ABSTRACT. Objectives: How our behaviour and learning is affected by technology and how technology can be designed to best complement our abilities has been of an increased interest of psychologists and educators in recent years. In this project we evaluated how learning design of an online course in Psychology, hosted on a virtual learning environment (VLE), Moodle, impacts on the usability, course accessibility and students’ quality of learning experience. Design: Adopting the learning analytics for learning design framework, this study incorporated user experience methodologies (UX) including touchstone tours, observations, and individual interviews with an eye-tracking methodology, to evaluate the accessibility of an online course in Psychology. Touchstone tours, which are a form of a contextual enquiry going with the user on a ‘tour’ of the learning environment in order to observe, question and discuss their regular experience with this space. Methods: Participants (n=12) with different levels of experience with the VLE were recruited from the student population at the University of Glasgow. During touchstone tours, they completed seven learning activities, while their narration and screen activity, and gaze behaviour was recorded (mobile binocular Pupil Labs eye-tracking headset). Results: Results of the touchstone tours including participants observation, task narration and screen capture reveled students desire for consistency, affordances and preference for clear visual aesthetics. These were supported by the analysis of gaze behaviours and follow-up interview. Conclusions: Taken together, this study highlights the utility of learning analytics and measuring user experience in the design and delivery of an online, distance learning course in Psychology. In addition, it identified barriers to an effective student engagement and proposed recommendations for course design that fosters agency and mutual dialog. Usability principles, which Moodle users may wish to adopt in their design include consistency in the structure and content, unified design and conventional design patterns and improved communication tools.

ABSTRACT. The increase in online teaching that has resulted from the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in a rapid increase in the use of Moodle and other VLEs in higher education, and nearly all teaching now makes significant use of VLEs and integrated applications.

However, active and effective use of VLEs varies much both within and between institutions and following the initial rush to move all content and assignment submission online, there are now opportunities to consolidate and build upon learning by teaching staff. 2021 saw redoubled efforts in course design as instructors develop more confidence in exploiting the affordances of the available tools, and this can be supported through incremental development of skills using existing supported platforms.

Cognitive load theory proposes design principles to improve user experience when navigating through online learning environments and, while intrinsic load relates directly to the complexity of the subject matter, course designers can reduce extraneous load to enhance learning efficiency. The enhancements outlined in this presentation are informed by Mayer’s principles of multimedia learning and organise resources to minimise the amount of extraneous cognitive effort required by students navigating Moodle courses.

This paper will outline three different approaches to enhancing existing Moodle courses at the College of Social Sciences in the University of Glasgow (UoG) that use four key design principles: improving visual navigation, grouping related content, introducing design conventions that assist with signposting and navigation, and reducing the steps required to achieve a goal in a learning activity.

The content management strategy demonstrated in the first case study involved collating and grouping existing Zoom lecture recordings and migrating them into the Kaltura platform. These were organised into embedded playlists in Moodle as determined by the course convenor, improving navigation and accessibility.

The second case study highlights the use of graphics and headers designed by the UoG Academic and Digital Development team. These are designed along accessible principles and assist with signposting and visual navigation using customised labels. The course redesign used them to organise content into a cycle that reflects a flipped learning approach.

The third case study involved a pre-sessional one-week intensive course for 500+ students intended to be completed online without lecturer intervention and linked to Microsoft Teams for student discussion and interaction. This was redesigned to improve navigation and access to videos. It used completion tracking to structure pathways for student progression through resources and activities and provided students with a checklist and progress bar.

These approaches are complementary, but also reflect how course convenors prefer to focus on specific and/or limited enhancements to fit in with their priorities and workloads.

This paper draws upon stakeholder feedback as indicators of the impact of the changes.

ABSTRACT. The MSc in Digital Health Interventions (DHIs) is a new course which ran for the first time in 2020-2021. As part of an iterative and student-centred approach to content development and improvement, an external expert in co-production was hired in order to facilitate a co-production project involving the MSc DHI students and teaching team. The aims of the project were to gather students’ thoughts on types of learning materials and their perceived usefulness, the best way to deliver these materials (both in terms of delivery method and timing of delivery), and a list of ‘teaching principles’ that could be shared with guest lecturers.

The project involved separate consultation sessions with the teaching team and the students, which were then followed by a joint session in which the outcomes of the initial consultations were discussed. The external expert then analysed and synthesised the data collected during all three sessions and drafted a standardised lesson plan and a guidance document for teaching delivery. The resulting ‘Lesson Plan’ is an interactive document which includes all of the learning activities for a specific week of a course. Each week of content follows the exact same structure. The activities include key readings, discussion prompts, post-lecture quizzes, and pre-seminar activities, among others. The lesson plan also highlights when activities should be completed.

The lesson plan has been very useful in developing and delivering course content, while also increasing student engagement. The lesson plan also serves as directory for the different learning materials. Where possible, activities are hyperlinked within the document, thus making it easy for students to access them. The ‘Lesson Plan’ also allows students to visualise the learning materials in terms of how they relate to each other, which provides a clearer link between the course content and ILOs.

A companion document, the ‘Lesson Plan Guidance’, was also an output of the project. This document includes five ‘key teaching principles’ and a suggested organisation for a teaching session. For a 1-hour session, it is recommended that the content is divided into three key topics, with 15 minutes being dedicated to each. This allows for 5-minutes of discussion and questions to take place between each topic. The use of this guidance helps guest lecturers develop their content and ensure that lectures follow a standardised format which reserves time for student interaction. The project was also a chance for students to apply the learning they had received on co-production in practice. Active learning and application of concepts to real-life situations are a key part of the approach to teaching delivery on the MSc. Collection of student views on the implementation of the results of the project is ongoing. This consultation process aims to evaluate the impact of the project outputs on student experience and overall course quality.

This presentation will provide an overview of the project and its outputs. The relevance of the project results for PGT and their usefulness in the context of a blended approach to teaching will also be discussed.

ABSTRACT. Computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) is an important and irreplaceable technology in contemporary dentistry (Maltar, 2018). Digital imaging and CAD/CAM, especially within dentistry has seen a significant upturn in research and development over the last decade, which has resulted in an emerging alternative digital workflow. Students have grown up in a world of digital innovation and technology and will expect innovative cutting-edge technology to be evident in their curriculum today (Shahroom and Hussin 2018). There is no doubt that a digital revolution in dentistry has arrived with the advanced development of digital workflow, including CAD/CAM (Neville et al. 2020). As a higher education institution, we are asked to respond to the demands of globalisation and the knowledge economy, to prepare students with 21st century skills and competencies (Abadzi, 2016). Dental school curricula must keep pace with this if our undergraduate students are to be able to make informed clinical judgements. Our Staff/Student Partnership seek to empower students with innovative and emerging technologies within the dental sphere, that ensure a high-quality learning experience. With our sight firmly focused on engaging, developing and supporting students. We believe through our evidence-based approach, that it is important to have our students actively involved in the development of this new area of curricula design. McKerlie et al. (2018) reveals the benefits and success of co-production partnerships between staff and student, while Bovill et al. (2016) discusses the potential opportunities and institutional benefits by overcoming challenges to establish inclusive co-creation and focus on meaningful collaboration. Therefore, the literature identifies that students can have a positive impact on curriculum design within higher education (Ollis and Gravett, 2020). By fostering and harnessing these concepts, we can positively impact our students’ academic potential and provide an excellent university experience. Due to fast and continuing advances in digital technology, it is important to provide appropriate CAD/CAM education to dental students. The removal of the constrictive barriers between teacher and student has provided us an opportunity to investigate, how to successfully integrate the digital workflow into a traditional laboratory-based subject. While subsequently identifying the pinch points and limitations as a direct result of this explorative journey, we propose to develop a novel component within the curriculum that introduces the digital workflow to our students, offering an opportunity for all to gain hands-on experience of the emerging technologies. We cannot predict the future, but a futurist mind-set and a willingness to embrace the digital revolution is of significant importance. In this presentation we will discuss collaboration across our staff/student partnership, the exploration of CAD/CAM and inclusive curricula design to support an excellent student-centred learning experience.

