Transcript Sample Title Goes Here

Preparing masters students for
teaching in higher education:
a new route to enhanced
employability?
Lorraine Allibone ([email protected])
Steve May ([email protected])
Hendrik van der Sluis ([email protected])
Available at: http://goo.gl/MhN4w
Setting a context
• Brand (2007) argues that current frameworks reflect a
narrow view of what constitutes a teacher
• Delivered by Academic Development Centre
• Employability a KU and sector wide concern
• KU course two cohorts take PgCLTHE: students and
staff
Validated courses
MA in Design or MA in Fine Art with Learning and Teaching
in Higher Education
The PgCLTHE modules offer 60 of the total 180 credits
MFA in Creative Writing
The PGCLTHE as a stand alone qualification alongside
their MFA credits
The Programme
• 4 modules (15 credits each)
• Introduction to L & T in HE
• Developing teaching Practice and Supporting Students
• Assessment and Feedback in HE
• Curriculum Development and Evaluation in HE
Aims of the study:
• To assess student perceptions about the challenges and
benefits of the course
• To identify issues arising from cross disciplinary and
departmental collaboration
• To inform ongoing development of the Masters route with
the employability agenda in mind
• To assess staff perceptions about the value of the course
Methodology
Qualitative approach
Sample:
ADC staff, students, and faculty staff
Data were gathered through
 semi-structured interviews (Simons, H. 2009),
 focus groups (Powell, R.A. & Single, H.M. 1996)
Ethics:
Informed consent was obtained from all participants and
data represented here, and elsewhere, are anonymised
Methodology continued
Transcripts coded for key themes relating to the aims:
 Insights to experience
 Cross disciplinary collaboration
 Impact on employability
NVivo and Leximancer software is being used to assist in
coding and quantifying the findings for other emergent
recurring themes (ongoing).
Data Collection
• MA and MFA students year one cohort (interviews: n = 3)
• MA and MFA students mixed cohorts (focus group: n = 7)
• MFA student cohort only (interviews: n = 1)
• ADC staff ( interviews: n = 2)
• Faculty Staff (interviews: (n = 2)
Key themes
Recognised benefits of the programme
“It's brilliant for someone who wants to be a member of
staff because not only do you how it should be done
correctly but actually you're seeing the pitfalls of things”
(MA student)
Key themes
Value of the qualification
“the only reason they would have me is because I had the
qualification, because they needed someone who had a
teaching qualification.” (MFA student)
Key themes
Workload
“..combining it with a Masters was hard to do the work,
more than I was expecting so I didn't really feel the
benefit until I finished” (MFA student)
Key themes
Value of students with staff mixed cohort
“It’s probably is easier to keep them apart, in future this
course could have some different learning outcomes so it
could be better to keep them separate (ADC manager)
Key themes
Communication between ADC and Faculty
“I think the challenges are the ongoing communication with
the faculties because we aren't in the faculty” (ADC
manager)
Key themes
Value of and amount of teaching practice
“while you're teaching you're learning the theory behind
what you're doing which is great but while we were doing it
we were reflecting critically, which is what writers do
anyway” (MFA student)
Key themes
Marketing and recruitment of students
“for us it was all about them having an aptitude for learning
and teaching ….. I suppose, my concern is about offering
the course to people that would come along - but actually
not everybody is cut out for teaching” (ADC lecturer)
Key themes
Career choice and networking
“I have paid for this qualification and really got my foot in
the door, that's what I really got out of it” (MA student)
Further thematic analysis using Nvivo
(CAQDAS package), Nodes
Further thematic analysis using Nvivo
(CAQDAS package), Nodes and Sources
Changes made to date:
• Better communication across course teams (Contract of
agreement)
• MA course liaison on L and T team
• Separation of staff and student cohorts
• Development of pre -course information leaflet re PgCert
• Review of ‘structured supported’ opportunities
• Dedicated workshops for writing development
References:
Bazeley, P. (2002). The evolution of a project involving an integrated analysis of
structured qualitative and quantitative data: From N3 to NVivo. International
Journal of Social Research Methodology, 5(3), 229-243.
Brand, A. (2007), ‘The long and winding road: professional development in
further and higher education’. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 31
(1), 7-16 .
Bryman, A. (2001) Social Research Methods (3rd Ed). Oxford, Oxford University
Press
Fielding, N.G. & Lee, R.M. (2002). New patterns in the adoption and use of
qualitative software. Field Methods, 14(2), 197–216.
King, A. (2008) Using software to analyse qualitative data. In Knight, A. &
Ruddock L. (Eds), Advance Research Methods in Building Environments
(pp. 133-143). Oxford, Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Powell, R.A. & Single, H.M. (1996), ‘Focus Groups’, Int J Qual Health Care,
8(5), 499-504.
Simons, H. (2009), Case Study Research in Practice. London, SAGA
Publications Ltd