Summaries of Key Findings

This page provides a brief summary of the key features of each pilot project showing what worked about them and why, the success factors and next steps. For more information on evidence-base and evaluative process refer to the pilot projects page here. You will also find links to presentations that provide detail on the projects. Results will continue to be added – please keep checking back.

FOR DETAILED INFORMATION ON THESE PROJECTS, INCLUDING DATASETS, go to the Projects Page

THEME: STUDENT BELONGING

Photography Zine Project

by Yuxin Jiang

What Worked

The zine fair itself was the most successful part of the project for community building where students connected through shared purpose – they commented on the benefits of peer to peer learning as well as connecting with others outside of class settings.   It led to acts of kindness, while they sharing the experience; it led to them feeling confident to connect to others at the event.   Success factors: The number of participants (small numbers helped foster community), communicating around personal projects (developing professional confidence), support from staff, the pace, the buzzy atmosphere and its extra-curricular nature were central to its success.

Next Steps

The next steps will focus on developing the lead-up workshops to make them more relevant to the students and also to develop more relaxing community spaces in the run up to the fair   More regular curated opportunities will be explored that can be staged through the year to increase opportunities for students to benefit.   Facilitating further the cross-years connection.

THEME: Redesigning and Scaffolding Cross-Programme Units

Redesigning the Research Project

by Thomas Giagkoglou

What worked

A condensed unit led to many challenges, particularly as the unit was run cross-programme: scaffolding the unit was key to helping students through a complex project within one block, balancing the teaching of new skills, placing content at point of use (eg analysis) and supporting independent time for students to explore their own directions.   The evaluation showed that the pacing, the structured approach, the variety of teaching methods and retreat days were central to building confidence and keeping up motivation:  the student experience was good, levels of confidence remained relatively strong and students recognised they had learnt new and relevant skills throughout the unit.  The results were extremely positive for the first year of this unit. Success factors: Retreat days – for community building, structured and dedicated support, shared endeavour, carefully orchestrated events Tutor access – in different ways built into the structure , seminars, group tutorials, 1-2-1s, retreat days Checking in with students – ensuring they felt on top of the pace and confident with next steps Clear, staged approach – students felt this gave them confidence they could achieve this – while students still felt they had time to explore own direction

Next steps

Student journey – scaffolding from year 2 will be consistent across programme allowing for more knowledge building, extending learning and overcoming points of anxiety; consider also year 1 as start of journey Preparedness and readiness – Proposal from year 2 unit, which will have been assessed, means students will have made decisions/revisions earlier and start with more confidence Pinch-points – paying attention to support over winter break and start of spring term where assessment timing that cannot change but causes anxiety Timely support for specific content – certain areas emerged that need more support at the point they are used within the project and scaffolding and retreat days will take that into account – (analysis support) – the yr 2 unit will make this easier too.   Retreats – developing pedagogy – these worked very well – plan to refine full days based on learning and add in further shorter formats to increase regularity and support – with, for example, ‘snack writing’ to support reengagement after the break Consider options to support inclusivity further – eg where students miss sessions how do they get back into the unit – as supervisors will be allocated earlier so will have better way to identify at risk students here Explore ways to improve consistency in attainment across the 4 courses

Theme: EMPLOYABILITY

Embedding Employability for MA Journalism

by Lucia Vodanovic

What worked

Employability was already a key consideration for the course – this project focused on embedding it further and increasing awareness of the various offers within the course.   Success factors: comprehensive approach – from dedicated workshops, awareness raising sessions and resources sites; reinforcing journey led to much greater recognition of the skills being developed in class; using evaluation to raise awareness was also a success factor.

Next  Steps

Developing the padlet further as a live resource   Refining the offer around the student journey through the course   Exploring how to build student confidence further

Theme: P2P LEARNING AND PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE DEVELOPMENT

Tutorials, P2P Learning & Professional Practice

by Alexia Singh

What works

Embedded and scaffolded tutorials were highly effective for developing professional practice – supporting:   Student Experience – confidence building in showing, in critiquing each other, building strong P2P connection, inclusivity and building a sense of community   Student Learning – for ideas development and learning from peers, professional development from the gallery presentation   Success factors: Tutors good and consistent in approach, peer to peer learning nurtured over the unit, confidence growing through the term, effective for inclusivity and community-building, developed professional practice within the unit, working towards a show building community, postits for critique to build confidence displaying work effective.

