P9 - Innovation through collaboration: using blended and online approaches to enhance research student development across two campuses

Day Day 1
Session Poster presentation
Start time 19:00
Code P9
Presenter

Rosalind Beaumont, Lecturer in eLearning & Postgraduate Skills (and Professor in Postgraduate Research Training), Newcastle University

Professor Robin Humphrey, Director of Postgraduate Research Training Programme, Newcastle University

Abstract

To meet the needs of an increasingly diverse research student body, a project began in April 2017 to design & offer blended and online versions of "The Nature of Explanation & Enquiry", an established foundational module in the PG Certificate in Research Training. 

Our aims were to:

  • enhance support for those students new to the subject area or to UK HE 
  • develop online resources to enable deeper understanding of subject material & better prepare students to engage with the module's seminars 
  • pilot the delivery of the module remotely to PhD students on another campus 

The module was successfully redesigned & delivered to over 150 students in Semester 1 2017-18 through the development of effective collaborations between academic & professional services staff at Newcastle University, NULondon, and our Teaching Assistants.
Following data collection & analysis (including a student survey & focus groups), we can claim comparable student experiences and assessment outcomes between 2016-17 (lecture + seminar mode) and 2017-18 (blended/ online modes) cohorts, AND between students on the NCL (blended mode) and NULon (online mode) campuses in 2017-18.