Friday, November 24, 2006
First year achievements
We were recently asked to contribute to our end of year 1 stakeholder report. Here are some of my first year achievements:
Pedagogic research workshop
We gave our new facilities a try out when we hosted the Engineering Subject Centre’s pedagogic research workshop in July. Thirty engineering academics and staff developers from across the UK joined our pedagogic researcher, Dr Sue Morón-García, and our colleague Liz Willis from the subject centre to investigate how they might understand, undertake and report on pedagogic research. Professors George Brown from Nottingham and Mike Bramhall from Sheffield Hallam and the UK Centre for Materials Education led sessions on research methods and journal writing respectively.
Research library
In order to facilitate our academics’ and PhD students’ engagement with the education side of the engineering education equation Dr Sue Morón-García began building a research reference library to include some straight forward research texts to get people started. Thanks to a collaboration with the engineering subject centre we are also able to provide access to hard copy of the European Journal of Engineering Education and Prism, a magazine published by the American Society for Engineering Education. The engCETL library is intended as a supplement to the institutional library and it is hoped that academics will find it useful to drop in and view the books and magazine or journal and make contact with our staff who can advise on and support their teaching and learning work.
Books available:
Bell, J. (2005). Doing your research project (4th ed.). Berkshire, UK: Open University Press & McGraw-Hill.
Bell, J., & Opie, C. (2002). Learning from research. Berkshire, UK: Open University Press & McGraw-Hill.
Blaxter, L., Hughes, C., & Tight, M. (2001). How to research (2nd ed.). Berkshire, UK: Open University Press & McGraw-Hill.
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2000). Research methods in education. London: RoutledgeFalmer.
Cryer, P. (2000). The research student's guide to success (2nd ed.). Berkshire, UK: Open University Press & McGraw-HIll.
Denscombe, M. (2002). Ground rules for good research. Berkshire, UK: Open University Press & McGraw-Hill.
Denscombe, M. (2003). The good research guide (2nd ed.). Berkshire, UK: Open University Press & McGraw-Hill.
Hawkins, P. (1999). The art of buildng windmills. Liverpool: GIEU.
Knight, P., & Yorke, M. (2003). Assessment, learning and employability. Berkshire, UK: Open Univerity Press & McGraw-HIll.
Knight, P., & Yorke, M. (2004). Learning, curriculum and employability in higher education. London: RoutledgeFalmer.
Oliver, P. (2003). The student's guide to research ethics. Berkshire, UK: Open University Press & McGraw-HIll.
Rumsey, S. (2004). How to find information: A guide for researchers. Berkshire, UK: Open University Press & McGraw-Hill.
Yorke, M., Pilkington, R., & Mason O'Connor, K. (2005). Employability: A rationale and examples of practice. Birmingham: SEDA.
Journal and magazine issues available:
European Journal of Engineering Education: 29(2,3,4), 30(1,2,3,4), 31(1,2,4)
PRISM: November & December 2004, April, Summer, September, October, November, December 2005, January, February, March, April & Summer 2006.
JISC Rights & Rewards project
The JISC Rights and Rewards (R&R) project has already started informing practice elsewhere: the HEA Engineering subject centre commissioned a report based on the outcomes of the questionnaire run by the R&R project that investigated views on the use of an institutional repository for the deposit of teaching and learning materials. The focus of the report was the implications for the subject centre resource database,it is available from the subject centre web site.
Morón-García, S. (2006). Rights and Rewards: attitudes towards the use of digital repositories for teaching and learning materials. HEA Engineering Subject Centre Report.
East Midlands CETLs pedagogic research network
Researchers (Drs Sue Morón-García & Sarah Bamforth) at the engCETL set up the EMC pedagogic research network in the summer to facilitate the exchange of ideas and expertise among researchers working at the various CETLs involved in the East Midlands Network. In the first instance a JISC mail list was created and a planned face-to-face meeting was hosted by the Centre in November. Our am is to build this community of pedagogic researchers and encourage better understanding and communication.
PhD studentships at engCETL
Our first PhD student, Yussuf Ahmed, who is investigating student acquisition of transferable skills through work placements, successfully transferred to a PhD registration following completion of his first year report and viva. A call for further PhD topics was circulated to academics in associated departments. Our pedagogic researcher Dr Sue Morón-García and research consultant Professor George Brown worked with interested staff to develop ideas for four potential studentships. These were advertised over the summer and we have identified three candidates who will be working with us in the areas of: industrial sponsorship, project-based learning and the use of telelaboratories.
