Creating Effective Learning in Higher Education
| Module title | Creating Effective Learning in Higher Education |
|---|---|
| Module code | EFPM902 |
| Academic year | 2019/0 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 50 |
|---|
Module description
This module is for academics and academic-related professionals who teach or support learning, and/or undertake research or scholarship in a research-intensive university. Drawing on theoretical and empirical research about effective teaching and learning in higher education (HE) contexts, together we will explore, critically and creatively, a range of ways in which we can enable students in our research-led university to learn effectively. Examining the values and practices of a changing higher education sector, we will focus on a range of research-informed themes, including: how students learn; teaching methods; designing effective teaching sessions and modules; assessment and feedback; and the quality of the student experience within HE. You will work with colleagues to identify an area of your own practice which you would like to develop; this will become the focus for your individual assignment. There are no co- or pre-requisites and no prior teaching is assumed.
Module aims - intentions of the module
In this module, we aim to enable you to find creative and research-informed ways of enhancing your academic and professional practice with respect to supporting student learning. We aim to help you to develop ways of engaging in peer dialogue, so that you can participate in and develop supportive communities of practice amongst colleagues from across the University, including those in the module group, with a focus on sharing and improving teaching practices and enhancing the student experience. Through critical exploration of relevant education theory, recent developments in HE and University policy, and with respect to peer and student feedback, you will also locate and evaluate your practice within current institutional, political and social contexts and identify a specific aspect of your teaching practice to develop further.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate critical engagement with all dimensions of the UK Professional Standards Framework for teaching and supporting learning in Higher Education and its implications for practice;
- 2. Engage in structured dialogue with academic/professional peers on aspects of teaching, curriculum development, curriculum delivery and/or assessment, with an advanced level of constructive, critical analysis;
- 3. Explore critically, your own practice as a teacher and/or facilitator of learning in higher education;
- 4. Devise a strategy for changing and enhancing an aspect of your teaching practice, with reference to the UK Professional Standards Framework, educational research literature, and peer and student feedback;
- 5. Implement change to develop at least one aspect of your practice and reflect critically on that development;
- 6. 黑料吃瓜网ly evaluate key theoretical and research-based debates about learning, teaching, student support, assessment and evaluation in higher education and apply them to your professional practice;
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 7. Demonstrate critical awareness of higher education policy and its implications for academic/professional practice;
- 8. Demonstrate critical and analytical engagement with education-related literature;
- 9. Show critical awareness of similarities and differences in the cultures of different subject disciplines;
- 10. Evaluate alternative forms of theoretical and research-based knowledge;
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 11. Engage in independent study informed by the presentation and analysis of materials and issues in group discussion;
- 12. Reflect analytically on personal and professional values and their implications for practice;
- 13. Communicate effectively in dialogue with peers, giving constructive, well organised feedback; and
- 14. Develop a portfolio which communicates clearly and persuasively.
Syllabus plan
This module is designed to develop supportive communities of practice amongst academics and professional staff in Higher Education, in a range of teaching-related roles, who are relatively new to the University. Most of the teaching on the module is concentrated into three study days. Structured learning activities will be varied, to include interactive lectures, discussion groups, a ‘panel of experts’ event, and collaborative small group tasks. In common with the other PCAP module, participants will be allocated an academic tutor and will be entitled to a one-hour individual tutorial during the module, plus support by email and/or telephone.
Appropriate sessions will be selected from the following indicative syllabus:
- Contexts for creativity in higher education: issues, changes and values;
- Developing?your practice through dialogue with peers: the notions of academic tribes and territories; communities of practice (Rowland; Wenger);
- The socially constructed nature of learning and its implications for your teaching of large and small classes (active learning and feedback loops; use of PowerPoint; questioning techniques);
- The idea of professional development: mapping your academic and professional practice against, and critically engaging with, the UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF);
- Planning for teaching: programmes, modules and individual sessions. QAA Subject Benchmarks: tribes and territories in practice?;
- Creating authentic intended learning outcomes; selecting teaching methods/ learning activities and assessment methods, including online options;
- Research-inspired, inquiry-led learning;
- Developing student skills for academic success, employment and sustainability;
- Cultural inclusivity in an internationalised university;
- Student wellbeing and accessible teaching;
- Technology-enhanced learning;
- Engaging students as agents for change
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 38 | 262 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities | 20 | Whole group sessions (3 study days), comprising a combination of discussion groups, collaborative small group tasks, a ?panel of experts? debate and interactive lectures |
