Paula Moran, Tim Crawford, Angela McQuade and team, Learning Development Service 1. CONTEXT FOR THE APPLICATION (300 words maximum) Please provide a context for your application. This should consist of an introductory statement about your contribution to learning and teaching/learning support to date. Examples of the information you might include are; the subject you teach or the area of learning support you work in, the type of learning and teaching/learning support activities you are involved in, how many learners are involved, your particular learning and teaching/learning support interests and an outline of your overall teaching/learning support philosophy? The Learning Development Service (LDS) opened in September 2007 with the aim of making academic support available to all Queen s students. The team has three full-time core staff, eight part-time PhD student assistants and one peer mentoring assistant. To date, we have supported over 10,000 students through the provision of individual support sessions (1,351 students), group workshops (8,500) and online resources (on average, 2,000 hits per month). Topics covered in workshops include aspects of essay writing and numeracy skills, referencing, presentation skills, time management, writing literature reviews and exam preparation. These topics are also covered in one-to-one sessions where students receive support tailored to their learning style. At LDS we seek to empower students by encouraging them to take ownership of their learning and reach their academic potential. We encourage students to reflect on their performance and to identify areas they would like to develop and to devise a plan that will help them do so. However, our starting point with a student is one that values what the student is currently doing well, or has done well in a similar situation. According to Ghaye, it is important to shift reflective practices away from those that are concerned with problems rather more, and towards practices that are more strengths-based (2010, p.3). Hence, LDS does not operate on a deficit model whereby students only use the service when they have failed or are at risk of failing; we focus on working collaboratively with students, helping them to become independent, confident learners. LDS reaches students in their discipline and place and demonstrates a strong commitment to empowering students to support each other, delivering this through skills training and ongoing support. 2. DISCUSSION You should illustrate your discussion throughout with reference to specific learning and teaching/learning support activities. You should also provide examples of the influence of learner feedback on your learning and teaching/learning support practice. (a) Promoting and enhancing the learners experience (1000 words maximum) We aim to stimulate and inspire learners by being proactive and innovative in our approach as illustrated by the following examples in peer mentoring, academic skills workshops and one-to-one provision. Peer Mentoring 1
In 2008, we were instrumental in developing and later customising School based peer mentoring. LDS initiated discussions with the School of English to develop and implement a peer mentoring project that involves Level 2 and Level 3 students supporting incoming first years. The project was singled out in the School s Educational Enhancement Process as an example of good practice and described by the Royal Literary Fund as one of the best student-based initiatives of its kind in the UK (Queen s University, 2009 p. ). One of the first English peer mentors now works as a peer mentoring assistant in LDS, helping Schools to develop and implement peer mentoring schemes of which there are four in operation (English, Archaeology, SLLPA and Maths) and a further four preparing for implementation in 2011/2012 (Management, Sociology, Computer Science and History). The mentoring training we deliver has been awarded route A Degree Plus status. Quotations from mentors/mentees: Mentees: I met other people in the peer mentor group, and my peer mentor was very approachable and friendly. It really was key in helping me settle into university. I found I could ask questions I wouldn t normally ask in tutorials, plus getting an answer from the perspective of another student helped greatly. Mentors: I felt the programme was very beneficial for me personally. I am a more confident speaker and leader now after being a mentor. [Mentors] are vital for menial problems and for student-life related advice, and I felt that as long as I could help the student by pointing them in the direction of a certain member of staff, or the Student Guidance Centre, I was doing my job effectively. The amount of responsibility we were given made me more confident in dealing with people. Academic Skills Workshops We work on promoting and enhancing learning by developing and delivering academic skills workshops that students in with ease. An example of this is our current initiative Tuesdays at the Library, a series of academic skills workshops held from 6-7pm in the McClay Library. Attendance at four workshops leads to a Degree Plus accredited Study Skills Certificate. One-to-one Provision A newly established area of expansion, initiated by LDS, has been the provision of one-to-one maths support, which to date has proved highly popular with students. In response to requests from part-time students for out-of-hours appointments we offer evening academic skills support in the McClay Library and in addition support via Skype for distance learners. how you develop, organise and present resources In recognition of the multiplicity of learning styles, we embrace a variety of approaches to developing, organising and presenting our resources. Workshops range from the facilitation of highly interactive, dynamic, discussion-based sessions, to the more formal, lecture-style approach, with the mode of delivery largely dependent on class size. Workshop content is developed through careful research and construction of practical, relevant value-added learning activities, with a focus on tailoring sessions for the needs of the audience. In addition, we have developed numerous student-friendly paper-based resources, accessible from our information area within the Student Guidance Centre. We formatted and categorised these resources for 2
online usage, which has received positive feedback from students. These include writing skills helpsheets which we distributed as a pack to over 3,000 first year students during induction in 2010. The popularity of these helpsheets has led to the possibility of producing a 2011-12 Queen s diary with the helpsheets included as a key resource for students. We have also developed several multimedia resources, for example, the highly popular cite 2 write guide to academic referencing. Multimedia appears to have the potential to enhance traditional forms of teaching within Higher Education (Yang, 2010) and given the greater flexibility in time and place, computer-based learning seems beneficial to increasing accessibility, removing barriers to study. We work in collaboration with academic staff, delivering skills sessions embedded into already existing curricula, for example Level 1 Archaeology and Biological Sciences. We are currently working closely with the School of Education to develop and deliver fully embedded, integrated academic skills support that will be an indistinguishable part of a module. This course is targeted at part-time students who are adult returners to education. how you assess learners appropriately We employ a varied approach to assessment of learners. Learning outcomes are shared at the beginning of all workshops and reviewed at the end. A preliminary assessment is conducted during oneto-one appointments to ascertain student need, culminating in tailored action plans to redress the