ulster.ac.uk
Active, Creative and Critical Thinking: Engaging Year 1 Students Groups with Final Year Mentors Offers Enhanced Employability for ALL
Staff Partners: (Col) Michaela Black, Martin McKinney, Janet Allison, Adrian Moore (Magee) Heather Sayers, Aiden McCaugheyStudent Partners: (Final Year) Gerry Burke, Alison Campbell, Alison Gillespie, Tom Neil, Shannon White, (Placement) Chloe Kernohan, (Class Reps) Rebecca Brennan (Y1), Euan Cantley (Y2), Magee Mentors
Set the Scene • Learner centred teaching: Gamification• Problem Based Learning• Strong Group Focus• Employability Focused with PDP embedded• Feed Forward Assessment• Community of Practice
– Initially staff and PhD students with shared passion– New format of staff and final year students/PhD
students with shared passion
Gamification SIX factors contributing to effective engagement in games
FUN: engagement is easier if the experience is enjoyable
SOCIAL: engagement is reinforced by the social support of others going through the same experience
IDENTITY: engagement can be encouraged if everyone has a visible role in the learning environment
CHALLENGE: engagement can build on human competitive drive, enhanced by social pressure
STRUCTURE: engagement is more likely if objectives and constraints are clear and acceptable
FEEDBACK: engagement is reinforced by making achievement explicit and timely
Our Aim: Highlight Benefits of Student Partners in Curriculum Enhancement (SPICE)
Objectives:
1. SPICE Project: Aim & Model
2. Curriculum Delivery & Development Model
3. Three Keys Areas of Student Engagement & Belonging
4. Benefits to Staff
5. Benefits to Students
Aim: Engage Student Partners in creating dynamic opportunities both inside and outside of the class for a student learner centered approach
The Project Aim & Model
CoP
Coaches: PhD
Students
Coaches: Final year Students
Teaching Staff
Support Staff
Class Reps (Y1/Y2)
HEA What Works Project
Weekly Delivery Model
Lectures
• Academic
Group Lab Classes
• Academic• Support team• Coaches
Group Tutorial Classes
• Academic• Coaches• Support Staff
Curriculum Development ModelCoach InductionCurriculum Review Meetings – every 2 weeks
• Academic• Coaches
Student Feedback Meetings – 3 per semester
• Academic• Coaches• Year 1 Reps
School Review - SSCC & CC & HEA – 1 per semester
• Academic Staff • HEA What Works• Support Staff
Student Engagement & Belonging
Active Learning with PBL
Collaborative Learning with Peer Support
Scaffolding Delivery
Sequence
Scaffolded Delivery Sequence
• Concept Thresholds – (Meyer, Land (2003 – 10)• Year 1 building blocks – the foundations• Series of convexities – S. Rabin (2005)
• Points of limited choice (A) alternate with points of many choices (B)
A A A A ABB B B
Student Engagement & Belonging
Active Learning with PBL
Collaborative Learning with Peer Support
Scaffolding Delivery
Sequence
Curriculum Developments From This Model
• Whiteboards in ALL tutorial sessions• Whiteboard data captured• Smaller mini group assignments• University example of good practice in student feedback
from year 1 reps• Android App development for charities• Agile Methodology with group projects• Very DYNAMIC and REACTIVE as each students needs
change
Variety of Learning Styles
• No problem!• Varied learning space and resources
• Reduced tiered lecture time• Flat room tutorial – needed an extension – Thanks Gerry!• Whiteboards• Computing Labs – dedicated room and mentor
• Blackboard• Game Enhanced Learning - GEL
Student Feedback Did you find the Group Structure a helpful support resource for
starting University?
65.82%
30.38%
2.53%1.27%Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Unanswered
Which aspects of the Group Support Model did you find the most useful?
73.08%
61.54%71.80%
6.41%
80.77%
Peer support
Making new friends
Developing team skills
Travelling together
Having a Mentor for support
Did you find the student Lab Mentors a helpful support resource in labs and tutorials?
75.95%
18.99%
1.27% 3.80%
Strongly AgreeAgreeDisagreeStrongly Disagree Not applicableUnanswered
What aspects did you find the Mentors most useful with?
33.33%
92.31%
25.64%
44.87%
34.62%Studying at University in generalStudying concepts in JavaGeneral problems with year 1 transition to UniversitySkills for team workTeam work issuesNone
Have you any suggestions for improving the Group Support Model?
Nope, the group system was top notch
The only possible suggestion would be to let the students choose their own groups.
No I think the model is good as it is and has helped me greatly.
It is helpful for other people to explain different aspects of the course to you.It is also helpful for mentors to be there to support you and be there to explain different ways to do the coursework.
No it's very good
No allison was very helpful.
Have outside class meetings with group leader
It's really great for helping with your overall understanding and enjoyment of Uni..
No, wish other modules would somehow implement group work.
Found our mentor to be very helpful, always there if we needed help. Couldn't ask for anyone better.
The group mentor model is really good to have as it enables students to have some gudiance in what their do from someone whose done similar things recebntly themselves.
Our group's structure worked fine and the support from professors was greatly appreciated and always beneficial, so I believe the Group Support Model is good as it is right now.
it is useful for confidence building. I don't like to talk out in lectures but i feel i can in tutorial.
Maybe give the Mentors a little training in advance; it felt as if at points, the mentors were a little tentative to get involved and just sort of laid back and waited for a problem to happen that they could solve. It might just come down to persoanlity of the individual but they at times seemed a little tentative.
Tutorials very helpful in mentors explaining tasks in more detail
Student Feedback Continued
Have you ever considered leaving the course?
12.66%
86.08%
1.27%
YesNoUnanswered
Being unsure over whether this was the course that I wished to study
Course wasn't what I expected at the start, didn't think I liked it
The amount of stress and work at times felt too much.
At times I believed I was not going to be able to follow through on wat was expected, but the group support proved to be really helpful for me.
too much stress
Staff Benefits
• Improved student retention!• Improved student performance – across all modules• Enhanced student engagement• Dynamic curriculum design and adaptation• Enthusiastic student partners passionate about their
contribution• Encourages other staff• Team effort!
Employers Feedback
• A confident developer – they have put themselves out there as being someone who is confident enough in their abilities to be able to help others and explain technical issues;
• A confident Interviewer – Being questioned by a first year who is trying to understand programming fundamentals is often what technical interviews are like! If I see an applicant has put themselves in this position with 1st or 2nd year students I know they are much more likely to perform well at technical interview!
• Doing something extra – having this type of experience makes a CV stand out. The vast majority of graduate CV’s are the same: everyone has either done a placement year and are doing a degree, very few CV’s show that the candidate has had the motivation to do something that they wanted to do rather than something they were told to do.”
[Recruitment Agency Belfast]
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