University of Warwick Press: Journals
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Political Caricature to Mobilize Solidarity Through Humor
Get PDFAs part of our special issue, we invited artist Pedro X. Molina to choose a selection of his works to dialogue with our central themes of past and present European-Latin American solidarities, and the role of artifacts therein. Molina has chosen three caricatures for our special issue, which we include over the coming pages. Reflecting on current socio-political affairs such as Nicaraguan authoritarianism, migration to the US, and memories of violence, his work manages to address these issues with sharpness and rigour
Enhancing Student Engagement and Belonging in Legal Education: The Impact of Personalized Teaching and Continuous Professional Development
Get PDFThis paper explores the development of effective teaching strategies within legal education, specifically in the UK, emphasizing personalized teaching, interactive learning techniques, and continuous professional development (CPD) of the teacher. Drawing on reflective teaching practices, this study investigates how personalized approaches—such as the correct pronunciation of students’ names and tailored feedback—foster student engagement and a sense of belonging. Additionally, the implementation of mock courtroom scenarios and technology-enhanced learning tools like VEVOX and Padlet are analysed for their role in promoting higher-order thinking and inclusivity. Continuous professional development informed the decolonization of the curriculum, challenging systemic inequalities in legal education. The findings highlight the importance of integrating personalized attention, interactive methods, and CPD to enhance student engagement, well-being, and the creation of equitable learning environments
Navigating pedagogical dilemmas in interdisciplinary education: a reflective practice perspective
Get PDFInterdisciplinary education is increasingly recognized as essential in higher education for addressing complex real-world issues. Although this paradigm shift began in the 20th century, challenges in interdisciplinary pedagogy persist, including classroom preparation, delivery, assessment, and feedback. One significant challenge is disciplinary distance, the disparities between disciplines that hinder effective interdisciplinary teaching and learning. Additionally, the varying degrees of disciplinarity—from intradisciplinary to transdisciplinary—complicate this landscape. Despite interdisciplinary pedagogy\u27s potential to enhance critical thinking and problem-solving, it presents numerous dilemmas. As a graduate teaching assistant, I have faced several such dilemmas. This reflection discusses these interdisciplinary dilemmas and explores epistemological and pedagogical practices to navigate them. Leveraging my experience as a PhD researcher and educator, I examine how teachers with multidisciplinary backgrounds can navigate the complexities of interdisciplinary education
Design and Development of a Professional Skills Coaching Framework for Engineering and Computing Degree Apprenticeship (DA) Programmes at Aston University
Get PDFAston University has provided Work-Based Learning (WBL) courses since the 1960’s. The introduction of Degree Apprenticeship (DA) levy funding in 2015 has led to a change of focus at Aston University from delivery of traditional WBL programmes to development of more than ten level 6 and 7 Engineering and Computing programmes in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences (EPS). These programmes were designed and developed organically over the years leading to different student support mechanisms and practice across the varying DA programmes. The growth of these programmes led to the establishment of the Aston Professional Engineering Centre (APEC) as a department in late 2020, overseeing all Engineering and Computing DA and non-DA programmes in the College. This, together with the regulatory aspects of DA programmes, in turn, led to investigating the historic role of the Professional Supervisor. This investigation combined with the prospective Ofsted New Provider Monitoring Visit (NPMV) in 2022 instigated a need for a shift from solely utilising professional supervisory roles for WBL activities to a consistent framework for skills-based, systems level thinking approaches, conducive to the corporate environment, via Professional Skills Coach adoption. This concept paper presents our innovative approach in supporting Engineering and Computing DA learners at Aston University by designing and developing a Professional Skills Coaching framework in 2022, underpinned by the pedagogical coaching approaches, as well as the way in which the model concept could be adopted by other STEM educators to support learners
Teaching Numerical Problem-Solving Methods to Undergraduate Engineering Students Using Specially Designed Finite Element Codes
Get PDFComputer-Aided Engineering is an essential solution in many engineering problems in today’s industry. Modules looking into this area in the engineering courses aim to further enhance both the theoretical and practical appreciation of the numerical problem-solving methods. In such modules, students are expected to appreciate how mathematics, numerical analysis and computational technology are combined to model and simulate the behaviour of physical systems. However, when it comes to teaching, there is a significant difference between how the background theory looks and what students experience as they work with a commercial software package as they cannot see what is going on in the background of software packages and how the outputs have been achieved. In this work, the authors have proposed a method to help students comprehend how the theory is related to software packages. This is done by providing students with specially designed Finite Element codes asking them to investigate, and tailor the codes for some basic but real-life applications. The method starts with 2D problems for elementary Finite Elements, and through a few steps helps students extend the codes to 3D cases to enable them to solve real-life applications by the FE codes they have tailored themselves. This approach enables engineering students make meaningful links between the background math and the target numerical problem-solving methods. According to student surveys taken over three academic years, 85% of students believe “User FE-codes helped understand how theory translates to problem-solving tools and FE software”. There was also significant enhancement in student performance on the associated assessments
Supporting Degree Apprentices through the school/work/university transition: a social capital lens
Get PDFThis paper reports on the early stages of a PhD study into supporting Engineering Degree Apprentices in a UK University through their contemporaneous transition into work and study. After briefly setting the context and rationale for the study it considers the development of the research design and integrates this with the corpus of literature to develop a framework for the primary research developed from Laurillard’s Conversational Framework work and the ideas of social capital and habitus. The contributions of the overall research are noted under the Aims and Objectives section, work reported herein contributes by developing a unique framework for understanding the experience of Degree Apprentices in the UK
Mental Health Exemptions to Criminal Responsibility: Between law, medicine, politics and security
No full textIll mental health is a key category for exempting individuals from criminal responsibility. Even in cases where a defendant has been found to have carried out the act, if mentally ‘ill enough’, the person could either be fully exempt from criminal responsibility and found not guilty – or be partially exempt and receive a reduced or special sentence on mental health grounds. Such outcomes might entail diversion into mental health treatment, sectioning – or release. In determining whether a mental health exemption is warranted in individual cases, ordinary practice is that psychologists or psychiatrists forensically assess the severity and nature of the accused’s impairment or disorder. While this might seem like a straightforward medical-juridical procedure of establishing evidence, this article uses a modified ‘genealogy of the present’ to show how mental health exemptions to criminal responsibility involve significantly more complexity. Looking to Norway and the UK, this article highlights differences in frameworks and implementation, including on matters of burden and nature of proof, and on causality. The article uses as an example the particular category of terrorism-related cases to bring out some of the contingencies involved. By doing so, the article shows the tensions inherent to the principle and practice of mental health exemptions, and its location between law, medicine, politics and security.