ABSTRACT. Over the last five years, the Global Mental Health (GMH) teaching materials have undergone extensive iterative review. This scrutiny process has ensured continuity and consistency across courses and alignment with intended learning outcomes. The team have improved the student interface by checking that citations are hyperlinked to the library reading list and that images are globally representative and have an appropriate creative commons licence. Diverse teaching materials have been created. These are accessible, organised, and representative of the field of GMH. A wide range of case studies and expert opinions from various backgrounds have been embedded into the learning materials.

Now, the GMH team are undertaking diversity and decolonisation checks across all learning resources to ensure that teaching materials are accessible to students and cognisant of their diverse backgrounds and experiences prior to course enrolment.

The review is being undertaken using the tool 'Whose W.O.R.D.D counts?' (Open University), which involves asking questions about the learning materials regarding the following topics: Writing with the audience in mind, Opportunity for exchange of experiences, Representation through different lenses, Drawing on different student experiences, and Diversity as the subject matter.

Diversity reviews are time consuming but valuable. All ten weeks of teaching materials for each course are read and carefully reflected upon in relation to the target questions. Examples of good working practice and any issues requiring further consideration are documented and developed. This is a collaborative process. Any concerns are discussed with, and new content is reviewed by, other team members.

So far, the course materials have been found to be diverse and accessible. Appropriate language is used, with no assumptions made about the background or experiences of learners. A wide range of case studies and real-life examples illustrate scenarios in both high-income country (HIC) and low- and middle-income country (LMIC) contexts. Students are encouraged to utilise online platforms to share ideas. Course materials acknowledge and explore the nuance and complexity of designing and scaling-up mental health care services in different cultural, economic, and environmental contexts.

However, several areas for improvement have been identified and responded to. Additional self-care prompts for students have been incorporated when potentially distressing topics are discussed. Additional reflective tasks, which encourage students to reflect on subject material and previous learning, as well as share thoughts with their peers, have been included. Where appropriate, students are encouraged to introduce their own cultural/background experiences or expertise, to facilitate peer-led learning. Several new sections of teaching material have been created. For example, a new section on the experiences of informal carers explores the impact of caring on social, economic, and health factors. In addition, it was noted that using a disproportionate number of case studies from LMICs to illustrate healthcare inadequacies may lead to unfair and inaccurate conclusions that global challenges belong only to LMICs. To address this, effort has been made to include more case studies where healthcare systems have failed to meet patient needs in HICs.

ABSTRACT. Teaching at the University of Glasgow increasingly entails regular interaction with students from a variety of academic cultures. While this brings enriching and rewarding experiences, the international classroom challenges us as teachers to (re)think how we engage students and appropriately acknowledge ‘the diversity of contributions that shape and build an excellent learning and teaching environment’ (Learning and Teaching Strategy 2021). Drawing on insights from the fields of intercultural theory and pedagogy, this workshop provides an opportunity to contemplate how interculturality can be enhanced in our teaching practice. Interculturality refers to the equitable interaction of diverse cultures and when it is achieved in the classroom, it enables ‘our learning and teaching [to be] inclusive and supports a diverse student community’ (Learning and Teaching Strategy 2021). This interactive workshop will offer a space for delegates to identify and overcome barriers to interculturality in the international classroom. In the first part of the session, participants will be introduced and encouraged to reflect critically on intercultural concepts, such as power distance (Hofstede 1986) and low/high context cultures (Hall 1989). In break out rooms, small groups will discuss whether these concepts help explain our professional experience with international students. In the second half of the session, the workshop will introduce participants to potential strategies to overcome communication impasses in teaching using current scholarship in intercultural pedagogy (Lee et al. 2017; Page 2021). Selected strategies will then be workshopped and evaluated in break out rooms with a view for participants to find one that may be compatible with the objectives of upcoming courses. The workshop is open to all and will be particularly useful for academic and professional staff who teach diverse international student cohorts.

ABSTRACT. The transition from school to first year undergraduate studies is challenging for many students. Student anxiety in new teaching environments is prevalent across all subjects, especially those requiring practical/clinical work or the use of unfamiliar equipment. This can be a daunting experience, leading to heightened anxiety, and a diminished learning experience, even before setting a foot into the laboratory.

This student-led and designed project seeks to address this in the first year Chemistry laboratory through creation of an interactive laboratory map. This e-map will allow students to virtually explore the laboratory space, with 360° interactive images, and explanations, available prior to entry to the lab. As well as showing the physical layout of the lab environment (including the different experiment stations, waste disposal areas, and emergency exits), interactive hotspots will give students further explanations of the equipment and compounds. First-time visitors to the School of Chemistry will also be able to use the tour to virtually locate the School of Chemistry on the campus and the lab within the School. By involving a student in the creation of this resource, we aim to tackle real issues faced by the students and to ease the transition process for future cohorts.

It is hoped that provision of detailed information of the lab environment, prior to entry, will help reduce the cognitive load that is associated with lab learning: adjusting to a new physical environment, safety issues, recognition of equipment, where to dispose of items, where to clean, where to get help, and simply, where to find the lab itself.

We anticipate that our interactive, 360° multimedia approach could be useful in a wide variety of contexts across the university. By harnessing available technologies, we can build a virtual explorable campus and connect e-learning with our environment. Not only will this help students transitioning into university, but elements of our approach can be adopted for designing virtual open days and outreach endeavours.

Along with a demonstration of the e-map, we will share evaluation results of the impact on the student experience.

ABSTRACT. The Equality Act 2010 protects individuals against discrimination due to age, sex, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, race or belief. This is not only important in wider society, but also within University settings. It is not enough to not discriminate; we must actively pursue inclusivity in our teaching practices as well as in the curriculum we deliver. This is critical to ensure that university education is accessible to and representative of all learners so we attract a broad spectrum of students and enable them to achieve their full potential. The recent events around the globe, including the murder of George Floyd and the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement, have really driven an urgency to review our teaching practices to ensure that we are not only de-colonising the curriculum, but are also working towards developing an anti-racist education. Anatomy has not always had a history to be proud of, for example the infamous body snatchers Burke and Hare unscrupulously gained bodies for anatomy lecturers to use in their teaching at the University of Edinburgh in 1827. Thankfully anatomy has come a long way since then with dissection in the UK regulated under the ‘Anatomy Act 1984’ as amended by The Human Tissue Act 2004 (England, Wales, Northern Ireland) and 2006 (Scotland). However, the curriculum is often heavily embedded in colonialism with much of the research we teach coming from European, white males. Furthermore, the lack of diversity in the images in textbooks and online resources and the lack of diverse role models further perpetuates the ‘default male’ concept. This reinforces ‘whiteness’ to be the norm and is not only detrimental to students feeling represented within our discipline, but it also fails to teach our students about the real-world diversity that they will encounter following graduation: doctors who will be inadequately trained to diagnose skin disorders in individuals of colour or researchers who might not consider the importance of diversity in their clinical trial. With this in mind, we reviewed our BSc hons Anatomy degree programme, including the resources we recommended, the topics we teach and their delivery as well as our assessments. In this presentation we will discuss some of the initial changes we have made to our course to begin to de-colonise it and start to introduce more anti-racist, diverse and inclusive teaching. These changes included developing a new series of workshops in which students discussed various equality, diversity and inclusion concepts related to anatomy such as racial inequality in disease as well as diversity of anatomy related to each of the protected characteristics. Whilst making these changes, we surveyed student perception of equality, diversity and inclusion in anatomy as a discipline but also locally within our own degree. We will present an overview of student opinions as well as some discussion on what further changes, we aim to implement. Whilst some of these changes are specific to the discipline of anatomy, we hope our approach will give other educators some inspiration for how they might adapt their own course.

