This article outlines an exploratory study that investigated students’ perceptions of the benefits and disadvantages of lecture recordings delivered as part of an introductory chemistry program in the UK during the COVID-19 lockdown in Spring 2020. Three features of these lecture recordings are considered: 1) the production of a series of mini-lectures rather than 50 minute recordings; 2) the inclusion of quiz questions in the video timeline; and 3) the inclusion of a picture-in-picture talking head showing the instructor alongside a captured screen. Analysis of survey data indicates that a majority of students felt that each of these features had a positive impact on their learning and/or experience, with a significant number expressing a preference for the retention of online lectures after the resumption of on-campus teaching. Qualitative data provides valuable insight regarding the specific aspects of the recorded lectures that were perceived to enhance the student experience, supporting the design of future provision both during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. The generalizability of the recommendations is also discussed, along with the limitations of the study.
Practical work is an integral part of teaching and learning in STEM. It can help to deliver many learning outcomes - manipulative skills, observation and description, motivation, creative thinking, problem-solving abilities, and critical attitudes, as well as conceptual understanding. In recent years the already weak provision of the STEM practical curriculum in Sub Saharan Africa SSA has been undermined further by pandemic constraints. Online practical work is expanding rapidly in both scale and sophistication worldwide and it offers a credible means of mitigating such problems and improving access in SSA. This study examines issues and prospects for online practical work in SSA. It includes a brief summary of the present position and presents the views of stakeholders gathered using semi structured interviews. These focused on their attitudes towards introducing new learning technologies and related approaches in the teaching and learning of practical work in science. The results showed that many of the educators interviewed are enthusiastic about the opportunities afforded by online practical work and see such innovation as a useful response to the pandemic. They also assert their readiness to embrace new technologies in STEM practical work but warn of the challenges, notably access to resources and the lack of the teaching skills required to engage learners in effective online practical work. The students have been disappointed by online versions of conventional face to face teaching and many are sceptical about online practical work. Resource and cost issues dominate their thinking. Science educators will require extensive training if online learning technologies are to be harnessed successfully to provide practical science activities in SSA.
Many instructors globally reported a lack of engagement in synchronous online sessions during the Covid-19 lockdowns. This article outlines the use of collaborative small group tasks mediated via breakout rooms in Teams during the 2020/21 academic year. The rationale for the activities, which are available for download, is described along with details of the evaluation of their impact. Key findings were that a majority of students reported enjoying the tasks and felt that they improved their learning during online sessions.
The financial cost to individuals of higher education is now regularly exceeding £50k before maintenance in the UK; consequently, students are more concerned than ever that their degree should offer value for money when they enter the jobs marketplace. Overshadowed by long-term debt, lack of career options and job offerings with low salary, student numbers in the arts, languages, humanities and philosophy areas have suffered compared to most STEM disciplines (Universities UK, 2018). Computer science, I.T. and computing tend to buck this trend (HESA, 2020), and, with a drive toward reskilling the workforce for a more technology-focussed future, this suits Government strategy. However, graduate employers want to hire individuals who are well rounded and have experience; businesses identify that more general workplace experience is key. The subsequent sections describe a level 7 (Master’s) capstone project module, Commercial Development Practice, dedicated to fulfilling these employer requirements by focussing on project processes rather than project products. The practicalities of running this module and considerations that have been key for the successful application of this technique over the 14 years the module has been running are discussed. The curriculum, pedagogic approaches and assessment methods are presented. The evaluation of this approach, which analyses the impact and student experience and perception of the module using data gathered since 2015, has found that participants gain valuable skills, experience and confidence which leads to more employable graduates.
