Weaving a disentangled web : developing partnerships and integrating input

1. Weaving a disentangled web: developing partnerships and integrating input Tom Reid Diana Hopkins University of Bath

2. Brief History Evolution Case study of new UG programme Migration to PG programmes Case study of new PG programme Final thought

3. Series of lectures Key skills for academic & professional communication Discipline specific Y1 undergraduates Academic & Professional Communication Skills (APCS)The history

4. Lab reports • Technical reports • Traditional essays • Reflective essays • Individual and group work Series of lectures Key skills for academic & professional communication Discipline specific Y1 undergraduates Academic & Professional Communication Skills (APCS)The history • Pharmacy • Lab report • Magazine article • Journal • PIL • Architecture • Brochure

5. Initial lectures were ‘add-ons’ Students chose not to come! Motivation a real problem Feedback from students who did attend was mainly positive Problem: how to get students to attend The evolution of the programme

6. How can I get a better mark? Assessment Focus on specific assessment tasks eg their essays Registers Academic endorsement through presence in lectures Initial solutions Language and skills input ‘by stealth’ using students’ instrumental motivation

7. Ensure all examples of good practice are from similar written texts to their assessments Adaptations and what we learnt along the way Provide a link to a specific assessment for every bit of information Reduce the number of interactive tasks

8. Been involved since the outset Sports and Exercise Science Case study of UG programme Motivation a problem Brought in a compulsory Moodle quiz Our role has been pivotal Unit only ‘Pass or Fail’ – so attendance about 50% Whole new unit, with new assessment and full range of marks

9. Comprises: 10 weeks of lectures - 4 lectures from ASC - 4 from library and careers - 1 from current student back from placement - 1 from graduate in interesting job Assessment by essay and by Moodle quiz Marks contribute to degree, whole range from Fail, 3rd, 2.2, 2.1, First. New Unit – Professional Development

10. Writing your Reflective Essay (title analysis, what a reflective essay is, what sections to include, what kind of language to use) Scientific Writing: Incorporating sources (references, tables and figures) and criticality Scientific Writing: Cohesion and Coherence and how to make your message flow Sections of a lab report and language of a lab report (tense choice, passives, hedges) Our content:

11. Essay title: Theory suggests that working in a team leads to better outcomes, and that communication is an essential element to successful performance in this context (Weinberg & Gould, 2011).  Based on this theoretical underpinning, discuss how you have developed your team-working and communication skills during the first year of the BSc Sport and Exercise Science programme, how these skills have impacted on your academic studies to date, and how you believe they will be useful in your future career. (1500 words). This is a reflective piece of writing so should be written in the first person The assignment should involve reflective / critical evaluation in addition to description The assignment will be marked based on three element; (i) use of the literature, (ii) reflection and (iii) clarity of expression Assessment by essay and by Moodle quiz

12. Assessment Criteria

13. Assessment Criteria

14. The Moodle quiz to be completed during week 29 will be on the key aspects of academic skills covered in the lectures in weeks 22, 23, 25 & 28. Moodle quiz

15. The Moodle quiz to be completed during week 29 will be on the key aspects of academic skills covered in the lectures in weeks 22, 23, 25 & 28. Moodle quiz

16. Course is being delivered as we speak … We will: canvass students & academics for feedback study the assessments (Moodle quiz and essay) to inform future input work with the department to make adaptations What happens next?

