Browsing by Author "Allman, Zoe"
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Item Metadata only Am I in Higher Education’s third space? Who’s here with me?(The SEDA Blog, 2024-08-21) Allman, ZoeThe third space is a concept I regularly encounter in articles, calls, and at conferences, but what is it? Am I in the third space? And who else is here?Item Metadata only Authentic assessment supporting curriculum and delivery mode transformation(2023-07-12) Allman, Zoe; Coupland, Simon; Fahy, ConorDe Montfort University is embracing significant transformation as curriculum and delivery mode transitions into an intensive block model approach. The Computer Games Programming (CGP) team were particularly innovative in their approach (Jones, 2022), completely revisiting curriculum sequencing and assessment methods to facilitate the best learning journey for students, and responding to employer and sector skills needs. This presentation highlights two examples of authentic assessments emerging from university-wide transformation. The digital economy requires graduates equipped with a set of digital skills which are practice based. CGP had been moving away from traditional written exams towards large, in-depth coursework which students produce over a term or academic year. In this approach digital skills are implicitly assessed, for example using source control metadata to assess students’ capabilities with a specific tool chain. This requires examination of digital footprints over the term. Therefore, the model needed revisiting to facilitate block delivery and explicitly assess these skills through face-to-face practical assessments we call driving tests, replicating assessments that are commonplace in other disciplines (Snodgrass et al, 2014; Kent-Waters et al, 2018). The depth of student knowledge is examined with a professional conversation, replicating assessment methods used in teacher and lecturer training (Britt et al, 2001). A driving test involves a student sitting with a tutor whilst being asked to perform a number of sequential pre-scripted tasks. Students are marked on the breadth of tasks they complete and the manner in which they complete them. The student is given immediate and personalised verbal feedback and an overall mark. The student leaves a digital trail which is used for moderation. Professional conversations introduce further diversity in assessment in level 6. These conversations supplement a practical assessment component and assess descriptors which can be difficult to evaluate in more traditional formats, for example identifying emerging issues at the forefront of the subject, and systematically identifying personal learning needs. Preparatory, co-created conversations highlighted that current level 6 learners would value this ‘technical interview’ format as the conversation allow learners to naturally demonstrate their understanding of the subject without additional coursework documentation/production. Students value these approaches that facilitate authentic demonstration of practical skills with tutor support and instant verbal feedback. As these assessment methods embed, there is ongoing consideration of whether these should be time limited activities; our experience suggests it should not as to date students have required different amounts of time to complete the task whilst demonstrating competency.Item Metadata only Block delivery as the future of Higher Education? Learning from design and implementation(2024-07-09) Allman, ZoeAiming to enhance the student learning experience De Montfort University (Leicester, UK) embarked on a significant university-wide curriculum transformation project, to review and redesign academic programmes of study for delivery in an intensive, block modular approach. The approach enhances consistency of curriculum design and delivery through the development and implementation of standardised 30 credit, sequential, block modules per level of undergraduate study. Curriculum transformation facilitated opportunities for teams within the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Media, to revisit, reimagine and redesign the curriculum in response to student feedback, employer and industrial recommendations aligned with graduate outcomes, and a desire to create a future-facing unique curriculum offer that best responds to the needs of students, individually and collectively. The strategic leader for this curriculum transformation within the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Media, which is home to around 5,500 students at the Leicester campus, explains the rationale and process that facilitated re-validation (curriculum approval) for 51 programmes in a fourteen month period; the majority within just three months, and those requiring greater liaison with external accrediting bodies taking a little longer. Each programme required a unique set of considerations, aligned with the underlying principles of the University’s approach to change, recognising the varied nature of content, delivery and engagement across a wide range of taught subjects. Opportunities and challenges arising through extensive and fast-paced curriculum transformation, both within the Faculty and across the University, are explored through this presentation. Alongside