Exposure to inspirational and relatable role models is crucial towards fostering engagement of learners with scientific disciplines. However, the representation of scientists in popular culture is still far from being adequately gender- and race-inclusive. This study evaluated the gender balance and impact of scientific role models using a two-pronged experimental approach. The gender balance was investigated in search engines, online databases, and school curricula. A survey was used to investigate English secondary students’ awareness of role models and intentions to pursue further scientific studies. Our findings revealed a widespread female underrepresentation amongst scientific role models in all the analysed online sources and in high school curricula provided by the three main English exam boards. The survey (n = 356) revealed that students were considerably more likely to identify famous male than female scientists. While awareness of female role models was significantly associated with students’ gender, this was not the case for male role models. A statistically significant correlation was also observed between the number of identified role models and intentions to pursue scientific studies in Key Stage 4 girls. This study reinforces the urgency of ensuring school curricula and online resources provide a more modern and inclusive representation of scientists.
Recent research has established that the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a shift in University student expectations of their graduate prospects due to unavoidable changes in their learning experiences during the pandemic, as well as the decrease in number of available jobs because of the economic impact of measures put in place to reduce COVID-19 transmission. This study used a survey to investigate: (a) the impact of the pandemic on student destinations six months after graduation and (b) the variations in perceptions of personal level of career preparedness between pre-pandemic graduates and graduates at different stages of the pandemic (i.e. the graduating classes of 2020 and 2021). 40 University of Leicester chemistry graduates engaged with the survey and analysis of the data revealed a non-statistically significant negative impact on employment six-months after graduation that appears to only affect graduates in 2020. The data also suggests that increased experience of the blended learning approaches adopted at the University of Leicester during the pandemic studies may better prepare graduates for remote working practices (e.g. using remote video conferencing software).
Widening participation has encouraged students from a diverse range of backgrounds into university with more students commuting (many being Black and Minority Ethnic, BME). Since timetabling forms a major way by which students identify and interact with their learning environment understanding its influence is important. This project aimed to identify the experiences of students with their timetables using questionnaires and focus groups to determine perceptions and relationship to travel to university by ethnicity, gender, age and level of study. Five hundred and fifty students participated across levels 4 to 6 at Kingston University. There was a strong negative correlation between travel time and ‘the timetable works efficiently for me’ (Question 16, National Student Survey). Students from ethnic backgrounds on average were found to travel double the distances of their White counterparts to get to university. In addition, timetable satisfaction was also reflected in the modes of transport used and in perceptions of expected timetabled hours (i.e., whether too many or too few hours scheduled) based on travel times. We identified a number of inclusive priorities to help improve the timetable for student groups including having later starts to days and one guaranteed day free per week. In addition, the COVID-19 world has temporarily reduced the need for most students to commute and can be regarded as a positive disruptor for future commuting students. Certainly, it will be important to find a new balance in applying the identified priorities and the realised alternative COVID-19 teaching practices for creating more inclusive, flexible and blended learning environments to achieve the ultimate student-centred timetable.
This short article summarises the evaluation findings from the end of Year 1 Phase 2 Uni Connect Raising Higher Education Aspirations project in Lincolnshire. This national initiative, funded by the Office for Students, delivers targeted Higher Education outreach activities to young people in Years 9 to 13 in areas where the Higher Education participation of young people is much lower than expected based on GCSE-level attainment. These areas often coincide with where universities focus their widening participation efforts to help them meet their Access and Participation Plans. In Lincolnshire the project is managed and delivered by LiNCHigher, one of 29 local learning partnerships involved in the project nationally. The data were collected between March and July 2020 during the Covid-19 national lockdown when all schools were closed and draws primarily on data collected from six case study schools. Evaluation activity comprised an online student activity survey, semi-structured interviews with School and College Leads, LiNCHigher Area Engagement Officers and two student focus groups, conducted just prior to lockdown in early March. The evaluation found that, prior to Covid-19, interventions were beginning to have a positive impact on the Higher Education aspirations of all students and that schools both welcomed and valued the initiative highly. The evaluation report made several recommendations, including ensuring workshops are more interactive.