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities | 5 | Triad concept-mapping activity: working in a group of three to prepare a group presentation |
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities | 10 | Blended learning engagement including online discussion and preparation for session |
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities | 1 | Individual tutorials and online/telephone support |
| Guided independent study | 2 | Exeter Academic Seminars and Workshops are small group, interactive staff development sessions run by University academic or professional staff on a wide range of practice-related topics |
| Guided independent study | 10 | Engagement with peer dialogue/observation and writing up and reflecting on that experience |
| Guided independent study | 40 | Independent study of the education literature focusing on the area of teaching practice to be developed |
| Guided independent study | 42 | Completion of the ASPIRE application for Fellowship of the HEA (Descriptor 2) |
| Guided independent study | 120 | Implementation and evaluation of planned change to teaching practice |
| Guided Independent Study | 50 | Developing output to be assessed, reflecting on and evaluating the implemented change |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Triad concept-mapping activity: working in a group of three to develop a strategy for enhancing an area of teaching practice, mapped to the UK PSF and with respect to the educational research literature | 20 minutes for the triad plus feedback (1,000 words equivalent) | 1-4, 9, 12-13 | Oral feedback form |
| Engagement with face-to- face and online discussions and learning activities | Variable depending on the task (1,000 words equivalent) | Variable depending on the task (1,000 words equivalent) | Plenary discussion |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written record and reflection on peer observations/dialogue | 0 | 1,000 words | 2-3, 13 | Written feedback |
| Completed ASPIRE/HEA Fellowship application | 0 | 3,000 words | 1, 3, 8, 12, 14 | Written feedback |
| Analytical account of the changes implemented to practice, with critical reference to research into higher education and other relevant literature. | 0 | 1-6, 8, 11-14 | 4-6, 11 | Written feedback by tutor on portfolio coversheet |
| Portfolio containing the above elements | 100 | 1-6, 8, 11-14 | Written feedback |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio containing the following elements: Written record and reflection on peer observations/dialogue (1,000 words); Completed ASPIRE/HEA Fellowship application (3,000 words); Analytical account of the changes implemented to practice, with critical reference to research into higher education and other relevant literature (15-minute recorded presentation 2,000 word equivalent). | Portfolio containing the following elements: Written record and reflection on peer observations/dialogue (1,000 words); Completed ASPIRE/HEA Fellowship application (3,000 words); Analytical account of the changes implemented to practice, with critical reference to research into higher education and other relevant literature (15-minute recorded presentation 2,000 word equivalent). | 1-14 | Resubmission at next assessment deadline (minimum 3 months later) |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Reading List:
Barnett, R. (2000) Realizing the University in an age of supercomplexity Buckingham: The Society for Research into Higher Education and Open University Press (especially Chapter 12, ‘Teaching for a supercomplex world’).
Becher, T and Trowler, P (2001) Academic tribes and territories: intellectual enquiry and the culture of disciplines (2nd ed.) Buckingham: The Society for Research into Higher Education and Open University Press
Biggs, J. (2003) Teaching for quality learning at university (2nd ed.). Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Brookfield, S.(1995) Becoming a 黑料吃瓜网ly Reflective Teacher, San Francisco: Jossey:Bass Fry, H., Ketteridge, S. & Marshall S. (eds.) (2003) A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 2nd edition. London: Kogan Page.
Gosling, D and Mason O'Connor, K. (2009) Beyond the Peer Observation of Teaching, SEDA Paper 124, London: SEDA
Kreber, C. (ed.) (2009) The University and its Disciplines: Teaching and Learning Within and Beyond Disciplinary Boundaries. New York: Routledge
Jackson, N., Oliver, M., Shaw, M. and Oliver, M. (eds.) (2006) Developing Creativity in Higher Education: The Imaginative Curriculum. Oxford: Routledge
Knight, P. and Yorke, M. (2003) Assessment, Employability and Learning, Buckingham: SRHE/Open University Press.
Meyer, J. and Land, R. (2003) Threshold Concepts and Troublesome Knowledge: Linkages to Ways of Thinking and Practising within the Disciplines Occasional Report 4; Enhancing Teaching-Learning Environments in Undergraduate Courses Project, University of Edinburgh.
Morss, K. and Murray, R. (2005) Teaching at university: a guide for postgraduates and researchers. London: Sage
Rowland, S. (2006) The Enquiring University: Compliance and Contestation in Higher Education. Buckingham: McGraw Hill
Rowland, S. (2000) The Enquiring University Teacher. Buckingham: SRHE/Open University Press. Ramsden, P. (2003) Learning to Teach in Higher Education (2nd edn). London: Routledge/ Falmer
Thompson, J. (2000) Stretching the Academy: the politics and practice of widening participation in Higher Education, Leicester: NIACE.
Wenger, E. (1998) Communities of practice: learning, meaning and identity. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press.
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Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
Exeter Learning Environment (ELE)
Plus Advance HE - Higher Education Academy resources, relevant to each subject discipline, online at
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | N/A |
| Module co-requisites | N/A |
| NQF level (module) | 7 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 30/5/2008 |
| Last revision date | 04/02/19 |