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The Bioscience First Year: putting research into practice
Thursday 9th September, 2004
University of Brighton
Twenty delegates headed to the south coast to attend
the event which covered various aspects of supporting students, particularly
during their first year. The day covered the important issues of numeracy
and student induction, there were workshops on feedback to students, and
feedback from students and the day culminated in a presentation on peer-assisted
learning. Summaries of the presentations and links to copies of the slides
are given below
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Programme
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| 10.00 |
Registration; Tea and Coffee |
| 10.20 |
Welcome and Introduction to the day |
| 10.30 |
Sum-things Don't Add Up: Tackling the Numerical Skills Deficit
Dr Vicki Tariq, University of Central Lancashire
- Despite the continuing upward trend in GCSE and A-level results, there is growing concern about the perceived decline in basic numeracy skills among first-year bioscience undergraduate students. Academics and employers of graduates feel that they can no longer rely on secondary-level qualifications as accurate indicators of students' numerical skills competencies. Consequently a growing number of employers and academic disciplines are turning to diagnostic tests to assess applicants' and entrants' numerical skills. In an academic context such diagnostic testing represents only the first step in identifying and addressing the nature and extent of any skills deficit. This presentation will summarise the background to a National Teaching Fellowship 2003 project, which aims to define more accurately the problems students encounter with numerical skills and evaluate some intervention strategies and support measures directed at trying to address the latter.
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| 11.30 |
Good Practice for Induction
Dr Tony Cook, University of Ulster
- Social and academic expectations of and by students change as they move into and through higher education. Students need to adapt rapidly and institutions need to address these changing needs as student populations become more diverse. The Student Transition and Retention (STAR) project have developed a set of 'Guidelines for Students Transition' and Tony will discuss practices that enable students to integrate rapidly into bioscience departments.
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| 12.30 |
Lunch |
| 13.30 |
Enhancing student learning through the use of formative student feedback
Dr Steve Maw, LTSN Bioscience Subject Specialist
- This session will explore the means by which feedback from students can be solicited during teaching sessions and used to enhance learning.
The workshop will be centred on a series of case studies investigating methods for obtaining feedback from students in bioscience departments. By the end of the workshop participants should:
- have gained an understanding of the purposes and benefits of formative students feedback in student learning situations
- have a basic knowledge of a number of techniques/methods for soliciting student feedback
- understand how the technique of feedback collection may relate to the purpose of the feedback itself
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Effective feedback to students
Colin Hughes, Nottingham Trent University |
| 15.00 |
coffee |
| 15.15 |
Peer Assisted Learning (PAL): experienced students facilitating interactive study sessions
Hugh Fleming, University of Bournemouth
- This presentation aims to introduce participants to the main elements of Peer Assisted Learning (PAL). It will include a description of the scheme together with its maim purposes. The core elements of the way in which the PAL scheme has been implemented at Bournemouth University will then discussed. Feedback from students, giving some information on their experiences of PAL, will also be presented.
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| 15.45 - 16.15 |
Plenary |
PDF summary
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