Funding AcknowledgementThis research was made possible by a STAIRS grant from the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), as well as by funding from C-REX (Centre for Research on Extremism), University of Oslo
Why Do We Need an International Research Culture Conference? : Lessons from IRCC23 and future directions
No full textThe summer of 2023 saw shifts in the priorities of UK higher education institutions (HEIs). Research funders, learned societies, and early decision documents for the upcoming Research Excellence Framework (REF) cycle advocated for greater emphasis on research culture. This echoed ongoing concerns within the sector regarding leaky pipelines, unhealthy competition, a pervasive reproducibility crisis and an exclusionary research environment, all of which posed threats to the sustainability of research excellence. While many HEIs were individually addressing these shared issues, there was limited consensus on definitions, scope, frameworks, or validated measures for enhancing research culture. Recognising a need for collaboration and coordination, the University of Warwick hosted the inaugural International Research Culture Conference (IRCC23) in September 2023. This reflection delves into the contextual backdrop that prompted the organisation of IRCC23, outlines its objectives, discusses the conference proceedings, and explores potential future directions
Engaging Academics With Outreach: How the ‘STEM Connections’ model empowers staff
No full textSTEM Connections was a funded project designed to position academics at the forefront of outreach activities. It drew on the experience of outreach-focussed professional services staff to bridge the gap between the public and the academy, to train and support academics in the skills of engagement, and to support the design of the activities. Two cohorts (11 in 2022 and 12 in 2023) of academics were trained through this project, creating 20 interactive activities linked to active research and teaching at the University of Warwick. Four academic departments were represented across the two cohorts.
This paper explores the background literature of outreach: why do institutions feel a duty to engage the public? Who delivers the outreach? What are the benefits on the institution? Most importantly, how can outreach projects be designed to complement academics’ skills, rather than over-burden their already burgeoning workloads? Can outreach projects create tangible benefits for the academics who take part? The paper concludes with reflective statements from the involved academics.
Funding Acknowledgement
STEM Connections was funded by the Enhancing Research Culture Fund through Research England.
Jose Ortiz Gonzalez, Xinkai Tian, Umair Paracha, and Robin T. George were additionally supported by the WELD (Warwick Electrification Deployment) project. The WELD programme is funded by Driving the Electric Revolution, an ICSF Challenged delivered by UK Research and Innovation. Project Number: 10033186.
Exchanges Discourse Podcast
Outreach, Reaching Across the Divide & Engaging the Public: In Conversation with Phil Jemmett [35:42
Disrupting Academia’s Care-Free Narrative: Is the narrative CV just another agent of obfuscation?
No full textWith its emphasis on countable outcomes and rewards, the conventional academic CV struggles to capture the essential but unquantifiable influences in the knowledge construction process. Mirroring the masculine rationalities on which academic traditions are built, the academic CV is particularly hostile to the disclosure of care-giving experiences, even though care plays an undeniable and integral role in academic work. A development of the academic CV, the narrative CV, is fast becoming a standard requirement in funding applications across Europe and beyond. In principle, the narrative CV encourages recognition of a range of contributions and skillsets beyond bibliometric indicators and funding awards. However, and with specific reference to UK Research and Innovation’s Résumé for Research and Innovation, we examine the types of ‘care obfuscations’ and confessions supported by the CV in both its traditional and narrative form. While the narrative CV appears to offer an experimental space for pushing against the care-less presentation of academic work, funders still need to explicitly consider the influence of care and care inequalities in the academic system. Without demonstrating that they have done so, and without sufficient evaluation systems in place, applicants will continue to rely on quantifiable accomplishments, reinforcing the same culture which initially inspired funders’ concern for gaining a ‘holistic’ overview on individual applicants