curriculum change was the need to review and re-align academic regulations and academic processes to facilitate re-validation and delivery in reduced timeframes. An overview of changes will be summarised, along with how exemptions from the University’s standard model were considered and supported. Examining innovation and inclusivity at the heart of this curriculum change, as well as impact within the first two years of delivery, the continuous evolution of academic programmes is explored. Learning from curriculum design and curriculum change processes provides insights into the most effective methods for initial curriculum redesign. As the second year of delivery in the new block approach concludes, learning and impact from the initial experiences of students and staff are explored, considering strengths and areas for further development, enhancement and growth. As a Faculty and University we ask what comes next for Higher Education? Is block delivery the future?Item Metadata only Building future-focused education at De Montfort University – block by block(Advance HE, 2024-07-03) Allman, Zoe; Brooks, Nicola; Goldsmith, Chris; Orwin, ClaireDe Montfort University has introduced a new university curriculum sequencing and delivery approach, known as Education 2030. From September 2022 students began to embrace learning in a new sequential, block format. This presentation by the Associate Dean (Academics) explains how the Education 2030 approach was adopted and embraced across their respective subjects, and the opportunities and challenges this created along the way. The session reflects on the process of transformational change to ensure a future-focused education, and the learning from the first two years of delivery of academic programmes in the Education 2030 format.Item Metadata only CATE 2022: Embedding mental wellbeing(Advance HE, 2022-09-07) Allman, ZoeWhen Advance HE launched the first Embedding Mental Wellbeing in the Curriculum (EMW) project De Montfort University (DMU) were keen to be actively involved. In March 2020, as the UK moved into lockdown due to Covid-19 a new team formed to devise and deliver a project to embed mental wellbeing to best support the University community.Item Metadata only Cross-sector collaboration to enhance embedding mental wellbeing(Association of National Teaching Fellows, 2023-10-13) Allman, ZoeIn the week recognising World Mental Health Day 2023, this article highlights an example of collaboration to enhance mental wellbeing, as presented at the ANTF Symposium 2023.Item Metadata only Developing and delivering in block: Reflections one year in(Quality Assurance Agency, 2023-09-21) Allman, Zoe; Coupland, Simon; Attwood, Luke; Fahy, Conor; Hasshu, Salim; Khuman, A. S.; Shell, JethroItem Open Access Digital image manipulation: an interdisciplinary approach.(University of Nottingham, 2009-09-09) Allman, Zoe; Gongora, Mario Augusto; Passow, Benjamin N.Image manipulation programs allow users to retouch drawings or photographs. Using these tools for artistic image manipulation is a demanding task. In this paper we present a novel methodology, based on efficient image processing algorithms in combination with Cellular Automata, to create a very versatile and autonomous means for altering digital images. The system presents a newly achieved level of autonomous creativity in addition to minimising the effort for retouching images from an artistic point of view. We present an evaluation of an experimental implementation of our method and provide suggestions for its applicability.Item Metadata only Educational development in significant transformation of academic programme re-design(2023-05-19) Allman, ZoeDe Montfort University is embracing significant transformation as delivery of academic programmes transitions to block model. The first wave required one Faculty to re-design and validate twenty-three programmes in three months. This talk shares the methods used to prepare the learning community to embrace academic transformation, the role of educational development in facilitating readiness for change aligned to University strategy, quality and PSRB compliance, and developing provision to meet applicant, student, employer, and sector need.Item Metadata only Embedding Mental Wellbeing(Pearson, 2022-12-30) Allman, ZoeItem Metadata only Embedding Mental Wellbeing(The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), 2022-10-10) Allman, ZoeWorld Mental Health Day is widely recognised on 10 October and the theme for 2022 is 'make mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority', a theme that particularly resonates with a QAA Collaborative Enhancement Project focused on Embedding Mental Wellbeing. This blog post explores the outputs from that project - a project that aimed to provide definitions for mental wellbeing and embedding mental wellbeing, share examples from collaborative partner providers, and identify the benefits of embedding mental wellbeing to support colleagues across the sector.Item Metadata only Embedding Mental Wellbeing - A Collaborative Approach(2023-10-10) Allman, ZoeDe Montfort University’s Embedding Mental Wellbeing team harnesses the power of academics, professional services and the Students’ Union in collaborative partnership to