ABSTRACT. Climate change is a fact. The University of Glasgow (UoG) acknowledges that urgent action is required to address these significant changes. To respond to this agenda, this scholarship project explores the potential of a staff-student partnership in collaboration with an external partner to embed environmental sustainability in the curriculum. Addressing the issues presented by the sustainability agenda have become increasingly important to the learning and teaching community and impacts on our students and our professional lives. Drawing on real-world challenges experienced by the external partner, the project has been exploring the incorporation of environmentally sustainable practices as a routine part of our decision-making processes in the context of textile conservation. Promoting engagement using an active learning approach, we have been analysing the materials we use and dispose of, and the methods we use on a practice-based programme. Via workshops, online platforms and peer mentoring, students and staff have been reflecting on and evaluating the strategies that influence the development of sustainable practice as well as barriers to change. This project aims to help students and staff to develop a better understanding of the sustainability agenda in relation to their subject and to identify tangible ways to effectively embed it in their educational context, with the expectation that this will extend to their professional practice which is becoming increasingly important in work contexts. The project uses an action research approach through collaboration between the staff, students and external partner involving workshops, meetings with the students and informed by data collected through focus groups at the beginning and end of the project to evaluate the factors that influence the development of sustainable practices. Content created during the workshops and discussions is used to build and incorporate sustainable practices into our learning and teaching. This is enhancing student and staff´ commitment and engagement in sustainable practices. This collaboration between students and staff is a key component of this project. The project is strongly committed to the University´s L&T 2021-2025 core value in promoting excellence in learning and teaching that has an impact on climate change. For this short presentation, the initial findings of this co-created initiative will be presented. Marina Herriges will speak from the perspective of an external collaborator, Karen Thompson will share her experience as a member of the teaching staff and a student representative from the programme will present their perspective on how this project has been helping their developing professional skills and graduate attributes in line with a sustainability agenda. Practical tips and lessons learned will be shared to offer transferrable approaches that could be applied to other courses to encourage ways to embed environmental sustainability in our teaching and learning. This research grew out of Herriges’s dissertation research (MPhil Textile Conservation 2020) ‘Challenges in textile conservation: sustainability as key for the profession to move forward’, and a pilot project undertaken by Thompson and Herriges (2020-21) to begin to explore how to embed sustainability in the curriculum which has led to this Learning and Teaching Development Funded project.

ABSTRACT. (Please note this is a preliminary abstract and author list)

This paper will present a preliminary summary and discussion of an on-going SoTL project funded by the LTDF to develop a new Honours/PGT course in Archaeology that addresses our discipline's Western biases and colonial legacies in a dialectical manner, inviting students to actively contribute to shaping each session and working with external, third sector collaborators to develop real-world projects that students can work on. Thus, it takes a fundamentally active and practical approach to decolonising our teaching and enhancing our students' preparedness to work in socially and culturally diverse environments. The course is being piloted this semester, so this paper will aim to introduce the project to the wider UofG community with the objective of sharing our experience and how it may be implemented in other areas of the university.

ABSTRACT. Embedding career development into the undergraduate curriculum has been recognised as an important aspect of the university experience, in order to help students transition into careers across different industries in the real world. Particularly given the online nature of education over the past 2 years, supporting students to nuture their own professional connections within their discipline using online platforms as well as separate their emerging professional networks from their existing social ones are important parts of effective career development that are not frequently integrated into the university experience. LinkedIn is one freely available option that can be used by undergraduate students as an effective professional networking platform, particularly as networks within (Peterson and Dover 2014; Mogaji 2019), and some staff have started to develop ways of scaffolding this within curricula (Rodin et al. 2015 ; Daniels and Dempsey 2021). Several degrees within the School of Life Sciences have initiated degree-specific closed LinkedIn groups limited to staff and current students and former graduates, however levels of student awareness and engagement with this platform are currently uncertain, particularly in the biosciences. In addition, levels of student confidence about professional networking are also unknown and could influence students’ abilities to gain these crucial real-world skills.

This project aims to explore these issues of student awareness, confidence and engagement with professional networking online with two groups of third-year students from the Animal Biology and Microbiology/Immunology degree groups in the School of Life Sciences. An online questionnaire was used to evaluate student awareness and confidence levels of using LinkedIn. They were then asked to join a closed group available only to students and graduates within their degree and conduct a small-group interview with a particular graduate of their degree. Results of these surveys suggest interest in using these groups but a lack of confidence in using them, as students were willing to like and comment on others’ posts, but not contribute their own. Future work aims to involve student interns to encourage professional interaction and career development through online platforms such as LinkedIn. We also suggest that creating closed groups in LinkedIn are a time-efficient way to allow both students and staff to maintain connections with former students across the globe, particularly because they allow students to find role models that are most relevant to themselves and then build and maintain shared connections that can support them entering careers in the real world.

ABSTRACT. The role of authentic curriculum design in promoting many of the graduate attributes necessary to create ‘global students’ in a progressively competitive and internationalised job market has been increasingly recognised. Problem-based learning (PBL) allows learners to apply creative and critical thinking to authentic, contextualised problems and therefore enhance their analytical and interpersonal skills to prepare them for vocational success (Yorke & Harvey, 2005). To create an enriched and inclusive learning environment, curricula should be responsive to both learners' diverse learning needs and their unique cultural experiences (Karadzhov, Sharp & Langan Martin, 2021). This presentation offers insights into how PBL can be integrated into small-group, tutorial-based teaching that aims to foster subject-specific knowledge and student adaptability as well as inter-cultural awareness and exchange.

A series of PBL tutorial activities were introduced in the on-campus MSc Global Mental Health Programme as part of its transition to online teaching as a result of COVID-19 in 2020. The tutorials required that students collaborate and draw upon both their experiential and subject-specific knowledge to solve complex tasks mimicking real-world professional activities. One example is designing a mental health training curriculum for medics in low-income settings. Student feedback will be presented - indicating the value of PBL in facilitating experiential learning and authentic inter-cultural exchange.

Good practice tips and lessons learned will be shared on how to optimally design and evaluate PBL that is inclusive of learners' diverse learning needs and cultural experiences. Staff and student benefits and challenges will be shared to prompt group reflection on the transferability and scalability of this approach. Attendees will be invited to reflect on opportunities to embed this pedagogic approach within their practice and harness it to foster some of the skills and values that are characteristic of ethically and culturally aware and socially responsible ‘global students’.