17. PG role now being implemented… UG role established

18. Professional Skills for Engineering Practice A fully embedded unit within the PG Engineering Masters programme

19. UK engineering firms unhappy about poor (or non-existent) workplace skills of Post-PG students Poor writers Poor communicators Poor problem-solvers Poor decision-makers Poor team players Poor leaders Rationale

20. Engineering - Academic Skills Centre Partnership ( co-delivered) APCS Plus Fully embedded & integrated Programme of lectures and seminar workshops - content, skills, language Collaboration on content/skills input/assignments/assessments ASC led 2 of 5 unit components (with in-class academic support) A New Professional Skills Unit

21. 1.Ethics in engineering essay ( 1500 words) – ASC (with Dept) 2.Presentation Skills assignment – Dept(with ASC) 3.Critical analysis report ( table + summary) – ASC (with Dept) 4.Group working task – Dept(with ASC) 5.Time management task – Dept(with ASC) Syllabus

22. 1.Ethics in engineering essay ( 1200 words) – ASC (with Dept) 2.Presentation Skills assignment – Dept(with ASC) 3. Critical analysis report ( table + summary) – ASC (with Dept) 4. Group working task – Dept(with ASC) 5. Time management task – Dept(with ASC) Syllabus

23. 2 x Lectures 2 x Seminar workshops 2 x tutorial drop-ins Ethics Lectures: Structure, cohesion, developing your argument, effective use of sources, style, language issues Ethics seminars: Case Study- Group problem-solving & decision-making Critical Analysis Lectures: Critical reading, evaluating evidence, using sources to develop and support an argument, the language of criticality Critical analysis seminars: journal article analysis: Group working Each component

24. 2 x Lectures 2 x Seminar workshops 2 x tutorial drop-ins Department Advised on Engineering content Provided resources Provided samples of students’ work with feedback and grades ASC Advised on assessment criteria and descriptors (skills and language) Designed seminar tasks Provided additional student feedback (skills and language) Each component

25. Overall satisfaction 4.25/5 (average) Understanding of subject ( 4.16/5 (average) Skills Improvement 4.12/5 (average) “This course was very useful” “ Good preparation for my future” “This course taught me how to think, study, work with others, and improve my terrible writing!” Feedback & Evaluation

26. Timetabling Hearts and minds Assessment overload Native-non-native mix Content-skills mix Challenges

27. Perceived & Real Need Academic Champions (with lots of meetings!) Core Unit ( with clear rationale) A fully embedded Programme - ASC as part of the team (not a bolt on) Content + academic, workplace & language skills via credit-bearing, assessed, authentic, task-based activities and assignments TEAM design, TEAM delivery & TEAM support Long-term commitment ( organic and flexible) Disentangling the Web Our route to success

28. “Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practise to deceive.” Sir Walter Scott Disentangled content-skills through embedded collaborative provision BUT Is there deception afoot…? A final thought

29. We have developed partnerships and integrated input … but …have we integrated output? Weaving a disentangled web: developing partnerships and integrating input

30. Baik, C. and Greig, J., 2009. Improving the academic outcomes of undergraduate ESL students: the case for discipline‐based academic skills programs. Higher Education Research & Development, 28(4), pp.401-416. Biggs, J. and Tang, C., 2007. Teaching for quality learning at university (Society for research into higher education). Butcher, C Davies C, Melissa, H., 2006. Designing Learning: From module outline to effective teaching. Routledge London. Fallows, S. and Steven, C., 2000. Building employability skills into the higher education curriculum: a university-wide initiative. Education+ training, 42(2), pp.75-83. Fry, H., Ketteridge, S. and Marshall, S., 2008. A handbook for teaching and learning in higher education: Enhancing academic practice. Routledge. The Higher Education Academy, 2015. UK Professional Standards Framework. Available from: <https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/recognition-accreditation/uk-professional-standards-framework-ukpsf>. [28 November 2015]. Hill, P., Tinker, A. and Catterall, S., 2010. From deficiency to development: the evolution of academic skills provision at one UK university. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, (2). Lea, M.R. and Street, B.V., 1998. Student writing in higher education: An academic literacies approach. Studies in higher education, 23(2), pp.157-172. Snow, M.A., Met, M. and Genesee, F., 1989. A conceptual framework for the integration of language and content in second/foreign language instruction. Tesol Quarterly, 23(2), pp.201-217. References

31. Thank you Any Questions?