embed mental wellbeing activity across the University. Responding to the University community and the impact of Covid-19, their project achieved cross-institutional transformation and cross-sector impact, and was recognised by Advance HE with a Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE, 2022). In this presentation Zoë explores the collaborative activities that empower De Montfort University’s ongoing approach to embedding mental wellbeing.Item Metadata only Embedding mental wellbeing for staff and students(The Chartered Association of Business Schools, 2022-02) Allman, ZoeItem Metadata only Embedding Mental Wellbeing in Lockdown: An Increased Priority during a Pandemic(Palgrave Macmillan, 2022-12-13) Allman, ZoeThe UK’s first national lockdown due to COVID-19 in March 2020 saw De Montfort University in Leicester re-scoping their proposed university-wide approach to embedding mental wellbeing in the curriculum. An increased focus on ensuring the mental wellbeing of students and staff recognised by the national media supported the university’s activity around five core strands of activity: (1) expanding the existing student-facing online wellbeing support, (2) developing new tutor resources for use in blended-learning, (3) enhancing the staff training offer, (4) expanding the academic training offer, and (5) sharing best practice. These core strands would enable the university to support its staff to embed mental wellbeing approaches for the benefit of the university community during and beyond the pandemic.Item Metadata only Embedding mental wellbeing in the curriculum: a collaborative definition and suite of examples in practice(Frontiers, 2024-01-11) Lister, Kate; Allman, ZoeThe sector-wide challenge of student mental wellbeing within higher education (HE) requires universities to systematically and holistically enhance their practice and approaches. This paper recounts how an interdisciplinary team of academics, senior leaders, professional services and Students’ Union representatives across seven institutions responded to this need by collaboratively identifying definitions, good-practice for replication, and benefits of activity to embed mental wellbeing in the curriculum. Considering and exploring definitions across HE, our study provides clarity and reference points for definitions, particularly around the nature of “embedding” in relation to mental wellbeing for students. Five core themes for mental wellbeing in HE were identified and defined through this study: flourishing or thriving, balance, community and belonging, dynamic, and inclusive. Furthermore, a five-point definition of embeddedness developed; it being modeled in practice, tailored to needs, inherent in values, ethos and culture, a holistic partnership approach, and represented in strategy supported by appropriate resource. These are represented as a Mental Wellbeing Embeddedness Framework. The study sought good-practice examples from across seven HE providers, presented as example resources for replication by others in the sector seeking to address similar challenges within their institutions. Twenty-seven examples were developed into an online open educational resource toolkit, providing clear examples for use in a range of settings and responding to different needs around student mental wellbeing. Each example sharing its original rationale for development and clear list of benefits to be seen from replicating the initiative. Sector feedback to date indicates referencing the definitions activity and expanding this for use in other contexts, replication of good-practice examples in different settings, and support for identification of the benefits that can be achieved from embedding mental wellbeing in the curriculum. This paper is a call to action, shaping the future direction of student mental wellbeing, supported by policy, practice, and constant innovation.Item Metadata only Embedding Mental Wellbeing: Methods and Benefits(The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), 2022-01-17) Allman, ZoeThis project, led by De Montfort University, explores how mental wellbeing can be embedded into all aspects of higher education to enhance the student experience. Collaborative research by teams from seven higher education providers and a students’ union has led to the collation of best practice examples and the creation of these Open Educational Resources (OERs). The project team provide definitions for mental wellbeing and embedding mental wellbeing to facilitate accessibility of the resources provided. Having identified examples to share with the sector, the benefits of embedding mental wellbeing for students, practitioners or programmes, and institutions (including students’ unions) are shared, helping users consider the outcomes to be realised from replicating similar activity within their own settings.Item Open Access Embedding sustainability in university work experience placements: a De Montfort University model(Emerald, 2022-10-24) Onyido, Tochukwu Ben C.; Allman, Zoe; Hardaker, Pamela; Rughani, Deepa; Letinov, AllanPurpose – The paper looks at the feasibility of university placements supporting small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) to operate in a sustainable manner. Due to size and