ABSTRACT. Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) such as Moodle have become a ubiquitous part of educational infrastructure over the past 20 years. VLEs are ideal for ensuring that users have access to appropriate information and resources, with the correct permissions to view or modify content; however, the individual activities within the VLE are generally sub-optimal. There are three key reasons for this: the technical debt created by the need to support existing data and content makes radical change difficult; existing VLE designs put considerable constraints on adding and modifying system components; and the generic, subject-agnostic nature of the VLE means that subject-specific needs are rarely accommodated.

The IMS Learning Tools Interoperability specification (LTI) (McFall et al., 2012) facilitates custom extensions to the VLE by providing a single sign-on to external tools that also includes some information about the user’s role (e.g. Instructor or Learner), and the context or course in which it is being launched. LTI also provides a means for the external tools to return summative assessment data to the VLE. LTI underpins the concept of the Next Generation Digital Learning Environment (NGDLE) (Brown, 2017), a loosely coupled approach to extending and enhancing the VLE.

Moodle has full support for LTI integration, and this provides a safe way to extend functionality without putting the core software at risk. Centrally supported commercial software such as Tallis Aspire (Booklists) and Echo360 use LTI to connect Moodle to their services, however LTI also allows more specialist software to be integrated.

In this presentation we will describe our experiences, both positive and negative, of integrating LTI tools with both Moodle and FutureLearn platforms. The tools include commercial plugins specific to Chemistry, a University consortium package for Maths practice and formative assessment, and locally developed software for peer assessment and a simple Python notebook for exploratory data analysis..

We will also describe how Moodle is the ideal platform to use as a starting point for an evolutionary change to using NGDLE concepts as the basis for our e-learning support.

ABSTRACT. The Standards for Nurse Education published by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC 2018) increased the required clinical skills set for registered nurses, this is reflected in curriculum development and innovation within Higher Education Institutions (HEI), providing nurse education like the Nursing and Health Care School at the University of Glasgow. There are clear expectations on the profession to produce future proof graduates ready adopt advanced practice roles, as further highlighted through the Chief Nursing Officer of Scotland initiative, Transforming Roles (Scottish Government 2017). Teaching and learning for undergraduate student nurses must therefore ensure that graduates develop high level critical thinking skills that align with the Standards and our own institutional graduate attributes. As a result, an increasing focus on phronesis has been apparent over the past decade within nurse education.

According to Jenkins, Kinsella, and DeLuca (2019) phronesis is achieved through developing embodiment, open-mindedness, perceptiveness, and reflexivity. Using these concepts alongside a conceptual framework developed during a recent doctoral research study a reality-based model of teaching and learning has been developed by the author. This model places the phronimos within the context of the current reality of neoliberalism, intersectionality, and the Foucauldian concept of governmentality. As such the implementation of this reality-based model has been fundamental in the development and delivery of teaching and learning across a variety of courses within the Bachelor of Nursing (Honours) programme, namely in years 3 and 4 over the past academic year.

Using these overarching concepts to frame teaching and learning allows students to begin a journey of Self discovery. Problem-based learning teaching methods are adopted, and students encouraged and expected to complete associated learning activities using the lenses of neoliberalism, intersectionality, and governmentality. As a result, students can view their reality holistically which aligns to person-centred care, the main driver for delivery of care within health and social care across the United Kingdom. This holistic view also allows students to connect with the ongoing challenges within health and social care in relation to resources, systemic racism, whistle blowing and political shifts.

Student and staff feedback on this approach to learning and teaching within the Bachelor of Nursing (Honours) programme has been positive however this is anecdotal currently, while awaiting formal evaluation. However, students are challenged at first, particularly with the terminology but this is used consistently throughout teaching and placed within contexts that are relatable for example funding, resources, and regulation. Furthermore, using the concept of intersectionality enables discussions on racism, oppression and discrimination placing these in the context of students own experiences personally and professionally. This also provides opportunities to discuss privilege and allyship within each associated teaching and learning activity.

It is anticipated that the results from implementing this model in terms of the Higher Education teaching and learning experience will foster graduate nurses who will be on their way to developing phronesis, moving them from future nurse to future phronimos: a nurse that is ready to deal with the current and ongoing challenges faced by health and social care.

ABSTRACT. Movements such as the Rhodes Must Fall and Black Lives Matter have highlighted the need for ‘decolonising the curriculum’ efforts in academia. Decolonising the curriculum seeks to acknowledge and dismantle the way that imperialism and colonialism have shaped global education, with a focus on inclusion and visibility of a wider range of viewpoints which have been historically excluded. To create awareness of the Decolonising the Curriculum movement and its relevance to Life Sciences, tutorials were developed by students undertaking their final year projects and delivered to undergraduate students in the Microbiology and Immunology programmes at the University of Glasgow. The tutorials acted as an introduction to the movement, focusing on contextualising how the material linked to existing topics within their respective curricula, through group discussions and case studies. Knowledge progression as well as the resources produced, were evaluated by pre and post-questionnaires. Throughout the tutorial, students were receptive to and engaged with the subject material, taking active roles in group discussions. General feedback from students was largely positive with clear indications of knowledge progression. Thus, highlighting a desire for and value in the incorporation of ‘Decolonising the Curriculum’ and other ‘Equality, Diversity, Inclusion’ material within their curricula. With ever-growing pressures to address issues of inequality and colonial histories, universities in the UK are slowly beginning to work with students and take action. Our work showcases the relevance and scope of these issues within Life Sciences subjects.

ABSTRACT. The University of Glasgow strives to be inclusive in its provision of higher education. We must be mindful of different student backgrounds and proactively support our cohorts to succeed at university. In many ways this is a work in progress, and we must continually evaluate what we can do better to give our students the best chance of success. Part of that effort includes understanding the various barriers to higher education and supporting transitions into Higher Education (HE).

While it is acknowledged that urban and rural students face different challenges in moving to University, there is currently a lack of research on this in our particular discipline. While we have anecdotal data, at present there is a lack of evidence regarding any differences in chemistry education between rural and urban schools across Scotland and how this, in turn, impacts students’ subject choices at school, as well as their decisions on further/higher education and careers.

Chemistry is a practical subject and places a heavy emphasis on a students’ skills in laboratory work. This student-led project aims to explore the teaching of practical chemistry in Scotland by surveying both the Chemistry teachers and the Directors of Science of secondary schools, Scotland-wide, in order to gain insights into the educators’ perspective on chemistry education, with a focus on the teaching of practical chemistry. In doing so, any differences and similarities linked to the urban/rural geography are hoped to be identified and explored, with focus groups used to delve deeper into any identified topics of interest.

This exploration and identification of differences in how practical chemistry education is delivered in secondary schools across Scotland can help universities to better understand the difficulties and barriers faced by different groups of students, thereby helping HE educators to create resources tailored to assist these different groups in their transition to HE. The transition to HE is often challenging, there should be more done to help students manage this change. Easing this difficult transition is integral to a successful time at university. While this study is focussed on chemistry practical education in Scottish secondary schools, we anticipate that these findings will be relevant to a wide variety of subjects, both within and outwith Scotland.

ABSTRACT. Background: Exams are an important part of Higher Education in which students are evaluated on attainments and progress they have made. Often, examinations can lead to stress and worry caused by increased pressures to succeed which may have been exacerbated during the current pandemic due to new ways of being assessed. Prevalence rates of test anxiety before the pandemic were estimated to range from 17% to 39% in higher education (Gerwing et al., 2015; Ne’Eman-Haviv & Bonny-Noach, 2019; Thomas et al., 2017) but could vary for factors such as exam type (Spiegel & Nivette, 2021).

