OPTION UNITS – understanding student concepts of intellectual stimulation

Jonathan Wright with Frania Hall

OVERVIEW

The option units were introduced for 2024-2025 in block 1 for all level 6 students in the media communications programme – close to 200 students. Options are 20 credits and run alongside the Research project (40 credits). This evaluation assessed their effectiveness, levels of student engagement and explored concepts around intellectual stimulation and creativity.

The full presentation can be found here. A detailed report is available here.

THE RESEARCH PROJECT

There were 6 options – with a range of choices  some more theoretical, some more practical using creative skills and some more professional in nuance.

They tackle contemporary topics including: Futures Thinking, Love in a Digital Age, Sound Cultures, Comedy and Satire, Information Warfare and Digital Humanitarianism.

Staff were able to propose topics that related to their own research areas and design a unit in the way they wanted while ensuring they adhered to a consistent outline and generic assessment brief.

RESEARCH QUESTION

What can staff understand about the student perspectives on concepts of intellectual stimulation and creative engagement within the level 6 option units

What has the student experience been in relation to the new options? – have they succeeded in providing breadth of choice with engaging assessments? How does it add to their own interests/creative practices? And is the experience consistent?

Data sets