Thirty-five invited delegates gathered on the afternoon of Tuesday 9th
to meet up with other Bioscience Reps and contacts. The Forum was an opportunity
to meet with colleagues and catch up on what LTSN Bioscience and other
bioscientists are doing. The keynote speakers over the two days were Lesley
Jane Eales-Reynolds and Graham Gibbs.
Tuesday 9th September
Wednesday 10th September
Delegates discuss the merits of linking teaching and research
KEYNOTE: Is scholarship in teaching
the answer to improved student learning?
Dr Lesley Jane Eales-Reynolds, University of Surrey
Lesley started proceedings by introducing the idea of Scholarship in
Teaching, something which is especially appropriate at a time when large
group lecturing is so prominent. Lesley reported a study she had undertaken
on introducing Self Directed Learning to a class of Masters students.
View
Lesley Jane's presentation on 'Is scholarship in teaching the answer to
improved student learning?'
Bioscience Education Electronic-journal
(BEE-j)
Dr Allan Jones, University of Dundee
As Editor-in-chief of BEE-j Allan
described the publication and invited delegates to submit papers. Link
to BEE-j home page
Factors
affecting student choice
Dr Janice Harland, Liverpool John Moores University
Janice spoke on project allocation and
staff and student perceptions relating to research projects. Some interesting
differences arose e.g. staff do not think students want a challenging
project, yet students say they do!
View
Janice's presentation on 'Factors affecting student choice'
An
analysis of absenteeism in first-year biology students
Dr Janet Pearce, University of Plymouth
Janet presented the findings from her work investigating the
causes of student absenteeism. Students were asked to complete a questionnaire
listing possible reasons for absence from lectures. The main reason was
illness, followed by lectures being too early or too late in the day.
View
Janet's presentation - 'An analysis of absenteeism in first-year biology
students'
Programmed
learning to replace undergraduate lectures
Dr Peter Chevins, Keele University
Peter received a grant from the Teaching
Development Fund to investigate the effects of implementing programmed
learning to replace undergraduate lectures. The experiment worked well
as it encouraged students to read more, increased total study time on
the material and improved examination results. It was fairly popular with
students but they did not want to abandon lectures completely.
View
Peter's presentation on 'Programmed learning to replace undergraduate
lectures'
Statistics
for the innumerate - non-parametric tests
Dr David Harris, University of Oxford
David gave a talk on the benefits of teaching
non-parametric statistical tests to students. Such tests tend to be underused
and generally require only basic calculations. Therefore, such tests can
be useful for students who are scared off by equations or equally students
who plug numbers into equations without any understanding of what they
are doing. For further details contact
David.
Computer-aided learning package:
'An introduction to molecular biology'
Professor Robert Slater, University of Hertfordshire
Robert demonstrated this package which is a comprehensive introduction
to molecular biology aimed at individuals who are new to the subject.
The package is divided into 5 chapters available at both introductory
and advanced level with approximately 20 hours of instruction including
over 60 animations, many interactive exercises, self-assessment questions,
glossary and molecular graphics. The product can be accessed through an
intranet or CD ROM and is designed for continuing professional development
within companies, individual users, and educational institutions. For
more information contact Mrs Vera Jones, Science Training Centre, University
of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Herts AL10 9AB
e-mail: v.g.jones@herts.ac.uk
Issues surrounding the teaching of
Forensic Sciences to year 1 undergraduate students
Dr Andrea Baxter, University of Central Lancashire
In recent years Forensic Science has been transformed from a select post-graduate
qualification to one of the most popular undergraduate courses. Andrea
discussed the issues relating to teaching Forensic Science to Level 1
undergraduate students.
View
Andrea's presentation on issues surrounding the teaching of Forensic Sciences
Getting students to participate in
tutorials
Dr Brian Martin, University of Birmingham
Students are often reluctant to participate in tutorials. Brian gave
a few suggestions that he has found useful.
View
Brian's presentation on 'Getting students to participate in tutorials'
Making the transition to final
year BSC Honours in Applied Bioscience
Peter Mitchell, University of Ulster
Peter presented findings from a study on students returning from placement
to enter their final year. Student performance in the final year leads
staff to conclude that settling in is not an issue, yet some students
have difficulty adapting. It was concluded that bioscience courses hold
a de-briefing session with students to help them settle in.
View
Peter's presentation on 'Making the transition to final year BSC Honours
in Applied Bioscience'
Use of computer-based assessment
to assist learning and teaching
Dr Keith Adams, University of Ulster
Keith spoke on his experience of using Questionmark Perception and described
the variety possible and some of the other advantages of computer-based
assessment.
View
Keith's presentation 'Use of computer-based assessment to assist learning
and teaching'
Guessing in MCQ assessment
Dr Ray Harper, University of Luton
MCQs allow the possibility of students gaining marks through simple guesswork,
rather than a knowledge of the subject material. Ray described an approach
he has used to account for this phenomenon and calculate a mark for actual
knowledge.
View
Ray's presentation on 'Guessing in MCQ assessment'
Confidence-based
marking
Dr Tony Gardner-Medwin, University College London
A proper measure of knowledge should include some component of one's
confidence in the decision or statement. Since confidence is subjective
incentives should always reward honest reporting of confidence. Tony described
the system for confidence-based assessment that he has developed, including
the mathematical principles behind it, students responses and the validity
and reliability of the scheme.
View
Tony's presentation on 'Confidence-based marking'
Monitoring and assessing
students through a web-based system
Dr Stephen Gomez, University of the West of England
Work placements can provide a valuable learning environment, yet it is
often difficult to assign academic credit to the skills learnt. Stephen
introduced Profile,
a phase 4 FDTL project. Profile is a web-based system which aims to capture
work-based learning and provide a framework for awarding academic credit.
View
Stephen's presentation on 'Monitoring and assessing students through a
web-based system'
KEYNOTE: Does your assessment
support your students' learning?
Professor Graham Gibbs, The Open University
Assessment always generates a lot of interest, both from students and
academics. Based on his wealth of experience Graham outlined the dramatic
impact assessment has on learning. He outlined the importance of using
assessment to support learning and to be conscious of the quantity and
distribution of student effort. The importance of quality and timely
feedback was also highlighted. Following on from the presentation Graham
and Stephen Swithenby described the phase 4 FDTL4 project FAST
(Formative Assessment in Science Teaching).
View
Graham's presentation on 'Does your assessment support your students'
learning?'
