16th call for strategic innovation and scholarship projects

15th January 2020

Welcome to the 16th eSTEeM call for projects. As in previous calls we are interested in supporting individuals and groups of scholars at the OU and we would like to receive both:

1. fully worked up proposals by individuals or groups, and
2. expressions of interest from individuals who would like to join others working on particular themes but do not yet have a defined project. We will then match people according to interest and help you set up a new project group.

If you are seeking to gain recognition as a HEA Fellow or Senior Fellow, a completed eSTEeM project can be helpful to support your claim for professional recognition against the UK Professional Standards Framework via Applaud.

We are continuing to prioritise projects which actively involve students as scholarly co-collaborators/co-investigators on the project team and not merely as the subjects of study. We are happy to provide guidance on how exactly this might be achieved in the context of your project plan.

The following list of priority areas are of strategic importance and may help you in focusing your project proposal.

Priority areas

1. Widening access and success

Given the importance of this sector wide issue, we would like to encourage projects which investigate issues around registration, completion and attainment in respect of students with identified characteristics such as:

• Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Students
• Carers
• Students with Disabilities
• Issues relating to Student Wellbeing and Mental Health
• Students with a Low Socio-Economic Status
• Students in Secure Environments
• Low Occupational Status
• Low Previous Educational Qualification

2. Learning design

1. Assessment – the implications of recent or planned changes in assessment e.g. the opportunities presented by the introduction of a new eTMA system with respect to approaches to marking and feedback. 
2. Online study – we would like to encourage projects which focus on the specific ways in which students approach their learning on online only modules, in particular what types of online assets are used and valued by students and how these assets enhance/detract from the learning experience.
3. Projects which explore ways of actively including students in the learning design process.

3. Innovations in STEM

1. Innovation in educational technology – explorations of using technology in new ways and gaining a fuller understanding of changes in student expectations and aspirations in this area.
2. Field-based learning – explorations of techniques and technologies for fieldwork.

4. Learning Communities

The significance of learning communities in open and distance STEM education, how such communities may be developed and sustained and what impact vibrant communities can have on retention and progression of students.  

5. Supporting students

1. Correspondence tuition – Investigating how Associate Lecturer practice supports student success.
2. Supported Open Entry – We would welcome projects which investigate better ways of engaging students in the pre-module start period, so-called Supported Open Entry.  We would also encourage projects which investigate better ways of re-engaging students who have deferred/stalled.
3. We would also like to further encourage collaborative proposals between the SRSC, the Faculty and Associate Lecturers that will evaluate the impact of these, and other, activities on student experience and success.  We are keen for these to involve Student Recruitment and Support staff as active partners in the design and operation of the project, and not merely in contacting students.  If you would like to know more about current and planned activities within individual subject areas, please contact your SST Faculty Lead.  

6. Research-informed teaching

We are interested in projects which investigate processes which lead to research-informed teaching and the impact this has on student perceptions of the Faculty and wider university.

Please note that this list does not preclude you from suggesting other projects that you feel would fit within the eSTEeM portfolio.  For example, we are aware that certain areas of the STEM curriculum present specific accessibility and/or participation issues and we are happy to receive projects in these areas.

What to do next

Sign-off procedure for proposals

Please note that all proposals now need to be reviewed/endorsed by your School Scholarship Lead, in addition to your time allocation being approved by your HoS, before submission to eSTEeM. Therefore, please ensure that you contact your respective Scholarship Lead as soon as possible, and well in advance of the submission deadline, to allow them sufficient time to review the proposal. 

Pre-bidding Workshop, 27^th January, 14.00-15.30, CMR 11

We will be holding a pre-bidding workshop to assist colleagues with the preparation of an eSTEeM project proposal and discuss any project ideas that you may have. The workshop will take place on Monday 27^th January, 14.00-15.30 in CMR 11 and will be particularly useful for those who have not submitted an eSTEeM proposal previously. Please confirm your attendance, either in person or remotely, by visiting the registration page by 12pm on Friday 24th January.

Further details

The estimated duration of projects is around 12-18 months with each team member expected to commit a minimum of 10 days. The average budget for an eSTEeM project is around £5k but requests must be commensurate with the scale and scope of the project.  

If you would like to register your interest in joining a project group, please email esteem@open.ac.uk indicating which area you are interested in and why. Alternatively, if you already have a worked-up proposal in mind then please download the current project proposal form by visiting the links below.

To assist you in preparing your proposal, please do not forget to view existing and previous eSTEeM projects and final reports. Please also visit the searchable Scholarship Exchange which is the University’s repository of scholarship projects and resources.  

The deadline for expressions of interest and submitting proposals is 17.00 on Friday 28^th February 2020.

If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact us.  We look forward to receiving your proposals.

Related Resources: 

Attachment	Size
eSTEeM-Project-Proposal-Form-Jul-22-FINAL.docx	114.52 KB

eSTEeM Project Proposal Form.

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2022-01-eSTEeM-Project-Plan-Supp-Info-FINAL.pdf	229.11 KB

eSTEeM Project Plan Supplementary Information