Research suggests that open-book exams have lower anxiety levels, are commonly associated with more time, unlimited resources, and usually preferred by students (Akulwar-Tajane et al., 2021; Zoller & Ben-Chaim, 1989). Yet, timed closed-book examinations resemble the traditional testing methods of written exams in lecture halls. The presence of an invigilator has been shown to increase test anxiety levels in an online speaking exam (Andujar & Cruz-Martínez, 2020), but research for written online exams is missing. Data in previous studies is usually collected retrospectively, a limitation this study seeks to address.

Aim: This pilot study was conducted by Level 3 Psychology students as part of their course requirements. This study aimed to investigate differences in test anxiety levels between 4 different exam types (i.e. ET1: timed exams with a fixed start time, ET2: timed exams within a 24-hour period, ET3: open exams within a 24-hour period, and ET4: seen exams in which questions were distributed beforehand and answers had to be submitted on exam day). To address shortcoming of previous research, data was collected in early December prior to the December 2021 diet. Additional analysis explored test anxiety between invigilated and non-invigilated groups.

Methods: In total, 91 participants (66 female, 23 male, 2 non-binary; 20.2 years ± 3.4; 25 ET1, 32 ET2, 27 ET3, 7 ET4) were recruited via SONA and social media to complete the Cognitive Test Anxiety Scale – Second Edition (CTAS-2; Thomas et al., 2017). They further provided demographic and exam-related information.

Results & Discussion: Regardless of exam type, 17.6% self-assessed as low, 48.4% as moderate, and 34.1% as high test anxiety which is in line with previous research. No significant test anxiety differences in were found between the four different exam types (F(3,87) = 0.234, p = .872), which could be due to the small sample size. Exploratory analysis between invigilated vs non-invigilated exam types revealed no significant differences of test anxiety (F(1,89) = 0.234, p = .872). Most of the invigilated exams are scheduled for the next exam diet, and the non-urgency of exams could have biased results. Interestingly, the raw data seems to suggest that not all students were familiar with the exact exam-type-label for the exam they were sitting, thus, providing insights into redesigning exam-related questions for the replication of the study for the next exam diet. Results could provide knowledge into a students’ perspective of test anxiety whilst informing university bodies’ decisions regarding real-world challenges to assessments.

ABSTRACT. The MSc Psychology Conversion Online Distance Learning (ODL) programme at the University of Glasgow is a 30-month, part-time programme that enables students to pursue a career in psychology and related disciplines on completion of their degree. The programme attracts an international cohort and continues to see a rise in applications for the course, with the start of the 2021/22 academic year bringing another increase in numbers.

Coinciding with this rise in demand for ODL, there has been greater awareness of the merits of online learning. This has been influenced by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic (Cacault et al., 2021) which has facilitated a broader shift to online teaching across higher education. ODL cohorts are often diverse, as ODL students often work full or part time, come from deprived geographical areas, are mature students, have declared a disability and/or mental health condition, are parents or carers, are in secure environments, and/or are from underrepresented social groups.

Much of the scholarship work done within the University is framed within on-campus face-to-face teaching contexts. Thus to further enhance the inclusivity of our pedagogical work, it is important to reflect the potential diversity of our ODL students’ and their learning needs. Recent work has turned attention to how we might adapt our teaching practices in supporting a temporary shift to online teaching during Covid-19 (Nordmann, 2020); however, there is a need to understand how we can best support diverse student populations, foster engaging learning environments, and promote student wellbeing in online learning on a more permanent basis.

Research indicates that ODL students are at least as likely to encounter mental health difficulties in comparison to on-campus students (Barr, 2014; Harrer et al., 2019; Richardson, 2015) and are unable to obtain the levels of support on offer to students based on campus (Barr, 2014; Lister & McFarlane, 2021). Furthermore, research suggests that employability priorities differ between full-time on-campus students and those on part time, distance learning programmes (Butcher & Rose, 2014), as distance learners often place more focus on career change, enhancing an already-existing skillset, and/or developing self-management skills rather than on traditional transferrable skills. Both student mental health and graduate skills are factors that are likely to impact upon student engagement and course retention. These are factors that have yet to be fully investigated in our ODL student population.

Therefore, we present our plan for scholarship investigating the issues and practices adopted by ODL Psychology conversion course students in relation to mental health and employability (see O’Shea and McNair, 2021). The results of this research will help to support students and teaching staff in online learning environments and build relationships with ODL students to support their wellbeing and retention. As this project is in its early stages, we hope to foster discussion on this scholarship theme and develop a collaborative community with those with similar pedagogical interests.

ABSTRACT. When important concepts are broken down and taught in different modules and by different instructors across the curriculum, a sense of connection between topics can be lost. Students may then the lack mental models to reconstruct the overall picture, and this fragmented understanding can cause loss of confidence and ability in solving problems related to the topic.  This project serves as a case-study for how both knowledge and critical thinking can be supported and enhanced through stepwise, interactive online resources.

To help students both strengthen their knowledge-base and to bridge their skills gap, an interactive online learning resource was designed, created, and delivered to undergraduate chemistry students, focussing on the analytical techniques of chromatography. The resource was created by a fourth-year undergraduate student using the online HTML5 tool, Genial.ly.  The background theory, practical concepts, and real-world applications of various chromatography techniques is delivered in an accessible and engaging way, using technology to create a self-paced, non-assessed learning tool. By using interactive elements for exploration, the student has the freedom to progress through e-resource and engage with materials, according to their personal learning-needs.  Students can explore their understanding, without fear of failure or assessment. This approach can be adapted and used across disciplines.

A digital taster of the HTML5 unit will be available through a link on the digital poster.

ABSTRACT. This study is about a summative group assessment worth 20% of the total grade in a 2nd year Economics course. This is a large class of around 450 students, of whom a third are those who enter directly into 2nd year from Glasgow International College (GIC). There has been a concern that students entering from GIC and existing students may not be interacting sufficiently with each other. One objective of this assessment was to facilitate such interactions. Another positive aspect was that students were introduced to group work early in the degree programme. Group size was six with a few with five members. All groups comprised students from GIC as well as those who were not, facilitating interaction of students from diverse backgrounds. Since this is a large class, and one of the learning outcomes was to know and apply key microeconomic concepts, an objective test seemed appropriate for this group assessment. The assessment was designed to develop group working skills and active learning through peer interaction, which are two of the pillars in the Learning and Teaching strategy of the University of Glasgow. There are plenty of studies finding positive learning benefits of group discussions such as in two-stage exams and team-based learning (Blankenstein et al, 2011; Fatmi et al, 2013., Michaelson et al, 2004; Nicol, 2020; Nicol & Selvaretnam, 2021). There are many benefits of group work and multicultural interactions, which are valuable graduate skills (Marangell, 2018; Cambre et al., 2014). However, students shy away from group assessments, mainly because of differing work ethics, working styles, communication barriers and concerns about free riding without engaging in good preparation and contribution (Akanwa 2015; Brunsting et al. 2018; Hansen et al. 2018; Meng 2018). This study analyses the effectiveness of this group assessment. All students completed a survey questionnaire, where the questions elicited information about participation, learning and interaction. This research has the ethics approval and has been carried out accordingly by only including those who consented and anonymizing all the responses. Thematic analysis of the responses to the open-ended questions as well as some quantitative analysis of Likert questions give us some useful information. There is a dearth of studies about the efforts made to welcome and integrate students who come directly into a higher level (eg: GIC students entering the 2nd year). This research output would be a valuable start to a useful strand of literature in Higher Education. At the conference presentation, I will explain the assessment design; the survey questionnaires; the results to the survey questionnaire and the conclusions from the findings. This would be valuable to the audience to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of such a design and get ideas about suitable assessments to develop group skills in early years in large classes and facilitating interactions among diverse groups who usually do not.