resource constraints, many SMEs may regard sustainability more as a burden than a value-adding commercial strategy. Design/methodology/approach – A two-year study was conducted on the sustainability-themed placements of 101 students of De Montfort University, United Kingdom, in SMEs. The placements were designed with the purpose of acting as a traditional work experience scheme while also equipping students with learning, skills and orientation with which to act as sustainability champions within companies. The study combined the use of students’ reflections (via tools such as monthly logbooks) with interviews and questionnaire surveys of both employers and students, in order to evaluate the outcomes of the placements. Findings – Students engaged with the sustainability aspect of their placements mainly by obtaining information on the sustainability performance of SMEs, with significant engagement also occurring in the areas of sustainability advocacy (e.g. proposing socio-environmental plans to companies) and initiatives/action. Practical implications – Placements can potentially serve as a means of knowledge generation for universities while providing SMEs with cost-effective staff and innovation sustainability resources. Originality/value – A circular approach to university placement programmes is proposed whereby the knowledge gained from previous placements about SMEs’ sustainability performance is used to prepare later cohorts of placement students with a pragmatic understanding of challenges and opportunities related to the implementation of sustainability by SMEs.Item Metadata only Emerging leaders, your universities need you(Times Higher Education, 2024-07-03) Allman, Zoe; Souter, GaryItem Metadata only Engaging students in feedback opportunities, to identify and enhance student support(2023-02-23) Allman, ZoeReflecting on student feedback from within the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Media at De Montfort University it was clear that more needed to be done to raise student awareness of how to locate and access support for personal and academic matters relating to their studies. An outreach initiative, ‘Stop and Chat’, was proposed. The aim was two-fold, to seek student feedback to support programme enhancement, and to provide responses to support matters raised in an environment where students felt empowered to engage, largely in and around timetabled-taught sessions. This presentation will explain the rationale and method supporting this initiative, providing examples that could be replicated in other provider contexts. It will examine how academic communities were developed in support of the student experience and learning journey. Practical tips and advice based on reflections from the original team driving this initiative will present the evidence-base and invite delegates to consider how similar activity may benefit their academic communities to enhance the student experience.Item Metadata only Ensuring Student Mental Wellbeing whilst introducing Block Mode Intensive Learning and Teaching(Journal of Block and Intensive Learning and Teaching, 2024-04-24) Allman, ZoeAs De Montfort University, a UK-based University, introduced block delivery across the undergraduate portfolio the University sought to maintain a continued focus on, and commitment to, an institution-wide approach to embedding mental wellbeing. With mental wellbeing relevant to the whole university community and recognising the power of transformational change to impact wellbeing, the university cross-examined student feedback to understand and ensure mental wellbeing. An intensive block model was introduced at De Montfort University (DMU) from the start of the academic session 2022-23. Undergraduate student experiences and learning from the initial months, focused on those in the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Media, are presented alongside an examination of the methods and impact of embedding mental wellbeing in this new intensive mode; ensuring the continued institutional approach to embedding mental wellbeing in the curriculum, providing inclusive support for all learners. The learning and impact identified from initial experiences indicate areas of strength and areas for development, enhancement and growth. This article presents educational practice implications for other providers exploring and implementing block delivery in intensive learning and teaching modes. The University’s HealthyDMU philosophy recognises mental wellbeing is relevant to all, informed by a social model of wellbeing, in which a student’s experience of mental wellbeing is directly related to their environment and experiences, based on the five ways to wellbeing (Aked, Marks, Cordon & Thompson, 2008). Embedding this throughout the curriculum reduces wellbeing barriers to facilitate student success, establishing pro-active approaches to mental wellbeing and a health promoting environment. This article provides a unique focus on student experience from the position of mental wellbeing embedded in curriculum design and delivery. This paper presents an exploration of student responses to the introduction of intensive delivery at undergraduate level within a UK university, positioned around support for mental wellbeing.