Next steps

Gallery-quality output is now part of the assessments – (deals assessment clashes and confusions – as well as supports further engagement)   New assessment is aligned to industry and starts journey to yr 3 FMP (student journey)   Set points within unit to shoot elements (so will have work to discuss and show)   More process aspects worked into the tutorials earlier (eg paper choices etc.)   With this further scaffolding – students will feel less of a gap between tutorials and show, because they will have made more decision by end of unit

THEME: EMBEDDING ACADEMIC SKILLS

Embedding Academic Skills

by Alejandro Abraham Hamanoiel

What worked

Embedding the sessions meant more students received specific academic skills teaching at the point they might use them; confidence in identifying, finding and doing each skill was built up step by step in bite-sized ways and were closely contextualized within the unit modelling the work in main session, so it was very integrated.   Contextualising meant students understood relevance of the learning and started to use the terminology more confidently from this approach.   Success factors    Contextualising – linking to the unit itself and illustrating the skills in action within the session, using terminology regularly    Structure –carefully scaffolded, building step by step, breaking them down into smaller specific topics to concentrate on them and aid retention    Timing – not a slew of topics in one go at the start but spread throughout the unit at the point they would start to be used.

What next?

Student learning – developing this unit further so that it moves from an from academic essay to an academic portfolio – further reinforcing skills set and student confidence, ready to undertake essay in next theory unit   Practical teaching – Workshops should continue next year, with an emphasis on practical exercises   Further embedding Academic Skills Workshops  – consider this for further theory units and taught in context    To develop – Additional support should be given on the writing and structuring of academic texts as well as ways to work with academic support to help this alignment with the units; considering ways to extend learning for those who are already more knowledgeable

Theme: Building Student Resilience

Using Growth Mindsets

Julia Peck

What worked

Students engaged with the Growth Mindset concepts at the first session and linked it into their overall learning journey reflecting on challenges so far Students thought in-depth about their learning so far, and what things help them grow for the next block (eg getting support) Having the mid-year point as a place of reflection works well- with GMS providing some tools to think about experience so far and to think explicitly about what gives them staying power for longer complex units. This provides valuable understanding of confidence levels of students and their experience through the course so far  – a chance for listening Success factors – Timing so students have something they can reflect upon as they start next block; making it part of learning journey so they see one unit flow into the next Revisiting it mid-unit to remind them to think closely about how they overcame a challenge, what it was that gave them sticking power. Being responsive to what they talk about

What next?

Start to introduce concepts earlier in block 1 (large intake year) Build on this through year 1– one further checkins/reminder to reinforce within block 2 Continue to use as part of reflective process with current students moving from yr 1 to yr 2 to support yr 2 group project Staff can reference it in a more on-going way through units to embed further Consider ways to both use the postcards with new students (as advice is so positive, practical and full of good will), see if students put into practice their own advice Help students embed this and personalise it as a developmental process in their learning journey.

Theme: student confidence

Building Student Confidence in Skills Development: Sonali Misra

what worked

Students showed consistent growth in the SKM mapping, thus implying that their confidence has been boosted. It was an effective visual way to show students that they had developed their skillset through a unit. Student self-evaluation helped them introspect and critically evaluate their knowledge and skillset around subject area The survey mapped Unit LOs, thus reiterating the success of the teaching and course structure Text boxes in surveys helped customise some teaching to cater to differing prior knowledge levels Success factors Radar charts as a clear visual representation of growth A process for reflection that could be revisited and personalised with feedback linking it to the LO

Next Steps

This can be further emphasised in the next iteration through 1-on-1 chats with students about their reports to gauge their confidence levels and understanding of how the teaching addressed the Unit Learning Objectives This can also be used to link to the next unit – as students reflect and create new targets as their learning journey evolves. Planned activities in next iteration will be informed around skills gaps and differences in prior knowledge.

Theme: Student Learning –

Exploring Gen AI with MA Journalism Students – Simon Hinde

What worked

Interactive workshop got students discussing AI and developing confidence in using it critically. Key success factors: Using examples from Journalism – including examples of poor practice practical exercises covering the general principles of AI

Next steps

Run again updating exercises with current examples Spend longer on the exercises that went down well

Theme: student learning and student confidence

Developing Student Confidence with a Literature Review Bootcamp – Frania Hall

What Worked

Having 2 or more staff in the room available to support students with individual queries/projects/searches in 1-2-1 chats Being able to see students progress and get more immersed in their own ideas from concentrated work- staff could also keep checking back to see if students were moving forward Key success factors Setting goals throughout sessions Varying the day with different activities – structured to progress through the days Including academic support and the library Ensuring lots of 1-2-1 chats/follow ups

What Next

Make mandatory session at end of FMP teaching to support all students – to ensure attendance for the 2 days (which led to deeper learning and increased confidence) Continue to include with academic support and library – formalise their participation Retain structure which students liked but with more focus on writing activities

Theme: P2P learning

Developing P2P Learning and Student Engagement in the Innovation unit- Anna Faherty and Frania Hall

