Student Experience Proceedings (LJMU)
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Session 12: Criminology students and their sense of community: a student-driven assessment of community-building
No full textCriminology as a discipline recruits very large numbers of students. We might assume that large numbers mean a fertile ground for the growth of a discipline-based student community fostering identity and belongingness. However large numbers can also precipitate student anonymity and higher levels of loneliness and isolation. Student interns have undertaken a survey and virtual focus groups with Criminology students to explore the ways in which they experience their academic community and to explore the following key questions:
What does the term ‘community’ mean to our students in 2024?
Where and under what circumstances do students get a sense of belonging and build connections (e.g., WhatsApp groups, group project work, PT tutorial modules at level 4)?
What role does or might the legacy of the covid pandemic play in any efforts to re-ignite criminology social events?
The high levels of student mental health problems is well documented – to what extent is mental health and the ongoing cost of living crisis impacting upon the motivations for social events/activities and the format of these connections?
What do our students really want by way of social events, if at all, that bring Criminology students from across the levels together?
Is there any appetite among the students for a mentoring system or buddying scheme around the themes of student engagement, belonging and identity?
The presentation will reflect on the findings of this research to highlight the ways in which staff-student partnerships can be taken forward to foster a sense of identity, community and belonging, and what mechanisms can be put in place to ensure their sustainability and growth as a collective responsibility. The student voice will be key here in shaping recommendations and action plans to enhance the student experience beyond the curriculum and to support and sustain the Criminology community.
Criminology students and their sense of community: a student-driven assessment of community-building PowerPoint. Only LJMU staff and students have access to this resource
Session 15: Lightning talk: Understanding how autistic students perceive transitions through university and the impact upon their mental health
No full textBackground: Being at university is a significant transition period in a young adult’s life. Previous research has shown autistic students often face barriers transitioning into university, such as difficulties adjusting to independent living and study, and sensory and social challenges. Despite many autistic students possessing strengths that correspond with improved academic outcomes (e.g., good memory, and problem-solving skills), 40% do not complete their university studies. With less than 22% of autistic adults in employment, it is imperative autistic students support needs as they transition into, and through their undergraduate study are met to redress the inequalities they face.
Aim: Funded by the LJMU curriculum enhancement fund, this study aims to explore autistic undergraduate student’s experiences of transitioning into university from school/college and through the undergraduate levels. Also, the perceived impact these transitions have upon mental health will be explored.
Content: This lightning talk highlights autistic undergraduate students’ perceptions of the facilitators and barriers to transitioning into, and through, university, and the impact this has upon mental health. Views and opinions pertaining to the accessibility and acceptability of LJMU mental health support provision for autistic undergraduate students is also discussed. This research underscores the core LJMU strategy values of being an inclusive, caring community in which students are the central focus.
Take Home Message: Delegates will gain understanding of the experiences of autistic undergraduate students’ as they transition into and through the levels at LJMU; the perceived impact this has upon mental health, and the perceived suitability of support provision available at LJMU for autistic undergraduates.
Transferability: In the spirit of the core values underpinning the LJMU strategy, by putting students at the heart of everything we do and being inclusive, the findings from this project could inform further development of responsive support provision at LJMU for autistic undergraduates.
Understanding how autistic students perceive transitions through university and the impact upon their mental health PowerPoint. Only LJMU staff and students have access to this resource
Session 35: Building an LJMU shared assessment and feedback toolkit: resources and strategies
No full textAssessment and feedback are essential for improving teaching and learning, yet implementing sustainable, effective practices remains a challenge in higher education. This presentation will outline a university-wide initiative aimed at developing a richer assessment and feedback culture. Grounded in research (Nicol and Macfarlane‐Dick, 2006; Hattie and Timperley, 2007; Winstone and Carless, 2019) as well as practice, a set of guiding principles and practical strategies were co-developed with academics, TLA and Academic Registry. In this workshop we will facilitate discussions to examine, challenge and develop our shared culture of assessment practice.
Our aim is to bring clarity to our assessment and feedback policy and make it more meaningful and alive to the challenges that will emerge over the coming years. This initiative provides a framework for supporting academics in developing, implementing, evaluating and continuously improving assessment and feedback practices to enhance teaching and learning. The presentation will share challenges and lessons from this institution-wide change effort, highlighting effective educational development approaches that empower academics and students.
