Research themes in Psychology Learning and Teaching

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Research themes in Psychology Learning and
Teaching

• Dr J. Akhurst, University of York
• Prof. C. McGuinness, Queens University, Belfast
• Prof. C. Howe, University of Strathclyde

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Psychology in the UK

• 3rd largest subject at undergraduate degree level
• 35,000 undergraduate students (85 women)
• 8,000 pg students.
• 120 departments
• 120 undergraduate single programmes
• 1900 joint/interdisciplinary programmes

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The Higher Education Academy Psychology Network

• The Academy constituted in 2004, launched in
  October
• Includes 24 subject-based centres, ILTHE, other
  smaller groups
• Funded by the four HE funding bodies
• Co-ordinates national initiatives
• http//www.heacademy.ac.uk

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Enhancing the student learning experience

• lectures friends essays
• food support
• skills computers
• assessment finance
• seminars future employment
• work

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Aimto promote excellence in the learning,
teaching and assessment of Psychology, across the
full range of curricula and activities relevant
to Higher Education

• Annual funding 380,000
• 9 staff equivalent to 6 full time posts
• Intervention and responsive at variety of levels
• - national lt-gt psychology specific
• - interest / subdisciplinary groups
• - individual academics work

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Activities Research

• Securing project funding
• developing resources
• acquiring evidence-base
• Funding research
• encouraging research into teaching
• scaling up local projects
• Publishing
• Psychology Learning and Teaching - peer-reviewed
  journal
• Reports
• Disseminating
• PLAT Conference

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Activities Networks groups

• Building
• External examiners, new lecturers, topic areas
• Informing
• Heads of department, technicians
• Reaching out
• International groups, cognate disciplines,
  professional bodies
• Brokering
• Collaborative projects
• interdisciplinary activity

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Strands of activity Support and dissemination

• Support
• - Visits to departments
• Enquiry service
• Information and resources
• Sharing materials
• Discussion lists
• Workshops
• Dissemination
• - Practitioner journal
• Psychology Learning and Teaching (PLAT)
• Information packs, reports and case studies
• Bi-monthly newsletter
• - Website www.psychology.heacademy.ac.uk

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http//www.psychology.ltsn.ac.uk/PALS.pdf
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Current topics receiving attention

• Widening participation, student support /
  retention
• Improving provision for disabled students
• Using CIT to enhance student learning
• Student learning and development
• Employability
• The lecturers experience

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1. Widening participation, student support /
retention

• Government agenda to widen participation esp. of
  non-traditional students
• Psychologys popularity nos of students,
  admissions criteria
• Dominant group young white females concerns
  re representation, future of profession i.t.o
  meeting wide variety of client needs
• Retention of students varied non-traditional
  and more mature students at risk
• Key issues are social linked to support
• Contributing factors inappropriate
  course/institution
• selection the availability and approachability
  of academic/personal tutors and financial
  problems

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2. Improving provision for disabled students

• IPDPS - (Improving Provision for Disabled
  Psychology Students) - developing resources
  -gtimproved learning experience
• Dyslexicon -gt an intervention programme to help
  students learn to spell difficult
  subject-specific words in psychology
• SPACE (Staff-Student Partnership for Assessment
  Change and Evaluation) -gt alternative / more
  inclusive assessment
• NCTD (National Centre for Tactile Diagrams)
  30 tactile graphics resources for psychology
• TechDis - JISC service -gt information and advice
  to FE HE on use of new and existing C IT, to
  enhance access to learning and teaching ,
  research and administration for students and
  staff with disabilities

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3. Using CIT to enhance student learning

• Free online tutorials -gt to help students,
  lecturers, researchers improve Internet literacy
  and IT skills http//www.vts.rdn.ac.uk/tutorial/p
  sychologist
• Virtual psychology laboratory (vplab) to provide
  web-based storage and retrieval for sharing
  experimental materials and data
• Support for development of course materials via a
  VLE or self-produced internet pages, including
  VLE discussion list
• SOLE (Students online learning experiences) -
  evaluation of students' usage of virtual learning
  environments (VLEs) in HE/FE. To assess the
  effectiveness of VLEs
• as support tool, considering different
• national agendas, and student learning in general

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4. Student learning and development

• Developing students critical thinking
• Self-efficacy and motivation in students
• Learning strategies for students
  (e.g.mindmapping, CLaSS http//www.uclan.ac.uk/fa
  cs/science/psychol/fdtl2/CLASSsite/index_main.htm)
  
• Collaborative and group learning
• Assessing numeracy and math skills for learning
  statistics
• MHHE project aims to enhance learning and
  teaching about mental health within HE
  disciplines (incl. Psychology)
• Problem-based learning (PBL) see Schwartz
  keynote http//www.psychology.ltsn.ac.uk/conferenc
  es.html
• Issues in student feedback

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5. Employability

• Why worry? Our students get jobs!
• Employers increasingly look for transferable
  skills
• lt20 students take up careers in professional
  psychology
• Though key or core skills embedded in the many
  curricula, employability is wider than these
• Employability skills include key skills BUT
  students need to relate skills beyond the
  academic setting to an employment context
• In order to secure suitable employment students
  also need help developing the skills to actively
  market themselves
• -gt needs for work-related learning / experience

Forthcoming workshops!
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6. The lecturers experience

• New lecturers courses / induction
• Student or teacher-focused teaching
• Promoting the research-teaching links
• Peer observation of teaching reflecting on
  choices of methodology and approach, use of
  reflective questions
• Student evaluations impacts and value?
• CPD
• Support for teachers

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Current miniprojects

• Peer observation of teaching developing and
  trialling a self-reflective tool
• Fostering critical thinking and autonomy the
  learning self-achievement record (LASER)
• Evaluating the effectiveness of an
  epistemological approach to teaching Psychology
• Measuring the benefits of a psychology placement
  year
• Building team skills training into the
  curriculum
• Developing targeted scaffolding to support
  student collaborative learning
• The effectiveness of psychology seminars
  delivered via WebCT as compared with traditional
  methods

News flash Next closing date for miniproject
proposals 01 December 2004
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We would like to explore possibilities for
collaboration with individuals and departments
that share our goals of identifying,
characterising and disseminating good practice in
teaching, learning and assessment of
PsychologyJoin our mailing listVisit our
websitewww.psychology.heacademy.ac.uk