What worked

‘Buddy’ groups overall helped develop P2P learning within this unit. Attendance was improved Students learned a lot about each other’s ideas and enjoyed getting feedback Some particularly enjoyed this way of working, particularly brainstorming We could see ideas progressing (not just delivered at the end of the unit), could challenge students and were able to help student take ideas further Key success factors Planning the crit sessions carefully Engaging students in the process from the start

What next

*Set specific, staged, targets for the group sessions (relabeled) so they are working towards something they have to show each time (to avoid repetition) *Explain more about value of crits – confidence in experimentation *Consider also framing this as problem solving session *Prepare prompt cards to encourage more self-led discussion (so more interactive) *Change groups around to keep variety of ideas – and have students host discussions

THEME: STUDENT JOURNEY

STUDENT JOURNEY MAPPING AND PERSONAL MILESTONE PLANNING – Yuxin Jiang

What worked

*Co-creation of journey map divided unit up into sections and led to effective milestone creation *Personalising the milestones helped take ownership of journey and was found very useful *Students recognised the support available, where they might need it at what point – felt supported *Reviewing it was felt to be helpful by the students and staff – building habit of self-reflection *The large number of students participated – suggesting a level of inclusivity  – doing it on briefing  day was essential Key success factors *Spending time getting into the detail of the assessment and getting students to collaborate reinforcing learning required *Useing Miro or similar to create an active, collaborative space for students in the mapping activity *Letting students get really into the details of the assessment – engage with the shape of the unit and have dialogue with you about where they see challenges *Give the students something to take away – their personalised milestones worked well on paper *Plan in at least one check in so students can review the initial milestones and revise/iterate

What next

*Focus on developing the second session after Easter further to get more engagement – include, for example, more reflection which can be used in assessment; also review assessment submission and LO and concepts of situated practices again *Consider building in an additional short stage end of Spring term – to set out targets for summer before the break, capture Copeland responses (building into Copeland review session – building an arc of self-reflection *Possibly consider implementing similar approach for yr 3 to build on it, to build resilience further– as become more independent with learning *Considering a creative approach to student journey planning though zine-making

THEME – STUDENT LEARNING, CONFIDENCE AND ATTAINMENT

Research Project 2 – media communications programme – Thomas Giagkoglou with Frania Hall

This project explored the research project a year on to assess effectiveness of iterations made based on last year’s evaluation.

What worked

Yr 2 Transition and preparedness – DS1, 6 and 7 – 51% felt proposal was useful & felt confident because had proposal even if changed topic (tutors also felt this generally) Overcoming anxiety  –  as students progress at different times, but get anxious they are behind (DS7) more understanding about how to adapt projects will help; frequent sessions (group and 1-2-1) help with anxiety troughs; hitting personal milestones helps students feel they are progressing (DS7) Scaffolding – this was clear for the students – students clear on timetable (90%) DS2  – and this contributed to more general confidence in pacing of unit compared to last year (DS3 points were higher) Community – tutor groups worked well, retreats helped people focus and feel part of the same unit  – though option units led to more mixing  (DS3, 4, 5) Retreat attendance – general preference for in-person sessions due to the inherent qualities of face-to-face interaction; online sessions more attended by highly engaged students; re-ordering retreats might improve attendance of both types (DS3, 5, 7) Learning  – what students felt they had learned was: *process of a RP (DS7); * scholarly work, systematic theoretical thinking (DS8); * developed good subject knowledge (DS9); *establishing the basics for effective researching (DS2; 7) Key success factors Preparedness – students appeared to have momentum from the Year 2 unit even if they changed topic – with less issues around inconsistency of experience from last year (DS1, 2, 6, 7) Draft was made more formal this year with a Moodle hand-in formative; 91% handed in and 85% by stipulated deadline Early supervisor – 72% felt this was beneficial (DS2) and students much more aware of how the supervisor can help them in group and 1-2-1 situations (DS7, 8) Scaffolding – 49% felt pace was good and 46% said structure still allows them to personalise their project; 90% found lectures useful, 86% found seminars useful, 56% like mixture of learning (DS2) Flexibility of tutors/tutorial planning – fluid tutorials online / in person – flexible, empowering (DS7) Wider student community – community retreats help (DS7) but generally still feel closer to own course

Next Step

* Next year the aim is to focus now on specific areas with an exploration on the practice based option which remains less popular – this has not been a focus up to now * Examine the preparedness further with the Yr 2 unit and understand issues around changing topics in more depth (as this adds time pressure and creates anxiety) – will undertake yr 2 unit evaluation and explore how to help student pace themselves and make decisions. * Explore in more depth the effectiveness of the balance between common sessions and course-specific support * Continue to build on the online and in-person retreats – tweaking the timing and promoting the online using the data we now have on how they are effective * Timing – reviewing the timing of drafts and assignments for other units * Address two concerns that arose from the research- expectations of ‘novelty’ and use of AI *supporting students who miss part of the unit get back on track

THEMES – INTELLECTUAL CHALLENGE AND STUDENT EXPERIENCE

New option unit – exploring student experience and intellectual challenge. Jonathan Wright and Frania Hall

• The option units were introduced for 2024-2025 in block 1 for all level 6 students in the media communications programme – that is coming up to 200 students. Options are 20 credits and run alongside the Research project (40 credits)​
• 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.