Assessment and feedback guidance.ReferencesHattie, J. and Timperley, H. (2007) ‘The Power of Feedback’, Review of Educational Research, 77(1), pp. 81–112.Nicol, D.J. and Macfarlane‐Dick, D. (2006) ‘Formative assessment and self‐regulated learning: a model and seven principles of good feedback practice’, Studies in Higher Education, 31(2), pp. 199–218.Winstone, N. and Carless, D. (2019) Designing Effective Feedback Processes in Higher Education: A Learning-Focused Approach. London: Routledge
Session 63: The use of VLE assessments in the presence of AI technology
No full textThe emergence of AI technology, including ChatGPT, creates a challenge for academic practitioners. It requires educators to take extra care when designing assessments and drafting the policies and procedures for these assessments in order to protect the integrity of these assessments. This is especially true when an educator wants to use the modern Virtual Learning Environments (VLE)-based online assessments. With the new AI technology, these online assessments, such as Canvas online quizzes, can be compromised easily and students start to feel that these assessments are an easy way to gain marks with less efforts and less preparation. This presentation shares with colleagues some of the measures that have been taken to protect the integrity of VLE assessments for a level 4 module (Mechatronics 1) of the Mechanical/Marine Engineering programmes. This includes innovative and creative ways of setting and writing Canvas quizzes assessment in the existence of AI technology while at the same time minimising the possible academic misconduct cases and ensure that students are assessed to the best of their abilities. The results of the study include two cohorts for the academic years 2022/2023 and 20232024, and they are of interest to the whole education community. These findings contribute to LJMU\u27s 2030 strategy by fostering positive change within the education community, including both staff and students. This presentation gives an opportunity for sharing best practices and listening to colleagues for constructive feedback on how to improve VLE assessments further. Importantly, it aims to dispel concerns about compromising these valuable assessment tools, making them accessible for use by colleagues across the institution and beyond LJMU. By fostering a collaborative environment, we hope to contribute to the continual improvement of education practices and uphold the standards of academic integrity.
The use of VLE assessments in the presence of AI technology PowerPoint. Only LJMU staff and students have access to this resource
Session 68: United Nations Sustainable Development Goals – pedagogy in practice
No full textLearners from a socially deprived background are underrepresented in Higher Education (Gorard, 2010), experiencing multiple barriers, including low self-esteem and self-efficacy (Simon et al, 2020). Initiatives from the Royal Society of Chemistry (Chemistry for All, 2020) and Uni Connect (Office for Students, 2022) are exploring strategies to diminish these barriers. The Absolute Chemistry Research Group (ACRG) at LJMU, have an aligned ethos and commitment to LJMU’s Strategic Vision, especially in relation to ‘Place and Partnership’, through catalysing ‘social inclusion and change’ within local school communities. The Liverpool City Region is highly deprived, with Liverpool being ranked the 4th most deprived in England. In 2022, 28.9% of children in Liverpool were living in relative poverty – compared to a rate of 20.1% at a national level (Liverpool City Council, 2023).
A cross-university team with expertise in Chemistry, Education and Outreach, have developed pedagogically rich resources, framed by the context of the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals (UNSDGs), to promote community cohesion and core values for inclusive education. A group of Level 5 Undergraduate students training to be primary school teachers, will deliver enrichment sessions within local partnership schools. The resource packs were developed by support from a Teaching Excellence Award. They have been designed by the ACRG and a Postgraduate Researcher to support primary level teachers, who often have low self-efficacy and subject knowledge to teach a contextual science curriculum.
We will reflect upon the enriched understanding of the UNSDGs from Undergraduate students and local communities, drawing upon the overall implementation through the context of research, education, and leadership. The experience of contextualised science, will improve learner awareness of where studying science can lead, contributing to positive social change for underrepresented learners. A science education is crucial to face society’s social, economic, and environmental challenges, guiding global efforts toward sustainable development.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals – pedagogy in practice PowerPoint. Only LJMU staff and students have access to this resource
Session 80: The who, how, what, and why of participatory research: public engagement practices at LJMU
No full textPublic engagement and participatory approaches are increasingly being employed as methods to achieve research excellence, and a route to impact. This session will be delivered by three PhD researchers who are currently involving the public in their research, and LJMU’s Public Engagement Officer. Together, we have designed this session to be an introduction to participatory research, a key element of public engagement with research, which supports our LJMU strategic aim: Research and Knowledge Exchange.
Prior to the conference, we will be sending out a survey to all LJMU PhD students, via the Doctoral Academy. The outcomes of this questionnaire will be used to shape the content of our session to ensure it relevance to our students, thus prioritising our LJMU strategic aim: Education and Student Experience.
Our panel represent a range of disciplines, methodologies, and external partnerships which we will showcase at this session. These partnerships are a key part or our LJMU strategic aim: Place and Partnership.
We found that whilst the people we engaged with (our “who”) and approaches (our “how” and “what”) were different, several themes underpin all our work including: building trust, working with communities, and ensuring that participants are listened to and not just heard. These notions form the themes of our session, encompassing the conference theme of Community. We also found that we faced similar challenges in our work, such as how to effectively build and sustain relationships (which takes time) whilst under pressure to deliver results in a short time, and how to speak the right language to effectively engage participants? We hope that by sharing our experiences, delegates will achieve a more thorough understanding of what participatory research is, recognise the value of engagement, and be inspired to join our budding community of engaged researchers
Session 1: Development of game-based learning resources for teaching chemical literacy using AI Jon Ashley, Faculty
No full textThe use of AI in academia represents a unique opportunity for teachers without prior programming knowledge to develop new blended learning resources with the aim of supplementing student learning. The use of game-based learning resources has been shown to help improve accessibility to learning and provide students with a safe and private environment, in which they can make mistakes without fear of failure. This allows students to develop their skills in a fun and engaging way. In chemistry-based courses, students are often required to rote learn certain concepts such as organic functional groups, which they often struggle with or lack motivation to memorize. Students can lack confidence in interpreting and extracting information from chemical structures such as molecular weights and polarity.
