Transcript Slide 1

The Power of the Teacher Student Relationship
A consensus approach to
developing understanding
Debra Cureton
The University of Opportunity
This presentation will cover:
• Brief background
• The methodology approaches and
influences
• What this work has told us about learning
relationships
The University of Opportunity
University of Wolverhampton
• West Midlands, Post 1992
University
• 180 years old
• 18 Schools housed in 4
faculties
• Widening Participation
University
– 40% part time students
– 40% mature students
• High proportion of students who
are first in family
• 90% of students commute from
a 25 mile radius
• Diverse student body
• 37% are UK born students
from minority backgrounds
• Range of ethnicities make
up minority groups
• University of Opportunity
• Equality in retention of
success of students key
strategic goal
Background
Draw on the work of three UW
programmes
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2010-2012: Disparities in Student
Attainment
2012-2015: What Works
2015 onward: HEA Strategic
Enhancement Programme
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Hocking & colleagues (2009, 2010)
Richardson (2008)
Singh (2008- current)
Stevenson (2012)
Lefever (2012)
Thomas (2002 - current)
Yorke (2004; 2014)
ECU Statistical Reports, NUS reports
Underpinned by work on student
success, retention and BME student
experience:
Institutional work into student success
and BME student experience:
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Burke (2000- current)
Berry & Loke (2011)
Cousin (2002-13)
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Dandha (2009) – BME student
experience
Hogan (2008) – Student retention and
success
DISA
DISA: Disparities in Student
Attainment (2010-2012)
Research Stream 1: Institutional Data
Identifying modules with no disparity – highlighting good practice
Research Stream 2: Student Data
What students say help or impede their achievement
Research Stream 3: Action Research with Staff
Evaluation of interventions identified by staff to eradicate the gap
Research Stream 4: Dissemination
Good Degree Guide, Vox Pops, Postcards, Framework, Methodology
Funded by
What Works
What Works?
• National Change Programme
• Active learning intervention
• 12 UK HEIs
• Inclusive assessment processes
– Clear assignment briefs
• Focus on pedagogic and
– Assignment processing
strategic change that impact on:
– Retention
– Success
– belongingness
• 8% of students leave university
in their first year of study
• Between 33% and 42% of
students consider
withdrawing
(HESA 2009-10)
– Lecture Capture
• 3 pilot teams
– Sports
– Bio Medical Science
– Art and Design
Strategic Enhancement
Programme (R&S)
Strategic Enhancement Programme (R&A)
DiSA
Faculty
Research
Pedagogic
Research
What
Works
SEP(RA)
Retention
Plans
Academic
leadership
training
Staff
developmen
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Faculty Plans
Strategies:
L,T&A
Attainment
Attainment
Plans
Attainment
Champions
Staff
developmen
t
programme
Learning
and
teaching
PLs/AD
Group
Internal
conferences
Learning
and
teaching
community
Pedagogic
initiatives
Learning
and
Teaching
Fellows
Student
Belongingness
Learning
and
teaching
away days
PGCert in
HE
Faculty
belonging/
Brand
Identity
Developing
student
identity
Attainment
summits
University
belongingness
study
Methodological approach and
influences
Hacking (2009)
Keegan, (2009)
• ‘We think of these kinds of
people as definite classes
defined by definite properties.
As we get to know more about
these properties, we will be
able to control, help, change or
emulate them better. But it’s
not quite like that. They are
moving targets because our
investigations interact with
them, and change them’
• Co-creation ‘Research as cocreation’ requires a new model,
in which learning is developed,
evaluated and steered moment
by moment. We need to
continually listen, observe,
reflect, evaluate and make
judgements all at the same
time, shaping and being shaped
by others.’
• How we craft the research relationship
has a bearing on what we find
The interview
‘meaning is not merely elicited by apt questioning
nor simply transported through respondent replies; it
is actively and communicatively assembled in the
interview encounter’. Holstein and Gabrium
(1997:14)
Consensus Oriented Research Approach
Engages: playful reflection
Revising with
friends – study
groups
Library is always
Noisy!
What we found
DiSA
General Findings
Academe
Relationship
s
Psychological
Processes
Cultural and
Social Capital
Relationships
• Learning relationships:
– The quality of
lecture/student
relationships.
– Facilitative lecturers:
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Enthusiastic
Communicative
Individuals
Invitational
• Lecturer as
Interlocutor:
– One to one
– In lecture settings
Psycho-social
Pedagogy
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Assignment briefs
Assignment unpacking
General feedback in class
Appreciative Pedagogic
approaches
Staff
Inclusive,
respecting
student prior
experience,
recognizing
individuality.
Students
Good
relationships
Respect
Communicate
recognizing
individuality.
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Identity & Belongingness
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Expectations
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Success
Engagement
Retention
Pre-expectations of HE
Aspiration Raising
Stereotype threat
Social Capital
• Rules of engagement
with Higher Education
DiSA Videos
– Managing Transitions
– How to be successful in
HE
• Understanding degree
classifications
– Understanding the ‘Good
Degree’
www.wlv.ac.uk/DiSA
What we found
What Works
Assignments - Qualitative data
• Students report that:
– they spend more time
interpreting the brief that
doing the assignment
(Cousin & Cureton,
2012).