Link to main post is here

WHAT WORKED

The data helped to pin-point student concepts of intellectual stimulation; there was less information about creativity. All the option units were seen to offer intellectual stimulation and student rose to the different challenges the units offered​ The students felt the option units were successful and mostly had very good experiences of them with good attainment; while options were very different, broadly student experience was consistent across them all. KEY SUCCESS FACTORS *the range of choices ​ *relevance (personal and/or professional)​ *well-constructed units​ *intellectual stimulation of the units​ *passion for topics – staff and students alike​ *developing confidence to discuss the topic and tackle complex issues with new ways of thinking ​What students felt they had gained *New frameworks for thinking​ *Made more connections across disciplines and with their own lives​ *Confidence to discuss things in depth around relevant contemporary topics​ *Critical skills including skills like fact checking ​ *For relevant units – development of practical skills​ *Different perspectives (eg from guests)​ *Ability to apply learning to different issues Student concepts of Intellectual challenge *Intellectual stimulation was vested in:​ *Using brain – not coasting​ *Interdisciplinarity​ *Clearly presented concepts that could build on each other​ *Having light bulb moments (eg applying concepts to own experience) – transformative moments​ *Being challenged and find they could rise to the challenge​ *Frameworks that they could continue to use – eg future thinking​ *Feeling confident about assessment and about topic – could talk confidently about it​ *Discussions and topics ‘felt like university’ and tacking topics head on – eg racism​ *Creativity in bringing new thinking to challenges – finding new solutions​ *Freedom to develop own thinking

What Next

*Embed good practice that emerged from the research across all the options– with particular focus on embedding the features that students feel make the units intellectually stimulating​ *Option-specific issues to be reviewed and improved – eg around clarifying assessment, not trying to do too many things in the time allowed (relevant options noted throughout the report)​ *While in general students felt the options were creative – further consideration of the creativity aspects would be valuable in order to understand this aspect in more depth​ *Looking at ways to develop more confidence in using new practical skills where relevant​

THEMES – CREATIVITY AND STUDENT EXPERIENCE

Creative Foundations – student learning on creativity and interdisciplinary learning experiences – Jonathan Wright and Frania Hall

• Creative foundations is a level 4 first year unit that is taken by all the students across the media communications programme. This encompasses nearly 200 students.​
• The unit involves the development of creative skills – it allows students to be creative within their discipline but also see how creativity connects the different subjects
• Now in its third year the unit has introduced refinements based on feedback year on year. In response to feedback this year the focus has been on:​
• Adjusting the assessment to achieve a balance between flexibility and disciplinary focus – generic assessment to produce 4 creative responses can be adapted to the specific creative skills of each course​
• Clearer understanding of how creative skills are assessed​
• Focus on helping students to feel close to their disciplines while participating across the programme (lectures were general and seminars activities were course-specific)​

Link to main post is here

what worked

STUDENT EXPERIENCE – Links between course and wider discipline worked effectively this year – students were satisfied with application of creativity to their subject areas​ STUDENT LEARNING – Students developed a good and nuanced understanding of creativity​ STUDENT ENGAGEMENT – The scaffolding of seminars and lectures worked effectively and student appreciated developing a range of creative skills, with some finding the unit particularly rewarding​ STUDENT ATTAINMENT – while there were some issues with hand ins broadly the work was of higher quality​ Student understanding of creativity *Creative Processes –combining imagination, criticality and reflection​ *Creativity is linked to innovation​ *Uniqueness/newness *Personal artistic endeavour​ Their responses were nuanced and reflected themes that had been discussed within the unit​ They also noted that the unit helped them think in creative ways​ Key success factors clear link to discipline and tutors linking back to shared parts effectively scaffolding range of practical skills developed freedom and chance to experiment

What next

*Continue to develop the practice side to support less confidentstudents in skills development ​ *Support students in finding ways to stretch themselves – particularlyin feeling freer to experiment​ *Explore relationship of creativity and intellectual challenge​ *Focus on element 2 and hand in​ *Consider ways to help students make decisions about creativeoutputs earlier in the process (in terms of timing of skills sessions)​