQF level (module) | 7 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 30/5/2008 |
| Last revision date | 09/03/2020 |