individual s academic skill development. An inclusive assessment of learners is achieved through evaluation forms. Paper-based questionnaires are distributed at the close of each workshop, with responses indicating the efficacy and usefulness of the training: my grades improved, gave me more confidence, fine-tuned my writing style, extremely useful, without it, I would not have made the progress that I have made so far, excellent. Feedback during and after the training also contributes to a holistic assessment of learner development. Upon reviewing evaluation procedures in the summer of 2010, we deemed it more appropriate to measure the long-term impact of our work by conducting evaluations once per semester following the publication of exam results. In referring to online survey research, Wright (2007) extolled the virtues of online questionnaires in terms of access, time and money. Accordingly, an online tool was employed (Questback) to analyse both qualitative and quantitative data. As a result, open-ended questions were included to help generate useful responses, such as the impact of our service on student performance. To date 82% of students have reported that one-to-one support has had an impact on their academic performance. In addition, our website provides the opportunity for learners to provide feedback using formmail which is characteristic of how we readily embrace technological advances. Furthermore we have established a presence on social networking sites (Facebook and Twitter), affording learners the opportunity to provide meaningful feedback. (b) Supporting colleagues and influencing support for student and/or staff learning (350 words maximum) ways in which you contribute to the development of colleagues within your area LDS take a proactive approach to working with colleagues which has been mutually beneficial and developmental. Examples of this are: co-delivered workshops with subject librarians; training for SSCC representatives with Nathan Anderson (VP for Education); the delivery of facilitation skills for Student Ambassadors with Naula Toman and the Students Union; dissertation writing workshops with Dr Hakeem Josef and Dr Rory O Connell in the School of Law. 3
We delivered dissertation writing workshops in February 2011 with participation from library, Science shop and postgraduate staff. We have also delivered essay writing workshops to Management students with the library which has increased referrals to the library and welcomed as an area to be further developed. We deliver a number of workshops for staff, specific examples include Helping Students to Learn which LDS will be running on behalf of CED, an annual Student Support Workshop for Disability Service support workers, and groupwork in tutorials for Sociology teaching assistants. Peer mentoring information sessions, ongoing meetings with academic staff and the guide for Schools intending to implement peer mentoring: Peer Mentoring: Students Supporting Students have been instrumental to the development of new peer mentoring schemes. how you contribute to institutional initiatives We have been members of the Widening Participation Implementation Group, Mental Health Working Group, Student Forum and Welcome and Orientation Groups. We are currently delivering three WPU funded projects related to retention: a peer mentoring project which funds a support worker to help develop further School-based peer mentoring programmes; a maths project which funds 15 hours of weekly one-to-one maths support; a programme of evening academic skills workshops for part-time students. In relation to the Mental Health Strategy we have developed stress management resources and workshops. The peer mentoring work we deliver has been identified as an important social support resource for students. LDS has been part of both the central and international Welcome and Orientation planning groups and we have developed transition activities for new students with a number of Schools. LDS is working on the area of retention and has recently been given a more active role in taking this forward. your contribution to regional/national/international initiatives We are hosting the 8 th 2011 Annual Learning and Development Higher Education Network Conference (LDHEN) in April which will promote Queens to approximately 120 delegates from Higher Education across the UK and Ireland. We are active members of the Learning and Development Higher Education Network and the recently formed Irish Student Learning Network. In 2010 LDS were awarded funding for an evaluation project. The findings of the project were presented at last year s LDHEN Conference and were well received. We also presented a seminar to University of Ulster staff on the experience of Learning Development at Queen s. (c) Ongoing professional development (350 words maximum) As a team we have undertaken a range of diverse but complementary professional development activities that have had direct impact on what we have been able to deliver to students. Paula Moran successfully completed a Diploma in Cognitive Therapy in November 2008. The core aspects of cognitive therapy have worked particularly well when working with students with high anxiety around communication skills, exam performance and academic writing. Students find support around stress management has been very beneficial to their performance. Tim Crawford successfully completed his Masters in Educational Multimedia in September 2010. This led to the introduction of new online student-friendly academic skills resources. An example of this is the cite 2 write online Harvard referencing tool that was launched in September 2010 and has received very positive feedback from students, academics, library staff and other colleagues. Tim has also been developed on-line numeracy resources for nurses which are recognised as an integral learning tool by 4
the School of Nursing. Tim is now a key member of the internal maths hub and has developed working relationships with other UK and Irish Universities in this area. Angela McQuade successfully completed the Certificate in Coaching and Mentoring with Distinction in September 2010 and has applied the theory and practice within this course to further develop and support peer mentoring throughout Queen s. The increase in the number of Schools coming forward to Angela for support and guidance in implementing a peer mentoring system is evidence of the quality of information being provided. Feedback from students indicates that the training and practice in being a peer mentor has been very beneficial and also students being mentored have commented on its positive impact. Saoirse, through the LDS peer mentoring project, is currently completing for the Certificate in Coaching and Mentoring and is applying learning from the course to inform the advice she is giving to Schools about developing peer mentoring programmes. All our PhD students are undergoing substantial professional development in the context of completing their PhDs which has been applicable to their work in LDS, including developing and delivering workshops such as Writing a Literature Review and An Introduction to Dissertation Writing. References Ghaye, T. (2010) In what ways can reflective practices enhance human flourishing?, Reflective Practice 11(1), pp. 1-7. Gloucestershire: Routeledge. Wright, K. B. (2005) Researching internet-based populations: advantages and disadvantages of online survey research, online questionnaire authoring software packages, and web survey services, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 10(3) [Online]. Available at: http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol10/issue3/wright.html (Accessed: 9th March 2011). Yang, X. (2010) Status quo and future: multimedia application in higher education, Advanced Materials Research, 121, pp. 1023-1027. 5