NSS Issues for GEES: enhancing the student experience, effective feedback and related issues
3rd November 2010
School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester 9.30am – 4pm
The NSS (National Student Survey) is part of the HE landscape, giving us a number of years of activity to reflect on. The NSS raises a range of student experience issues, not least assessment and feedback which is consistently rated low by students.
The GEES disciplines have a strong track record in providing diverse, active and relevant activities to engage and enthuse students. This event is an opportunity to share practice, approaches and to discuss strategies for enhancing the student experience.
NEWSFLASH: Ten bursaries for attendance available (covering the day's fee of £25) to alumni of the GEES Early Careers Lecturers' Workshop (previously called 'New and Aspiring Lecturers' Workshop') between 2007-2010. Bursaries will be extended to registrants on a first come, first served basis: please let us know when registering if you have attended this workshop between 2007-1010.
Keynote Presentation - Where Next? Presentation and Discussion Professor Paul White, Pro Vice Chancellor, University of Sheffield.
Two weeks after the expected publication of the Browne Report and the Spending Review is an excellent point to look at the strategic issues that are facing learning, teaching and the student experience. The NSS is a measure that we have to contend with but what of the future? How about future demands for course tagging? What about the experiences of taught postgraduates?
This will be an interactive session. There will be a short introduction but the focus will be a Q&A and discussion session where we can consider issues facing us for the next, potentially very challenging, five years.
Prof Paul White is the ideal person to lead this session. He has vast experience from his role as Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Learning and Teaching at Sheffield for 6 years and he is a member of the HEFCE's Teaching Quality and the Student Experience Strategic Advisory Committee, as well as co-Chair of the Higher Education Academy’s network of PVCs/DVCs in Learning and Teaching.
Programme
10.00 – 10.30 Tea/Coffee and Registration
10.30 – 10.45 Welcome and Introduction, Pauline Kneale, GEES Subject Centre
10.45 – 11.45 Where Next? Professor Paul White, Pro Vice Chancellor, University of Sheffield
11.45 – 12.00 Tea and Coffee
12.00 – 13.00
13.00 – 14.15 Working Lunch with Plenary Discussion
14.20 – 15.10
Parallel Session A
- Reflecting on interdisciplinarity: Enhancing the student experience through reflective diaries, Zoe Robinson and Sherilyn MacGregor
- HEARing geography student voices – using the Higher Education Achievement Report to chart progress and achievement (University of Manchester), Jennifer Blake
Parallel Session B
- Evaluating feedback mechanisms and creating a new forward-thinking feedback code of practice in the School of Earth and Environment, Graham McLeod and Rob Mortimer
- Feedforward, supporting the writing process for undergraduate researchers: The case of GEOverse an undergraduate research journal in Geography, Helen Walkington
15.15 – 16.15
Parallel Session C
- Improving the student experience through the development of strong cohort identity: the use of social networking, Chris Spencer
- Enhancing student feedback through digital audio technology; an evaluation of staff & student experiences, Derek France and Kenny Lynch
- Eloquent Science: A course to improve scientific and communication skills, David M. Schultz
Parallel Session D - Workshop
16.15 Tea/Coffee and Departure