Belonging at university is a complex and important issue which relates to student attainment but is more challenging for non-traditional students, including those with disability. This study, part of a larger project, explored differences in academic self-confidence and engagement, belonging, peer belonging and institutional acceptance in those with and without disability in two academic institutions. Quantitative data, collected using a series of statements in online questionnaires, indicated that academic self-confidence was significantly lower in those with disability, as were aspects of peer belonging. By contrast, academic engagement and institutional acceptance did not differ for most statements by disability status. Possible reasons for this, and the implications of the findings, are discussed.
I report the implementation of an activity in which students are asked to write multiple-choice questions (MCQs) on the subject of ‘orbitals’ in order to consolidate their learning on the subject. This was facilitated using the online system PeerWise, which allows students to upload MCQs that they have written and to then answer those authored by their peers. The process of writing questions accesses the upper levels of Bloom’s taxonomy, and the discussions incorporated within the activity allow for socially constructed learning as part of the pedagogy of constructive evaluation.
Covid‑19 restrictions affected most of the post‑16 learning experience of the students who will begin university courses in STEM in the UK in autumn 2021. Ongoing disruption to learning culminated in the cancellation of normal A-level examinations which were replaced with teacher assessments. Informal discussion with secondary school teaching colleagues reveals some possible consequences for the students’ transition to degree level study in STEM subjects. The main suggestion is that, despite the resilience that students have shown both academically and socially, there have been significant omissions from the normally studied curriculum that may affect their progress on degree courses in STEM including: lack of experimental practice and skills, lack of specific subject knowledge and lack of experience of assessment.
Examination papers were analysed using a methodology based on Bloom’s Taxonomy to identify the cognitive skills required to complete questions and compare these to the cognition necessary for graduate skills. This research found that examinations access mainly mid to low-level cognition such as recall and apply, while competencies required by employers tend to need higher-level cognition such as synthesis and creation, which are not as commonly tested through examinations. This paper proposes that careful design of examination questions using different measurable verbs could be more effective at encouraging development of higher-level metacognitive skills in formal examinations.
This paper considers the use of the United Nations global goals to provide a framework for the teaching of professional and related skills. The main example and case study considered in this paper is from computing; however, much of the approach and many of the issues are applicable to a wide range of subjects, especially in science. Alongside the specific skills attached to sustainability, the paper also considers the broader development of some of the investigative and analytical skills that underpin university research and reflect the need for a research informed curriculum, and the so-called teaching-research nexus. The paper also considers other aspects of the context for graduate skills, including accreditation requirements and employers’ expectations; such expectations of graduates frequently include the requirement that students are able to understand and demonstrate a range of non-technical specific issues, topics and skills and issues. This paper describes the use of global challenges to motivate the delivery and engagement with a case study.
The transition into higher education stretches students socially, academically and within their personal lives requiring adaptation and development of resilience. For many, such demands may lead to decreased mental well-being and, for some, mental ill-health.This project aimed to trial simple mental health awareness and well-being tasks with first year undergraduate students, and to determine whether students find these interventions beneficial and worthy of embedding as transition activities within the first-year curriculum. Four activities were trialled with 185 first-year students who reported the activities as beneficial. All activities caused an overall increase in student knowledge of how to maintain good mental well-being. In the light of this project’s findings, such activities are recommended for embedding into the first-year curriculum and throughout higher education.
The ‘clickers project’ is a University-wide project, designed to provide an inclusive facility for technology-enhanced learning to staff and students. Every level 4 student received a free clicker device. Students were asked to register their clicker using the University’s virtual learning environment (VLE) in order to investigate student engagement with in-class quizzes using clickers. Participation in the clicker registration process was recorded and evaluated as an indication of engagement with classroom technologies. Overall, significant differences in progression and participation in the registration process were observed with respect to ethnicity, gender and non-continuation rates for full-time, first degree entrants. In an accompanying survey, students who were less confident in their in-class responses were more likely to resist working with peers or to give-up more quickly when tackling difficult questions. This paper presents three key elements of the project: First, Kingston University’s inclusive approach in promoting classroom technology, second, analysis of engagement with the clicker registration process, and finally student perceptions of the use of classroom technologies. The objective is to show how classroom technologies can be seen as inclusive tools for feedback, capable of providing early signs of gaps in attainment among learners.
