Practitioner research
A Summary of PILS Consultants Work
Associate lecturers, who teach and support students on our course modules, have a significant amount of expertise and knowledge about both students and the subjects they are teaching.
Practitioner research: Student skills development
A Toolkit for Students and Tutors on our Second Level Course, Exploring Psychology
Dr Linda Green
A fundamental skill in psychology is the ability to understand and evaluate different perspectives, theories, approaches, methods, concepts and the evidence that is presented to support these. To do this students need to develop effective critical evaluation skills.
Developing a Tutor Resource to Encourage Critical Thinking in Psychology Students
Dr Jane Barrett
The idea was to develop an on-line enrichment exercise to run in the gap between courses and to help students to prepare for Level 3 study.
Geographical Skill Development and the Identity of Students as Geographers
Isobel Shelton
The aim of this project was to analyse the development of the geographical skills of map interpretation/data analysis and explore the subject image of geography for students studying DD205 (Living in a Globalised World).
Investigating the use of Email for the Development of Problem-Solving Skills
Dr Nigel Barber
One of the teaching/learning techniques used in Open University texts is the self-assessment question (SAQ). Our second level Chemistry course module, The Molecular World, uses both “traditional” textual SAQs and software SAQs such as those associated with The Third Dimension.
The Role of Reflective Commentary in Students’ Progress
Helen Mosby
A small-scale practitioner enquiry was carried out focussing on the role of the reflective commentary in students’ experiences of A215 Creative Writing. The commentary is compulsory in TMA on this course and carries 20% of the total marks, with the rest awarded to a piece of creative writing. The objective was to explore the way that the commentary contributes to students’ learning, and whether this kind of activity might be usefully included in other Arts subjects.
Practitioner research: Supporting student progress and employability
Chemistry Support for Students making the Transition to our Third Level Course, Molecular and Cell Biology
Dr Frank Lally
The project was aimed at providing support for students about to embark on S377 (Molecular and Cell Biology).
Employability and its Relationship to Learning Outcomes: Engaging in Self-Assessment and Reflection for Personal Development Planning (PDP)
Dr Rachel Ferris
The project piloted the use of self-assessment exercises during a third level science course S366 (Evolution), so that students own reflection upon their work, goals and transferable skills may bring about an improvement and/or greater awareness of their performance.
Managing Transition Between Levels: a Student Perspective
Dr Barbara Morden
The aim of the investigation was to discover how a small sample of current students in the Arts Faculty perceived the transition from level one to second level and how aware they are of progression through levels of study.
The Contribution that Writing Learning Journals could make to Student Experience and Successful Completion
Dr Maye Taylor
This project explored the benefits of students writing learning journals to encourage reflection and aid progression.
What Forms of Support might Students need to Succeed at DD100?
Simone Siddle
This project explored the different forms of support used by students during the course module DD100 (Introduction to the Social Sciences), with a particular focus on the tutor role.
Practitioner research: Teaching tools
Exploring the use of Online Tutor Group Conferences to Support Student Learning
Dawn Gibbs
An on-line tutorial to enable students to understand and evaluate chemical formulae.
Investigating the use of Tutorial Group Conferences as a Teaching Tool
Dr Natasha Sigala
The project comprises a report of a group of biological psychology associate lecturers and students' responses on their use of the tutorial group conference as a teaching and learning tool, respectively.
Student support: Day schools
Subject-based Tutorial Day Schools
Combining teaching with study support.
Student support: Employability activities
Careers Personal Development Planning
In 2007 the PILS CETL funded the Skills Bank project. The project was led by the Careers Advisory Service.
Online Careers Forums
Providing subject specific online careers forums for prospective and continuing students moderated by careers advisers.
The STARS Project
STARS is an interactive personal development tool for students in higher education and recent graduates.
Student support: Forums and resources
Online Study Planning Forum for Psychology Students
A project investigating how online forums can be used to help students choose their course modules.
Online Study Planning Forums for History and Sociology/Social Policy Students
A project investigating how online forums can be used to help students choose their course modules.
Study Planning Booklets
Exploring the use of printed booklets to help students plan their studies.
Student support: Student progression
Pathway Progression Pilot
Can student progression and retention be improved through additional associate lecturer contact?
Student support: Subject websites
Subject Websites for Students
Exploring how to use subject websites to support students throughout their study.
Websites for Prospective Students
Exploring how to use websites to help prospective and current students plan their studies.
Further Information
If you would like further information on specific projects or activities, please contact ss-lsf-team@open.ac.uk.