– turn to their peers for
advice (Cousin &
Cureton, 2012).
– struggle with assignment
anxiety (Dhillon &
Oldham, 2012)
• Howell-Richardson (2012)
– they believe that there are
hidden questions/
requirement in the
assignments set
– when approaching staff for
help they are looking for the
magic key.
– Assessments points create a
‘pedagogic battlefield
between students &
lecturers.
Characteristics of successful
assignment briefs:
• 1 – 1.5 sides of A4
• Clear, succinct, no jargon,
informative
• Includes information on:
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Product
Process
Useful examples
Marking criteria
What markers will give points
for/ are looking for
• Language is
appropriate
– to a student audience
– to the subject matter
• Fit for level
• Logical Structure
• Information in all
one place
Student led unpacking sessions
Three key principles for processing an
assessment with students in-class:
• Students should discuss and share their
understanding of the brief
• Students should ask questions about what
they do not understand
• Lectures discuss what is not understood
and rectify misunderstandings
Qualitative feedback from students
‘I felt that I could
do it ’
‘It was good, it
made me feel
more confident’
‘we don’t want
spoon feeding;
but from this we
know we’re on
the right track’
‘The filming
[lecture capture]
meant I could go
back and check
things.’
‘you knew what to
do so you could
just get on with it’
‘I like the way
assignment briefs are
set out; you know
where to find all the
information’
Impact – just one story!
‘I was going to jack it all in,
but now I’m going to stay’
Male student, white.
What staff say……
“ I found that the ‘What Works?’ principles helped to encourage
“I now use these principles regularly to develop student
dialogue between students and myself. This dialogue helped to
understanding of all assessments in the modules on
highlight the disparity between what I think I have said in the
which I teach, which span level four to level seven. I
assessment brief and what the students have understood. By
feel that these principles have helped me to encourage
the end of the process I felt more confident that the students
dialogue within my assessment unpacking sessions and
and I had reached an agreement in terms of what they had to
I feel that my students are now being provided with the
do.” (Female, Senior Lecturer, Sports)
specific information they feel that they need.” (Male,
Senior Lecturer, Sports)
“Students were far more engaged, they asked more
questions. The level of questions was eye opening; I
didn’t realise just what some student do not understand”
Female, Senior Lecture, English
“ I was surprised at the effect that it had on SAMS
appointments (tutorial appointments). There was a decrease
in students coming to see me, but those who did request
meetings wanted to discuss technical or theoretical aspects
of the project, rather than what this or that meant..” (Female,
Senior Lecturer, Bio-Medical Sciences
Quantitative evaluation – 1st Year
10 modules at level 4 and 5; nearly 700
students
• > 50+% grades
• > 70+% grades
• < none submissions
• Not affecting 40-50% grades and
withdrawals from modules.
What we have found so far….
SEP (RA)
Belongingness
• Differences in the perceptions
of belongingness between
students categorised as BME &
their white counterparts
– Perceptions of their own
engagement
– Self reported self confidence
– Perceptions of their sense of
belonging
• Present at:
– Level 4 point of entry,
– Level 4 before Christmas
– Level 4 Easter
• Preliminary findings:
– Greater sense of belonging on
smaller campuses
– Greater sense of belonging
where students have a ‘home
building’
– Ethnicity differences in
belonging are present at levels
4, 5 & 6
Acknowledgements and
References
DiSA Research Team
University of Wolverhampton
• Prof Glynis Cousin
Principle Investigator
• Dr Debra Cureton
Wolverhampton Project Lead
• Dr Vinette Cross
Action Research Cycle
• Pliny Soocoomarnee
Project Worker
• Dr Meena Dhanda
Project Advisor
Coventry University
• Dr Gurnam Singh
Coventry Project Lead
• Dr Arinola Adefila
Project Manager
• Prof Lynn Clouder
Project Advisor
• Dr Christine Broughan
Project Advisor
External Evaluator
• Professor Penny Jane Burke
Roehampton University
What Works Project Teams
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Core Team
– Debra Cureton – Project Lead
– Alex Hopkins – Dean of Academic
Practice
– Jon Elsmore – Dean of Students
– Ann Gough – SU (CEO)
– Hannah Cooper & Zoe Harrison,
SU VPs - Academic
– Kay Biscomb – Head of the
Institute of Sport
– Crispin Dale – PL Academic
Faculty of the Arts
– Chris Williams – PL Academic
Faculty of Science and Engineering
• Discipline Teams
– Faculty of the Arts
• Peter Day
• Sharon Watts
• Alice Jones (Graduate Intern)
– Faculty of Science and
Engineering
• Martin Khechara
• Sara Smith
• Anthony Hatfield
– Faculty of Education Health
and Wellbeing
• Mark Groves
• Nicolas O’Leary
Strategic Enhancement Programme
• Project Team:
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Anthea Gregory – DVC academic
Alex Hopkins – Dean of Academic Affairs
Debra Cureton – What Works
Megan Lawton – Deputy Head of the Centre for
Academic Practice
– Ann Gough – Students’ Union
– Hannah Cooper – VP Academic, Students’ Union
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