Core Area 3b: Understanding and Engaging with Policies and Standards

Guidelines

In this second section you can either explore a second area of legislation (see above) or discuss how you engage with one or more policy issues in your context. These might include, for example:

• Relevant policies and strategies (national or institutional)

• Technical standards

• Ethical frameworks or policies for the use of technology in education

• Professional codes of practice

Evidence might include evidence of involvement in writing or forming policies, or evidence of engagement with policies, such as justifications for modifications to a course to reflect new policies, a record of how technical standards have been taken into account during system development, and so on.

Relevance of the Strategy

As a department, our provision already met some of the principles outlined by The York Pedagogy before the strategy was implemented. The assessments across all our degrees were (and still are) standardised and were thus already organised at the programme level; we provide students with ample support for independent study through the Academic Skills provision (see Specialist Area); and the majority of staff-student contact time enabled students to get support and guidance to enable them to progress in their studies. One area where we did need to do some work was in creating Programme Learning Outcomes (PLOs) for all our degrees. We now have a set of ~ eight PLOs for each of our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes which inform the individual module aims and learning outcomes within each programme (i.e. what students should be able to do by the time they graduate). The strategy and particularly the creation of the PLOs has affected many decisions I've made with respect to my own teaching (i.e. at the module level) but also to decisions at programme level.

The York Pedagogy and My Practice

By the time The York Pedagogy came into effect, I was already embracing many of its core principles in my teaching (e.g. Active Learning) but it also developed some areas of my practice both at the module and programme level. The three main areas where The York Pedagogy is reflected in my own practice are: Summative Assessment, Formative Assessment, and Student Contact with Staff.

Summative Assessment

As stated elsewhere in this portfolio (see section 2a), most of the open assessments for our undergraduate programmes involve essays and practical reports with some group work being assessed by academic posters. In my opinion, this is a very traditional way of assessing students and perhaps does not expose them to skills they may need when seeking graduate employment. Additionally, up to two years ago, we were not giving students exposure to communicating information in a variety of ways (e.g. by using technology other than word processing tools). This was problematic as PLO5 for our undergraduate programmes states that students should be able to 'communicate complex information effectively using appropriate written, oral, graphical and electronic means.' Taking a programme approach then, I proposed to change some of these assessments to group oral presentations, and videos aimed at a lay audience. These are now in place and have been successfully completed by students over the last two years.

Oral Presentations

Videos for a Lay Audience

Formative Assessment

Formative assessment is an important part of students' learning and is an area of The York Pedagogy that is intended to help students meet the PLOs of their degree programme. Additionally, for me, it helps me to get a feel for whether the students are on track with their learning and whether there are any gaps that I need to address. This is particularly so in ensuring the students are on track with meeting the PLOs of the degree programme.

In terms of the department's standardised approach to assessment, there are only a few 'built-in' opportunities for students to engage in formative feedback: (i) in the very first term of Year 1 students can do a formative essay plan and sections of a practical report; (ii) in Year 3, students can do a mock exam for each of their advanced modules. I've already reflected on this elsewhere in this portfolio (see section 2a), and so in order for my students to engage in formative tasks and get feedback on these, I use Mentimeter in large lecture groups and group discussions in smaller groups (see section 1b for a full discussion on how I use Mentimeter and Google docs to support student learning). Mentimeter allows me to pose questions to large groups of students and for them to 'text-in' their responses anonymously. For example, in my Year 2 lectures, students view a short YouTube clip of a riot and then 'text-in' an outline of how two different theories might explain the behaviour shown. This shows how I use technology to help students reach PLO 8 of their programme 'Be sensitive to contextual and interpersonal factors. Graduates will be familiar with the complexity of the factors that shape behaviour and social interaction which, in turn, will make them more aware of the bases of problems and interpersonal conflicts.' For smaller groups, I am able to provide scenarios with corresponding prompts to guide students' discussions. These usually require an element of thinking critically about the evidence they've been learning about in their independent reading and through lecture content, and I require them to use evidence to support what they are saying. This enables them to reach PLO 2 of the programme, 'Critically analyse and evaluate theory within and beyond the field of psychology using empirical evidence to support their reasoning and arguments'. By using Mentimeter for large group responses and Google docs for recording smaller group discussions, it allows me to provide students with quick formative feedback so they can self- check their understanding in line with some of the PLOs. This has affected my teaching in a really positive way. I am able to get weekly information that tells me whether or not my students' learning is moving in the right direction, and making sure my teaching aligns with the PLOs has meant that I am sure my contribution to student learning at the module level is helping them to achieve those PLOs.

Seminar 2: Self and Identity Online. Google doc discussion summary

Screenshot of Year 1 student responses explaining rioting behaviour using two theories.

Student Contact with Staff

The York Pedagogy states that 'Interactions between students and staff will be designed to encourage, inform and propel students’ work. Students will receive the guidance, support and feedback they need to make progress, and they will understand what they can expect from the University in support of their learning.' In response to this element of The York Pedagogy, I designed and now coordinate and co-deliver Academic Skills in Psychology (see Specialist Area for more detail). This provision gives students a variety of face to face sessions both large group and smaller group work. For example, in Year 1 I deliver a session on study and revision skills which gives them lots of hints and tips on making sure their independent study skills are effective (this particular session also maps onto the 'independent learning' aspect of The York Pedagogy). The whole of the Academic Skills provision is designed in a way that when students have face to face time with staff, they are given information that will motivate and encourage them to be able to carry out the various tasks required of them in their degree. I have outlined the student feedback on this provision in the section on the 'Specialist Area.'

Reflections

The implementation of The York Pedagogy has had a clear impact on the way I teach my own modules but also a small impact on the way I have influenced elements at the programme level. To my mind, the strategy has a very logical (and pedagogically sound) ethos which worked well with my already existing teaching practices. It has however enabled me to go further with the strategies I use in my own teaching (e.g. formative feedback and active learning) and to ensure my teaching ties in with the PLOs. Since I now have a more leadership role in the department, I will be keen to look at opportunities to enhance the use of technology in helping our students meet the PLOs of their programme, whilst making sure they map onto the principles of The York Pedagogy. For example, although I have managed to have a small impact on changing some summative assessments, I am keen to take this further and explore more 'contemporary' and alternative forms of assessment such as podcasts, wikis, vlogs and blogs. Over the next 12 months, I will be keen to talk to colleagues who have used these methods (and others) to see how effective they have been. Since the department's approach to assessment already takes a programme level approach and is very traditional, I am aware that there may be some colleagues who will be unsure about bringing in these more contemporary methods so I will need to ensure I have good evidence that they work. This is where talking to a variety of colleagues about their experiences will be important. I will therefore be seeking out events that look at alternative forms of assessment practice, so I can accumulate evidence for their effectiveness.