Two-year degrees, often referred to as ‘accelerated degrees’, are intensive degree programmes that offer increased flexibility in Higher Education (HE) with the traditional three years of study condensed into a two-year period. Accelerated degrees are becoming a more appealing option for many students seeking HE study (Baty, 2017; Cabral and Lambirth, 2017), but, with lower entry requirements, are students undertaking a degree when ‘unequipped and unprepared’ for the challenges that accelerated study presents? (Gibson et al, 2019: 1). To help support students on our accelerated BA (Hons) in Primary Education course here at the University of Greenwich, the answer was simple: we needed to ensure students’ voices were heard, and to let these voices be the core of our practice and the guides for evolution of the course over time.
Leading from the NSS
This course was recently recognised by the University for excellent completion of the latest NSS Action Plan (2019). As Programme Lead for the course, I have striven for good communication with my colleagues teaching our sixteen modules, but also for a strong relationship between staff and students. Using the headings of the NSS survey sections, it has made it easier to understand the areas that we need to continue to work on, and we have aimed to engage and motivate students through a range of methods over the past academic year in order to build effective learning relationships and learning spaces.
The role of student voice
Upon joining this course in September 2017, my main priority was to facilitate platforms for student voice to be heard and celebrated. Programme Committee meetings were being held between staff and student reps from the course, as per university requirements for all courses, but I felt there was more that we as a teaching team could do to offer further opportunities for student voices to shine. We have done this through three key channels: the use of Mentimeter, setting up of programme podcasts and student newsletter, and developing the student and staff relationship through conference presentation and publication.
Mentimeter
When I first heard about the University trialling the online student voting tool ‘Mentimeter’, I was instantly inspired thinking about ways this anonymous and interactive application could engage students. In a collaboration with another colleague, Kat Vallely, I acted as a Mentimeter ‘champion’ for the department, exploring this Student Response System (SRS) in a range of ways, and supporting other colleagues in developing their confidence in using this tool. Kat and I found that there were three main reasons for using Mentimeter to engage students: ‘gauging opinion’, ‘engaging discussion’ and ‘voicing concerns’ (Vallely and Gibson, 2018: 1). I have been actively using Mentimeter in my lectures, seminars, and by emailing out the URL to students who can then complete questions remotely and feel that this SRS has helped to promote student voice on the course. My student reps even now use Mentimeter to gather feedback from their peers before a Programme Committee meeting takes place!
Gauging opinion
In lectures, Mentimeter allowed for an initial talking point to be created at the start of the talk, gauging prior learning and opinion, such as a word cloud in my Child Psychology lecture on social influence where I began the lecture with a simple question: ‘who/what influences you?’.
Engaging discussion
In seminars, I found Mentimeter offered an opportunity for instant discussion that many students embraced as they could engaged in debate without needing to verbally contribute; for students suffering with anxiety or lacking confidence, prompting these virtual discussions gave us a whiteboard full of ideas that we could then unpick.
Voicing concerns
One of the main reasons students told me that they like using Mentimeter is the anonymous interface. I often use Mentimeter when an assignment submission is on the horizon: I will put up the title ‘Any questions about the assignment’ and give students the chance to enter any questions by the end of the seminar. I will then go through and answer all the questions, some of which are things that students may have felt too vulnerable to ask in front of their peers.
Programme podcasts and our student newsletter
In Summer term of 2019, I launched our Programme Podcasts; these are fifteen-minute episodes created by students, for students, on a range of topical issues around university life, teacher training, and different educational experiences. I asked students to volunteer to take part and have a brilliant student Lilly at the helm! You can view the blog here and listen to the first episode here. These podcasts allow students to share their opinions in a less nerve-wracking way, as Lilly records the episodes in a small, comfortable space and then uploads them onto the blog.
In Autumn 2019, I launched our ‘Speedy News’ student newsletter. Often nicknamed the ‘speedy degree’ by colleagues for the accelerated nature of the course, we took the name ‘Speedy News’ and I asked students to volunteer to be on the board. I currently have six students from across both year groups who work on the newsletter, and the autumn edition was a huge success! A simple 2-sided PDF, being created by students for students, the team chose the content, which included tips from staff, second-year students, key dates, and details of where to access help and support.