ABSTRACT. Higher Education institutions aim to make their students into lifelong learners and literature reiterates the importance of inner feedback and self-regulated learning where students identify their strengths, shortcomings and ways to improve. We designed a unique reflection-based summative assessment with opportunities to self-generate inner feedback and inculcate graduate skills. This is particularly conducive for diverse learning styles and inclusiveness. Further, we have developed a way to directly interlink formative and summative assessments in such a way that students can engage with tasks that they find challenging without feeling overwhelmed. This also increases students’ participation in formative activities which usually suffers from non-engagement. In this design students had to complete a challenging task, in the form of a formative assessment, and reflect on their experience using a scaffolded survey questionnaire. We then shared a video and a detailed written solution by an expert with students. After this, they were asked again to reflect on their answer through another survey questionnaire. Both reflections, before and after the solution to the task was provided, were part of the summative assessment and were scaffolded. The survey questionnaires were designed carefully with open and close ended questions to enable students to generate their own feedback and tease out the learning that occurs when students compare their own answers with that of an expert. This adds to the strand of new literature on inner feedback that explores the learning which occurs through use of comparators. Since feedback can be provided in different ways, including an expert solution, it is important that we understand the value of this to diverse learners. Such skills will be valuable to students to be able to generate their own feedback about their work and self-regulate their learning. These learning skills contribute to sustainable and lifelong learning as well as student wellbeing. Our design of assessment using reflection is a transformative approach to learning that supports deep and active learning. It helps student to develop into lifelong learners by giving them opportunity to examine and reflect on their practice. Unlike standard assessments, it is based on uncertainty and thus helps students to realise what they don’t know. Scaffolding our reflective assessment by providing a clear structure and marking criteria effectively we enable students’ critical thinking about theory and practice. Many authors have proposed ways to facilitate reflection and we used these to design our own assessment. We embed counselling into curriculum by promoting mental well-being through continuous learning, encouraging students to notice links between their own learning and real world and designing formative activity that helps students prepare for summative assignment (HEA). This analysis sheds light on the value of experts’ videos as comparators to facilitate feedback generation. We find that reflection is a useful skill to reinforce learning, develop insights about self and regulate own learning. The methodology can transcend disciplines and courses which especially have a problem-solving requirement.

ABSTRACT. Second year chemistry students at the University of Glasgow complete two interactive teaching units (ITUs) which aim to develop teamwork, problem solving and oral and written communication skills by applying chemistry knowledge learned across different lecture courses to real world problems. Each ITU is centred on a particular topic, and the structured discussion highlighting different aspects of the problem is facilitated by a staff member with about 12 students. The assessment is an individual piece of scientific writing.

We previously conducted research to evaluate where students feel graduate attributes are developed in the current curriculum. The students had wide-ranging opinions on which types of teaching activities develop these skills, and their learning of chemistry in general. Surprisingly, the ITUs received low ratings, with students feeling uncomfortable working in groups and finding ITUs irrelevant to their course. Strong themes that emerged were that students prefer to work alone rather than participate in group activities, and feel inexperienced writing scientific essays. In this presentation we will discuss how we modified the ITUs to create a more comfortable and engaging active learning environment.

One modification was the development of entirely new content on the topic of carbon capture, to coincide with the COP26 conference. By choosing a topical, global issue in which the chemistry seen in lecture courses takes the centre stage, the students felt much more engaged and saw how their knowledge could be applied. The second change was that the ITUs were hosted online using Zoom and OneNote. Students accessed a shared, pre-populated workbook on OneNote enabling real-time notetaking and collaboration while working remotely. Additionally, before the session, students were asked to rate graduate attributes according to how valuable they thought these would be to employers. When presenting the comparison of the students’ responses with the attributes valued by employers1, we highlighted that the skills being developed during the ITU, such as interpersonal skills and teamwork, were more valued by employers than the students thought. To connect the students more with the research being conducted in the School of Chemistry, as has been suggested by Fung2, the ITU included a video interview with PhD students talking about their carbon-related research. Furthermore, the final assessment task was designed to make students engage with the current chemical literature, by asking them to write a short scientific essay on aspects of the challenge discussed. To facilitate this task, we introduced a briefing video for the assessment, in which a staff member talked through the basics of how to conduct a literature search using Google Scholar and filter out appropriate papers from the search results, making students much more prepared for the assessment.

The initial feedback about these changes was positive and enhanced the student active learning experience. This talk will give further detail of the lessons learned and how it could be applied to other subjects.

(1) A. E. Kondo, J. D. Fair, J. Chem. Educ., 2017, 94, 304−310. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.6b00566

(2) D. Fung, A Connected Curriculum for Higher Education. London, UCL Press, 2017. https://doi.org/10.14324/111.9781911576358

ABSTRACT. Basic maths skills are essential to successful study in multiple disciplines, yet many students lack both confidence and ability in this area. Staff from five Schools/Services are undertaking a collaborative approach to curriculum design and delivery* and are working with student interns to create a bank of cross-curricular, randomisable, e-assessment questions using the well-established platform Numbas.

This student-centred and inclusive learning* initiative will allow students to receive instant, formative feedback and the opportunity to practice infinitely many variations of problems to master key techniques and build maths confidence. By taking control of learning through this self-directed, flexible approach to learning, teaching and assessment*, the platform reduces barriers to success in their subject areas and helps boost students’ sense of satisfaction relating to assessment and feedback.

Creating high quality, e-assessment questions is a time consuming and specialist activity and having a bank of adaptable questions will save staff considerable effort. E-assessment, once set up, drastically reduces time spent in marking whilst enabling staff to provide meaningful, timely feedback and explanations for students. The platform also allows staff to gain a better understanding of students’ strengths and weaknesses in key areas, to identify gaps in knowledge and allows staff to focus on their own subject area and course ILOs rather than having to spend valuable teaching time revising basics.

The content on the Numbas platform can be adapted by staff for their own purposes/areas and questions can be used to build self-tests, diagnostic tests, repeatable practice resources and summative assessments.

This talk will give more detail about the topics covered and will be of interest to anyone who thinks they could benefit from this resource or would like to learn more about Numbas and e-assessment.

ABSTRACT. In 2015 Mariya Hussain (National Union of Students) asked “Why is My Curriculum White?” highlighting the Eurocentric content of her course. The critique rings true across disciplines where white males voices are predominant (Begum, Neema and Saini 2019). Recognition where this is the case and how the social and historical context behind subject knowledge can be responsible is key (Hemmings 2021). Here we present statistics as a case study, where a curriculum can be grounded in the subject history, social context and application with inclusive examples across the modern world. Modern statistics (much like other disciplines) is often introduced with general concepts to facilitate accessibility. We may have heard that statistical tests are often ‘just linear algebra’ but do we hear of the innovators in this field? Most are non-European, and we can consider further examples across fields. This talk will highlight examples of decolonising the statistics curriculum within the School of Life Sciences, including student perceptions and suggestions of how this could proceed within higher education. As a university we can share and reflect our values of inclusivity, wellbeing, integrity and respect in our learning and curriculum design through decolonising the curriculum. Including a wider diversity of scientific voices can help foster inclusivity within our diverse learning community.