Sandwich placement research
Researcher Abigail Powell joined engCETL for three and half months over the summer in order to collect data for an investigation into male students’ experiences of work placements. This extends and compliments work on female students’ experiences she carried out while working towards her PhD in the Social Science Faculty. She will continue to work with Dr Sue Morón-García, and colleagues Richard Newman and Dr Sarah Bamforth, to develop this work into reports for our associated departments. ¶ 6:07 pm
Pedagogic research workshop
We gave our new facilities a try out when we hosted the Engineering Subject Centre’s pedagogic research workshop in July. Thirty engineering academics and staff developers from across the UK joined our pedagogic researcher, Dr Sue Morón-García, and our colleague Liz Willis from the subject centre to investigate how they might understand, undertake and report on pedagogic research. Professors George Brown from Nottingham and Mike Bramhall from Sheffield Hallam and the UK Centre for Materials Education led sessions on research methods and journal writing respectively.
Research library
In order to facilitate our academics’ and PhD students’ engagement with the education side of the engineering education equation Dr Sue Morón-García began building a research reference library to include some straight forward research texts to get people started. Thanks to a collaboration with the engineering subject centre we are also able to provide access to hard copy of the European Journal of Engineering Education and Prism, a magazine published by the American Society for Engineering Education. The engCETL library is intended as a supplement to the institutional library and it is hoped that academics will find it useful to drop in and view the books and magazine or journal and make contact with our staff who can advise on and support their teaching and learning work.
Books available:
Bell, J. (2005). Doing your research project (4th ed.). Berkshire, UK: Open University Press & McGraw-Hill.
Bell, J., & Opie, C. (2002). Learning from research. Berkshire, UK: Open University Press & McGraw-Hill.
Blaxter, L., Hughes, C., & Tight, M. (2001). How to research (2nd ed.). Berkshire, UK: Open University Press & McGraw-Hill.
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2000). Research methods in education. London: RoutledgeFalmer.
Cryer, P. (2000). The research student's guide to success (2nd ed.). Berkshire, UK: Open University Press & McGraw-HIll.
Denscombe, M. (2002). Ground rules for good research. Berkshire, UK: Open University Press & McGraw-Hill.
Denscombe, M. (2003). The good research guide (2nd ed.). Berkshire, UK: Open University Press & McGraw-Hill.
Hawkins, P. (1999). The art of buildng windmills. Liverpool: GIEU.
Knight, P., & Yorke, M. (2003). Assessment, learning and employability. Berkshire, UK: Open Univerity Press & McGraw-HIll.
Knight, P., & Yorke, M. (2004). Learning, curriculum and employability in higher education. London: RoutledgeFalmer.
Oliver, P. (2003). The student's guide to research ethics. Berkshire, UK: Open University Press & McGraw-HIll.
Rumsey, S. (2004). How to find information: A guide for researchers. Berkshire, UK: Open University Press & McGraw-Hill.
Yorke, M., Pilkington, R., & Mason O'Connor, K. (2005). Employability: A rationale and examples of practice. Birmingham: SEDA.
Journal and magazine issues available:
European Journal of Engineering Education: 29(2,3,4), 30(1,2,3,4), 31(1,2,4)
PRISM: November & December 2004, April, Summer, September, October, November, December 2005, January, February, March, April & Summer 2006.
JISC Rights & Rewards project
The JISC Rights and Rewards (R&R) project has already started informing practice elsewhere: the HEA Engineering subject centre commissioned a report based on the outcomes of the questionnaire run by the R&R project that investigated views on the use of an institutional repository for the deposit of teaching and learning materials. The focus of the report was the implications for the subject centre resource database,it is available from the subject centre web site.
Morón-García, S. (2006). Rights and Rewards: attitudes towards the use of digital repositories for teaching and learning materials. HEA Engineering Subject Centre Report.
East Midlands CETLs pedagogic research network
Researchers (Drs Sue Morón-García & Sarah Bamforth) at the engCETL set up the EMC pedagogic research network in the summer to facilitate the exchange of ideas and expertise among researchers working at the various CETLs involved in the East Midlands Network. In the first instance a JISC mail list was created and a planned face-to-face meeting was hosted by the Centre in November. Our am is to build this community of pedagogic researchers and encourage better understanding and communication.
PhD studentships at engCETL
Our first PhD student, Yussuf Ahmed, who is investigating student acquisition of transferable skills through work placements, successfully transferred to a PhD registration following completion of his first year report and viva. A call for further PhD topics was circulated to academics in associated departments. Our pedagogic researcher Dr Sue Morón-García and research consultant Professor George Brown worked with interested staff to develop ideas for four potential studentships. These were advertised over the summer and we have identified three candidates who will be working with us in the areas of: industrial sponsorship, project-based learning and the use of telelaboratories.
Sandwich placement research
Researcher Abigail Powell joined engCETL for three and half months over the summer in order to collect data for an investigation into male students’ experiences of work placements. This extends and compliments work on female students’ experiences she carried out while working towards her PhD in the Social Science Faculty. She will continue to work with Dr Sue Morón-García, and colleagues Richard Newman and Dr Sarah Bamforth, to develop this work into reports for our associated departments. ¶ 6:07 pm