I have already had several students ask me when the spring edition is coming out! (the answer is Easter 2020!). Please feel free to email me if you would like a copy and to consider how you could launch your own student newsletter for your course.
Partnership between students and staff: conference presentation and publication
The other key area that we continue to work on is our partnership between students and staff, aiming to build mutual respect and a culture of collaboration.
In Spring 2018, I set up our very own student showcase, exclusively for the students on my two-year course. I initially titled it the ‘Student Colloquium’, but student feedback suggested the name be changed to something clearer, and we took one of our student rep’s suggestion (Tayla) to change the name to ‘Student Showcase’. Each spring, students from both year groups can volunteer for a 10-minute slot to speak at our mini-conference on a topic of their choice that is related to education. I am delighted to share that this Showcase has gone from strength to strength, and at the end of February 2020, our third Student Showcase takes place. It is a safe and secure space where students can challenge themselves and enjoy supporting their peers, as well as networking with students from the other year group (and enjoy some refreshments, too!). This year, I have invited our new Head of School Professor Paul Miller to be our guest speaker, too.
On a larger scale, this year I also offered up the opportunity to students on my course to co-present at the SHIFT Learning and Teaching Conference 2020.
This year, the title of the conference was rather aptly: ‘Effective learning relationships for genuine engagement and freedom to learn’. Building effective learning relationships is at the core of our course aims. I was delighted that two students, Ashley and Agnes, tookup the offer to co-present with me and my colleagues, Dr Robert Morgan, Rachel Hartiss and Andrew Sinclair. We were one of only two groups of presentations from the whole conference that involved students in the presentation, which was quite exciting. Our presentation spoke about the innovative embedded skills model we have rolled out across both our year groups, and the team was made up of academics, academic skills team staff, and these two students. We are now co-writing an article together reflecting on this collaborative approach which we hope to publish later this year.
I also launched a students’ ‘Get Writing’ group in autumn last year, which offers students tips on how to get published or how to prepare for getting published in the future.
The role of assessment and feedback
Finally, I must mention the role of Assessment and Feedback on my course. Our accelerated course was commended for providing all feedback within the three-week turnaround despite being a complex programme with placements and many other challenges. We all know that waiting for feedback or a grade is one of the most excruciating waiting times possible. By showing students how highly we regard and respect their work, prioritising marking and feedback, helps to build our effective learning relationships.
And is this all worth it, you might ask? Well I am delighted to share with you that in 2018, the most frequent degree outcome was a 2:1 (upper second), but last year in 2019 most of our students achieved a 1st class degree. These results are a testimony to the hard work that my amazing team put in, and the strong working relationship we have, both with each other and with the students to build their confidence, knowledge and academic skill over a shortened period. I am excited to see what the results of 2020 will bring later this year, but the current statistics for my current second years already look incredibly positive.
References
Baty, P. (2017) ‘Two-year degrees: Twitter responds to UK fast-track degree plans.’ Times Higher Education. Available at: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/two-year-degrees-twitter-responds-uk-fast-track-degree-plans? (Accessed: 3 September 2018).
Cabral, A. and Lambirth, A. (2017) ‘Accelerated degrees in education: a new profile, alternative access to teaching or part of a re-tooling process?’ Journal of Further and Higher Education, 42(6). Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0309877X.2017.1311995 (Accessed: 3 September 2018).
Gibson, P., Perera, S., Morgan, R., & Kerr, B. (2019). Creating conditions for student success on a two-year accelerated degree. Compass: Journal of Learning and Teaching, 12(1). Available at: https://doi.org/10.21100/compass.v12i1.944
Vallely, K., & Gibson, P. (2018). Engaging students on their devices with Mentimeter. Compass: Journal of Learning and Teaching, 11(2). Available at: https://doi.org/10.21100/compass.v11i2.843
Dr Poppy Gibson, EdD, MEd, BA (Hons), AFHEA
Programme Lead on the BA in Primary Education (2-year accelerated)