ABSTRACT. Professional development is a key focus of the University of Glasgow’s current learning and teaching strategy (University of Glasgow, 2021a), and at college-level one priority is to “Embed employability into our curricula” (University of Glasgow, 2021b). Though there is a general awareness of the importance of employability in undergraduate student populations, long-term (career building) implications of employability are less well understood in the early years of higher education (Tymon, 2011). This presentation will focus on a case study in which we raised awareness of graduate attributes (University of Glasgow, 2021c) and their relevance to specific careers in the School of Psychology and Neuroscience (SPaN).

We raised awareness of graduate attributes in psychology through the creation of a series of infographics tailored towards our undergraduate and postgraduate conversion programmes. We clustered the graduate attributes around key themes: problem-solving attributes (comprising of Subject Specialist, Investigative, and Independent and Critical Thinker), social attributes (comprising Effective Communicator, Confident, Experience Collaborators, and Ethically and Socially Aware), and self-management attributes (comprising Resourceful and Responsible, Adaptable, and Reflective Learners). Using an approach driven by Advanced HE guidance in embedding employability in the curriculum (see Stage 1 Defining employability and Stage 2 Auditing and mapping, Tibby & Norton, 2020), these infographics explain each graduate attribute in terms of key capabilities within the study of psychology, and map graduate attributes onto specific tasks and behaviours in which they are developed across the SPaN curricula. Two further infographics were created to communicate how graduate attributes map onto competencies required by employers in specific career areas, both within and outside of psychology (See Stage 3 Prioritising Actions, Tibby & Norton, 2020).

The infographics are largely a resource available, via Moodle, to psychology students at any level within our undergraduate and postgraduate conversion course programmes for guidance in understanding what graduate attributes mean for them as psychologists, and to help them build a portfolio of experiences on which they can draw in job applications and interviews. Recently, they have been used as a tool to help students reflect on their graduate attribute development as part on a level 3 Professional Skills course (see Case Study 1: Graduate Attributes Reflection, Swingler & Copsey, 2021).

The full collection of Psychology Graduate Attributes Infographics is publicly available via the Open Science Framework (McNair, 2021). There may be aspects of the infographics that do not translate exactly into other subject areas or contexts, but they are designed to be flexible and updatable as needed in your teaching practice. Moving forwards, I would like to encourage further discussion and sharing of best practice in this area.

ABSTRACT. Collaboration and collegiality that is fostered through the formation of communities of practice (CoP) strengthens cross-disciplinary learning and teaching environments as well as supporting academic development. However, have you ever tried to form a community of practice? You may or may not have called it that, but most of us have either tried to form a group of like-minded colleagues to advance a particular area of interest or topic of importance, or we have been a part of one.

This workshop will draw on the experience of the audience who have either formed, or been a participant, in a CoP and explore the difficulties commonly encountered in CoPs and why they often fail to produce the desired outcomes. We will then use examples to demonstrate how one particular CoP model, the Faculty Learning Community, first described by Milton Cox, has been used effectively to bring about transformative change not only in CoP outcomes but in its participants as well. We will demonstrate how our experience of Faculty Learning Communities has supported individuals through particular challenges and strengthened our sense of community and multidisciplinary and cross-organisational team working.

The workshop aligns with University of Glasgow strategic value of “Promoting continuing professional and skills development to support evolution in learning and teaching”.

Outcomes

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

Identify the common challenges of forming and sustaining a community of practice

Draw from the CoP/FLC literature to develop effective strategies to facilitate Communities of Practice

Utilise the Miami Model of Faculty Learning Community in order to support colleagues’ development

Reference: Cox, M.D. (2004) Introduction to faculty learning communities. New Directions for Teaching and Learning 97: 523. https://doi.org/10.1002/tl.129

ABSTRACT. Wellbeing and belonging are hot topics in Higher Education, especially for postgraduate researchers transitioning from one community to another. The early months of a PhD can be a culture shock, as researchers adjust to different expectations and ways of working from their previous studies or professional lives.

As we have collectively adjusted to online conferences (such as this annual Learning and Teaching Conference) their potential as a flexible space for experience sharing has become evident. Just as we come together here each year to share best practice, the annual This PhD Life online symposium is a new by-PGRs-for-PGRs opportunity for year 1 researchers to get the inside-scoop on the realities of researcher life.

Now in its second year, This PhD Life is a day-long event coordinated by the Researcher Development team as part of a cross-university PGR Induction. Current PGRs are invited to offer a ten-minute paper on something they feel new PGRs would benefit from knowing, or wish they had known when starting their PhD. Papers cover topics as diverse as Managing your supervisor; Doing public engagement; Moving back into academia from industry; Doing a PhD with a young family; Settling in as an international PGR; Why do an internship; Handling loneliness; Organising your time; and much more. Response and engagement have been overwhelmingly positive, with over 300 new researchers attending in 2020-21.

Zoom has proven to be a great platform for fostering mutually supportive dialogue that would be impossible in an in-person conference. Participants are encouraged to make use of the chat function throughout to ask questions and offer reflections on their own experience. PGR interns co-facilitate with Researcher Development staff, helping to foster a safe space for sharing, reflecting, and reassurance to normalises some of the surprises that come with PhD life.

The initiative also gives a gentle introduction to the role of conferences in academic culture as sites of sharing and scholarly community: both for the audience of new PGRs, and for the second-year speakers. For some speakers this is their first paper, and a precursor to presenting in more formal disciplinary settings. More importantly, by stepping beyond the confines of the traditional conference and delivering reflective presentations to a general audience, PGRs are encouraged to articulate and demonstrate skills development, find a voice that can help them in their professional development, and to consider their role as potential mentors for their new peers.

This paper will explore our reflections on This PhD Life as an initiative that successfully embodies some of the key values of the Learning and Teaching Strategy, including fostering student-centred active-learning spaces; partnering with students on their skills development; and advocating inclusive practice which promotes wellbeing, integration, and community for and between new and existing PGRs.

ABSTRACT. Curriculum design through student/educator partnerships are increasingly seen as the hallmark of excellence to the development of an inclusive undergraduate curriculum, but the reality is that much of this is often a simple “consultation” or “tick box” exercise. Wet laboratory classes form the cornerstone of any undergraduate life sciences degree. These lab classes are often designed by the educator, with limited consultation of the learner and are often variations on historical classes taught over the years, hampering inclusivity. Feedback from our students indicates they would benefit from something more contemporary, more engaging, and less “paint by numbers” or dictatorial. We have attempted to address both these concerns through the design and implementation of bespoke final year Hons projects which seek to engage the undergraduate student in the research and design of third year undergraduate practical classes with the aim of embedding them in the undergraduate curriculum in the future. The current project has 4 key aims;

1.To provide a platform for meaningful student/educator collaboration in curriculum design. 2.To produce a more contemporary, student led, flexible and inclusive undergraduate laboratory class experience. 3.To provide an Hons project experience with timely, achievable, and implementable outputs. 4.To provide an additional type of Hons project experience expanding inclusivity, further supporting our diverse student community.

