Minutes 30 Jan. 2019
Facilitator: Caroline
Minute taker: Sophia
Apologies: Ruaridh, Chawon, Gray
Guests: Dorothy Miell, Paul Norris (Below DM, PN)
NB: I didn’t always write down who raised what points, so comments/questions from members of our course are prefaced with FoOU, unless identified. Also, this was quite a free-flowing discussion, so hard to minute (and I got distracted at times focusing on the content…) so please do add if I missed out anything important!
Started with agenda for the session, introductions.
General discusson of experimental/unusual courses
DM: Lots of experimental courses going on across the university now, not just this course
Dante asked if these are more research focused?
PN: Not really
Sophia L: An elective is different, also the interdisciplinary character of the course.
FoOU: Tensions, some concern about producing something in such a course—but process is important.
DM: Process develops important skills for employability
PN: Gave example of Psychology course.
—Question is how to document achievement
—As academics, how do we create structure for this
Gaby: Taking such a course as this as extra credit is a big thing for Hons students
Mentioned Nature, Green space and health course as a good example of Hons level course.
PN: Anyone heard of SLICCs? (A few had)
Work with a mentor to design an individual project, assessed by journal, formative, reflection. No substantive academic content.
FoOU: Asked if SLICCs only for pre-Hons.
PN: Some schools have Hons level option to do SLICCs
FoOU: Asked if funding available for projects under SLICCs.
PN: None specific, but some from other sources.
FoOU: Asked if a group SLICC would be possible, e.g. a collaborative project.
PN: Might be possible, but would have to apply as group of individual ones.
FoOU: Importance of self-shaped assessment, feels liberating. Allows change along the way.
FoOU: Key element of this course is deciding ourselves what to do, and changing along the way.
FoOU: Empowering element of learning: self-study, is very motivating.
PN: Importance of ‘individually constructed learning’
Attendance issue
PN: Taking attendance is a way of looking at student welfare, making sure they are OK.
‘I wouldn’t have problems with attendance with this group of students’. Taking responsibility for your own learning.
DM: Difficult to go from structured courses to this kind of model.
FoOU: How are lectures social? (e.g. of group of 500+ sitting in a room…)
FoOU: What about difficulties with Boards of Studies passing this course?
PN: Not blocked by College. Only heard about this when got a call from Academic Services about Hons student wanting to take FoOU course for extra credit.
College oversight of boards of studies removed a few years ago to reduce admin procedures, so College does not have to approve courses.
There are different practices in schools.
College is trying, however, to create some standardization of board procedures, and also of amount of space for optional courses in programmes. This creates space for innovative courses.
DM: Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI) is creating new types of teaching, especially at PG level. ‘Challenge led’, include ‘blended learning’ and break up traditional masters courses. Sabine Rolle and Sian Bayne are leading on UG part.
PN: Tutorial attendance has always been taken. When students are missing classes, may be possible to identify problems and address them. Attendance taking means collecting data to help students. He uses rules to find way to help most students continue their studies.
DM: Legal duty to monitor students on Tier 4 visas introduced by Home Office. Uni executive made the decision to take attendance for everyone, not just T4 students.
Sean: There are other ways to carry out the duty of care than monitoring attendance. Would appreciate honesty about this measure, e.g. the university saying ‘we have to do this’.
Dante: Other pastoral forms of care are lacking.
DM: Not true that we’re doing this only for T4 students.
PN: Theoretical question: would we want to take attendance if there were no T4 students? Answer is yes.
PN: Re: pastoral care, about to undertake ‘nothing off the table’ review of PT system (and SSOs)
DM: EUSA advocated a ‘red flag’ system—e.g. that students be contacted if they had missed a certain amount. Meet regularly with sabbatical officers of EUSA to discuss issues.
FoOU: Who should we take problems to that arise?
DM: Student reps, in programmes, schools.
New system will bring school student reps (not EUSA sabbaticals) into Planning and Programme Committee.
Question: How to bring the kind of experience of this course into larger courses?
Chemistry practice: personal tutors take first year tutorials, so get to know students.
Proposal: there should be more such courses in first year.
Laerke: Options are all individualized. Contrast with more collective experience, e.g. in uni in Copenhagen, students don’t do individual work until 2nd year, lots of group work.
DM, PN: Lots of things planned in EFI. Will be undertaking comprehensive review of curriculum in 5-7 years.
DM: Would like to hear about outcomes of the course.
DM, PN: Thanked us for having them.
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Rest of session: discussed plans for next week
Will have session to discuss reading ‘The Ignorant Schoolmaster’
Also, groups to meet to discuss research methods skills needs