In this project, we developed several online game-based resources to supplement student learning, encourage chemical literacy and improve learning outcomes on chemistry-based modules. Using ChatGPT, I developed a series of online games including an organic chemistry functional groups flashcard quiz where students identify organic functional groups, a chemical formula game where students must input the chemical formula of a chemical structure to reveal a hidden letter of a chemical element and a game that helps students predict polarity of organic compounds. The games incorporated features such as lives, point scoring and high scores to allow students to get instant feedback and improve over time.
Students were surveyed on their attitudes towards gaming and game-based learning resources and given access to the website. Students were also asked to evaluate the online games to determine the effectiveness of game-based learning in helping students become chemically literate. The results of this study will help to improve the use of game-based learning and expand the online games to other areas of chemistry such as data interpretation of analytical data and calculations.
Development of game-based learning resources for teaching chemical literacy using AI PowerPoint. Only LJMU staff and students have access to this resource
Session 4: \u27Unsung Heroes\u27 - impact and community building with neurodiverse learners
No full textThe Absolute Chemistry Research Group (ACRG) is a cross-faculty group that leads impactful longitudinal interventions for pupils from deprived areas, who often experience barriers to engagement with higher education. Community is at the heart of ACRG activities: programmes work deeply with partner schools to raise aspirations, drawing upon the LJMU student body as role-models.
This session will share insights from a two-day Chemistry Week project (part funded by the Royal Society of Chemistry), designed to support chemistry aspirations and learner engagement at a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) specialist school in the Northwest of England. Staff from APSS and Science collaborated to offer activities to these learners. Through hands-on science workshops, the young people learnt about chemistry in the world around them and participated in art and creative writing activities facilitated by APSS students. These diverse learners explored their interests and influences and celebrated their own identities as ‘Unsung Heroes’ and unique individuals. The learners attended an exhibition of their work in the Student Life Building. LJMU Drama students delivered a devised play to examine the story of an unsung hero of chemistry, Rosalind Franklin, and her determination to believe in herself and the value of her work.
This ‘Unsung Heroes’ project involved the collaboration of colleagues and students from across the university and formed part of LJMU’s ‘Place and Partnership’ strategic activities. It enhanced LJMU students’ education and experience as co-creators. This session will reflect upon recommendations for cross-faculty and/or cross staff-student projects and how to harness the talent within our community for developing aspirations in the future generation. This demonstrates how meaningful partnerships can support more than stereotypical UCAS applicants and working collaboratively can be impactful for the LJMU community.
\u27Unsung Heroes\u27 - impact and community building with neurodiverse learners PowerPoint. Only LJMU staff and students have access to this resource
Session 8: Lightning talk: Co-designing a multi professional learning environment for advanced clinical practice programmes
No full textLJMU MSc Advanced Clinical Practice (ACP) programmes currently feature two models of programme delivery, apprenticeship, and non-apprenticeship routes. Recent curriculum development and the introduction of an identical core curricular emphasise the requirement to streamline programme design to ensure equity, inclusivity, and parity in student experience. Programmes are mapped to the NHS England (2017) multi professional framework for advancing practice to safeguard competence on completion and both routes are proven to enhance graduate opportunities for employment.
The virtual learning environment (VLE) is a key point of contact for students and thought to act as a social interaction platform to scaffold learner engagement and provide group cohesiveness (Lazareva, 2018). Existing modular and VLE provision for programmes has been variable with the exception of shared modules. Therefore, core modules were independently audited against the LJMU digital learning policy (2019). Recommendations identified areas of strength, such as breadth of resources, methods of communicating information, accessibility, and regulatory requirements. Areas for development centred around the enhanced use of technology to support live capture of synchronous teaching and interactions, electronic reading lists and student usability. Student engagement strategies were instigated to capture individual and group feedback to respond to student challenges and identify opportunities for improvement. Student viewpoints aim to inform co-design of the VLE to integrate and diversify multi professional apprenticeship and non-apprenticeship ACP routes to create a shared community of learning.
ReferencesLazareva, A., 2018. Factors affecting student engagement in online collaborative learning courses. In Teaching and Learning in a Digital World: Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Interactive Collaborative Learning–Volume 2 (pp. 349-359). Springer International Publishing. N.H.S England, (2017) Multi-professional framework for advanced clinical practice in England. London: HEE
Co-designing a multi professional learning environment for advanced clinical practice programmes PowerPoint. Only LJMU staff and students have access to this resource
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