The use of a group-based approach to project working has been shown to provide significant advantage to students in terms of project outcomes, motivation and engagement. The Department of Chemistry at the University of Reading has recently explored the use of group projects for final year practical work. In this model, students are presented with a research problem that they investigate within a team of three to five students. Students are expected to divide the work and share results in a manner that closely resembles project working in industry. This paper will report the experiences and attitudes of final-year BSc students towards this group-based approach, and outline the self-identified skills development of these students.
The physical configuration of the university campus impacts upon student learning and experience, and can be used to signal institutional priorities. The extent to which campus, particularly in post 92 institutions, is designed as opposed to evolving as older buildings are repurposed or replaced is variable. Student experiences and perceptions of the campus physical space are also unclear. This study aimed to explore student perceptions using qualitative methods. Data were collected during 8 focus groups from 37 participants. The majority were young and female, with considerable ethnic diversity. Six major themes were identified, many of which did not directly relate to the physical space itself. Rather the impact upon students’ emotional experience and engagement with the institution was emphasised. ‘Belonging’ was the most common theme; indicating that the nature of the physical space on campus is not neutral, but can affect the extent to which students can form attachments with each other and academic staff. ‘Nature’ was the second most commonly mentioned theme. Green space has therapeutic potential in stress management, important given mental health concerns in young people including students. The ideal campus as described by participants would include green non-smoking spaces with an emphasis on health promotion. Opportunities to include nature on campus should be taken, and future proposals to design the campus should canvas student views.
Pre-university (foundation or Level 3) study attracts significant student numbers annually, but approximately 10% of successful Level 3 students do not progress into their university degrees. This project aimed to identify the experiences of current and previous Level 3 students, using questionnaires and focus groups to explore differences by gender, ethnicity and intention to study. One hundred and two current and 56 previous level 3 students participated. Those who felt part of the university were significantly more likely to agree that the foundation course met their expectations. Personal support from academic staff, was highly ranked by students in all year groups, peaking in the final year. Despite considerable student diversity, the foundation year met expectations. However this was significantly lower for Black students compared with other ethnicities, which needs further exploration. Fostering ‘belonging’ to university is important for foundation year students to improve retention rates into their degree courses.
In an undergraduate programming class taught at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, students (N=243) were given an opportunity to grade reports submitted by their peers. 10% of all students participated in peer grading and were satisfied with the grade given to them by peers (i.e., this group did not use instructors’ resources). 13% participated in peer grading, updated their reports based on peer feedback, and submitted to a course tutor for final grading. We have shown that even though students who participated in peer grading and updated their reports achieved higher scores, but it happened because they were stronger students to begin with. At the same time, scores of students who participated in peer grading and did not re-submit their reports to an instructor were not lower than average scores. Thus peer grading can be recommended in teaching programming classes as a strategy that reduces instructors’ workload while not jeopardizing students’ learning.
The use of laboratory work to improve students’ knowledge of theory is one that is disputed. Student reflections of what they learn during practical work repeatedly show that students rarely think about theory. There is a lack of data that objectively compares students’ knowledge of theory where they complete an associated experiment to when they do not in order to understand if practical work does effect students’ knowledge of scientific concepts. In this work we aimed to address this gap by investigating the effect of students’ knowledge of organic mechanisms where they both perform and associated experiment and where they did not. Our results showed that organic chemistry experiments had no effect on students’ knowledge of organic mechanisms. These results support the view that there is little evidence to support the use of laboratory work to aid understanding of theory.