Here we will present two of these Hons projects. The first we ran as an Hons project developing a novel undergraduate life sciences practical class, investigating a novel experimental model of the autonomic control of heart rate. It was important that we designed something with realistic outcomes, but with sufficient unknowns for the students to engage meaningfully with. This first project has now been successfully embedded in both the undergraduate neuroscience and physiology degrees here at the University of Glasgow. We will present the three phases of research and development (the Hons project itself), curriculum embedding (the first run as a practical class) and consultation and improvement (student & educator feedback). Essentially what we’ve learned, what the students have told us and what we’ve then gone on to do to improve the process. After careful analysis of the outcomes from this first project we will also present a second hons project which focused on the development of an undergraduate practical class investigating neural mechanisms of locomotor control. This second project has recently gone through the research and design phase as an hons project as we seek to embed this new design into our undergraduate learning suite of practical classes. Whist this approach focuses on Hons projects and collaborative curriculum design for the life sciences we propose this approach to be translatable to most subject areas and propose it as a novel way to successfully engage with student/educator partnerships in curriculum design. We will discuss the changes we’ve implemented to the process and discuss a framework which can be used across Hons project / curriculum design partnerships of many fields.

ABSTRACT. Making education equal, diverse, and inclusive is a crucial topic in Higher Education, including within Environmental Sciences. The QAA Subject Benchmark Statement (November 2021)(1), in fact, states that Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) is an integral part of these disciplines and can benefit both the pedagogical practice and the subject knowledge. Fieldwork is an essential component of Environmental Sciences and represents a great venue where to explore EDI challenges experienced by undergraduate students and identify potential solutions. Academics leading students on fieldwork in higher education only have access to a limited set of their protected characteristics to help prepare in planning, such as disclosed disabilities (2). However, many barriers and challenges to participating in fieldwork can be linked to identity characteristics (e.g. socio-economic status) that are not disclosed. Students’ experiences can, in fact, vary depending not only on the nature of the field-course (3), but by the intersectionality of their characteristics. Moreover, research into co-design is a developed field but only recently is it being put into practice for EDI purposes. Co-design can be a successful method to improve EDI, but only when participants are involved at every step and their lived experience is the main focus. Putting undergraduate students at the centre (4) of field-course planning via collaborative inclusivity is a novel approach to address EDI within environmental sciences and is at the core of our project. Amplifying the students’ voice through the involvement at every step of its realisation, from running workshops, to co-design, -development, -production and -evaluation of the field-courses (residential and non) has the potential to identify and remove environmental, structural, and attitudinal barriers and thus allow all students to access field skills training effectively. In this talk we will describe the potential environmental, structural, and attitudinal barriers experienced by undergraduate students during field work identified via online questionnaires and workshops and shared our approach to the co-production of a residential and non-residential field course with the aim to improve access to field skills for all students. There is not a set checklist or toolkit that helps to prepare and plan because “one size will never fit all” (5). However, we will here demonstrate that with students at the centre of planning we can make field-courses more equitable, diverse, and inclusive for each unique cohort and disseminate good practice with colleagues and potential collaborators.

ABSTRACT. The Diploma in Professional Legal Practice (DPLP) is a one year, vocational, postgraduate-taught programme, undertaken by those wishing to practise law in Scotland. The DPLP is the bridge between academia and practice, and is regulated by the Law Society of Scotland.

DPLP students are embarking upon a career in the legal profession, which will require them to deal sensitively with a variety of clients from a wide range of backgrounds. They will do so, in part, by drawing on their own diverse backgrounds and personal experiences.

Our inclusive LT&A practices - creating simulated environments to emulate real-world challenges - encourage students to understand and appreciate the value of their own, unique perspectives in helping clients face those real-world challenges. Students bring their own transferable soft skills to the programme and are encouraged to build upon these during role play exercises and assessments. For example, DPLP students must: • conduct an interview with a mock client who may present with both challenging issues and character traits; and • negotiate with another DPLP student on behalf of a client.

In this presentation, we explain how we connect students’ real-world experiences successfully with real-world challenges.

ABSTRACT. As level 4 programme lead in the School of Psychology and Neuroscience, I regularly meet students who are anxious about their next steps following graduation. Part of this anxiety comes from being focused on the job at hand – completing the assessments set within the courses. However, this focus does not facilitate clear recognition of their skill development and how it relates to their employability and potential destinations. I introduced Skills Surgeries in semester 1 of 2021/22 academic year as a way of facilitating reflection on the skills and knowledge developed over the student’s time with us. These sessions were ideally held in person (one was held online) and took the form of a one-to-one 30-minute informal chat with myself about their time at the University, any challenges faced and how they had overcome these, any particularly positive experiences they recalled both in their academic and extracurricular activities. We used the whiteboard to write down any particular words or phrases that stuck out to myself or to the student so we could explore these further. For example, working with others may be a theme that the student returns to throughout our conversation so we may talk about this a little more to identify what was challenging and how the student has developed skills of collaboration, communication, and leadership from this. It was very noticeable how the students’ perspective changed through our discussions. It may be that they thought of working with others, to continue with that example, was a real challenge but once you talked about it they would often acknowledge how their view had changed to being able to explicitly identify the skills they have developed through this and how this could be relevant in other contexts such as the workplace. I suggested to students that taking a photograph of our scribbles on the whiteboard may help them continue their reflection by referring to them when needed and all the students agreed that this was a good idea. 15 students booked a session with me and 5 completed the feedback form. The relaxed nature of the sessions was noted as a positive aspect of the experience: ‘I liked the relaxed setting, the session made me feel better about myself afterwards.’ Identifying aspects of the students’ practice specifically as skills was another positive outcome as highlighted by this student: ‘I was pleasantly surprised by how beneficial I found the skills surgery, really helpful to talk through those things you maybe don't even think of as being skills and realise how useful they are for overcoming current and future challenges.’ All students who provided feedback indicated they would recommend the sessions to a friend, that the sessions enabled them to consider things in a way that helped with next steps and that they felt more comfortable considering their skills and knowledge suggesting they are a short yet effective way of identifying graduate attributes.

ABSTRACT. This paper reports on the initial findings of a project which explores students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of a feedback intervention intended to enhance their engagement with hitherto problematic aspects of the Professional Enquiry and Decision-Making assignment, part of the MEd in Professional Practice. Five areas were selected as the focus for feedback improvements: literature search strategies, literature reviews, ethics applications, research dissemination strategies and identifying limitations in their research designs. The aim of the intervention was to develop the students’ abilities to generate useful feedback on their own work while still benefitting from more conventional support offered through peer and tutor feedback. The intervention sequence was as follows: In each of the five areas of focus: (i) students compared exemplars of high-quality work in the same topic domain in which they would subsequently produce their own work and identified what made these of high quality. The intention here was to appraise students of what was required by the task and what effective output would look like; (ii) Students then produced their own work in that area of focus; (iii) Students then compared their findings from (i) with their own work and generated their own feedback about how they could make improvements. Students wrote down what they learned from each comparison in a worksheet thereby making their self-generated feedback explicit. This both enhances students own’ feedback generation and gives teachers information about what feedback they need to provide. This study is interpreted in terms of new research (Nicol, 2021: Nicol and McCallum, 2021) which argues that if students are to learn to regulate their own learning and performance independently of their teachers, we must build their capacity to generate their own feedback. The implications for staff workload are also discussed.